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What's new ?

This site is one of those that will never be complete. There will always be something else, gaps to be filled or fresh items to add.
Soon there will be the facility for you to add your own contributions and this will be the place to see 'What's New'!

If you click on the yellow RSS button (bottom left under the navigation) you can be informed automatically of any updates.



Feb 3, 2012

Mendelssohn 203 today


203 today - Happy Birthday Felix!

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Mendelssohn 203 today"


Feb 3, 2012

February Anniversaries of Great Classical Composers

February
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

2/02/1594 Palestrina died
3/02/1809 Mendelssohn born
7/02/1652 Allegri died

13/02/1883 Wagner died
15/02/1857 Glinka died
17/2/1653 Corelli born
20/2/1961 P.Grainger died

23/2/1934 Elgar died
23/2/1685 Handel born
27/2/1887 Borodin died
29/2/1792 Rossini born


Jan 7, 2012

Rodrigo is our latest addition

Joaquin Rodrigo (1901 - 1999) the Spanish composer, is the latest addition to the site.

Best known for 'Concerto de Aranjuez', one of the most popular pieces of 20th century classical music.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Rodrigo is our latest addition"


Jan 2, 2012

Sir Michael Tippett & Mily Balakirev birthdays

Two birthdays today - the Englishman Sir Michael Tippett (1905) and the Russian Mily Balakirev (1837), leader of the 'Mighty Five'.


Jan 1, 2012

January Anniversaries of Great Classical Composers

January
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

1/1/1782 J C Bach died
2/1/1837 Balakirev born
2/1/1905 M Tippett born
4/1/1710 Pergolesi born
6/1/1838 Max Bruch born
7/1/1899 Poulenc born
8/1/1713 Corelli died
8/1/1990 M Tippett died
11/1/1801 Cimarosa died
16/1/1886 Ponchielli died
16/1/1891 Delibes died
17/1/1751 Albinoni died
18/1/1835 Cesar Cui
born
23/1/1981 S.Barber died
27/1/1756 Mozart born
27/1/1813Verdi died
29/1/1862 Delius born
30/1/1963 Poulenc died
31/1/1797 Schubert born


Dec 30, 2011

New page - St HILDEGARD of Bingen


The latest addition is our second female composer.
One of the most extraordinary women of the Middle Ages.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "New page - St HILDEGARD of Bingen"


Dec 11, 2011

Happy Birthday Hector!


208 today - Happy Birthday Hector!

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Happy Birthday Hector!"


Oct 25, 2011

Bizet's birthday today

173 today - Happy Birthday George!

Here's the Happy Birthday theme in the style of Bizet and of Tchaikovsky
on YouTube

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Bizet's birthday today"


Oct 24, 2011

Dame Ethel Smyth - our first female composer!

Not only a brilliant composer but also a political activist involved in the suffagette movement.

She was even jailed for smashing the windows of a leading politician!

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Dame Ethel Smyth - our first female composer!"


Oct 22, 2011

200th anniversary of Liszt's birth

Happy Birthday Franz!.
Big celebrations for his becentenary.
Franz Liszt, the world's first rock star.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "200th anniversary of Liszt's birth"


Oct 12, 2011

Vaughan Williams birthday today

139 today. Happy Birthday Ralph.
This year he is at No2 and No3 in the ClassicFM Hall of Fame ranking.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Vaughan Williams birthday today"


Oct 10, 2011

2012 Opera Calendar on Etsy

I uploaded my new 2012 Opera Calendar onto Etsy today. Looks good!

Click for more info


Oct 2, 2011

October classical composer anniversaries

October
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

1/10/1865 Paul Dukas born
2/10/1920 Max Bruch died
3/10/1931 Carl Nielsen died
5/10/1880 Offenbach died
9/10/1813 Verdi born
9/10/1835 Saint-Saëns born
11/10/1896 Bruckner died
12/10/1872 Vaughan Williams born
14/10/1990 Bernstein died
17/10/1849 Chopin died
18/10/1893 Gounod died
20/10/1874 Charles Ives born
22/11/1811 Liszt born
24/10/1725 A Scarlatti died
25/11/1825 J Strauss Jr born
25/11/1838 Bizet born
26/11/1685 D Scarlatti born
27/11/1782 Paganini born

Permalink -- click for full blog post "October classical composer anniversaries"


Sep 29, 2011

Gabriel Fauré - our latest addition

I have just added a page on Gabriel Fauré. Like Messiaen he was a 20th century French composer, organist and teacher.
Strangely he didn't compose a single work for the organ even though he was involved with it for most of his life.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Gabriel Fauré - our latest addition"


Sep 26, 2011

Putting fun into classical music

Our new Video of the Week on our home page is a very entertaining 8 minutes by the MozART Group.
Some will find it disrespectful but I hope most will find it a lot of fun as I do.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Putting fun into classical music"


Sep 26, 2011

Gershwin - 113th birthday

Happy Birthday George!.
He would have been 113 today.
What a pity he died so young at 38 years old.
Just think what more wonderful music we could have had.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Gershwin - 113th birthday"


Sep 4, 2011

Bruckner's Birthday today

187 today. Happy Birthday.
So he is our Composer of the Week!
Also today is the birthday of the French composer Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974)
It is the 104th anniversary of the death of Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907).

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Bruckner's Birthday today"


Sep 1, 2011

September Composer Anniversaries

September
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

4/9/1824 Bruckner born
4/9/1892 Milhaud born
4/9/1907 Grieg died
5/9/1735 J Christian Bach born
5/9/1912 John Cage born
8/9/1813 Gesualdo died
8/9/1841 Dvorak born
8/9/1949 Richard Strauss died
10/9/1659 Purcell born
13/9/1819 Clara Schumann born
13/9/1874 Schoenberg born
17/9/1179 Hildegard von Bingen died
20/9/1957 Sibelius died
21/9/1874 Holst born
23/9/1836 Bellini died
25/9/1906 Shostakovich born
25/9/1849 J Strauss Sr died
26/9/1898 Gershwin born
26/9/1945 Bartok died

Permalink -- click for full blog post "September Composer Anniversaries"


Aug 17, 2011

Classical Composers Calendar - back to school!!

There is a September '11 to August '12 Great Composers Calendar now available at Etsy. I have posted a link on the Home page.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Classical Composers Calendar - back to school!!"


Aug 4, 2011

August Classical Composr Anniversaries

Sorry late again!

August
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

Births
?/08/1653 Pachelbel
18/08/1750 Salieri
22/08/1862 Debusssy
22/08/1928 Stockhausen
25/08/1918 Bernstein
31
/08/1834 Ponchielli
Deaths
2/08/1945 Mascagni
8/08/1975 Shostakovich
09/08/1919 Leoncavallo
10/08/1928 Janacek
12/08/1992 John Cage
13/08/1912 Massanet
26/08/1958 Vaughan Williams
28/08/1959 Martinu


Permalink -- click for full blog post "August Classical Composr Anniversaries"


Aug 2, 2011

Pietro Mascagni RIP

Classical composer Pietro Mascagni died 66 years ago today. Considered a one hit wonder for his Cavalleria Rusticana he in fact created much much more music of quality which unfortunately doesn't get much exposure at all.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Pietro Mascagni RIP"


Jul 31, 2011

New page - Olivier MESSIAEN

I have just added a page on Olivier Messiaen. He was a 20th century French composer, organist, teacher and ornithologist. He is known for incorporating birdsong into his compositions.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "New page - Olivier MESSIAEN"


Jul 10, 2011

George Gershwin - our latest profile

The latest composer profile to be added is George Gershwin, the American composer of so many well known songs.
He died young at only 38 years old, 74 years ago today.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "George Gershwin - our latest profile"


Jul 7, 2011

Happy Birthday Gustav Mahler

151 today. Congratulation.
This is a big anniversary year as it is the centenary of his death on 18 May 1911.

It is also the centenary of the birth of Gian Carlo Menotti a talented Italo-American composer best known for his operas.
Anyway he is our Composer of the Week!

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Happy Birthday Gustav Mahler"


Jul 6, 2011

July Composer Anniversaries

Sorry, a bit late but here are the birthdays and death anniversaries for July:

July
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

Births
2/07/1714 Gluck
3/07/1854 Janacek
7/07/1860 Mahler
8/07/1882 Percy Grainger
9/07/1879 Respighi
10/07/1895 Carl Orff
Deaths
1/07/1925 Satie
4/07/1623 William Byrd
11/07/1937 Gershwin
13/07/1951 Arnold Schonberg
23/07/1757 Domenico Scarlatti
27/07/1924 Busoni
28/07/1741 Vivaldi
28/07/1750 Bach
29/07/1856 Schumann
31/07/1886 Liszt



Jul 4, 2011

Happy 4th July

As today is the 4th July I have made Sousa the composer of the week.

Video of the week is a complete recording of Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture' the finale of which is often played at 4th July fireworks displays, even though it has nothing to do with America and everything to do with commemorating Moscow's defense against Napoleon's armies.

Sousa and 1812 on the Home page

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Happy 4th July"


Jun 1, 2011

June Composer Anniversaries

It's June already. So here is the June list of the main composer birthdays and death anniversaries.

June
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

01/06/1804 Glinka born
02/06/1857 Elgar born
03/06/1875 Bizet died
03/06/1899 Strauss J died
06/06/1903 Khachaturian born
08/06/1810 Schumann born
21/06/1908 Rimsky Korsakov died
10/06/1934 Delius died
11/06/1864 Strauss R. born
14/06/1671 Albinoni born
15/06/1843 Grieg born
17/06/1818 Gounod born
17/06/1882 Stravinsky born
20/06/1819 Offenbach born
25/06/1767 Telemann died


May 29, 2011

Happy Birthday Isaac Albeniz!

Today is the birthday of Albeniz so I have put his 'Asturias' as Video of the Week on the Home page.
He composed it for the piano but you nearly always hear it played on the guitar, thanks to Segovia's transcription.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Happy Birthday Isaac Albeniz!"


Apr 10, 2011

The Parallel Lives of Verdi and Wagner

An interesting essay by Peter McKenzie-Brown on the similarities and differences in the lives of these two composers, born within months of each other.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "The Parallel Lives of Verdi and Wagner"


Mar 22, 2011

Films about composers

I occasionally get asked if there is a movie about a particular composer.
So I have built a page listing the ones I know about.
Lots by the Brits Ken Loach and Tony Palmer.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Films about composers"



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