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.