jmc's classics
On "Exploring the Music with Bill McLaughlin" this week they featured the Bach Family. J. S. Bach is one of the most famous and greatest composers. But few people know that four of his sons were also famous composers in their own right.
Bach was married twice. His first wife was Maria Barbra Bach (1684-1720) who was his second cousin. He remarried Anna Magdalina Wilcken (1701-1770) With his first wife he produced Carl Philipp Emanusel Bach (1714-1788) and Willhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784). With his second wife he had Johan Christian Bach (1735-1782) and Johan Christoph Friedrich Bach ( 1732-1795). His sons are not as famous as their father. J. S. Bach's great father Veit (Vitus) Bach fled Hungry do to the fact that he was a protestant and Hungary was mostly Catholic. In the wake of the Protestant Reformation, there were a lot of tensions between Catholics and Protestants. There had been several generations of musicians in the Bach Family. Of J. S. Bach's sons the two most famous were C.P. E. Bach and Johan Christian Bach. After j. S. Died in 1750 his music became forgotten. It was in 1829 that Felix Mendelssohn discovered some of his manuscripts and began to revise J. S. Bach's music. There does not seem to be any famous composers that came after the Generations that came after J. S. Bach's sons. I had a teacher in elementary school that claimed that her husband was a decindent of J.S. Bach. Johan Christoph spent time in London and is sometimes called the "London Bach". The Bach family lived in Thuringia which is part of Germany until the sons of J. S. Bach reached maturity. J.S. Bach never left Germany. Mort, Beethoven and Richard Strauss were also from musical families. Richard is not related to Johan. Volumes of works could be written about the Bach Family.
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Pay $4,000 for a camera of CD set? Leica produced a rare Platinum M6 in honor of Bruckner. Only 200 were made it has an engraving of him on top. Platinum is more expensive than gold and has a silver like finish.
Leica is a high end camera company based in Germany. They were one of the pioneers of 35mm photography their cameras are more expensive than other cameras. They are made by hand. Occasionally they make special editions to commemorate people or events. This is a must for any serious Bruckner fan or enthusiast. I don't know much about the CDs. I like his works but is that worth paying for? My favorite works of his are his Third symphony and his Intermezzo for String quintet. His symphonies are long and may be considered stuffy for some people. His music has a certain charm to it. Belgian composer Cesar Frank (1822-1890) and Frenchmen Alberic Magnard (1865-1914) are often compared to Bruckner. I am a camera buff. Leica is the Rolls Royce of 35mm cameras. There cameras are used by professionals. They also have plants in Portugal and Canada which are not known for cameras. Maybe they should make one for Sibelius, Tchaikovsky or Richard Strauss! I also like Sibelius' Third Symphony. I would be afraid to carry around something that expensive and rare. This sounds more like a piece of jewelry than a camera. It is more of a museum piece than a camera. For more on Leica check out their web page: leicacamerausa.com. Leica has a cult following I love Bruckner's music but not enough to buy something like this. Maybe an autograph copy of one of his manuscripts would be better. One of my favorite hymns form the Protestant tradition is "A Might Fortress is our God" . it is based on Psalm 4. The melody is attributed to Martin Luther during the Reformation. It is atributed to Luther. He is credited for composing the melody which was based on German music at that time. It is also called the "Battle hymn of the Reformation"
The Reformation was a series of events in the ``6th Century which led to a split in the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations came about. It would take too long for me to talk about it. There are three branches of Christianity: The Eastern Orthodox churches, The Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches. In 1830 Felix Mendelssohn used part of the melody from this hymn in his Fifth Symphony (Opus #107) this symphony is called "Reformation" It was written to mark the 300th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. I find this hymn to be very uplifting. It is based on Psalm 46. I have been listening to several versions of it on YouTube. As I have said before, I wish that they had all this technology 30 years ago when I was in college. Things would have been easier. I would encourage anybody to listen to this hymn no matter what religious tradition they come form. Yesterday was the birthday of German-Jewish conductor Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) He was also a composer who had a limited number of works. Similar to Bernstein and Furtwangler. His works include six symphonies. In 1933 when the Nazis came to power he moved to the United States eventually becoming director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was acclaimed for his conducting of Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler. He also conducted a renowned version of J.S. Bach's St. Matthew's Passion.
Many Jews including Barbara Streisand and Isaac Stern have played and performed Christian music including Christmas carols. His son is actor Werner Klemperer (1920-2000). He was best known for his role as Colonial Klink in the sit com Hogan's Heroes which lasted form 1965-1971. It lasted longer than WWll. Some people cringed at a sitcom about a POW camp in Nazi Germany. Some of the episodes are funny. There was another sitcom from that period that I remember F Troop about the Civil War. I remember them from the re-runs when I was a child. In 1951 an accident at the airport in Montreal forced him to conduct from a chair. He hired his own musicians to prove that he could conduct. he was principal conductor or the London based Philharmonia Orchestra which became the new Philharmonia Orchestra.. Otto Klemperer suffered with bouts of depression throughout his adult life. This is also common among a lot of musical geniuses. I have not heard any of his compositions. he is overshadowed by his son and that TV show which I have not seen in years No new news in classical music of anniversaries. Little Richard died yesterday. He was not a classical musician. He was a pioneer in Rock n Roll. I like some of his music. He influenced Elvis, the Beatles and Stones. May his memory be eternal!
Today is the anniversary of the opening of Carnegie Hall in 1891. it is named for Andrew Carnegie a Scottish industrialist who gave money for the building. He is also the benefactor of the Carnegie Libraries. Many of which are still in use today. I have visited new York but not Carnegie Hall.
The Storied building has been home to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. They are now based at Lincoln Center. It has been a venue for jazz and other venues. It was almost demolished in 1957 but a group headed by violinist Isaac Stern stopped it . If this had happened it would have been a shame. stern is the father of Michael Stern conductor of the Kansas City Symphony. There are three auditoriums in Carnegie Hall. One is named for the elder Stern. This is the main hall. The other two are Zankel hall named for Arthur and Judy Zankel and Weill Recital hall named for Sanford Weill. There is a common joke about this institution by Jascha Heifetz "How do you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice". The storied institution has been the spot for many world premiers. some of them include Anton Dvorak's Ninth Symphony "From the New world" 1`893,Richard Strauss' Sinfonia Domestica in 1904 among others. Recently it has been the premier of "I'm bound for Glory by Sally K. Albrecht in 2018. Also works by Barber, Bartok, Bloch and Gershwin. On the opening night in 1891 with Walter Damrosch conducting Beethoven's Leonore Overture #3 and Tchaikovsky conducting his Marche Solennelle (coronation march). Yes Tchaikovsky was also a conductor. I hate the New York sports teams. I am glad that the Cubs won the World Series. New York is an expensive city. I hope that Carnegie Hall stands well in to the future. It is a shame ot let progress get in the way and destroy significant buildings. |
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