I saved three lives today. What did you do?
That’s right. 3 lives, saved, because of me. I don’t know who I saved. I don’t know what was wrong with them. I don’t even know when they will be saved. But I do know that because of me, three people will be able to live longer. How do I know this? Because today, for the first time, I donated blood.
Today we look at a piece commissioned by Paul Sacher to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Basel Chamber Orchestra. Bela Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, premiered on this day in 1937.
Today we look at a composer whose life was cut short, leaving only 39 opuses, but leaving 39 works of great quality. Ernest Chausson, born on this day in 1855.
Today we look at one of Mozart’s Late symphonies. Written in 1786, it was written to thank the people of Prague who devoutly followed his work. Mozart’s Prague symphony, Symphony No. 38, premiered on this day in 1787.
Today we look at an army officer and a teacher of fortifications, a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. No, I haven’t gone crazy, as he has particular significance in the history of music, being both a composer and music critic, and one of the members of The Five, or the mighty handful. He is César Cui, Born on this day in 1835.
Today we look at a lesser known Belgian composer, who composed operas, string quartets, symphonies and choral works. While a lot of his works are not very well known, one work is known very well by all who have learnt violin through the Suzuki method. François-Joseph Gossec, born on this day in 1734.
Today we look at a French composer of ballets, operas and other works for stage, who is most well known for the British Airlines advertisement. Léo Delibes, died on this day in 1891.
Today we look at an Italian composer, organist, choirmaster and teacher that was highly regarded by younger composers such as Johann Christian Bach. His works have been described similar to that of Haydn’s, but he denied such influence. Associated with the formation of the concert symphony and the use of thematic development, his works have been described as galant. Giovanni Battista Sammartini, died on this day in 1775.
Today we return to the world of Opera, and look at one of the staples of the genre. This dramatic 3-act opera appears as number 8 in Opera America’s 20 most-performed Operas. Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, premiered on this day in 1900.
A little while ago, I wrote a few posts based on posts at Leo Babauta’s website, Zen Habits. His posts on simplicity and getting things done are often more directed to office workers (so it seems) and with good purpose – there’s quite a lot of them out there. Every now and then, I find a post that speaks to me, that says “Hey, musicians could really take something from this.” And when I find such a post, I tend to write about it, as I am doing now. Leo’s post “The Lazy Manifesto: Do Less. Then, Do Even Less.” has got me interested. Perhaps because I’m lazy.
Ben Clapton 