CBC Radio Programs on Mozart

Thanks to Connie Woloschuk, a Canadian friend and colleague who sent me these links, a couple of CBC (Canada) radio programs on Mozart she enjoyed over the holiday season.

Part 1:

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/ID/2426383766/
From boyhood triumphs to burial in a common grave; a Mozart “grand tour” with historians, archivists, musicians, musicologists, even a Freudian analyst, recorded in Paris, London, Prague, Vienna and Salzburg. PLUS excerpts from Mozart’s letters.

Part 2:

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Living+Out+Loud/ID/2428141154/
Which of Mozart’s arias were composed in return for sexual favours? Do we see in Don Giovanni a coded quest to kill his father? Why did Mozart gamble so recklessly? Was the mysterious “grey messenger” who commissioned the Requiem the harbinger of his death?

Mozart Museum at Bertramka Revisited

25 December 2013

Bertramka Mozart Museum

My last entry about Mozart Museum at Bertramka was early this year, February 2013.  The other day I tried searching for a more recent update about this place I last visited in 2007.  According to my favourite source and friend, Sherry Davis, founder of "The Chronicles of a Modern Day Mozartian," there hasn't been any change in a while. On further looking into, I realised that I overlooked Sherry's last update which she wrote last year  in October, and deserves inclusion here.

The Plight of Mozart's Eden: Saving the Villa Bertramka

The article entitled The Plight of Mozart's Eden: Saving the Villa Bertramka, was written by Sherry Davis to honour the first performance of Don Giovanni, one of Mozart's most famous operas. It was published on HISTPRES, the premiere online community for young and emerging preservationists.  In this article, Sherry also included a photo of Dr. Kathryn Libin, founder of Friends of Bertramka, giving donation to Dr. Volek of the Czech Mozart Society of Bertramka.  Read more ... The Plight of Mozart's Eden 

Fairytale Opera Hansel and Gretel

Classical Music / Opera Datebook:  December 23

Humperdinck Hänsel und Gretel in Three Acts

Opera Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck: plot synopsis, character list, and other Humperdinck opera information.

The fairy tale opera Hänsel und Gretel by 19th- century German composer Engelbert Humperdinck is based on a German folk tales by the Grimm Brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The libretto was written by Humperdinck's sister, Adelheid Wette, adapted from the Grimm brothers' fairy tale of the same title. The opera was written by Humperdinck in Frankfurt in 1891 and 1892, although other biographers include 1893. it was first performed in Weimar on December 23, 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss. 

It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the "Abendsegen" ("Evening Benediction") from Act 2.  After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera. The opera has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and until today it is still most often performed at Christmas time.  

Ludwig van Beethoven

Classical Music / Composers Datebook: December 16 (or 17)

 

 

Considered greatest of German classical composers, Beethoven was baptized in Bonn. His exact birth date is unknown. Biographers generally quote December 16.

 

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 16 (17), 1770 – March 26, 1827), was a German composer and pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of music, a predominant figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music. 

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, to Johann van Beethoven and Magdalena Keverich van Beethoven. He was baptized on December 17, but his family and later teacher Johann Albrechtsberger celebrated his birthday on December 16. Beethoven's first music teacher was his father, a musician in the Electoral court at Bonn who was apparently a harsh and unpredictable instructor. Johann would often come home from a bar in the middle of the night and pull young Ludwig out of bed to play for him and his friend.




Beethoven's talent was recognised at a very early age. His first notable teacher was Christian Gottlob Neefe. In 1787 young Beethoven traveled to Vienna for the first time. Mozart had a powerful influence on the early works of Beethoven. They are said to have met in Vienna this year, however, there is no evidence of this. Planned to study under Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, this did not materialise when he was summoned to his mother's deathbed who was dying of tubercolosis. She died when he was 16, shortly followed by his sister, and for several years he was responsible for raising his two younger brothers because of his father's worsening alcoholism.

Later, when he moved to Vienna in 1792, Mozart had died the previous year. He studied for a time with Joseph Haydn and quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. From the beginning to the end of his creative life, Beethoven constantly expanded his style and ideals, and his work forms a bridge between the Classical and Romantic periods. 

In his late twenties he began to lose his hearing and this came as a terrible blow, and yet he continued to produce notable masterpieces throughout his life in the face of this personal disaster. His reputation and genius have inspired generations of composers, musicians, and audiences after him.

 

Mozart's Influence on Beethoven

From Beethoven's childhood, it appeared that everybody wanted him to be a Mozart! How did this expectation influence his life? Here's an interesting article from 'Popular Beethoven'. Read on, here.  

Key works

Beethoven's key works include piano concertos, Piano Sonatas, Mass in D (Missa Solemnis), the nine symphonies, and some strings, and Fidelio, his only opera.  One famous piece of music is his "Fur Elise". one of his last String Quartets, Op. 131 in C sharp minor has the largest number of movements, which is 7.

Below video: Featuring Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" live at the Sydney Opera House. Performed by our Sydney Philharmonia Choir's ChorusOz, hosted by the ABC Classic with presenters Vanessa Hughes and Damien Beaumont. The concert is part of ChorusOz, run annually by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Performed by Sharon Zhai (soprano), Bronwyn Douglass (mezzo-soprano), Brad Cooper (tenor), Simon Meadows (bass-baritone), ChorusOz 2019, Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra, Brett Weymark (conductor). ChorusOz 2019. (The performance was a part of ChorusOz, run annually by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs to let people who can't commit to a regular choir have the opportunity to sing at the Sydney Opera House. Other singers across Australia and visiting singers are also invited to join.)

Most famous work: Symphony 9 "Choral"

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral", is a choral symphony considered Beethoven's most famous work, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and musicologists as a masterpiece of Western classical music and one of the supreme achievements in the history of music. One of the best-known works in common practice music, it stands as one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world. This is the crowning glory of his "Immortal Nine" symphonies. The fourth movement (Finale), its concluding magnificent chorus, Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy), is the official anthem of the European Union.  about peace and triumph of universal brotherhood against war and desperation, and the prelude to the fourth – and final – movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Frank Horsfall Theory of Cancer Related to DNA

Changes in the cells' DNA causes cancer

According to the late Dr. Frank Horsfall, Jr. cancer is caused by changes in the DNA of cells. His theory provided a basis for numerous more cancer research in finding ways to treat cancer and how heredity control in cells could be a tool in cancer prevention.

Frank Lappin Horsfall, Jr. (Seattle, December 14, 1906 – New York, February 19, 1971) was an American physician specializing in pathology. The Tamm-Horsfall protein is named after Igor Tamm and him.  He was a clinician and a virologist whose influential leadership came primarily through his perceptive scientific experimentation.  He spent all his formative years in Seattle until he was 21.

Gershwin's An American in Paris

George Gershwin's  An American in Paris Premieres

"An American in Paris" by George Gershwin  premieres, December 13, 1928, conducted by Walter Damrosch with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in New York City.

An American in Paris by American composer George Gershwin is a symphonic tone poem written in 1928. It was inspired by the time he spent in Paris evoking the good feeling and wonderful experiences of Paris in the 19920s. This work is popular and considered one of Gershwin's best compositions. 

New York Philharmonic Orchestra in North Korea, conducted by Lorin Maazel.

Gershwin was on commission from the New York Philharmonic to compose  An American in Paris. He scored the piece for the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra plus celesta, saxophones, and automobile horns.


During the premiere of this work on December 13, 1928, in Carnegie Hall, New York, Gershwin brought back some Parisian taxi horns. Walter Damrosch conducted the New York Symphony. Gershwin completed the orchestration on November 18, three weeks before the premiere of the work. He collaborated on the original program notes with Deems Taylor, a critic and composer himself. 

Video Credit:

"An American in Paris" You tube, uploaded by cb3815. Accessed December 13, 2013.

Source Credit:

"An American in Paris" by Richard Freed.  The Kennedy Center.  Accessed December 13, 2013.


(c) December 2013. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Choral"

Classical Music / Symphonies

 

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral", is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by both critics and musicologists as a masterpiece of Western classical music and one of the supreme achievements in the history of music. It stands as one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world. The most unique feature of “The Ninth” was that Beethoven included chorus and vocal soloists in the final movement. He was the first major composer to do this in a symphony.

The Ninth was the first example of a major composer scoring vocal parts in a symphony. The final (4th) movement of the symphony, commonly known as the Ode to Joy, features four vocal soloists and a chorus in the parallel modulated key of D major. The text was adapted from the "An die Freude (Ode to Joy)", a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additional text written by Beethoven. It held a lifelong attraction for the composer. Likewise, Beethoven's melodic setting of Schiller's Ode in the finale of Beethoven's Ninth was the product of an extended genesis.

Video:  Beethoven Symphony No 9 in D minor „An die Freude“ „Ode to Joy“ Claudio Abbado Luzern 98 (restored). Youtube, uploaded by Sonorum Concentus Beethoven. Accessed May 7, 2024.

 

 

In the 20th century, an instrumental arrangement of the chorus was adopted by the Council of Europe, and later the European Union, as the Anthem of Europe.

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conclusively bridged the gap between classical and romantic music and set the standard for future composers through his use of the choral finale combined with past musical traditions. 

Trivia: 

"Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"

Many of us grew up singing this hymn. "The Hymn of Joy" (often called "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee", video uploaded by Martijn de Groot) is a poem written by Henry van Dyke in 1907 in being a Vocal Version of the famous "Ode to Joy" melody of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's final symphony, Symphony No. 9.

"Ode to Freedom"

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Leonard Bernstein conducted this historic concert, on Christmas day 1989, in the Schauspielhaus Berlin (GDR), in a city no longer divided.  On the program was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Op. 125, fifth  movement, V. Allegro assai vivace,  the final chorus of which became an ode, not only to joy, but to freedom. It was broadcast live in more than 20 countries, a radiant performance, breathing the joy and emotion felt at this turning point in history. Artists:  June Anderson, soprano; Sarah Walker, mezzo-soprano; Klaus König, tenor; Jan-Hendrik Rootering, bass; Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Members of the Rundfunkchor Berlin Kinderchor der Philharmonie Berlin, (Chorus Masters: Wolfgang Seelinger, Jörg-Peter Weigle, and Wolfgang Berger);

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Members of the Sächsiche Staatskapelle Dresden; Orchestra of the Kirov Theatre Leningrad;  London Symphony Orchestra; New York Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris.

Some films that used Beehoven's Symphony 9

• "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994)
• "A Clockwork Orange" (1971)
• "Cruel Intentions" (1999)
• "Dead Poets Society" (1989)
• "Die Hard" (1988)
• "Mr. Jones" (1993)

The curse of the 'ninth'

The curse of the ninth is a superstition connected with the history of classical music. It is the belief that a ninth symphony is destined to be a composer's last and that the composer will be fated to die while or after writing it, or before completing a tenth.

 

Interesting Links: 

The remarkable story of Beethoven’s ‘Choral’ Symphony No. 9 and the ‘Ode to Joy’. ClassicFM. May 2, 2024. Accessed May 7, 2024.

The Unique Story of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Posted by David Nelson, August 2, 2012. In Mozart's Footsteps. Accessed December 17, 2014.  

 

Resources:

Solomon, Maynard. Beethoven. London: Cassell & Co. Ltd. (Affiliate of Macmillan Publishing). 1977 

Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed December 17, 2013  

The Hymn of Joy. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed December 17, 2013

(c) December 17, 2013. Updated May 7, 2024. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Hector Berlioz

Classical Music / Composer Dateline: December 11

Conductor, Writer and Symphonist known For 'Symphonie Fantastique'

French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), is one of the founders of modern orchestration. Together with Liszt and Wagner, he was a major figure in the Romantic movement. He was inspired by literature and drama, with a theatrical quality.

(Louis) Hector Berlioz was born on December 11, 1803, an elder son of a provincial doctor. His father sent him to Paris to study medicine but instead, he entered the conservatory of music, where he won the Prix de Rome in 1830. He was expected to follow his father into medicine, and he attended a Parisian medical college before defying his family by taking up music as a profession.

His independence of mind and refusal to follow traditional rules and formulas put him at odds with the conservative musical establishment of Paris. He briefly moderated his style sufficiently to win France's premier music prize, the Prix de Rome, but he learned little from the academics of the Paris Conservatoire. Opinion was divided for many years between those who thought him an original genius and those who viewed his music as lacking in form and coherence.

Berlioz Oratorio The Childhood of Christ

Nativity oratorio by Hector Berlioz: oratorio's brief history, cast of characters, and synopsis.

The Childhood of Christ  is a sacred oratorio composed by French composer Hector Berlioz who also wrote the text himself. The original language was in French with the title "L'Enfance du Christ," Trilogie sacrée, Op. 25.

Writing of the piece started in 1850 with "La Fuite en Egypte" (The Flight into Egypt.) It continued in 1853 with "L'Arivée à Sais" (The Arrival at Sais) and only completed after a year with "Le Songe d'Hérode" (Herod's Dream).




 

Video Credit: 

Berlioz : L’Enfance du Christ (the Childhood of Christ). The Orchestre National de France conducted by James Conlon performs “ l’Enfance du Christ “ composed by Hector Berlioz, with François Lis ( Herode), Stéphane Degout (Joseph), Stéphanie d’Oustrac (Marie), Nahuet di Pierro (Polydorus) and Jérémy Ovenden (narrator). Concert tribute to Sir Colin Davis. 2:36 Part 1 Le songe d’Hérode (Herod’s Dream) 44:00 Part 2 La fuite en Egypte (The Flight to Egypt) 01:00:15 Part 3 L’arrivée à Saïs (The arrival at Sais). YouTube, uploaded by France Musique. Accesssed December 12, 2020.

Image credit:

CD Cover: Berlioz "L'enfance du Christ" MUNCH RCA Shaded Dog 1957 LM-6053 NM Red Seal. 

 

(c) December 2013. Updated December 12, 2020.  Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Jean Sibelius

Classical Music: Composer's Datebook: December 8

Finland's greatest 19th century nationalist composer, whose musical inspirations were derived from native legends. Famous for symphonic poem 'Finlandia' and orchestral works.

”Nature is coming to life: that life which I so love, now and forever, whose essence shall infuse everything that I compose."  ~  Jean Sibelius

Johan Julius Christian "Jean" Sibelius (Dec 8, 1865 – Sept 20, 1957) was a classical music Finnish composer, one of the most notable composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. Considered the most distinguished Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius was comfortably brought up in a musical environment by his mother and grandmother.

A son of an army doctor, he was born into a Swedish-speaking family in Haemeenlinna in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. Although known as "Janne" to his family, during his student years he began using the French form of his name, "Jean", from a stack of visiting cards used by his seafaring uncle.

His family sent him to a Finnish language school, and he attended The Haemeelinna normal-lycee from 1876 to 1885. Romantic Nationalism was to become a crucial element in Sibelius's artistic output and his politics. The heart of Sibelius's ouvre is his seven symphonies. He used each one to develop a single musical idea and to further develop his own personal compositional style, very much like Beethoven. His works continue to be performed frequently in the concert hall and recorded.

Below, Sibelius: 2. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Susanna Mälkki. Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43. Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Youtube, Accessed August 17, 2020.

Berlioz Damnation of Faust Concert-Opera

Classical Music Milestone: December 6

Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust Premieres

This day, December 6 (1846), Hector Berlioz conducts the first performance of his French "opéra de concert," La Damnation de Faust (The Damnation of Faust), at the Opéra Comique, in Paris. Libretto is written by Hector Berlioz and Amire Gandonniere. It was based on G. de Nerval's adaptation of "Faust" by Johann Von Goethe. The Damnation of Faust (French: La damnation de Faust) , Op. 24, is a work for orchestra, four solo voices, and large children's chorus by French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a dramatic legend (légende dramatique.)

It was not successful in its first performance, one reason was due to its being midway between opera and cantata. The composer was deeply hurt by the unsatisfactory critical acclaim and public indifference at the time. However, since its first successful complete performance in concert in Paris, 1877, La Damnation de Faust has been regularly performed in concert halls.

Mozart Requiem in D minor, K.626

Classical Music / Composers Datebook: Dec 5

Wolfgang A. Mozart's last words?  It is not easy to verify the composer's last words, however, he allegedly passed away after saying: "The taste of death is upon my lips...I feel something that is not of this earth". 

Johann Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart
(January 27, 1756 - December 5, 1791)

Since his death in 1791, Wolfgang A. Mozart's Requiem has remained a profound presence in the midst of the world events, both tragic and joyous... although it talks about death as dark, agonizing, and pleading of help, Mozart's requiem is not a depressing work but rather graceful and powerful. 

At the age of 35, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart passes away almost an hour after midnight on December 5, 1791, leaving his last composition, the Requiem Mass in D minor (K, 626), unfinished and completed with the assistance from his pupil Franz Xaver Süssmayr. This work is one of Mozart's considered masterpieces and most popular works to this day. While ailing and confined to bed, he tirelessly worked on it. (Image: MozartProject.org)

Süssmayr work on completion from the Unfinished Mozart Requiem

The Requiem Mass in D minor, K. 626, was the last composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and was left unfinished at the Austrian composer's untimely demise in Vienna and completed by his devoted pupil Franz Xaver Süssmayr. Under the supervision of Constanze, Mozart's widow, efforts to complete the Requiem began immediately after the composer's death. She contracted a pupil of Mozart, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, to finish the work. Initially, she contracted two composers to work on Requiem's completion: Joseph Eybler and Franz Xaver Süssmayr. Joseph Eybler (1765-1846), was a good musician who later became Hofkapellmeister. He orchestrated the Dies irae as the Lacrimosa. Then he stopped working on it.

The Requiem was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate his wife's death anniversary, February 14.  The Requiem Mass was first performed on January 2, 1793, in a private concert for the benefit of Mozart's grieving wife, Constanze Mozart.

 

 Photo: THE DEATH OF MOZART 

Oil painting by Irish artist Henry O'Neill circa 1870

 

Below video, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem in D minor K 626 (complete), with Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor · OSESP Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo · Coro Acadêmico e Coro da Osesp · Lisa Larsson, soprano · Wilke te Brummelstroete, mezzo soprano · John Mark Ainsley, tenor · Burak Bilgili, baritone / Recorded at Sala São Paulo, Brazil, 21 November 2013.  Here's a link to another performance conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann: Mozart: Requiem - BBC PROMS 2019, The BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, with Fatma Said, Kathryn Rudge, Sunnyboy Dladla and David Shipley in Mozart's Requiem. YouTube, uploaded by David Durham. Accessed December 6, 2022.

The Requiem is scored for 2 basset horns in F, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets in D, 3 trombones (alto, tenor & bass), timpani (2 drums), violins, viola and basso continuo (cello, double bass, and organ). The vocal forces include soprano, contralto, tenor, and bass soloists and a mixed choir of standard SATB.

Mozart 222nd Death Anniversary Remembered

Classical Music Dateline: December 5

Sharing Wolfgang A. Mozart 's Final Work - Requiem in D

Please join Mozartians and Mozart admirers all over the world in celebrating the 222nd death anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arguably the greatest composer of all time.  For our dear readers' reflective listening pleasure, we share with you his final work - Mozart's Requiem.  The performance we've chosen is interpreted by Gardiner backed up by a small but excellent music group.  So melancholy, solemn, and fit to commemorate someone who has immensely delighted us with his music through time.

Related Articles:

Mozart's Requiem History

Mozart Requiem Completed (with Franz Sussmayr)



Mozart Requiem by Gardiner.  Youtube, uploaded by jbmg17.  Accessed 5 Dec 2013.

Remembering Wolfgang A. Mozart's Death Anniversary

Classical Music Dateline: December 5

 

Wolfgang A. Mozart's Final Work - Requiem in D

Join Mozartians and Mozart admirers worldwide in celebrating Mozart's 230th death anniversary this year 2021. For our readers' reflective listening pleasure, we share with you his final work - Mozart's Requiem in D. The performance is interpreted by Sir Georg Solti backed up by Wiener Philharmoniker. So melancholy, solemn, and fit to commemorate someone who has immensely delighted us with his music through time.

Requiem aeternam

Kyrie 4:55  

Dies irae 7:20  

Tuba mirum 9:20  

Rex tremendae maiestatis 12:30 

Recordare 14:30 

Confutatis maledictis 19:40 

Lacrimosa 22:00

Domine Jesu Christe 25:17

Hostias et preces tibi 29:10 

Sanctus Dominus Deus 32:43 

Benedictus 34:20

Agnus Dei 38:50  

Lux aeterna 41:35

 

 

Related Articles:

• Mozart's Requiem History
• Mozart Requiem Completed (with Franz Sussmayr)

 

Mozart Requiem conducted by Sir Georg Solti.
Youtube, uploaded by makoan makoani. Accessed 5 Dec 2021. 

 

 

 

(c) December 2013. Updated  December 5, 2021. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Mozart Candlelight Vigil 5 Dec 2013

For Mozart Lovers and Enthusiasts

What:   An Invitation to Celebrate Mozart Death Anniversary
When:   Thursday, December 5, 2013
Time:   12:20am until 12:55am in EST

A candlelight vigil recognizing Mozart's death anniversary.  Light your candle at 12:20am (local time) and extinguish it at 12:55am.  This 35 minute duration represents Mozart's 35 years of life and 12:55am represents the time his light left our world on December 5, 1791.  This vigil is intended to be a unique and personalized shared experience for Mozart admirers worldwide.

Participants are invited to write a short note/letter and take a photo of it next to their candle. They are also welcome to appear in their photos and add other elements of original creativity! All photos will be published on www.moderndaymozartian.com. Photos may be submitted (include name and country) here on the Facebook vigil event page or direct to Sherry@ModernDayMozartian.com.  We thank all participants for making this a special global event.

Credit Courtesy:

Sherry Davis, founder of Modern Day Mozartian, for the invitation notice and image.

Mozart Requiem Performed on the Bicentenary of his Death

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart's Requiem performance on the bicentenary of his death, 1991.

W. A. Mozart (Jan 27, 1756 - Dec. 5, 1791)

On the bicentenary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's death, December 5, 1991, Vienna hosted a special performance of his Requiem as a liturgical mass, for him as the decedent. It was performed at St. Stephen's Cathedral, where Mozart's wedding and funeral services were held.

Hearing prayers for Mozart in this sacred place which was so central to his life, is absolutely arresting. The soloists, choir and musicians are conducted by Sir Georg Solti, all being of the highest order. The end is not met with the applause we are accustomed to hearing in concert performances, but a recessional of melancholy beauty.

Related Article:   Mozart Requiem Completed   (My apology, the site where I published my article is currently unavailable. / Tel, March 20, 2016.)

Mozart - Requiem - Cecilia Bartoli - George Solti 1991

Video Credit:

Mozart Requiem - Cecilia Bartoli with George Solti conducting.  Accessed Dec 3, 2013.

Post Credit:

Sherry Davis,  The Chronicles of Modern Day Mozartian.

Benjamin Britten Opera Billy Budd

Classical Music Milestone: December 1

Britten's Opera Billy Budd Premieres

An English Tragic Opera in Two Acts

The tragic two-act English opera Billy Budd was composed by Benjamin Britten. Libretto was written by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, based on the story by Herman Melville. It was first performed at the London Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, December 1, 1951. Setting is onboard H.M.S. Indomitable, a 74-gun ship, during the French and English wars of 1797.

Peter Grimes marked the start of a series of English operas, of which Billy Budd (1951) and The Turn of the Screw (1954) were particularly admired. These operas share common themes, with that of the 'outsider' particularly prevalent.

Where a feature, such as a character, is excluded or misunderstood by society, often this is the protagonist, such as Peter Grimes and Owen Wingrave in their eponymous operas. Benjamin Britten is the subject of a piece by the Estonian composer Arvo Paert titled Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, one of the most beautiful compositions by Paert.




Video Credit:

Britten - Billy Budd - 1966 BBCTV recording complete.  Youtube, uploaded by Oliver Drake.  Accesed December 1, 2013.  

Lars Onsager

Science / Scientist Datebook

Lars Onsager, Norwegian Chemist and Physicist

Credited for his discovery of the Onsager reciprocal relations, fundamental for the irreversible processes of thermodynamics.

Lars Onsager (November 27, 1903 – October 5, 1976) was a Norwegian-born American physical chemist and theoretical physicist, winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He held the Gibbs Professorship of Theoretical Chemistry at Yale University.

His research at Brown University was concerned mainly with the effects on diffusion of temperature gradients, and produced the Onsager reciprocal relations, a set of equations published in 1929. Two years later its form was expanded in statistical mechanics whose importance went unrecognized for many years. Their value became apparent during the decades following World War II. By 1968 they were considered important enough to gain him that year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Literature / Writers Datebook: November 13

Brief biography of Scottish novelist, short-story writer and essayist, R.L. Stevenson, famous for classic novels Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 

 

Robert Louis Stevenson was a leading advocate of neo-romanticism in English literature.  

Early Life of Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, at Edinburgh, Scotland. A very sickly child, he suffered from poor health all his life. His father, Thomas Stevenson, and his grandfather, Robert Stevenson, were distinguished lighthouse engineers and designers, and so was his great-grandfather. From this side of the family, R.L. Stevenson inherited his passions for adventure.

From Margaret Balfour, his mother, he inherited weak lungs that kept him constantly bedridden during winter. His nurse spent long hours reading from the Bible. His maternal grandfather, Lewis Balfour, was a professor of moral philosophy and a minister. Stevenson spent the greater part of his boyhood holidays in his house.  

Summer was a brighter season as he was encouraged to play outside. At the age of 11, his health improved that his parents prepared him for education by attending Edinburgh Academy, planning for him to follow his father as a lighthouse engineer. He read widely during this time, especially enjoying Shakespeare, Walter Scott and John Bunyan.

He entered the University of Edinburgh at 17, but soon discovered that he was not interested to be an engineer and was more excited with exotic and wonderful romances in the islands and coasts they visited. His strict father eventually allowed him to pursue a literary career, but first finished a law degree as a fall back. He passed the bar examination at 25, but destroyed his health from work-stress. He turned to serious writing.  

R.L. Stevenson Writing Career and Marriage 

His first book, An Inland Voyage, is about his river trip in France. It was published when he was 28 years old. About this time, he met Fanny Van de Grift, an American who was studying art in Paris. They married in 1880 and returned to Scotland with his new wife and stepson.

Stevenson became a famous writer after he published his famous novel, Treasure Island, an adventure story set among pirates. This made a popular writer, aged 33. Another classic, Kidnapped, followed, a tale based on a true Scottish murder case. After these two masterpieces, he wrote several more adventure stories before producing another famous book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He was 36.  

Last Years of R.L. Stevenson

From all his travels, Stevenson returned to the U.S. in 1886 but due to ill-health, he was hospitalized. Once he got well, he set off with his family on a four-year voyage around the South Pacific. The family settled on the island of Samoa, where he continued writing.   

During the morning of December 3, 1894, while working on his last novel, Weir of Hermiston, and conversing with his wife, he fell to the ground. He died within a few hours, probably of a cerebral hemorrhage. This book was left unfinished.

The natives called him their Tusitala, Samoan language for "Teller of Tales." He was buried on top of a cliff overlooking the sea. He died at the age of 44, December 3, 1894. Robert Louis Stevenson was greatly admired by many authors including Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Vladimir Nabokov.

Books by Robert Louis Stevenson

An Inland Voyage, 1878

Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, 1879

Treasure Island, 1883

A Child’s Garden of Verses, 1885

Kidnapped, 1886

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1886

The Master of Ballantrae, 1889

Weir of Hermiston, 1896 (Published after death) 

 

Image Credit:

Robert Louis Stevenson. Public Domain

 

Resources:

Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994

McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002

Ousby, Ian.  The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

(c) November 2013. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

Classical Music Datebook: November 9

Composer Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra, premieres in Barcelona, Spain.

The Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra by Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo is first performed on November 9, 1940. It is a composition for classical guitar and orchestra. Written in 1939, it is considered his best-known work, and its worldwide success established his reputation as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the 20th century.

• Premiere: November 9, 1940
• Guitarist: Regino Sainz de la Maza
• Orchestra: Orquesta Filarmónica de Barcelona
• Conductor: César Mendoza Lasalle
• Venue: Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona, Spain

This concerto is in the traditional three movements:

1. Allegro con spirito
2. Adagio
3. Allegro gentile

The second movement is marked by its slow pace and quiet melody, introduced by the English horn, with a soft accompaniment by the guitar and strings.

Video Credit:

Narciso Yepes - Concierto de Aranjuez YouTube, Uploaded by bonsillens, Accessed November 8, 2013.

Resources:

• Annala, Hannu; Heiki Mätlik (2008). Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers. Mel Bay Publications.
• Coelho, Victor; Jonathan Cross (2003). The Cambridge Companion to the Guitar. Cambridge University Press.
• Morris, Mark (1999). The Pimlico Dictionary of Twentieth Century Composers. London. Pimlico.

(c) November 2013. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Dame Joan Sutherland

Classical Music / Opera Datebook: November 7

Dame Joan Sutherland (November 7, 1926 - October 10, 2010), was an Australian opera singer, a coloratura soprano, noted for her contribution to the bel canto revival of the 1950s and 1960s.

She made her debut as Dido in Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in 1947. She went to London in 1951, and joined the Royal Opera in Covent Garden. She gained international acclaim with her roles in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor (The Bride of Lammermoor) and Handel's Samson. She was the wife of conductor Richard Bonynge, said to have the greatest impact on her life and career.

Mozart film in Spanish - YouTube - Nov 4, 2013

Mozart in Spanish

(Sorry I haven't researched on this sites. I'll share when I have information to offer.) 

A vida de Mozart (Filme, Parte 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwhKL-mrGfE&app=desktop

A vida de Mozart (Filme, Parte 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02I6ozf2fck  -- 

A vida de Mozart (Filme, Parte 3, final)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfBVzkYyeCk

Those Were the Days (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane

The song "Those Were the Days" is credited to Gene Raskin, who set a new English lyric to the Russian romance song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" (literally "By the long road"), composed by Boris Fomin (1900-1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism. Mary Hopkin's 1968 version of this song, produced by Paul McCartney, became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind McCartney's own famous band The Beatles' hit "Hey Jude."



Video Credit:
Mary Hopkin - Those Were the Days.  YouTube, uploaded by Ahmad F Elyan. Accessed November 15, 2013.

Resource:
Those Were the Days (Song). en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed October 28, 2013.


(c) 2013.  Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Domenico Scarlatti

Classical Music / Composer  Dateline: October 26

Baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti was one of the greatest harpsichordists of all-time.

Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757), born in Naples, was an Italian Baroque composer and a harpsichord virtuoso. He was the son of renowned composer  Alessandro Scarlatti. Domenico spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. Although classified chronologically as a Baroque composer, his music was influential in the classical style development.

Domenico is featured as a secondary character in José Saramago's Nobel Prize winning novel Baltasar and Blimunda.

Both father and son composed in various musical forms although today Domenico Scarlatti is best known for his harpsichord sonatas. One of the most celebrated harpsichordist of his time, his 550 single-movement sonatas or esercizi (exercises) is considered his best composition.

Below is Scarlatti's  "Sonata in F Minor, K 466 (L 118): Andante moderato" by Vladimir Horowitz, one of my favourite interpreters of Scarlatti sonatas. For  others interested, I also recomment D. Scarlatti's Sonata K. 141 interpreted by painist Martha Argerich - Here. I've added, February 13, 2016.)     



Video Credit:

Vladimir Horowitz plays Scarlatti K 466.  YouTube, uploaded by Sylvio1980.  Accessed October 26, 2013.

Image Credit:
Domenico Scarlatti.  Public Domain.

 

Resource:

Sadie, Stanley, Ed.    The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music.  London:  Macmillan Publishers, 1994.   



(c)  2013-2016.  Tel Asiado.  Written for Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved. 

Elgar Pomp and Circumstance

Edward Elgar's magnificent Pomp and Circumstance Marches, the first two, were first performed in Liverpool on October 19, 1901.

The Pomp and Circumstance Marches, op. 39 are a series of five Marches for orchestra composed by English composer Sir Edward Elgar. The title is taken from Act III of Shakespeare's Othello: "Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump,/ The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife,/ The royal banner, and all quality,/ Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!." The best known is the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, and in most musical contexts Pomp and Circumstance refers to this one alone.

It was first performed in London in October 19, 1901, along with the more reserved No. 2, and the audience demanded two encores. In 1902 the tune was recycled, in modified form, for the Land of Hope and Glory section of the Coronation Ode for King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The words were further modified to fit the original tune, and the result has since become a fixture at the Last Night of the Proms, and an English sporting anthem.

Christoph W. Gluck Ballet Don Juan

Classical Music Milestone - October 17


The music of the ballet Don Juan composed by Christoph Willibald von Gluck premieres successfully on October 17, 1761, in Vienna, Austria, at the Theater am Kärntnertor. The ballet follows the legend of Don Juan and his descent into Hell after killing his inamorata's father in a duel.  Don Juan ou Le Festin de Pierre (Don Juan, or the Stone Guest's Banquet) is a ballet with a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi, and choreography by Gasparo Angiolini.

Don Juan is used synonymously to mean a "womanizer", especially in Spanish slang.

Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622

Classical Music / Clarinet Concerto 


One of the best loved and most popular music composed by Mozart. It's heavenly. It's beautiful. Mozart wrote this famous Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, in October 1791 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler. The first movement is based on Mozart’s earlier torso of 199 bars of a basset horn concerto in G.  It was first performed by Stadler in Prague, on October 16, 1791. Reception of his performance was positive in general.  It consists of three movements, in a fast–slow–fast succession:

1. Allegro (in A major and in sonata form)
2. Adagio (in D major and in ternary form)
3. Rondo: Allegro (in A major and in rondo form)

Here's a highly recommended beautiful performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra; Cornelius Meister, conductor; Arngunnur Árnadóttir, clarinet.  From Iceland Symphony's concert, Harpa, Reykjavík, September 10th 2015. Youtube, uploaded by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Accessed January 27, 2019.


 

Clarinet Concerto in A was one of Mozart's final completed works, and his final purely instrumental work (he died less than two months after its October premiere). The concerto is notable for its delicate interplay between soloist and orchestra, and for the lack of overly extroverted display on the part of the soloist (no cadenzas are written out in the solo part).

More listening pleasure: 

 

Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major K 622 (Full). Clarinet: Robert Marcellus Conductor: George Szell Orchestra: Cleveland Orcherstra. Youtube, uploaded by BLOP888. Accessed October 16, 2013.

Resource:

Clarinet Concert (Mozart). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed  October 16, 2013. 




(c) October 2013. Updated January 27, 2019. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

BBC Podcasts - A History of Mozart

Interesting and informative podcasts from BBC, "A History of Mozart in a Dozen Objects."

What's it all about?

The  series of podcasts provide Mozart's world rediscovered in objects of his time.  Professor Cliff Eisen, a leading expert on Mozart's life, looks at the composer's 18th century world through objects that were close to him.

BBC - Podcasts - A History of Mozart in a Dozen Objects

www.bbc.co.uk

The 10 Podcasts / Recent Episodes:

(Downloads for non-commercial use are available from the BBC Radio3 podcasts. Please be guided by BBC policy for downloading podcasts. Thank you.)

• Prog. 11 Objects: Blood letting device

  
  (Duration: 12 mins.)
  
  
  In this final episode Cliff Eisen focuses on medicine in the second half of the 18th century, and contemporary views on science and death. We explore today's object: a scarifier,used to bleed Mozart's mother before her death in Paris, and hear a moving account of Mozart's death in 1791 as recalled by his sister-in-law.


• 
  

  Prog. 10 Objects: Leopold's books and Mozart's tea chest

  
  (Duration: 11 mins.)
  
  
  Cliff Eisen talks about travel in the 18th Century, and discovers the books Leopold Mozart picked up in London as well as the tea chest that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart carried with him on his travels.


• 
  

  Prog. 9 Objects: A Masonic periodical published in Vienna in the 1780s

  
  (Duration:  11 mins.)
   
  
  In this episode Cliff Eisen explores Mozart's Masonic links in Vienna, and the relationship between the Masons and Emperor Joseph II. The object, a Masonic Journal from the 1780s, gives clues about some of the pieces with Masonic symbols that Mozart wrote, like the Magic Flute, and works he composed for Masonic Lodges.


• 
  

  Prog. 8 Objects: A window from Mozart’s flat in Vienna

  
  (Duration:  12 mins.)
  
  
  A window from Mozart's flat in Vienna inspires Cliff Eisen to visit the actual place – the Figarohaus, today a museum dedicated to the composer, who tried to earn his life as a free-lance musician in the Imperial Capital – but what challenges did he face?


• 
  

  Prog. 7 Objects: Salzburg’s executioner’s sword

  
  (Duration:  14 mins.)
  
  Cliff Eisen starts with an executioner’s sword dating back from the days when Salzburg embraced capital punishment. This episode explores crime and punishment in Mozart’s time and how this was reflected in some of his operas from the 1780s.


• 
  

  Prog. 6 Objects: A telescope and a musical clock

  
  (Duration: 11 mins.)
  
  
  In this episode Cliff Eisen concentrates on a 18th-Century state-of-the-art telescope and on a musical clock as a sign of the Mozarts’ interest in science and technology – a typical concern of the time, which Wolfgang reflected in his music.


• 
  

  Prog. 5 Objects: The Mozarts’ Games

  
  (Duration:  12 mins.)
  
  
  Cliff Eisen focuses on the role of game-playing in Mozart's life, and takes a look at a range of games including card games painted by Leopold Mozart himself, and a board game which featured the characters of Mozart's Magic Flute.


• 
  

  Prog. 4 Objects: Mozart’s own piano

  
  (Duration:  10 mins.)
  
  
  Cliff Eisen explores some of the many types of piano Mozart played during his life, along with specially-recorded excerpts to illustrate the features he wanted to exploit as he wrote music for the instrument.


• 
  

  Prog. 3 Objects: A model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

  
  (Duration:  10 mins.)
  
  
  Cliff Eisen focuses on a model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Renaissance piece at the British Museum in London, which Nannerl Mozart mentions in her diary among the most remarkable things she saw during the Mozarts' stay in England.



• Prog. 2 Objects: Portraits of Mozart

  
  (Duration:  11 mins.)
  
  Cliff Eisen introduces the second in a series of programmes exploring Mozart's world through objects associated with him. Today, two of the most important portraits of Mozart: the Stock and the Lange portraits in Salzburg.

Source:  

BBC Podcasts: A History of Mozart in a Dozen Objects.  Accessed  January 28, 2012.  Retrieved second time, October 15, 2013

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane


The song "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their musical Roberta in 1933. It was sung in the original Broadway show by Tamara Drasin. The first recorded performance was by Gertrude Niesen, with orchestral direction from Ray Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's second cousin, on October 13, 1933. Niesen's recording of the song was released by Victor, with the B-side, "Jealousy", featuring Isham Jones and his Orchestra.

In 1934, Paul Whiteman had the song's first hit recording on the record charts. It was was later reprised by actress Irene Dunne, who performed it in the original 1935 film adaptation of the muusical, co-starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Randolph Scott. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" was also included in the 1952 remake of Roberta, Lovely to Look At, in which Kathryn Grayson performed. The song was a chart hit in 1958 for the famous group The Platters.




Video Credit:
Platters - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. YouTube, uploaded by OldManCrankyCane. Accessed September 11, 2013.


Resource:
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed September 11, 2013.


(c) 2013.  Tel Asiado.  Written for Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Janacek Taras Bulba (Rhapsody)

Classical Music / Rhapsody / Orchestral

 

 

 

Taras Bulba is a rhapsody for orchestra by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček (Leos Janacek), based on the novel by Nikolai Gogol. It was composed between 1915 and 1918 and is one of the most famous of Janáček's works. 

 

The first version of the work was finished on 2 July 1915, but Janáček later revised it and made substantial changes. The second, almost complete, version was finished on 29 March 1918. Taras Bulba was premiered at the National Theatre in Brno on 9 October 1921, conducted by František Neumann. The composition was dedicated to "our army, the armed protector of our nation". It was published by Hudební matice in 1924 in piano duet arrangement made by Břetislav Bakala. In 1927 the full score was published with further changes. Janáček described the piece as a "rhapsody" and chose three episodes from Gogol's story to portray in this picturesque programmatic work.


The video below is a performance of Leoš Janáček's  Taras Bulba Rhapsody for Orchestra in three parts: 1. The Death of Andrei,  2. The Death of Ostap, and 3. Prophecy and the Death of Taras Bulba. Rafael Kubelik conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.



 

Video Credit:

Leoš Janáček Taras Bulba, Rafael Kubelik. YouTube, uploaded by harpsichordVal. Accessed July 2, 2013.

 

Resource:

Taras Bulba (Rhapsody). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed July3, 2013.



(c) July 2013.  Tel.  Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta Utopia Limited

Classical Music / Operetta

Gilbert and Sullivan operetta , Utopia Limited, opened in the Savoy Theatre, London.

Utopia Limited, or The Flowers of Progress, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's 14 collaborations. It premiered on October 7, 1893, for a run of 245 performances.

Gilbert's libretto satirizes limited liability companies, particularly the idea that a bankrupt company could leave creditors unpaid without any liability to its owners. It lampoons the "Stock Company Act" by imagining the absurd convergence of natural persons and legal entities. It also mocks the conceits of the late 19th-century British empire and several of the nation's beloved institutions.

Utopia is performed much less frequently than most other Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The libretto has been criticized as too long and rambling. Several subplots are never resolved due to Sullivan refusing to set some scenes. It can be expensive to produce, requiring a large principal cast and two costumes for most of the performers.

The subject-matter and plot may be obscure for modern audiences, however, it has its fans. As George Bernard Shaw stated: "I enjoyed the score of Utopia more than that of any of the previous Savoy operas."

Video Credit:

Utopia Limited, Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Youtube, uploaded by Gilbert & Sullivan Festival Harrogate.  Accessed October 7, 2013.

Resource:

Utopia, Limited. en.wikipedia.org.


(c) October 2013. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Opera Singer Jenny Lind

The "Swedish Nightingale"

Famously known as Jenny Lind, Johanna Maria Lind, born 6th of October 1820 and died 2nd of November 1887. She was a Swedish opera singer, often referred as the "Swedish Nightingale."

Lind was one of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century. She performed in opera roles in Sweden and across Europe, and undertook an extraordinarily popular beginning in 1850. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music from 1840.

Lind became famous after her operatic debut performance on March 7, 1838, at the Stockholm Opera, Sweden, of Der Freischütz by composer Carl Maria von Weber. She suffered vocal damage within a few years, but the singing teacher Manuel García saved her voice.

Beethoven Heiligenstadt Testament

Classical Music Datebook:  October 6


On October 6, 1802,  Ludwig van Beethoven writes his will, referred to as "Heiligenstadt Testament."  That time, the master composer was increasingly suffering from deafness.

The Heiligenstadt Testament is a letter written by Ludwig van Beethoven to his brothers Carl and Johann at Heiligenstadt (today part of Vienna) on 6 October 1802. It reflects his despair over his increasing deafness and his desire to overcome his physical and emotional ailments in order to complete his artistic destiny. 

Beethoven kept the document hidden among his private papers for the rest of his life, and probably never showed it to anyone. It was discovered in March 1827, after Beethoven's death, by Anton Schindler and Stephan von Breuning, who had it published the following October.

Related Link:
 

Heiligenstadt Testament

Image Credit: 

Facsimile of the Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament. en.wikipedia.org / public domain

Note: A heartfelt thanks to a dear friend Andrea Hubrich, for the unforgettable and most informative side trips to Alsergrund (Schubert's birthplace), Heiligenstadt, and other neighboring areas whilst in Vienna,  6-7/2007.

 

 

(c) October 2013. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Peyton Rous

Great Scientist 

American Pathologist, Nobel Laureate for his discovery of cancer being caused by viruses.

Francis Peyton Rous (October 5, 1879 – February 16, 1970) was born in Baltimore, Maryland and received his B.A. and M.D. from John Hopkins University. He joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York in 1909 and staying throughout his career.

Rous was involved in the discovery of the role of viruses in the transmission of certain types of cancer. In 1966 he was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of tumor-inducing viruses.

Elgar Oratorio The Dream of Gerontius

Classical Music / Oratorio 

 
 

Considered to be Elgar's masterpiece, The Dream of Gerontius, was first performed at Birmingham Festival conducted by Hans Richter.


The Dream of Gerontius, popularly called Gerontius, is an oratorio (Opus 38) composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman.  It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory. It is widely regarded as the finest choral work of Sir Edward Elgar.  The first performance took place on October 3, 1900, in Birmingham Town Hall.

 Link: The Dream of Gerontius Op 38, conducted by John Barbirolli, with Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano (The Angel); Richard Lewis, tenor (Gerontius, Soul of Gerontius); Kim Borg, bass (The Priest, The Angel of Agony); The combined Hallé Choir and Sheffild Philharmonic Chorus (chorus master: Eric Chadwick); Ambrosian Singers (chorus master: John McCarthy); Hallé Orchestra, leader: Martin Milner. 1965.

 

 

 

Below, a performance of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, live from the BBC Proms, 24th July 2005. Halle Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder Allice Coote (Mezzo-soprano) Paul Groves (Tenor) Matthew Best (Bass) Halle Choir London Philharmonic Choir Halle Youth Choir.