September 5, 2016. Rare week. Practically every day of this week we could celebrate a birthday of an interesting composer, and on some days more than one. Too much to write in detail, but we’ll mention many. September 5th is especially bountiful – no less than five composers share their birthdays on that day. Johann Christian “the London” Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian and a fine composer, was born on this day in 1735. Anton Diabelli, an Austrian music publisher and composer was born on the same day in 1781. Diabelli is remembered for a very different reason. He had an interesting idea: he wrote a theme and then asked important (mostly Austrian) composers to write one variation, which he then collected and published. For that purpose he composed an unpretentious waltz in C-Major. 51 composers responded, Schubert, Czerny, Hummel, and Moscheles among them. The 12-year old Liszt also submitted an entry (Diabelli didn’t ask him directly, but Czerny, Liszt’s teacher, was eager to demonstrate his student’s talents). One composer responded on a different scale: Beethoven came up not with one but with 33 variations, which became known as Diabelli Variations. Beethoven’s last composition for piano, op. 120 is one of the most profound pieces in piano literature (when played well -- when played poorly, it’s a bore).
Three more composers were born on the same day: Giacomo Meyerbeer, who in the mid-19th century was the most popular opera composer in Europe, and two Americans: Amy Beach, born in 1867, andJohn Cage, in 1912.
Then on September 6th comes the birthday of Isabella Leonarda, who was born in 1620 in Novara, a town west of Milan. When she was 16, the entered a convent and remained there for the rest of her life (she died in the convent at the age of 84, in 1704). Therefore, no interesting events in her life to report. Even though it’s said that she hadn’t started composing till the age of 50, she wrote more than 200 compositions. Her music was well known in Novara but not much in the rest of Italy. Here’s her Sonata Duodecima from 1693 for violin and continuo, performed by the violinist Riccardo Minasi and the ensemble with a whimsical name Bizzarrie Armoniche.
On September 7th we celebrate the birthday of Hernando de Cabezón, born in Madrid around that date in 1541 (we know that he was baptized on the 7th). Hernando was the son of Antonio de Cabezón, also a composer. In 1563 Hernando was appointed organist at Sigüenza Cathedral and stayed there till July of 1566, when his father died and he took his place as the organist to the King Philip II. The King presided over the Golden Age of Spain, when the empire reached its zenith in influence and size. Here’s a song called O bella, from a collection of music compiled by one Octavius Fugger. It’s performed by the French ensemble Charivari Agréable.
September 8th marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of Antonin Dvořák. One of the greatest Czech composers, he excelled as a symphonist; he also wrote chamber music and nine operas, one of which, Rusalka, remains very popular to this day. Here’s his Piano Quintet, op. 81, performed by Quintessence Piano Quintet. Two Englishmen follow, Henry Purcell on the 10th – he was born in 1659, and William Boyce on the 11th of September (Boyce was born in 1711). Purcell, who died tragically young at the age of 36, was one of the greatest English composers of all time. Here’s his When I am laid in earth, from Dido and Aeneas. Jessye Norman is the soprano; English Chamber is conducted by Raymond Leppard. And of course we should remember that Arvo Pärtwas also born on the 11th, in 1935.
Rare week, 2016
September 5, 2016. Rare week. Practically every day of this week we could celebrate a birthday of an interesting composer, and on some days more than one. Too much to write in detail, but we’ll mention many. September 5th is especially bountiful – no less than five composers share their birthdays on that day. Johann Christian “the London” Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian and a fine composer, was born on
this day in 1735. Anton Diabelli, an Austrian music publisher and composer was born on the same day in 1781. Diabelli is remembered for a very different reason. He had an interesting idea: he wrote a theme and then asked important (mostly Austrian) composers to write one variation, which he then collected and published. For that purpose he composed an unpretentious waltz in C-Major. 51 composers responded, Schubert, Czerny, Hummel, and Moscheles among them. The 12-year old Liszt also submitted an entry (Diabelli didn’t ask him directly, but Czerny, Liszt’s teacher, was eager to demonstrate his student’s talents). One composer responded on a different scale: Beethoven came up not with one but with 33 variations, which became known as Diabelli Variations. Beethoven’s last composition for piano, op. 120 is one of the most profound pieces in piano literature (when played well -- when played poorly, it’s a bore).
Three more composers were born on the same day: Giacomo Meyerbeer, who in the mid-19th century was the most popular opera composer in Europe, and two Americans: Amy Beach, born in 1867, and John Cage, in 1912.
Then on September 6th comes the birthday of Isabella Leonarda, who was born in 1620 in Novara, a town west of Milan. When she was 16, the entered a convent and remained there for the rest of her life (she died in the convent at the age of 84, in 1704). Therefore, no interesting events in her life to report. Even though it’s said that she hadn’t started composing till the age of 50, she wrote more than 200 compositions. Her music was well known in Novara but not much in the rest of Italy. Here’s her Sonata Duodecima from 1693 for violin and continuo, performed by the violinist Riccardo Minasi and the ensemble with a whimsical name Bizzarrie Armoniche.
On September 7th we celebrate the birthday of Hernando de Cabezón, born in Madrid around that date in 1541 (we know that he was baptized on the 7th). Hernando was the son of Antonio de Cabezón, also a composer. In 1563 Hernando was appointed organist at Sigüenza Cathedral and stayed there till July of 1566, when his father died and he took his place as the organist to the King Philip II. The King presided over the Golden Age of Spain, when the empire reached its zenith in influence and size. Here’s a song called O bella, from a collection of music compiled by one Octavius Fugger. It’s performed by the French ensemble Charivari Agréable.
September 8th marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of Antonin Dvořák. One of the greatest Czech composers, he excelled as a symphonist; he also wrote chamber music and nine operas, one of which, Rusalka, remains very popular to this day. Here’s his Piano Quintet, op. 81, performed by Quintessence Piano Quintet. Two Englishmen follow, Henry Purcell on the 10th – he was born in 1659, and William Boyce on the 11th of September (Boyce was born in 1711). Purcell, who died tragically young at the age of 36, was one of the greatest English composers of all time. Here’s his When I am laid in earth, from Dido and Aeneas. Jessye Norman is the soprano; English Chamber is conducted by Raymond Leppard. And of course we should remember that Arvo Pärt was also born on the 11th, in 1935.