William Somerset Maugham

Literature / Writers Datebook: January 25

 

 

Brief biography of the life and works of English writer William Somerset Maugham, known for his novels, plays and short stories. Famous for his novel Of Human Bondage.  

 

 

 

Early Years

William Somerset Maugham  (b. 25 January 1874 – d. 16 December 1965), was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. He was born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, then schooled in England and went to a German university. In London he became a medical student and qualified as a physician in 1897 but he never practised medicine, instead, he became a full-time writer. 

His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity. By 1908 he had four plays running at once in the West End of London. He wrote his 32nd and last play in 1933, after which he abandoned the theatre and concentrated on novels and short stories. 

 

Writings and Writing Style

Maugham's novels after Liza of Lambeth include Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor's Edge (1944). His short stories were published in collections such as The Casuarina Tree (1926) and The Mixture as Before (1940); many of them have been adapted for radio, cinema and television. His great popularity and prodigious sales provoked adverse reactions from highbrow critics, many of whom sought to belittle him as merely competent. More recent assessments generally rank Of Human Bondage – a book with a large autobiographical element – as a masterpiece, and his short stories are widely held in high critical regard. Maugham indicates in his foreword that he derived the title from a passage in Baruch Spinoza's Ethics:  "The impotence of man to govern or restrain the emotions I call bondage, for a man who is under their control is not his own master ... so that he is often forced to follow the worse, although he see the better before him." Maugham's plain prose style became known for its lucidity, but his reliance on clichés attracted adverse critical comment. Maugham was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s.

 

First World War Years  

Maugham worked for the British Secret Service during the First World War. He later drew on his experiences for stories published in the 1920s. Although primarily homosexual, he attempted to conform to some extent with the norms of his day. After a three-year affair with Syrie Wellcome which produced their daughter, Liza, they married in 1917. The marriage lasted for twelve years, but before, during and after it, Maugham's principal partner was a younger man, Gerald Haxton. Together they made extended visits to Asia, the South Seas and other destinations. Maugham gathered material for his fiction wherever they went. They lived together in the French Riviera, where Maugham entertained lavishly. After Haxton's death in 1944, Alan Searle became Maugham's secretary-companion for the rest of the author's life. 

Maugham gave up writing novels shortly after the Second World War. He died at the age of 91.

Legacy

Although most of Maugham's early successes were as a playwright, it is for his novels and short stories that he has been best known. He was a prolific writer: between 1902 and 1933 he had 32 plays staged, and between 1897 and 1962 he published 19 novels, nine volumes of short stories, and non-fiction books covering travel, reminiscences, essays and extracts from his notebooks. William Somerset Maugham's works sold prodigiously throughout the English-speaking world.

Works by William Somerset Maugham

Liza of Lambeth  1897

Of Human Bondage  1915

Ours Betters  1917

The Moon and Sixpence  1919

The Circle  1921

The Trembling of a Leaf (including 'Rain')  1921

The Painted Veil  1925

The Constant Wife  1926

Cakes and Ale  1930

The Razor's Edge  1944

  

 

Image Credit:

W. Somerset Maugham. Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain. (Maugham by Carl Van Vechten, 1934)

 

Resources:

Great British Writers, Colour Library Books (1993)

Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring (1994)

Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography. 3^rd Ed, ed. by Jennifer Uglow (1999) 

W. Somerset Maugham. en.wikipedia.org. 

 

(c) January 25, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

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.  

Composers who most influenced Beethoven  

Here's another interesting post of composers likely to have influenced Beethoven. Thanks to Alex Rosas Navarro (from Beethoven's Facebook Community Group) who kindly shared this for public posting. 7 June 2025.  

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a revolutionary figure, but his innovations did not arise in isolation. He was deeply influenced by earlier composers, whose techniques, structures, and emotional range he studied and reworked into his own style. His journey from Classical clarity to Romantic depth was built on the legacy of these musical ancestors.

 

1. Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

Role: Beethoven’s teacher in Vienna (1792–1794)
Influence: Structural discipline, thematic economy, and development techniques

“I did not learn anything from Haydn,” Beethoven once said—yet this was more rebellion than truth.

Key Influences:

Haydn’s use of motivic development strongly shaped Beethoven’s symphonic writing.
The “surprise” techniques, rhythmic wit, and economy of materials in Haydn's works informed Beethoven's own innovative musical architecture.
Beethoven's early symphonies and piano sonatas clearly reflect Haydn’s clarity and formal elegance.

Example:

Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 — echoes Haydn’s late symphonies in structure and tone.

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

Influence: Melodic elegance, dramatic flair, operatic phrasing, and harmonic color

Though Beethoven never studied with Mozart formally (a brief meeting may have occurred in 1787), Mozart’s music was a central pillar in Beethoven’s early development.

Key Influences:

The Classical concerto model in Beethoven’s early piano concertos was based on Mozart’s concertos.
Mozart’s sense of proportion, contrast, and melodic grace helped Beethoven refine lyrical expression in his chamber and vocal works.

Examples:

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 — reminiscent of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491 in its key and emotional weight.
Beethoven’s “Pathétique” Sonata shows Mozartian lyricism amid stormy contrasts.

3. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788)

Influence: Emotional expression, sudden contrasts, and improvisatory style

C.P.E. Bach, son of J.S. Bach, was a pioneer of the Empfindsamer Stil (sensitive style), emphasizing sudden dynamic changes and emotional turbulence—elements that Beethoven would develop into Romantic expressivity.

Key Influences:

C.P.E.’s keyboard sonatas, with their dramatic irregularities and expressive intensity, foreshadow Beethoven’s bold piano writing.
His ornamentation and flexible phrasing influenced Beethoven’s solo improvisations and fantasia-like slow movements.

Example:

Beethoven’s Fantasia in G minor, Op. 77 carries clear traces of C.P.E. Bach’s free-form, expressive spirit.

4. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Influence: Counterpoint, fugue, structural integrity

Beethoven’s reverence for J.S. Bach grew especially in his late period, as he began integrating complex polyphony and fugal techniques into his compositions.

“Not Bach, but the sea should be his name!” — Beethoven (a pun: “Bach” means “brook” in German)

Key Influences:

Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier was essential study for Beethoven’s keyboard technique and contrapuntal thinking.
Beethoven’s
Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
Hammerklavier Sonata, Op. 106 — the final fugue is one of the most complex ever written for piano.

5. George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

Influence: Monumental scale, choral writing, ceremonial grandeur

Beethoven admired Handel's oratorios and dramatic architecture, and saw him as the greatest master of musical massiveness and clarity.

Key Influences:

Handel’s ability to build large-scale musical drama from simple themes inspired Beethoven’s treatment of symphonic finales and choral works.

“He is the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb.” — Beethoven on Handel

Examples:

The finale of Symphony No. 5 shows Handelian power in its driving simplicity.
The “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9 is structurally influenced by Handel’s choral oratorios, especially Messiah.

 

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.

Vincenzo Bellini

Classical Music / Composer's Datebook: November 3

 

Italian Opera Composer of the Romantic Period

Vincenzo Bellini's brief biography – his life, opera, and major works. He is best known for opera Norma and 'bel canto' (beautiful singing).     

 

Vincenzo Bellini is best known for his opera Norma which established him as the master of the Italian operatic bel canto style of singing, with his arias having long melodic score and dramatic tension brilliantly crafted. The story and settings take a back seat in favour of bel canto ('beautiful singing.')  

  

Early Years 

Born on November 3, 1801, in the Sicilian town of Catania, Vincenzo Bellini started piano lessons given by his father. A child prodigy, he could already play very well at five. He developed simplicity of melodic expression in his compositions. He studied at Naples Conservatory.

His first opera, Adelson e Salvini, was produced in 1825 while still a student. This attracted the attention of Domenico Barbaia, who commissioned him to write Bianca e Gernando, produced at the Teatro San Carlo. Norma and La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) followed in 1831. In I Puritani (The Puritans), his last work, he discovered a new boldness and vigour of orchestral effect. 

 

Later Years

Two years after he wrote Norma, he travelled to London and Paris, where he met and befriended Gioachino Rossini and Frédéric Chopin.

Like Mozart and Schubert, he also died in his thirties. His popularity after his death was enormous, but later his operas fell into neglect. Since World War II, however, singers including Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballe, have helped restore Bellini’s popularity particularly with his masterpiece Norma.

 

He once wrote in a letter, “Carve in your head by letter of brass: an opera must draw tears, cause horror, bring death, by means of a song.” This is exactly what his operas portray.

Bellini was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. He died from gastroenteritis, in Puteaux near Paris, aged 34. 

Bellini was a contemporary and rival of Gaetano Donizetti, famous for his opera L'Elisir d'amore. With Felice Romani his librettist, Bellini and Romani were the Rodgers and Hammerstein of their day. They collaborated on six operas. 

 

Suggested Listening:  

Bellini - Norma, Casta Diva / Presentat° + New Mastering (Maria Callas, Ct. record.: T.Serafin 1954). YouTube, uploaded by Classical Music / Reference Recording. Accessed November 3, 2020. 

 

 

Bellini's Major Operas

Adelson e Salvini (Adelson and Salvini)  1825

Bianca e Gernando (Bianca and Gernando)  1826

Il Pirata (The Pirate)  1827

La straniera (The Foreigner)  1829

Zaira 1829

I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues)  1830

La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker)  1831

Norma, including 'The Warriors' Chorus'  1831

Beatrice di Tenda  1833

I Puritani (The Puritans)  1835

 

Suggested Bellini Recording

Opera Norma (highlights), either performed by Maria Callas or Dame Joan Sutherland in the leading role. 

 

Resource:

Sadie, Stanley, Ed. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2^nd Edition. London: Macmillan Publishers.  2000

Note: This article is an abridged version.  I originally wrote and published a longer piece for suite101.com in October 2007. / Tel

(c) November 3, 2010. Updated November 3, 2022.  Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.    

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Literature / American Writer & Poet

 

American Essayist, Poet, and Transcendentalist

 “Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” ~ R.W. Emerson

 

Biography and works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of America's great poets and  essayists, 19^th century leader of transcendentalism.  

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an important 19^th-century American poet and essayist, a  transcendentalist, and an orator. His ideas had a strong influence on the development of American culture. He's famous for Nature, his first book.

Early Life of Emerson

Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, the son of a minister, was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Like his father, he attended Harvard and then entered the ministry. He was appointed pastor of the Second Unitarian church in Boston, but three years later, at the age of 29, he had a crisis of faith and left the church. A year later, he went to Europe and visited England, and became a close friend of the writer Thomas Carlyle, with whom he corresponded for almost 38 years.  

Works Published

Back in the United States, Emerson settled in concord, Massachusetts, and began a successful career as a lecturer and essayist. His first book Nature, a prose rhapsody, was published when he was 33, summed up his ideas. This was followed by "The American Scholar," an oration delivered at Harvard. Emerson's address in 1838 before the Divinity Class in Cambridge produced a sensation, especially among the Unitarians. 

Philosophy of Transcendentalism

Emerson formulated the philosophy of transcendentalism or in simple term, an idealist, who advocated self-reliance, spiritual independence, and rejected traditional authority. He is famous for the often quoted "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." Emerson believed that people should rely on their reasons to learn what is right and should try to live a simple life in harmony with nature and with others.

More Lectures, Poems and Essays

Emerson became famous for his lectures. He encouraged American scholars to break free of European influences and create a new American culture. His first collection of essays, in which he explored his ideas more fully, was published when he was 38. They were widely read and further collections followed. At the age of 44 he published his first collection of poetry. Later he became involved in the antislavery movement and worked for women's rights. In 1849, he revisited England to lecture on Representative Men. 

Considered 10 of the Best R.W. Emerson Poems

1. The Bell
2. The Snow-Storm
3. Boston Hymn
4. Give All too Love
5. Brahma
6. Concord Hymn
7. Water
8. The Rhodora
9. The Mountain and the Squirrel   
10. Terminus
    

Analyses presented from Poem Analysis by Emma Baldwin. Accessed 25 May 2022. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson died at the age of 78, on April 27, 1882.

 

Works by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nature, 1836

Essays, 1841

Essays, 1844

Poems, 1847

Representative Men, 1850

English Traits, 1856

The Conduct of Life, 1860

May Day and Other Pieces, 1867

Society and Solitude, 1870

Letters and Social Aims, 1876

Natural History of intellect, 1893

 

Photo Credit:

R. W. Emerson. Public domain.

 

Resources:

1. Goring, Rosemary. (Ed.) Larousse Dictionary of Writers. (1994)

2. McGovern, Una, (Ed.) Chambers Biographical Dictionary. (New Edition). (2002)

Note: I first published this piece for Suite101.com, 26th May 2008. / Tel

(c) May 2010. Updated May 25, 2022. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.