September 29, 2014.Recent birthdays.With a lull this week (with one exception: Paul Dukas, of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice fame, was born on October 1st, 1865) we want to go back to some of the anniversaries we failed to properly acknowledge.Among the composers born in September that we mentioned in passing (and there were many), were two whom we’ve never written about before: Johann Christian Bachand William Boyce, both very important composers of the 18th century and both quickly forgotten soon after their death, only to regain popularity later.
William Boyce was born in London, shortly before September 11th of 1711 (he was baptized that day).He was admitted to the St. Paul Cathedral as a choirboy at the age of eight and studied there with Maurice Greene (even though Greene was 15 years older than Boyce, they eventually became good friends).In 1734 Boyce was hired as the organist at the Oxford Chapel in London; it was around that time that he published his first compositions.A virtuoso organist, he worked in many churches in London.In early 1740 he composed a “serenata” called Solomon – in reality a full-blown oratorio running for more than an hour.It became popular (some say almost as popular as Handel’s Messiah), establishing Boyce as a first-rank composer.In 1747 he composed Twelve Sonatas for Two Violins and a Bass¸ that were also met with acclaim (you can listen to Sonata no. 1, performed by Collegium Musicum 90, here).A highlight of his career was the performance, in Cambridge on July of 1749, of his celebratory ode during the installation of the Duke of Newcastle as the Chancellor of the University.Here’s the Overture to the Ode, Here all thy active fires diffuse, with the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Raymond Leppard.In 1755, following Maurice Greene’s death, he was appointed the Master of the King's Music (or Musick, as it was spelled back then).Three years later came another honor, his appointment as the organist to the Chapel Royal.In 1760 Boyce published a collection of his eight symphonies, written during the previous 20 years.A year later he composed music for the wedding of George III to Princess Charlotte, The King Shall Rejoice (here, with the choir of the New College Oxford and the Academy of Ancient Music, Edward Higginbottom conducting).He semi-retired soon after, living in Kensington Gore next to Hyde Park in London and composing occasional pieces.William Boyce died on February 7th of 1779.
Johann Christian Bach, Johann Sebastian’s youngest son, is often called "the London Bach" as he spent the last 20 years of his life in that city.He was born in Leipzig on September 5th, 1735 when his father was already 50.It seems he was Johann Sebastian’s favorite child, as his father left him three of his harpsichords.After Johann Sebastian’s death in 1750 Christian moved to Berlin and continued musical lessons with his older half-brother, Carl Philipp Emanuel.In 1755 Christian left Germany – the first Bach to do so in two centuries – and settled in Milan.He composed and earned his living as the second organist at the Milan Cathedral.His early success came with the opera Catone in Utica, which was staged in many cities around Italy.The King’s Theater, the most important opera company in England, took notice, commissioning two operas, and in 1762 Christian moved to London.He soon became the most important composer in the city, accepted by the royal family, with patrons among the aristocracy and friends like Gainsborough and other painters and artists.He wrote variations on God Save the King into the sixth of his keyboard concertos Op. 1, and it became exceedingly popular.Bach and Carl Friedrich Abel, a composer and viol player, organized a series of concerts, an important milestone in London’s music life.In 1764 Leopold Mozart arrived in London with his eight year-old musical prodigy of a son.Young Wolfgang held Johann Christian’s music in highest regard; later he would rework three of his piano sonatas into concertos (here is the original Sonata Op.5 no. 2 performed by the Austrian pianist Hans Kann, and here’s the 15 year-old Mozart’ concerto K. 107 no. 1; Ton Koopman performs with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra).In London they even played harpsichord duets together.Christian’s symphonic music also influencedMozart’s early work.We’ll write more about Johann Christian some other time, his keyboard concertos and especially his very popular operas.In the mean time, here is his Sinfonia in D major, Op. 18, No. 4; Hanspeter Gmur leads the Failoni Orchestra of Budapest.
The fine portrait of Johann Christian, above, was painted by Thomas Gainsborough in 1776.
Recently missed birthdays,September 2014
September 29, 2014. Recent birthdays. With a lull this week (with one exception: Paul Dukas, of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice fame, was born on October 1st, 1865) we want to go back to some of the anniversaries we failed to properly acknowledge. Among the composers born in September that we mentioned in passing (and there were many), were two whom we’ve never written about before: Johann Christian Bach and William Boyce, both very important composers of the 18th century and both quickly forgotten soon after their death, only to regain popularity later.
Johann Christian Bach, Johann Sebastian’s youngest son, is often called "the London Bach" as he spent the last 20 years of his life in that city. He was born in Leipzig on September 5th, 1735 when his father was already 50. It seems he was Johann Sebastian’s favorite child, as his father
left him three of his harpsichords. After Johann Sebastian’s death in 1750 Christian moved to Berlin and continued musical lessons with his older half-brother, Carl Philipp Emanuel. In 1755 Christian left Germany – the first Bach to do so in two centuries – and settled in Milan. He composed and earned his living as the second organist at the Milan Cathedral. His early success came with the opera Catone in Utica, which was staged in many cities around Italy. The King’s Theater, the most important opera company in England, took notice, commissioning two operas, and in 1762 Christian moved to London. He soon became the most important composer in the city, accepted by the royal family, with patrons among the aristocracy and friends like Gainsborough and other painters and artists. He wrote variations on God Save the King into the sixth of his keyboard concertos Op. 1, and it became exceedingly popular. Bach and Carl Friedrich Abel, a composer and viol player, organized a series of concerts, an important milestone in London’s music life. In 1764 Leopold Mozart arrived in London with his eight year-old musical prodigy of a son. Young Wolfgang held Johann Christian’s music in highest regard; later he would rework three of his piano sonatas into concertos (here is the original Sonata Op.5 no. 2 performed by the Austrian pianist Hans Kann, and here’s the 15 year-old Mozart’ concerto K. 107 no. 1; Ton Koopman performs with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra). In London they even played harpsichord duets together. Christian’s symphonic music also influencedMozart’s early work. We’ll write more about Johann Christian some other time, his keyboard concertos and especially his very popular operas. In the mean time, here is his Sinfonia in D major, Op. 18, No. 4; Hanspeter Gmur leads the Failoni Orchestra of Budapest.
The fine portrait of Johann Christian, above, was painted by Thomas Gainsborough in 1776.