| 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 8 |
| What Else Happened Today? |
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| 1705 - Premiere of Handel's first opera Almira.
1735 - Premiere of Handel's opera Ariodante in London. 1788 - Birth of Archduke Rudolph, Austrian, friend, and student of Beethoven. He became Beethoven's greatest patron. Fidelio, the Emperor Concerto and the Archduke Trio were dedicated to him. 1831 - Franz Krommer, Moravian composer and violinist, died. 1843 - Premiere of Schumann's Piano Quintet. 1846 - William Gilchrist, American composer, choirmaster at St. Clement's Church founded Philadelphia's. Mendelssohn Club. 1891 - Choreographer Bronislava Nijinska was born. 1892 - Hans Kindler, cellist and conductor, was born. He was first conductor of the National Symphony, Washington, DC (1931). 1906 - Pianist Arthur Rubinstein made debut at Carnegie Hall (NYC) 1923 - First broadcast of an opera direct from a concert hall. BBC broadcast Mozart's The Magic Flute. 1924 - Benjamin Lees, American composer, was born. 1925 - Igor Stravinsky's American debut conducting the NY Philahrmonic in a concert of his works. 1927 - Premiere of Alban Berg's Lyric Suite for string quartet by the Kolisch Quartet. 1940 - Premiere of Roger Sessions' Violin Concerto. 1971 - Premiere of D. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 15, the composer's son, Maxim, conducting. 1975 - Death of opera star Richard Tucker. 1988 - Premiere of Joseph Schwantner's Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra, From Afar... Guitarist Sharon Isbin with the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting. |
| Arcangelo Corelli, the Italian composer and violinist, died in Rome on January 8, 1713. Corelli was born February 17, 1653. He was the fifth child born in a prosperous family of landowners. His father (for whom he was named) died about a month before he was born. Corelli probably took his first music lessons from the local clergy. He later studied music theory and composition in Faenza and Lugo. |
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| Click Picture to See His Music Arcangelo Corelli 1653-1713 |
| In 1666 Corelli began studies with virtuoso violinsist Giovanni Benvenuti, violinist of the chapel of San Petronio in Bologna. Benvenuti taught him the first principles of the violin for two years, then another violinist, Leonardo Brugnoli, continued where he left off.
After four years in Bologna, Corelli went to Rome. He probably played the violin at the Tordinona Theatre there. There is also evidence that he travelled to Germany in 1677, returning to Rome in 1680. June 3, 1677, Corelli sent his first composition to Count Fabrizio Laderchi. It was a sonata for violin and lute. By 1675, he was already third chair violinist in the orchestra of the chapel of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, and he moved up a chair the following year. In 1681 he published his 12 Trio Sonatas for Two Violins and Cello, with Organ Basso Continuo, Opus 1. He dedicated the work Queen Christina of Sweden, who had a residence in Rome. The following year he took the post of concertmaster of the San Luigi dei Francesi orchestra. He held the seat until 1685. That year he published his 12 Chamber Trio Sonatas for Two Violins, Violone and Violoncello or Harpsichord, Opus 2. In September, 1687, Corelli became musical director at the Palazzo Pamphili. Here he acted as both conductor and performer. It is said that the skill and innovation displayed here foreshadowed the role of the modern orchestra conductor. The most outstanding performance here was probably a concert sponsored by Queen Christina for the British ambassador, upon the coronation of Pope Innocent XII. Corelli conducted an orchestra of 150 strings. In 1690 he entered the service of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. Corelli probably taught at the German Institute in Rome. He also was concertmaster and conductor for the concerts of the Palazzo della Cancelleria (1700). This was the same year that he published his 12 Sonatas for Violin and Violone or Harpsichord, Opus 5. In 1702 Corelli went to Naples. Although no documentation exists, Corelli probably made the acquaintance of the Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, and George Frideric Handel there, as both men were also resident in Naples at the time. In 1706 became a memberof the Arcadia Academy. Although he had completed his Opus 6, which consisted of 12 concerti grossi, he died before it was published. This work was extremely influential in that it established the basis for the concerto gross form. |
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| Can You Guess? We read below of Leonard Slankin of the St. Louis Symphony. He was affiliated with another ensemble on this page. Can You Guess what other group he conducted? |
| Did You Guess Leonard Slatkin conducted the National Symphony. The color clue read "Hans," which is the first name of another conductor of that orchestra mentioned on this page. |
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| Sessions Violin Concerto |
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| Violin Scroll Heart Shirt Great Valentine Gift! |
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