February 19, 2018.From Blow to Kurtág.We have a wonderful group of musicians to celebrate this week.Luigi Boccherini was born on this day in 1743 in Lucca.He studied in Rome, at the age of 14 he moved to Vienna where he played the cello at the Burgtheater, and four years later, in 1770 he moved to Madrid.There he was employed by the younger brother of the King of Spain, Infante Luis Antonio.His official title was compositore e virtuoso di camera.He lived in Spain for the rest of his life, even while holding an appointment with the Crown Prince of Prussia.Boccherini died in Madrid on May 28th of 1805.He wrote more than 100 quartets – Minuet from String Quintet in E Major, Op.11 No. 5 is probably his most famous piece of music.Here’s another of his string quartets, “La Tiranna,” in G major, Op. 44, no. 4.It’s performed by the Ensemble 415.
Also born today but almost two centuries later, in 1926, was one of the most influential composers of the second part of the 20th century, György Kurtág.A Hungarian, he was born in the town of Lugoj, part of the Austria-Hungary that reverted to Romania after the Great War.He studied music in Timișoara (also formerly a Hungarian city) and in 1946 moved to Budapest.He became friends with another young composer, György Ligeti.In 1957 Kurtág went to Paris where he studied with Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud.After the limitations of the socialist Hungary, Paris offered Kurtág access to all the modern music he wanted to hear.He listened to the Viennese, especially Webern; other influences were Stravinsky and Bartók.Had he stayed in Paris, his life would’ve been very different, but he chose to return to Hungary.There he earned money as an accompanist and voice coach.
He didn’t receive international recognition as a composer till the 1980s.He could afford to retire from teaching only in 1986, and left Hungary in 1993.Since then, he has worked in Berlin, Paris, Vienna and other cities.He now lives in Bordeaux.Kurtág’s music is difficult, but as we’ve said many times when talking about contemporary composers, it’s usually worth the effort.Here’s a piece dedicated to his friend, Pierre Boulez, Petite musique solennelle en hommage à Pierre Boulez.The Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra is conducted by Matthias Pintscher.
The English Baroque composer John Blow, the oldest in our group, was born on February 23rd of 1649.At the age of 19 he was appointed the organist at the Westminster Abbey and later assumed the same position at the Chapel Royal.In 1664 he was made Master of the Children of the Chapel.In this position he taught a generation of future composers, Jeremiah Clarke among them.Daniel Purcell, the younger brother of Henry Purcell, was also his student.Blow was very fond of Henry and even resigned as theorganist at the Westminster Abbey to allow Purcell to take his place.The two composers were good friends, and when Henry Purcell died at the age of 36 in 1965, Blow wrote an Ode on his death.Blow’s favorite musical genre was the Anthem, a form similar to a catholic motet, and usually written to a specific text.Here’s the coronation anthem for King James II, God Spake Sometimes in Visions, which Blow composed in 1695.The Choir of King's College, Cambridge and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields are conducted by David Willcocks.
The greatest in the group, George Frideric Handel, was also born this week, on February 23rd of 1685.A German, he visited London in 1710, staged his new opera, Rinaldo, to great success and moved to England permanently in 1712 to become England’s national composer.We’ve celebrated him many a time and will do so again in the future.And speaking of opera, Enrico Caruso, probably the greatest tenor of all time, was also born this week, on February 25th of 1873.
From Blow to Kurtág, 2018
February 19, 2018. From Blow to Kurtág. We have a wonderful group of musicians to celebrate this week. Luigi Boccherini was born on this day in 1743 in Lucca. He studied in Rome, at the age of 14 he moved to Vienna where he played the cello at the Burgtheater, and four years later, in 1770 he moved to Madrid. There he was employed by the younger brother of the King of Spain, Infante
Luis Antonio. His official title was compositore e virtuoso di camera. He lived in Spain for the rest of his life, even while holding an appointment with the Crown Prince of Prussia. Boccherini died in Madrid on May 28th of 1805. He wrote more than 100 quartets – Minuet from String Quintet in E Major, Op.11 No. 5 is probably his most famous piece of music. Here’s another of his string quartets, “La Tiranna,” in G major, Op. 44, no. 4. It’s performed by the Ensemble 415.
Also born today but almost two centuries later, in 1926, was one of the most influential composers of the second part of the 20th century, György Kurtág. A Hungarian, he was born in the town of Lugoj, part of the Austria-Hungary that reverted to Romania after the Great War. He studied music in Timișoara (also formerly a Hungarian city) and in 1946 moved to Budapest. He became friends with another young composer, György Ligeti. In 1957 Kurtág went to Paris where he studied with Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud. After the limitations of the socialist Hungary, Paris offered Kurtág access to all the modern music he wanted to hear. He listened to the Viennese, especially Webern; other influences were Stravinsky and Bartók. Had he stayed in Paris, his life would’ve been very different, but he chose to return to Hungary. There he earned money as an accompanist and voice coach.
He didn’t receive international recognition as a composer till the 1980s. He could afford to retire from teaching only in 1986, and left Hungary in 1993. Since then, he has worked in Berlin, Paris, Vienna and other cities. He now lives in Bordeaux. Kurtág’s music is difficult, but as we’ve said many times when talking about contemporary composers, it’s usually worth the effort. Here’s a piece dedicated to his friend, Pierre Boulez, Petite musique solennelle en hommage à Pierre Boulez. The Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra is conducted by Matthias Pintscher.
The English Baroque composer John Blow, the oldest in our group, was born on February 23rd of 1649. At the age of 19 he was appointed the organist at the Westminster Abbey and later assumed the same position at the Chapel Royal. In 1664 he was made Master of the Children of the Chapel. In this position he taught a generation of future composers, Jeremiah Clarke among them. Daniel Purcell, the younger brother of Henry Purcell, was also his student. Blow was very fond of Henry and even resigned as theorganist at the Westminster Abbey to allow Purcell to take his place. The two composers were good friends, and when Henry Purcell died at the age of 36 in 1965, Blow wrote an Ode on his death. Blow’s favorite musical genre was the Anthem, a form similar to a catholic motet, and usually written to a specific text. Here’s the coronation anthem for King James II, God Spake Sometimes in Visions, which Blow composed in 1695. The Choir of King's College, Cambridge and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields are conducted by David Willcocks.
The greatest in the group, George Frideric Handel, was also born this week, on February 23rd of 1685. A German, he visited London in 1710, staged his new opera, Rinaldo, to great success and moved to England permanently in 1712 to become England’s national composer. We’ve celebrated him many a time and will do so again in the future. And speaking of opera, Enrico Caruso, probably the greatest tenor of all time, was also born this week, on February 25th of 1873.