| 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 June 13 |
| What Else Happened Today? |
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| Igor Stravinsky's ballet Les Noces premiered June 13, 1923. Stravinsky was born in Russia in 1882. He grew up in a musical atmosphere and studied with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1909 Sergei Diaghilev heard some of Stravisnky's music, was impressed, and asked him to orchestrate some of Chopin's piano pieces. He very much liked the results, and commissioned an original ballet. The resulting ballet, The Firebird, premiered in 1910, and was immediately popular, as was the ballet Petrushka in 1911. |
| 1747 - Handel finished his oratorio Solomon, which includes the sinfonia The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. Hear a MIDI version of the queen's arrival by clicking here. 1795 - Birth of Moravian violinist, conductor and Beethoven biographer Anton Schindler. His search for Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved," (never named by Beethoven) became the subject of a movie of the same name. 1911 - Premiere of Stravinsky's Petrouchka with Nijinsky, Karsavina, Pierre Monteux, conducting with the Ballet Russe in Paris. The picture of Stravinsky, above, is actually a picture of him conducting a performance of Petrouchka. 1969 - Anthony Moore, violinist and co-founder of the group Barrage, was born. 1986 - Benny Goodman, US classical and big band clarinetist, died. What's "big band?" Click Here for Some Free Samples of Goodman's music at Amazon! 2002 - Ralph Shapey, US composer, teacher and conductor, died in Philadelphia.. |
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| Igor Stravinsky 1882-1971 |
| The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky's third ballet, premiered in Paris in 1913. The resulting shock at the piece's dissonance, rhythms and percussiveness, caused outrage and confusion in the classical music community, but even then the piece was perceived as a masterpiece.
In 1930, the prestigious German publishing house, Schott, approached Stravinsky with the idea of his composing a violin concerto. The story of that composition can be read here. Stravinsky found France's influence on his music was beginning to decline. He became a French citizen in June, 1934, and applied to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. He was denied admission, and was deeply humiliated. As a result, he decided to move to America, arriving in September, 1939. In America Stravinsky began to feel appreciated once again. He associated with celebrities and intellectuals. Numerous compositions followed, including The Symphony in Three Movements, Ebony Concerto, The Rake's Progress and Mass. He undertook conducting tours and befriended Robert Craft. Craft became the conductor whom Stravinsky trusted to evaluate new ideas and compositions. Craft also introduced Stravinsky to serial (twelve-tone) music, which had been pioneered by Arnold Schoenberg. Stravinsky became interested in the music of Schoenberg's student Anton Webern. He began composing his own serial music, culminating in his final composition, the Requiem Canticles. Stravinsky passed away April 6, 1971. His funeral was held on the fifteenth, and he was buried in Venice on the island of San Michele, near his friend Sergei Diaghilev. |
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| GREAT Father's Day Present for your violinist Dad. "The Only Metal Instrument I Want to Hold is my Spatula." |
| A good Stravinsky album at a GREAT price. |
| Can You Guess? One of Stravinsky's masterpieces was used in a movie which has become a favorite of viewers of all ages. Can You Guess what movie featured Stravinsky's Rite of Spring? Go to the Bottom of the Page for the Answer |
| Did You Guess? The movie was Walt Disney's Fantasia. Did you see the color clues? |
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| Barrage is a really inspirational group of young violinists who siing, dance and play . . . all at once. A Great Show in person or on DVD. The Vagabond Tales CD, with Music Samples, is HERE. |
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