Music History Monday: “The Song of the Earth”
November
20th,
2017
[caption id="attachment_2400" align="alignright" width="224"] Gustav Mahler in 1907[/caption] 106 years ago today – on November 20, 1911 - Gustav Mahler’s magnificent Das Lied von der Erde (“The Song of the Earth”) received its premiere in Munich under the baton of Mahler’s conductorial protégé, Bruno Walter. The house was packed for the premiere; among the audience…
Music History Monday: Rossini and the Soul of Wit
November
13th,
2017
[caption id="attachment_2376" align="alignright" width="239"] Gioachino Rossini in 1865, age 73[/caption] 149 years ago today, the opera composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini died in Paris at the age of 76. One of the most famous and respected artists of his time, he remains no less so today. It is my humble opinion that anyone who does not…
Music History Monday: J.S. Bach, Jailbird
November
6th,
2017
[caption id="attachment_2369" align="alignright" width="256"] Maestro Bach wishing a fond farewell to Wilhelm Ernst, Prince of Weimar[/caption] Exactly 300 years ago today – on November 6, 1717 – the great Johann Sebastian Bach was tossed into jail and spent nearly a month cooling his heels courtesy of his boss, Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar. You see,…
Music History Monday: An American Classic
October
30th,
2017
[caption id="attachment_2356" align="alignright" width="245"] Martha Graham and Aaron Copland at the premiere of Appalachian Spring at the Library of Congress on October 30, 1944.[/caption] On this day in 1944 – 73 years ago - Aaron Copland's ballet Appalachian Spring was first performed by the Martha Graham Dance Company in Washington, DC. From that moment, it…
Music History Monday: Justice Denied
October
23rd,
2017
October 23 is one of those dates on which virtually nothing of interest has (yet) happened in the world of music. On such days, I typically turn to the day before or the after for my “Music History Monday” topic; and indeed, both October 22nd and 24th are rich in events about which I could…
Music History Monday: Pierrot Lunaire
October
16th,
2017
[caption id="attachment_2344" align="alignright" width="212"] Rarer than unobtainium, a photograph of Schoenberg smiling![/caption]There are certain first performances that we celebrate as being among the seminal events in music history. For example (and we would do well to memorize these dates!), the first performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s groundbreaking opera Orfeo occurred at Florence’s Pitti Palace on Friday,…
Music History Monday: Tōru Takemitsu
October
9th,
2017
[caption id="attachment_2335" align="alignright" width="300"] Tōru Takemitsu[/caption] Today we mark and celebrate the birth in Tokyo – 87 years ago yesterday on October 8, 1930 – of one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century: Tōru Takemitsu. Some historical background called for, as no East Asian country adopted Western music more rapidly and at an…
Music History Monday: Spreading the Love
October
2nd,
2017
October 2 was a most interesting day in music history. Rather than choose just one person or event for discussion, we’re going to spread the love today and observe three people and one event for whom/which October 2 was a signal date. Max Bruch and One Hit Wonders [caption id="attachment_2326" align="alignright" width="205"] Max Bruch[/caption] On…
Music History Monday: One of a Kind
September
25th,
2017
[caption id="attachment_2320" align="alignright" width="300"] Glenn Gould in 1959 at the age of 27[/caption]Today we celebrate the birth of the pianist Glenn Herbert Gold. (That is the name on his birth certificate. The family began using the name “Gould” informally, when Glenn was seven years old, but he never formally changed his name to “Gould.”) He…
Music History Monday: Uzeyir Hajibeyov
September
18th,
2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE-dy_TVkpk Music of the Twentieth Century https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syLlWONviMc Mozart In Vienna Joining the crazy list of days dedicated to various objects, medical conditions, and foodstuffs (National Slinky Day; National Jock Itch Day; National Hostess Cupcake Day) are a number of days dedicated to music. For example, the International Music Day (IMD), which is celebrated on October…