Johannes Brahms's Requiem has been done ample justice by Mr. Meier.An interesting tidbit. Will Marion Cook was an Afro American violinist and composer. He was a student of Antonin Dvorak and performed for King George V, among others.Dvorak was a great admirer of Afro American music, he developed quite a friendship with the young singer and composer Harry T. Burleigh, who began writing an opera based on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.Mr. Cook was accepted into Oberlin. His skill as a violinist was noticed by one of his professors who advised him to study with Joseph Joachim at the Hochschule fur Musik in Berlin. Joachim, who was a very good friend of Brahms, took the young American under his wing, expressing a liking for his passionate playing and his untamed personality. I have read that Mr. Cook met Brahms in 1889 when Brahms attended Joachim's 50th anniversary as a performer.It is interesting to note that Joachim performed the premiere of Brahms's violin concerto in Leipzig in 1879. Joachim insisted...

Comments (0)

Boise Philharmonic-German Requiem for March 2012

By Bphil on 3/12/2012 11:28 AM

Blog entry by Boise Philharmonic musician Dan Meier:

Comments (0)

What’s In A Name? Music, Apparently!

By Bphil on 2/8/2012 2:45 PM

By Phil Kassel, Boise Philharmonic French Horn

This month, on February 24th and 25th, the Boise Philharmonic is performing Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, one of my all time favorite symphonies. It is a dramatic contribution to our 50th Anniversary season, and I am thrilled that we are performing it here in Boise!

Shostakovich began composing this symphony around the same time that Joseph Stalin died in 1953. Stalin’s regime had severely controlled and censored the work of Russia’s great artists and, after he died, Shostakovich finally had the compositional freedom to write music that reflected what he was feeling. He no longer needed to hide behind music that was safely composed to meet Soviet standards, and he was not afraid to display his unique musical identity.

It is this identity that becomes one of the hallmarks of the 10th Symphony. In defiance of all that was before, Shostakovich proudly signs signs his name over and over again in the symphony. By using a sort of short-hand code, he is literally able to embed his signature into the music, as if he is saying “and I meant every note.”

As you might have guessed, Dmitri Shostakovich isn’t a name that is is easily spelled in musical notes, especially since our English musical alphabet only has seven letter names. But, by using the German lettering system for musical notes, Shostakovich is able to create a four-letter abbreviation of his name: D-S-C-H. This works because in German-speaking countries, the note we call E-flat is called “Es” (pronounced S) and B is called “H”. So, whenever Shostakovich is melodically spelling his name, we hear the notes D, E-flat, C, and then B. This is also an homage to Johann Sebastian Bach, who would frequently embed his name into music. Since “B” stands for B-flat in German, he could spell his name easily like this: B-A-C-H or B-flat, A, C, B-natural.

Unlike Bach, however, Shostakovich doesn't only include his own name in the 10th symphony. He also spells the name of Elmira Nazirova, a woman he had fallen in love with. Shostakovich wasn’t able to spell her name by using only one language, so he had to take a few letters from the French system. In this system, the equivalent name of the note E is “mi”, A is “la”, and D is “re”. He can then spell her first name like this: E-La-Mi-Re-A or E-A-E-D-A. Her name is called out more than ten times in the 3rd movement, by the French horns. You can hear both the DSCH motive and the Elmira theme by watching the quick YouTube video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZh0O53uy_U

Both of these names are coded into what is called a musical cryptogram. This is when a particular sequence of musical notes can be deciphered into an extra-musical text. Have you ever wondered your name would sound like as a musical cryptogram? Be the first 5 people to comment here or on Facebook, and I’ll create and record one for you!

-You can hear more about the Symphony No. 10 and the other pieces on the program by attending Musically Speaking, a multi-media pre-concert conversation led by Justin Stamps (2nd Trumpet) and myself. Musically Speaking begins one hour before every Masterworks concert and is free to all ticket holders. I hope to see you there!

Comments (0)

Mozart and his bird song

By Bphil on 2/1/2012 3:08 PM

Friday January 27th was Mozart's birthday. He was born 256 years ago in Salzburg, Austria.

He had a pet starling, this is part of their story.

On May 27th, 1784 Mozart heard a starling, caged in a pet shop. The bird sang a song very much like the theme of the third movement from his Piano concerto No. 17 in G, K 453., which he completed on April 12th of that year. He immediately paid thirty four copper Kreutzer and they became inseparable.

Mozart loved his pet. He was named "Herr Stahr". Three years later, the bird died and Mozart was unconsolable. He staged a full funeral and composed a poem for the occasion.

How did the bird learn the music to start with? A coincidence? Highly doubtful! It has been speculated that Mozart, an avid hummer and whistler, had visited the pet shop earlier while uttering a forthcoming piece. Starlings are known to pick up music quite easily.

The collective noun for starlings is a "Murmuration" although one would never think so by listening to a single bird. They are, quite frankly, very obnoxious. The starling, a species indigenous to Eurasia was introduced to the United States by, in a very indirect fashion, the success of William Shakespeare. The American Acclimatization Society for European Settlers, headed by Eugene Scheiffelin wanted to introduce to the United States all birds mentioned by the Bard. Henry IV, in this case.

"Nay, I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but 'Mortimer'....." Fewer than 100 were released in New York in 1890 and again the following year. They reached upper Alaska by 1970. They succeeded, all too well. The present starling population in the US is estimated at about 200 millions.

Mozart wrote two piano concertos for Barbara Ployer, a student of his: No 14, K 449 and No 17. Both were officially premiered by her at her residence in 1784. For the premiere of No 17, Mozart invited Giovanni Paisiello. He will be the focus of a blog in the near future.

-Andre Moncheur

Comments (0)

Boise Philharmonic announces new Graduate Fellowship partnership with Boise State University

By Bphil on 1/25/2012 3:15 PM

On January 25, the Boise Philharmonic and Boise State University Department of Music announced a Graduate Fellowship program which would grant tuition and fees to four new graduate students plus a $10,000 stipend. Additionally, the students will perform with the Boise Philharmonic.

Read full press release here.

Comments (0)

Egmont Overture

By Bphil on 1/17/2012 2:40 PM

Beethoven's Egmont Overture is based on a tragic act of heroism.

Count Lamoral of Egmont was beheaded in Brussels in 1568 alongside Count of Horn. He led one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the Low Countries. Although a devout catholic, as was his King, Philip II of Spain, he was moderate in his views and did not blindly support the introduction of the Inquisition in Flanders.

The Duke of Alba, sent by Philip, imprisoned Egmont and Horn and had them executed for treason. To this day, they are revered as heroes.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) wrote a play, Egmont. He completed it in 1788. It premiered in Weimar.

In 1809, the Burgtheatre in Vienna asked Ludwig von Beethoven, a great admirer of Goethe, to compose incidental music for a revival of the play. He accepted with enthusiasm as the topic was close to his heart. It premiered in Vienna on June 15th 1810 with Beethoven conducting. The Overture was played at the memorial service commemorating the kidnapping and murders of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics and was the unofficial anthem for the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

Goethe and Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) developed a complicated friendship. Their relationship is commemorated by a statue of the two literary giants in Weimar. A copy of it can be seen in San Francisco (1901), Cleveland (1907), Milwaukee (1908), Syracuse (1911) and Anting, China (2006).

Why write about Schiller? Beethoven greatly admired his poetry. He wrote the "Ode to Joy" that the Great Man put to music in the Ninth Symphony.

-Andre Moncheur
Rieudotte11@aol.com

Comments (0)

Soprano Helen Porter - the Peach Melba

By Bphil on 1/10/2012 3:17 PM

The Peach Melba is named after Helen Porter, a soprano, the first Australian to gain international fame in the classical music world.

She was born in Richmond in 1861, about two miles from Melbourne's central business district.

In 1887, after much travel and tribulation, she made her Operatic debut as Gilda, in Rigoletto, at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium.

It was an "instant success of the most emphatic kind" and her teacher advised her to adopt the stage name Melba for obvious reasons. She did.

Leo Delibes (Composer of Lakme, of "The Flower Duet" fame) said: "I do not care if she sings in French, Italian, German, English or Chinese, as long as she sings."

Camille St-Saens composed the Opera "Helene" just for her.

In 1892, she sang in Wagner's Lohengrin at Covent Garden and was staying at the Savoy, where Auguste Escoffier ruled the kitchens.

The French press called him "The king of chefs and chef of kings".

Actually, the original quote applies to Marie Antoine Careme (pretty ironic, as Careme means Lent in French). He was an early practitioner of Haute Cuisine and actually cooked for Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, French representative to the Congress of Vienna.

Prince Clemens von Metternich, Austrian representative and host of the Congress enjoyed his fare often.

He also freelanced for Napoleon.

Monsieur Escoffier wanted to hear Ms. Melba sing but could not get tickets to Lohengrin, he approached her and she obliged.

He showed his gratitude by creating the Peach Melba.

A boat pulling swan is featured in Lohengrin.

He had an ice sculpture of the bird hollowed out and artfully covered vanilla ice cream with peaches within the cavity.

In 1900, Escoffier omitted the ice cream and covered the peaches with pureed raspberries.

Other versions have been created since.

On a less musical note, the Theatre de la Monnaie is the very site of the Belgian Revolution.

On August 25th, 1830, Daniel Auber's Opera "La muette de Portici" (The Mute girl of Portici) generated a riot that became the signal of the Belgian Revolution that drove the Dutch out.

The duet "Amour sacre de la Patrie" (Sacred love of the Homeland) ignited the powder keg.

Andre Moncheur

Comments (0)

In a musical context, what are the letters D, RV, BWV, H and K (or KV) used for?

By Bphil on 1/5/2012 2:18 PM

In a musical context, what are the letters D, RV, BWV, H and K (or KV) used for?

They are used to catalog the works of Franz Schubert, Antonio Vivaldi, Johan Sebastian Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

-Otto Erich Deutsch (1883-1967) was an Austrian musicologist who catalogued Franz Schubert's music. D 667 is the Trout Quintet, D 839 is his Ave Maria.

-Peter Ryom (born in 1937) is a Danish musicologist who catalogued Antonio Vivaldi's music. RV stands for Ryom Verzeichnis (Ryom catalog), the V does not stand for Vivaldi. In the four violin concerti known as The Four Seasons", Spring is RV 269, Summer is RV 315, Autumn is RV 293 and Winter is RV 297.

-Wolfgang Schmieder (1901-1990) was a German musicologist. In 1950, he published the BWV, or Bach Werke Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue). It has since become nearly universal. It is arranged by genre/theme, in other words, a low BWV does not necessarily indicate an early work. JS Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor is BWV 565, the Brandenburg Concerti are BWV 1046 through 1051.

-Anthony van Hoboken (1887-1983) was a Dutch musicologist. In 1957, an almost complete thematic catalogue of Haydn's works was published. Haydn's works are commonly designated "Hob" or "H" with Roman numeral denoting group classification followed by Arabic numeral for work within the group. His Symphony number 94, the Surprise Symphony is H I/94, his Cello concerto number 1 is H VII/1.

-Ludwig von Kochel (1800-1877) was a multi talented Austrian, best remembered as a musicologist. After tutoring the four sons of Archduke Charles of Austria, he was rewarded with a knighthood and a generous financial settlement allowing him to spend the rest of his life as a "Private Scholar". (Dream on, Andre!!). We owe the cataloguing of Mozart's works, K1 through K626, his unfinished Requiem, to him. The Requiem was finished for Mozart by Franz Sussmayr, one of his pupils according to Mozart's wishes, dictated on his deathbed. Mozart's Piano concerto number 21 is K467, Don Giovanni is K527, his Symphony number 25 is K183.

-Andre Moncheur

Comments (0)