20 Apr 13
Originally posted by scacchipazzoWell done. Am sitting in that cinema I mentioned to you, glass of wine in hand. Son with mother-in-law. Must turn my phone off now. Son's birthday tomorrow and we are off to Hampton Court.
Mozart!
Have a great weekend, well persevered and I will ponder your clue.
20 Apr 13
1 edit
Originally posted by Rank outsiderHave fun and enjoy your movie! I do want to clarify. I love old, old movies. I am watching some three old Italian movies I DVR'd tonite, plus an EPL game.
Well done. Am sitting in that cinema I mentioned to you, glass of wine in hand. Son with mother-in-law. Must turn my phone off now. Son's birthday tomorrow and we are off to Hampton Court.
Have a great weekend, well persevered and I will ponder your clue.
Anyway, it easy to persevere when getting added hints. Could have never done it without that help although I suspected the anagram was going to be Mozart.
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23 Apr 13
Originally posted by scacchipazzoDon't know. But I would have guessed it was Alexander Scriabin who would have been the first to do that sort of thing.
Trivia question for my fellow classical music lovers. Elgar wrote the first piece of music alluding to drugs some 60+ years before the Beatles. What was this piece?
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23 Apr 13
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A Few trivia questions then:
1.) Can you name a composer who decided to take music as a career based upon a friend's lie. The friend said he had shown this amatuer's composition to a famous conductor who liked it. But his friend had completely lied about that.
Who is the composer ?
2.) A composer who cussed out a crowd of wild admirers who left a performance of one of his pieces to go to his house. Their intention was to get him out of bed and parade him around on their shoulders.
Who was that composer ?
3.) The composer who said that he was " in search of obscurity."
He didn't find it. Who was that composer?
4.) Who was the composer who did not believe in copyrighting any of his compositions ?
5.) Name a composer who was a horrible conductor.
6.) Name a composer who conducted with a phobia that his head might fall off while conducting.
23 Apr 13
1.) Can you name a composer who decided to take music as a career based upon a friend's lie. The friend said he had shown this amateur's composition to a famous conductor who liked it. But his friend had completely lied about that.
Who is the composer ? Wild stab in the dark: Luigi Boccherini
2.) A composer who cussed out a crowd of wild admirers who left a performance of one of his pieces to go to his house. Their intention was to get him out of bed and parade him around on their shoulders.
Who was that composer ? Stravinsky.
3.) The composer who said that he was " in search of obscurity."
He didn't find it. Who was that composer? Hugo Wolf
4.) Who was the composer who did not believe in copyrighting any of his compositions ? John Cage
5.) Name a composer who was a horrible conductor. Elgar
6.) Name a composer who conducted with a phobia that his head might fall off while conducting. Gustav Mahler
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24 Apr 13
2 edits
1.) Can you name a composer who decided to take music as a career based upon a friend's lie. The friend said he had shown this amateur's composition to a famous conductor who liked it. But his friend had completely lied about that.
Who is the composer ? Wild stab in the dark: Luigi Boccherini
Well, I know nothing about Boccherini. But the composer I had in mind was the French Albert Roussel (1869 - 1937).
He dithered between a military career and music. A lying friend devised a scheme to finally push him over to the music side. I'm glad he did.
2.) A composer who cussed out a crowd of wild admirers who left a performance of one of his pieces to go to his house. Their intention was to get him out of bed and parade him around on their shoulders.
Who was that composer ? Stravinsky.
Him I know a little more about. Good guess but I had in mind the champion of Italian Opera in his day Giochino Rossini (1792 - 1868). He was one composer that enjoyed great popularity while alive, almost too his annoyance.
Good guess though.
3.) The composer who said that he was " in search of obscurity."
He didn't find it. Who was that composer? Hugo Wolf
Interesting choice. I'll have to go study why.
No it is Alexander Borodin (1833 - 1887) of the "Five" Russian amatuers, self taught and proud of it.
His "real" employment was as an educator and chemist in a women's college. He could only persue his hobby of composing when sick. His house also was often filled with relatives sleeping in and crowding the place. How he managed to find time to turn out some of the gems of the symphonic repertoire is a marvel to many.
4.) Who was the composer who did not believe in copyrighting any of his compositions ? John Cage
Another good guess. I would have to go check and see. Might be right.
But I had in mind Charles Ives (1874 - 1954) - American like Cage though.
At this point I should admit that your first puzzle had me stumped. I thought it could be a number of innovators who drew from the past - Debussy, Harry Partch, even Schoenberg who said he was a conservative who had become forced to be radical.
5.) Name a composer who was a horrible conductor. Elgar
Again you could be right. I'll have to read up more on this fine composer Edward Elgar who is growing in my admiration over the last few years.
But according to the biographical notes I learned this from it was Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) - great with a critic's pen and great at composing and as a pianist, but a real lousy conductor of zero help to an orchestra.
6.) Name a composer who conducted with a phobia that his head might fall off while conducting. Gustav Mahler
As far as neurosis is concerned your guess is good. However Mahler had no phobia like this.
Peter Tchaikovsky held tight to his head while conducting with a fear it might fall off.
I found your guesses as interesting as the answers.
24 Apr 13
Originally posted by sonshipWell so many musicians might fit this or that category. That's what's wonderful about music. It is so vast a subject sometimes criteria certainly intersect. I had no idea Tchaikovsky was that neurotic. There were many horrible conductors including Elgar and Schumann and even Beethoven who insisted on conducting the premiere of the ninth. His concertmaster, Herr Schuppanzig failed to stop the by then completely deaf composer, but instructed the orchestra to follow him and not the master. As expected the work finished and good ol' Ludwig had fallen behind by quite a few bars. Schuppanzig gets up towards the still conducting Beethoven, turns him by the shoulders so he could see the thunderous applause he could not hear.1.) Can you name a composer who decided to take music as a career based upon a friend's lie. The friend said he had shown this amateur's composition to a famous conductor who liked it. But his friend had completely lied about that.
Who is the composer ? Wild stab in the dark: Luigi Boccherini
Well, I know nothing about Boccherini. Bu ...[text shortened]... fear it might fall off.
I found your guesses as interesting as the answers.
I had totally forgotten about Borodin being a complete amateur of genius and had never heard of the French composer you mentioned. Music trivia is a wonderful game indeed. Ives, eh? Nuts! Wonderful indeed and way better than John Cage.
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24 Apr 13
Well so many musicians might fit this or that category. That's what's wonderful about music. It is so vast a subject sometimes criteria certainly intersect. I had no idea Tchaikovsky was that neurotic.
I got my information from the Teaching Company's premier professor on Classical Music, Robert Greenberg.
He also explained the real facts around Tchaikovsky's death. It was actually an honor suicide he was compeled to accept from his fraternity. This was to be in exchange for the concealment of his homosexuality.
The Russians were very protective about the reputations of their heroes. And the death from unclean drinking water was propoganda about Tchaikovsky's death for decades.
By the way, Tchaikovsky and Mahler is a good comparison for two Romantics.
Both were splendid composers. I prefer Mahler to the pair.
There were many horrible conductors including Elgar and Schumann and even Beethoven who insisted on conducting the premiere of the ninth. His concertmaster, Herr Schuppanzig failed to stop the by then completely deaf composer, but instructed the orchestra to follow him and not the master. As expected the work finished and good ol' Ludwig had fallen behind by quite a few bars. Schuppanzig gets up towards the still conducting Beethoven, turns him by the shoulders so he could see the thunderous applause he could not hear.
There was a motion picture about a woman music student who assisted Beethoven. Was this based on any history ? In the film she was in the back assisting him in that conducting feat.
By the way, I think there was one another composer who went deaf. Do you recall who that was ? Or am I mistaken.
I think Gabriel Faure went blind. But I recall someone else having a hearing problem besides Beethoven. Am I right ?
I had totally forgotten about Borodin being a complete amateur of genius and had never heard of the French composer you mentioned.
I too get the impression that he must have been very bright mentally.
Albert Roussel is one of my favorite 20th century French composers.
If you go through his symphonies (4 of them) I would recommend this order -
3rd, 4th, 2nd, 1rst.
The second movements of both the 3rd and 4th have some harmonic progressions that I find totally lovely and hitherto unheard of, to me at least.
Music trivia is a wonderful game indeed. Ives, eh? Nuts! Wonderful indeed and way better than John Cage.
I consider Cage mostly a kind of wise guy, not to be taken too seriously.
A kind of Timothy Leary of classical music.
But there are few composers who do not have at least one piece that I would consider nicely written.
I compose myself.
24 Apr 13
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Originally posted by sonshipI saw that on your profile. Composition is very, very hard. On what instrument though?What genre? Religious, perhaps? Hymn writing is a long lost art. I am a devout Catholic. I read a book a couple of years ago about how Catholic Music sux. I agree entirely excepting the works of the great masters like Verdi, Haydn, Berlioz, Faure, Pergolesi, Allegri, Palestrina, Boccherini, Vivaldi and so many others. Have you ever lsitened to Antonio Caldara's Stabat Mater? Unique and way ahead of its time. BTW, Elgar is another Catholic composer of genius. I too have heard of another deaf composer, but I cannot remember who it is off hand other than Clara Wieck, wife of Schumann. However, I'd never include her among the greats despite being quite competent. BTW, I just got the Greenberg book for my teenage son so he can learn a little more about music appreciation. Great book indeed. I will most definitely look up Roussel. Better than Berlioz and Faure? Cesar Franck is not French, but made his career in Paris. Better than Franck? Gounod, Massenet? Tchaikovsky-Mahler? Apples and oranges. I love both.Well so many musicians might fit this or that category. That's what's wonderful about music. It is so vast a subject sometimes criteria certainly intersect. I had no idea Tchaikovsky was that neurotic.
I got my information from the Teaching Company's premier professor on Classical Music, Robert Greenberg.
He also explained the re do not have at least one piece that I would consider nicely written.
I compose myself.
Here's another trivia question for you and "rank outsider". This composer wrote a hymn for a FA football club. Composer and team, please!?
26 Apr 13
Here's a list of composers who went deaf. Beethoven remains unique in that he went deaf so early yet continued to persevere and wrote his most subtle and perfect pieces while stone deaf. Not another composer can emulate this even remotely.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/17029/music-5-other-composers-who-went-deaf