Dr. Bob Prescribes “Variations on Happy Birthday”
June
29th,
2022
Variations on Happy Birthday: In Tribute to Eugene Ormandy, January 24, 1970 Monday’s Music History Monday post marked the birth, on June 27, 1859, of Mildred Jane Hill, who wrote the music to Happy Birthday to You. Thus, today’s Happy Birthday to You-themed Dr. Bob Prescribes post! The “Book” I have not a clue as…
Music History Monday: The Fabulous Hill Sisters!
June
27th,
2022
Humiliation Before getting to the anniversary we are honoring in today’s Music History Monday post, it is necessary for us to contemplate the painful issue of humiliation. “Humiliation” is a consequence of unjustified shaming, as a result of which one’s social status, public image, and self-esteem are decreased, often quite significantly. Humiliation hurts; humiliation sucks.…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: The Joys of Bassi: Matti Salminen and Samuel Ramey
June
21st,
2022
Yesterday’s Music History Monday post marked the birth, on June 20, 1843, of the Russian operatic basso Fyodor Ignatyevich Stravinsky. Considered in his lifetime to be among the greatest bass singers of his time, Fyodor Stravinsky’s memory has been almost entirely eclipsed by that of his son, the composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). Fyodor Stravinsky died…
Music History Monday: Fyodor Ignatyevich Stravinsky
June
20th,
2022
Fyodor Ignatyevich Stravinsky (1843-1902) in 1887 We mark the birth on June 20, 1843 – 179 years ago today – of the Russia bass opera singer Fyodor Ignatyevich Stravinsky, in the city of Minsk, which is today the capital of Belarus but was then part of the Russian Empire. Considered one of the greatest singers…
Dr. Bob Prescribes Richard Wagner, facsimile full scores
June
14th,
2022
Richard Wagner’s hand-written manuscript of the first page of the overture to his opera The Flying Dutchman (1842); the writing in red ink is a note from Wagner to his publisher If we want to own a facsimile of one of Wagner’s handwritten, manuscript scores, we’ve got limited options, because a great many of Wagner’s…
Music History Monday: The Ultimate Fanboy: The Mad King, Ludwig II
June
13th,
2022
King of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 1845-1886), circa 1864 We mark the death (the most suspicious death) on June 13, 1886 – 136 years ago today – of the ultimate Richard Wagner fanboy King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The Running Man Richard Wagner was among the least-athletic looking people to ever grace…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: Johann Strauss – Father and Sons
June
7th,
2022
In 2014, I was asked by The Great Courses/The Teaching Company to figure out a way to make a 24-lecture, 16-hour course that minimized the cost of licensing music for musical examples. Upfront: I thought then – as I do now – that this was a case of penny wise and pound foolish, as a…
Music History Monday: Siegfried Wagner
June
6th,
2022
Siegfried Wagner (1869-1930) We mark the birth of Richard Wagner’s son Siegfried Wagner on June 6, 1869 – 163 years ago today – in Lucerne, Switzerland. Like the sons of so many great men groomed to follow in their fathers’ footsteps, he could never hope to measure up to or escape from his father’s shadow.…
Dr. Bob Prescribes Benjamin Britten – War Requiem (1962)
May
31st,
2022
Britten in September 1923, two months before his 10th birthday Music History Monday for November 22, 2021, was entitled “Benjamin Britten: The Making of a Composer.” The Dr. Bob Prescribes post that followed, on November 23, 2021, featured Britten’s String Quartet No. 1, which was composed in 1941. Between them, those two posts outlined the…
Music History Monday: Benjamin Britten War Requiem
May
30th,
2022
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) taking tea during the rehearsals of his War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral, in Coventry, England, May 1962 We mark the premiere performance on May 30, 1962 – 60 years ago today – of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. Completed in early 1962, the War Requiem was commissioned to mark the consecration of the “new” Coventry…