| Today in Music History A Daily Look at Music History For Violin Students A Look at What Happened on Today's Date Long, Long Ago . . . Or Maybe Just Last Year |
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| TODAY IS August 10 |
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| Clarence Leo Fender was born August 10, 1909. His parents ran an orange grove. As a teen, Leo began dismantling and repairing radios himself as a hobby. In the early 1930's he was approached by a bandleader to construct a PA system for use at dances.
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| 1778 - Mozart finished Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Serenade. 1806 - Michael Haydn, Austrian composer and younger brother of Franz Joseph Haydn, died in Salzburg at age 68. 1825 - Mendelssohn, at age 16, finishes opera Camacho's Wedding. 1865 - Alexander Glazunov, Russian composer and professor was born in St. Petersburg. 1876 - Death of German cellist Carl Bergmann in NYC. Philharmonic conductor 1855 - 1876. 1949 - Premiere of Darius Milhaud's Octet for Strings. Budapest and Paganini Quartets at Mills College in Oakland, CA. 1965 - Premiere of William Schuman's Philharmonic Fanfare. New York Philharmonic conducted by William Steinberg, at the orchestra's first outdoor concert in Central Park, New York City. 1985 - Madonna's Like A Virgin became the first album by a female to be certified for 5 millions sales. 2001 - Premiere of Per Norgard's String Quartet No. 9 Into the Source. Orion String Quartet at the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival in NM. |
| What Else Happened Today? |
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| Clarence Leo Fender 1909-1991 |
In 1938, he opened Fender Radio Service. Musicians began asking him for better guitars and amplifiers. Fender began K & F Mfg. with fellow inventor Doc Kauffman (who designed guitars for Rickenbacker) in a shed behind the radio shop. In 1945, he built his first electric guitar. |
| In 1946 Fender Electric Instrument Co., opened. Here, they created the legendary Telecaster and Stratocaster - maybe the most popular and successful guitar designs in history. In 1965, the company was sold to CBS Musical Instruments.
Although he "could not play a note," Fender was inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music halls of fame. In the 1980s, Leo opened a guitar business on Fender Avenue (named for him) in Fullerton. He continued to work there every day until he died March 21, 1991. |
| Fender Stratocaster Click Picture for More Information |
| Well, we've talked about electric guitars. Are there electric violins? Yes there are! While it's possible to combine a violin and a pickup and "electrify" a traditional violin . . . there are also electric violins. And they can look as different from a traditional violin as the stratocaster does from an accoustic guitar. |
| Straus Model 500 Violin Click Picture to See More |
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| Yamaha SV 120 K Violin Click Picture to See More |
| Straus Model 700 Violin Click Picture to See More |
| Meisel Spitfire Free Fusion Violin Click Picture to See More |
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| Bond is an all-woman string quartet who play electric violins, viola and cello! Click Their Picture to See Their Music! |
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| Can You Guess? In 1895 Sir Henry Wood conducted the first "Proms Concert" in London. They have become a great tradition there for 8 weeks each year. Can You Guess why they are called "Proms" Concerts? Look at the Bottom of the Page for the Answer. |
| Did You Guess? Conceived to bring the average person back to good music, tickets are sold at a reduced price to people who do not have assigned seats and may walk around or "promenade" during the concert. Becoming known as the "Promenades Concerts," the name was shortened to the "Proms" Concerts. |
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| Mark Wood has played his innovative Viper violin in on tour with Celine Deion, at fiddle camps (click for an great video feature from CBS Sunday Morning) and on several albums of his own. Want to see (and hear) what Wood's violins can do? Click here and watch this! 7 Strings?????? These links take a LONG TIME to load, but the wait is worth it! |
| Brotherhood of the Bow Bag |
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| The Bon Musica Violin Shoulder Rest is completely adjustable to give the player a precise fit. The curve of the shoulder rest helps the player hold the instrument in place and can be adjusted to 3 different settings according to the player's taste. |
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