| 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 January 28 |
| Can You Guess? We read about Andre Previn below. He married a well-known musician. Can You Guess what instrument Andre Previn's wife plays? Look at the Bottom of the Page for the Answer. |
| What Else Happened Today? |
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| Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha was performed for the first time on January 28, 1972, 55 years after Joplin's death, in Atlanta Georgia. The piece was orchestrated by T. J. Anderson. Scott Joplin, the "King of Ragtime" music, was born near Linden, Texas on November 24, 1868. His family was musical. His father played the violin, his mother the banjo. They moved to Texarkana when Scott was about seven. Even at this early age, Scott had shown himself to be an extraordinary musician. He already played the banjo, and was starting to learn the piano. |
| Scott Joplin See Joplin's Music |
| Did You Guess? If you are a regular visitor to this site this one was easy! Andre Previn was married to Anne-Sophie Mutter, the famous violinist. |
1722 - Birth of German composer Johann Ernst Bach, nephew and pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach. 1828 - Premiere of Franz Schubert's Piano Trio in Bb, Op. 99 D. 898. Ignaz Schuppanzigh, violin, Josef Linke, cello, and Carl Maria von Bocklet, piano. 1887 - Birth of Polish-American pianist Artur Rubinstein 1897 - Premiere of Alexander Glazunov's Symphony No. 5, in London. 1944 - Premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 Jeremiah. Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by the composer, mezzo-soprano Jennie Tourel at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, PA. 1985 - More than 40 artists gather at A&M's Hollywood studios to record We Are the World' under the collective name "USA for Africa.'' Proceeds from the single to go toward worldwide hunger prevention. 1996 - Fire destroyed Venice Opera House, 'The Phoenix' for second time. 2000 - Debut of André Previn's Diversions. Previn conducting Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg, Austria. |
| Pretty Design for a Violinist Tee Shirt More Styles Available |
| I know that his birthday was yesterday, but we can celebrate Mozart every day! |
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| By age eleven, under the tutelage of Julius Weiss, he was learning the finer points of harmony and style. Weiss had heard him play and was so impressed that he offered to give Scott lessons for free. As a teenager, Scott worked as a dance musician.
When young Joplin was fourteen, he left home and began to move into the minstrel shows, vaudeville and dance halls. He settled in St. Louis about 1890. There he studied and led in the development of a music genre now known as ragtime--a unique blend of European classical styles combined with African American harmony and rhythm. In 1893, Joplin played in sporting areas adjacent to the Colombian Exposition in Chicago, and the following year moved to Sedalia, Missouri. From there, he toured with his eight-member Texas Medley Quartette as far east as Syracuse, New York. In 1890s, Joplin worked at the Maple Leaf Club in Sedalia, which provided the title for his best known composition. John Stark, a music publisher, heard the piece and bought it immediately. The money Scott received allowe him to set himself up as a music teacher. This permitted him more time to compose. A few years later Joplin wrote what may be his best known piece, The Entertainer (Click to hear a midi version). Over the next fifteen years, Joplin moved to New York City, where he devoted his energies to the production of his operatic work, Treemonisha, the first grand opera composed by an African American. The piece never saw success during Joplin's lifetime, but it won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976. His health deteriorated, and Scott Joplin died on April 1, 1917. Although Joplin's music was popular during his lifetime, he did not receive the recognition he deserved. In 1973 Joplin's music was featured in the movie, The Sting. Interest in Joplin rose dramatically, and he received the praise he so richly deserved. |
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