Dr. Bob Prescribes: Felix Mendelssohn
September
24th,
2019
Jacob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) in 1846 It is cliché but true: the older we get, the more most of us realize how little we know and how much there is still to learn. Getting older has a way of humbling us if, indeed, we are lucky enough to get older. Now, I am aware…
Music History Monday: Paul is Dead!
September
23rd,
2019
Paul McCartney (b. 1942) in 1966 On September 23, 1969 – 50 years ago today – the venerable English tabloid the London Daily Mirror reported that Paul McCartney of the Beatles was dead. It was the first time the rumor was printed in the mainstream press. In 2009, for what was then the 40th anniversary…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: Anne Rice
September
17th,
2019
Anne Rice (b. 1941) Given all of its terminological pitfalls, referencing music is notoriously difficult for non-musicians. I read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction, and far more often than not music references are bungled by both authors and their editors (who allow those bungles to slip through). (It has only just now occurred…
Music History Monday: Melding with the Geldings, or Balls to the Wall
September
16th,
2019
(What, you don’t “like” my title? Please, don’t get testes about it.) Carlo Broschi, “Farinelli” (1705-1782) in 1734 by Bartolomeo Nazari We note the death on September 16, 1782 – 237 years ago today – of one of the greatest opera singers to have ever lived, the celebrated Italian castrato Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi,…
Dr. Bob Prescribes Górecki: Symphony No. 3
September
10th,
2019
I recorded a course entitled Music as a Mirror of History for The Great Courses/Teaching Company in 2015. The concept behind the course was to feature works composed in direct response to historical events, and to discuss those musical works in the context of the events that inspired them. The resulting course was as much…
Music History Monday: Elvis and the Tube
September
9th,
2019
Elvis Presley (1935-1977) and Ed Sullivan (1901-1974) On September 9, 1956 – 63 years ago today – Elvis Presley made his first appearance, live, on The Ed Sullivan Show. (The show was indeed broadcast live in the Eastern and Central time zones, though delayed for the Mountain and Pacific time zones.) It has been suggested…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
September
3rd,
2019
Jerome Robbins leading the original Broadway cast of West Side Story in rehearsal I am going to say it upfront; abuse me as you wish. In my humble but not entirely ill-informed opinion, West Side Story – with its story concept by William Shakespeare, “book” (play) by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, choreography and…
Music History Monday: Light My Fire
September
2nd,
2019
45-rpm single of The Doors Light My Fire, recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967 This post - Music History Monday - would not be possible without the internet. In a matter of seconds, I - or any one of us - can access a seemingly innumerable number of sites that will afford…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: Beethoven Piano Quartet No. 3, WoO 36
August
27th,
2019
Beethoven (1770-1827) at 13 The year 2020 will mark our adored Louis van Beethoven’s 250th birthday. As discussed in Dr. Bob Prescribes on July 23, among my contributions to the coming year-of-living-Beethoven hoopla will be a series of posts exploring some of Beethoven’s lesser-known works and/or performances we should all know about. On July 23,…
Music History Monday: Lotte Lehmann
August
26th,
2019
Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976) circa 1935 “She had only to walk on stage to reduce the audience to a melting blob” On August 26, 1976 – 43 years ago today – the German-born soprano, opera star, lieder singer, movie actress, internationally renowned teacher, music historian and author, published poet, painter and illustrator Lotte Lehmann died in…