From Mozart’s Death to The Nutcracker: Daily Classical Music Anniversaries for December

by Emily E. Hogstad  

December is packed with some of the most famous (and infamous) anniversaries in classical music history.

It’s the month when Beethoven’s Fifth and Sixth Symphonies were heard for the first time in a freezing Viennese hall – the month when Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker dazzled St. Petersburg audiences – and the month when Bach’s Christmas Oratorio first stunned Leipzig churchgoers on Christmas Day.

The Nutcracker with Charlotte Nebres as Clara, 2019 (photo by Erin Baiano / New York City Ballet)

It’s also the month that saw the birth of Maria Callas, Jean Sibelius, and Olivier Messiaen…as well as the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose death on 5 December 1791 marked one of the greatest losses in the history of music.

Today, we’re looking at some of the most important December anniversaries in classical music history.

1 December 1944

Premiere of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra

Béla Bartók

This Concerto for Orchestra by exiled composer Béla Bartók first burst to life in Boston on this day in 1944.

World war was raging, and Bartók was terminally ill. Yet despite that, Bartók succeeded in creating one of the greatest musical masterpieces of the twentieth century.

We wrote an article about Bartók’s heartbreaking final illness and the conditions under which he wrote the Concerto.

2 December 1923

Birth of Maria Callas

Maria Callas sings an excerpt from Norma   

Born in New York to Greek parents, Maria Callas grew up to become the operatic diva of the twentieth century, making countless classic recordings and inspiring multiple biopics.

We wrote an article about the obstacles Maria Callas overcame in her life, including her turbulent love life, a fraught relationship with her mother, and a painful battle with her weight.

3 December 1721

Marriage of Johann Sebastian Bach and Anna Magdalena Wilcke Bach

Excerpts from Bach’s Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach  

When he was 36, Johann Sebastian Bach wed the gifted young court soprano Anna Magdalena Wilcke, who was 20.

So began a personal and professional partnership that would shape classical music history for centuries to come.

Anna Magdalena Bach

We wrote here about what happened to the thirteen (!) children born during their marriage, as well as the surviving children from Bach’s first marriage.

4 December 1881

Premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto   

Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto was a bit of a flop when it made its Vienna debut on this day in 1881, but nowadays it’s one of the most beloved concertos ever written, for any instrument.

We wrote here about the secret gay love affair that helped to inspire the concerto after Tchaikovsky’s disastrous marriage.

5 December 1791

Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart’s short, incandescent life ended in Vienna when he was just 35 years old. His unfinished Requiem would be his final work.

Henry Nelson O’Neil: The Last Hours of Mozart, 1860s

We went into the details of how Mozart’s health deteriorated and what it was like at his deathbed.

6 December 1933

Birth of Henryk Górecki

Born in a poor Silesian village in 1933, Górecki would grow up to become a major composer.

His Symphony of Sorrowful Songs became a blockbuster hit in the 1970s. We wrote about the extraordinary story behind the symphony, and how it accidentally became a classic.

7 December 1842

First concert of the Philharmonic Society of New York

In early December 1842, the Philharmonic Society of New York launched what would become America’s oldest symphony orchestra, today known as the New York Philharmonic.

8 December 1865

Birth of Jean Sibelius

Jean Sibelius grew up to create the sound world of an entire nation: his beloved Finland.

His musical portrayals of snowy horizons and fierce defiance, colored by moments of triumph and tragedy, are unforgettable.

Jean Sibelius, 1923

Find out how Sibelius grew into Finland’s greatest composer.

9 December 1745

Birth of Maddalena Laura Lombardini Sirmen   

A Venetian violin virtuosa trained by the famous Baroque violinist Giuseppe Tartini, Lombardini Sirmen composed and toured Europe to acclaim, proving that an eighteenth-century woman could hold her own against the composers and soloists of her day.

Her first violin concerto was praised by none other than Mozart’s father.

We wrote an article with thirteen intriguing facts about Lombardini Sirmen’s life and music.

10 December 1908

Birth of Olivier Messiaen

Olivier Messiaen

French composer Olivier Messiaen wrote timeless music that incorporates birdcalls, a veritable rainbow of instrumental colours, and his staunch Catholic faith into radiant soundscapes.

We wrote a beginner’s guide to Messiaen.

11 December 1803

Birth of Hector Berlioz, La Côte-Saint-André

Franck: Hector Berlioz, 1860s (Gallica, ark:/12148/btv1b84542182)

Hector Berlioz was born in provincial La Côte-Saint-André, France.

His groundbreaking orchestration and dramatic storytelling helped shape the Romantic Era, and his terrifying obsession with actress Harriet Smithson gave birth to his famous Symphonie fantastique.

We looked at why Berlioz was considered to be such a rebellious enfant terrible.

12 December 1891

Premiere of Johannes Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet

Johannes Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115 is one of his final and most introspective works: a bittersweet masterclass in melancholy.

We looked at a performance of Brahms’ Clarinet quintet by the Jerusalem Quartet and clarinettist Sharon Kam.

13 December 1812

Death of Marianna Martines    

Viennese composer Marianna Martines died on this day at age 63.

A student of Haydn and admired by Mozart, she was one of the few women composers to gain recognition in eighteenth-century Vienna.

We looked at Marianna Martines’s extraordinary life story and how she was able to compete with the great male composers in her orbit.

14 December 1789

Birth of Maria Szymanowska

Maria Szymanowska

Maria Szymanowska was a pioneering concert pianist and composer whose distinctly Polish style anticipated the idiom of poetic pianism later perfected by Chopin.

We explained here why Maria Szymanowska was so ahead of her time, and why Goethe called her “a great talent bordering on madness.”

15 December 1924

Birth of Ida Haendel

Haendel plays the Sibelius violin concerto   

Violinist Ida Haendel was born in Chelm, Poland, on this day in 1924.

A child prodigy who debuted with a number of major orchestras before she turned ten, she sustained one of the longest classical music careers of the century.

She credited her survival of World War II to her musical talents.

We celebrated Ida Haendel and her trademark big hair and high heels.

16 December 1882

Birth of Zoltán Kodály

Zoltán Kodály conducting

Composer and educator Zoltán Kodály was born in Kecskemét, Hungary, on this day in 1882.

Renowned for his choral works and passion for music education, he helped shape Hungary’s modern musical identity, and his pedagogical ideas are still widely embraced today.

Learn more about Kodály’s childhood.

17 December 1770

Baptism of Ludwig van Beethoven   

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7

Ludwig van Beethoven was baptised in Bonn. We observe the date of his baptism because we don’t know for sure which day he was born, although many people believe it would have been December sixteenth.

Of course, we all know that he became the most influential composer of his generation!

We looked at the story of Beethoven’s tragic childhood, and how he survived disturbing parental abuse.

18 December 1892

Premiere of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet   

The Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker and opera Iolanta premiered as a double bill at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1892, the year before his death.

Both works quickly became staples of the repertoire.

We wrote about The Nutcracker’s premiere and why it is helping to ensure future classical music audiences.

19 December 1888

Birth of Fritz Reiner   

Conductor Fritz Reiner was born in Budapest in 1888.

His controlling precision on the podium helped to define the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s sound during his tenure there as music director…and made him a few enemies along the way.

We wrote an article discussing Reiner’s rocky relationship with his principal cellist János Starker.

20 December 1948

Birth of Mitsuko Uchida

Mitsuko Uchida plays Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20   

Japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida was born in Tokyo on this day in 1948.

Celebrated for her insightful interpretations of Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven, she is one of today’s leading interpreters of the classical canon.

We wrote an article about Uchida’s childhood and how she became so passionate about the piano.

21 December 1953

Birth of András Schiff   

Pianist and conductor András Schiff was born in Budapest on this day in 1953.

Known for his thoughtful musicianship and deep commitment to Bach and Beethoven, he remains one of the most respected pianists of his generation.

We wrote about why András Schiff is one of the greatest pianists of all time.

22 December 1808

Premieres of Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 5 and No. 6, Piano Concerto No. 4, and Choral Fantasy    

During Christmas break in 1808, at Vienna’s luxurious Theater an der Wien, Beethoven conducted a marathon concert featuring the premieres of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and the Choral Fantasy—all in a single evening.

It is likely the most famous concert in classical music history.

We looked at how Beethoven pulled off this multi-hour monster concert.

23 December 1893

Premiere of Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel   

Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hänsel und Gretel premiered in Weimar under the baton of composer Richard Strauss. The work became an enduring Christmas favourite.

We wrote about what makes Hänsel und Gretel this Christmas classic so charming.

24 December 1835

Birth of Cosima Liszt Wagner

Richard Wagner and Cosima von Bülow Wagner

Cosima Liszt, daughter of Franz Liszt and later wife of Richard Wagner, was born on Lake Como on Christmas Eve in 1835.

She would become the formidable custodian of Wagner’s legacy at Bayreuth, and although she wasn’t a composer herself, one of the most influential women in nineteenth and even twentieth-century music.

Find out the unforgettable way that Wagner celebrated Cosima’s birthday in style in 1870.

25 December 1734

Premiere of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Part I

Elias Gottlob Haussmann: J.S. Bach, 1746 (Leipzig: Bach-Archiv)

J

The first part of Bach’s six-part Christmas Oratorio was premiered in Leipzig in 1734.

This first part celebrates the birth of Jesus.

26 December 1926

Premiere of Sibelius’s Tapiola

One of Jean Sibelius’s final orchestral masterpieces, Tapiola, premiered in New York in 1926.

The work’s haunting soundscape reflected the composer’s imminent – and infamous – soft retirement, which would last for decades, until the end of his life.

We wrote an article called Ten Pieces to Make You Love Sibelius.

27 December 1944

Death of Amy Beach

Amy Beach

Trailblazing American composer Amy Beach was best known for her Gaelic Symphony (the first woman-written symphony ever played by a major American orchestra) and numerous gorgeous piano works.

We wrote about Amy Beach’s fascinating life – and her staggering early genius.

28 December 1916

Death of Eduard Strauss

Eduard Strauss

Eduard Strauss, the younger and last-surviving brother of Johann Strauss II, died at age 81.

His passing marked the end of the original Strauss family line of waltz composers.

We told the story of the wildly dysfunctional Strauss family dynasty.

29 December 1876

Birth of Pablo (Pau) Casals   

Cellist Pablo Casals was born in El Vendrell, Catalonia.

His firm stance against twentieth-century fascism and his revival of Bach’s Cello Suites made him a moral as well as musical icon.

We wrote about why it was a miracle that Casals survived his childhood.

30 December 1904

Birth of Dmitry Kabalevsky

Dmitry Kabalevsky

Soviet composer Dmitry Kabalevsky was born in St. Petersburg on this day in 1904.

He became known for his accessible style and dedication to music education during the Soviet era.

31 December 1962

Birth of Jennifer Higdon

A Pulitzer and Grammy winner, Jennifer Higdon is one of the most frequently performed American composers of the twenty-first century.

Back in 2019 we talked with her about her string quartet Voices appearing at the Intimacy of Creativity festival.

Conclusion

From Bach’s Christmas Oratorio to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, December is filled with classical music anniversaries that changed the course of music history.

The month brings together composer birthdays, landmark premieres, and tragic deaths.

Each and every anniversary is an opportunity to remember how rich the legacy of the art is…and how much it has to give to future generations.

What do you find to be the most meaningful December anniversary in classical music history?

Piano Practice: Etudes for Intermediate Beginners

by Hermione Lai  

Félix Le Couppey

I started piano lessons at the age of six, and it was a lot of fun. There were so many exciting things to explore, and thankfully I had a very nice and knowledgably teacher. At that age, I didn’t get bored with finger exercises and I just loved the first little piano pieces with cute and charming melodies. Many of these first etudes are custom-written for younger children—they certainly sound that way—which really doesn’t help beginning adult students. Nowadays there are countless piano methods on the market that promise to make the learning process easy and fun. At some point, however, you will still have to stumble across various etudes to strengthen your technique without numbing your brains. Finding etudes for your second or third years of piano studies that are both technically beneficial and musically entertaining isn’t an easy task. It was nevertheless a lot of fun finding interesting etudes composed for the intermediate-beginner pianist. Let’s get started with a graduated set of etudes by the French music teacher, pianist and composer Félix Le Couppey (1811-1887). 

Félix Le Couppey: L’Alphabet, Op. 17

Félix Le Couppey was a student at the Paris Conservatoire, and by the tender age of 17 he was already employed at that institution as an assistant professor of harmony. He went on to receive the first prize in piano and harmony in 1825, and in piano accompaniment in 1828. Couppey became a full-time professor in 1837, and he taught piano at the Conservatoire from 1854 to 1886. He wrote a substantial number of textbooks on the piano, and an equally large number of studies and etudes. His most famous set is a series of elementary etudes called L’Alphabet. We find 25 etudes in total, and they do get progressively more difficult. These little charming didactic pieces offer an interesting approach to polyphony and harmony, and they are simply delightful.

Carl Czerny: Preliminary Studies to the
School of Velocity for piano, Op. 849

Any list of rudimentary etudes has to include the name Carl Czerny (1791-1857). So let’s get him out of the way. Czerny was greatly concerned about acquiring and maintaining piano technique, and he invested much time and energy in providing students with a graduated progress. He composed studies and etudes for all skill levels, and his Thirty New Studies in Technics, (Preliminary School of Velocity) Op. 849 bridges the gap between the Practical Method for Beginners, Op. 599 and The School of Velocity, Op. 299. Despite getting all the bad press, Czerny was a skilled pedagogue who tried to write pleasing compositions that combine musical potential and technical benefit. 

Cornelius Gurlitt

The German composer Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) counted Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms among his close personal friends. Like Brahms, he hailed from Hamburg, and he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory with the famed Carl Reinecke for six years. He first appeared publically at the age of seventeen, and subsequently decided to go to Copenhagen to continue his studies. While taking organ, piano, and composition lessons, Gurlitt became friends with Niels Gade.

Cornelius Gurlitt: Morning Greeting, Op. 130 No. 1

Originally, Gurlitt took on a position as organist, and later moved to Leipzig where Gade was musical director of the Gewandhaus concerts. Always on the move, Gurlitt traveled to Rome and graduated as a Professor of Music in 1855. Returning to the Hamburg region, the Duke of Augustenberg engaged him as a teacher for three of his daughters. Gurlitt also worked as a military bandmaster, and then as an army conductor. He produced a vast number of compositions, including operas, songs, cantatas, and symphonies. But he is best known for his small and delightful piano works for students and amateurs. His 35 Easy Etudes, Op. 130 are charming musical miniature and portraits, prefaced by imaginative titles, that become gradually more challenging. Play

Béla Bartók

Béla Bartók composed a good many of my favorite pieces during my initial years of piano studies. Bartók traveled throughout remote regions of Eastern Europe and North Africa to record folk music. The songs and sounds he gathered became a fundamental element of his musical voice, and he was highly enthusiastic of passing on these cultural treasures to subsequent generations. His Mikrokosmos, a collection of 153 piano pieces in six books of graded difficulty is a work of great pedagogical value. But it is not a conventional piano method. According to Bartók, “technical and theoretical instructions have been omitted, in the belief that these are more appropriately left for the teacher to explain to the student.

Bartók: Mikrokosmos III

The first four volumes of Mikrokosmos were written to provide study material for the beginner pianist and are intended to cover, as far as possible, most of the simple technical problems likely to be encountered in the early stages. The material in volumes 1–3 has been designed to be sufficient in itself for the first, or the first and second, year of study.” The large-scale Mikrokosmos occupied him for several years. Bartók described the genesis of his new piano work in 1940: “Already in 1926, I was thinking of writing very easy piano music for the teaching of beginners. However, it was only in the summer of 1932 that I really began working on it, and at that time I composed about 40 pieces; in 1933-34, another 40 pieces, and an additional 20 in the following years. Finally, in 1938 I had 100-odd pieces together. But there were still some gaps. I filled in these last year, and among others, completed the first half of volume one.” These fantastic pieces are arranged in order of difficulty, so it is very easy to tailor assignments to the abilities of the student. 

Hans von Bülow

Today, Hans von Bülow (1830-1894) is remembered as a highly influential conductor, and as the husband of Cosima née Liszt, who left him for Richard Wagner. What is frequently overlooked is his lasting influence as a pianist. During his American tour in 1876, a critic wrote, “Those who heard Hans von Bülow in recital, listened to piano playing that was at once learned and convincing. He was a deep thinker, analyzer; as he played one saw, as though reflected in a mirror, each note, phrase and dynamic mark of expression to be found in the work.” Bülow was one of the first performers to play the complete 32 piano sonatas by Beethoven, and contemporaries described him as the “greatest living authority on Beethoven.”

Hans von Bülow by Hans Schliessmann

In addition, Bülow premiered Liszt’s B-minor Sonata, and he also was one of the most successful pedagogues of the 19th century. He was employed in Frankfurt and Berlin and famous for his exacting master classes. Richard Strauss attended the Frankfurt classes and wrote, “I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Bülow is not only our greatest piano teacher but also the greatest executant musician in the world.” Bülow’s legacy for today’s piano student is not expressed in original compositions, but in his precise editions. Aimed at players who might need technical and musical guidance, “Bülow’s editions offer very specific practical and artistic suggestions based on his own understanding of the works as teacher and performer.”

Jean-Baptise Duvernoy

Many of his editorial suggestions, such as pedal marks, dynamics, articulations, and musical commentaries are often explained at length in the prefaces and footnotes. Bülow favors long phrases, lyrical expression, and dramatic effects, which are achieved through fingering suggestions or by the addition or deletion of original slur marks and dynamics.” His prose footnotes explain how to execute certain passages in order to effectively bring out the appropriate expressions such as singing quality, humor, or drama—suggestions whose poetic and aphoristic style was also an important characteristic of his teaching.” And for the beginning student he edited a delightful collection of 25 Studies by the French pianist and composer Jean-Baptiste Duvernoy (1802-1880). 

Christian Louis Köhler

The German pianist, composer, critic and teacher Christian Louis Köhler (1820-1886) was born in Brunswick and sent to Vienna to study music. He studied piano with the famed C.M. von Bocklet, and theory with the esteemed teachers Sechter and Seyfried. Köhler eventually settled in Königsberg, now Kaliningrad, and worked as a conductor in the local theatre. From 1847, Köhler devoted himself exclusively to piano pedagogy and to writing about music. He was music critic for the “Hartungsche Zeitung” and his correspondence articles from Königsberg for Brendel’s “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” brought him to the attention of Liszt and Wagner in 1852. His first book, “The Melody of Language” established him as one of the leading German writers. In addition, Köhler remained influential throughout his career in the area of piano pedagogy. “He published collections of graded instructional pieces and books of exercises, published new editions of the works of Classical and Romantic composers, wrote widely disseminated books about piano pedagogy, and taught a great number of pupils. In all, he published over 300 original compositions, pedagogical works and editions, including 12 Easy Etudes, Op. 157. 

Ludvig Schytte

The Danish composer, pianist and teacher Ludvig Schytte (1848-1909) originally trained as a pharmacist. He received his first musical training at the age of 22, and made such rapid progress that he was still able to embarked on a successful musical career abroad. He took lessons from Niels Gade in Leipzig, Wilhelm Taubert in Berlin, and from Franz Liszt in Weimar in 1884.

Ludvig Schytte: Easy Characteristic Etudes, Op.95

Schytte was appointed at various conservatories in Vienna, and by 1907 he had settled in Berlin as a teacher at the Stern Conservatory. He composed an imposing piano concerto, and his expansive piano sonata “bears witness to a more serious approach to the problems of musical form.” However, Schytte was also considered a master of miniature forms, and he is primarily remembered for about 200 attractive piano pieces, some of which became extremely popular. He composed numerous pedagogical piano methods, of which his collections of Etudes, especially, opp. 75, 95, 106, 161 and 174, are still in widespread use.

Henri Jérôme Bertini

Henri Jérôme Bertini (1798-1876) was born in London, but quickly returned to Paris with his parents. He received his early musical education from his father and his brother, a student of Muzio Clementi. There was no doubt that Bertini was a child prodigy, and his father took him on a concert tour of England, Holland, Flanders, and Germany. After studies in composition in England and Scotland he was appointed professor of music in Brussels but returned to Paris in 1821. Robert Schumann reviewed one of Bertini’s trios, and wrote, “Bertini writes easily flowing harmony but the movements are too long. With the best will in the world, we find it difficult to be angry with Bertini, yet he drives us to distraction with his perfumed Parisian phrases; all his music is as smooth as silk and satin.” We also know that Bertini gave a concert with Franz Liszt on 20 April 1828, playing Bertini’s transcription of Beethoven’s 7th symphony for piano eight hands. Bertini’s playing was described as “having Clementi’s evenness and clarity in rapid passages as well as the quality of sound, the manner of phrasing, and the ability to make the instrument sing characteristic of the school of Hummel and Moschelès.” And let’s not forget that Bertini was a celebrated teacher who concentrated on strict pedagogy. In all, he published 20 books of roughly 500 studies for all levels and abilities.

Giuseppe Concone

Giuseppe Concone (1801-1861) was one of the most influential singing instructors of his time. Originally born in Turin, he initially tried his hands at theatrical composition and produced an opera that failed to meet expectations. Discouraged he relocated to Paris to become a famous vocal and piano teacher. He published a good many books of vocal exercises that are still in use in vocal studios today. Specifically, he achieved worldwide recognition for a book of 50 solfeggi for a medium voice, 15 vocalizzi for soprano, 25 for mezzo-soprano, and a book of 25 solfeggi and 15 vocalizzi, 40 in all, for bass or baritone. “The contents of these books are melodious and pleasing, and calculated to promote flexibility of voice. The accompaniments are good, and there is an absence of the monotony so often found in works of the kind.” Concone returned to Turin after the French revolution of 1848, and he was appointed organist of the Royal Chapel. Besides publishing vocal primers, Concone also issued a collection of 15 Studies in Style and Expression for the piano. Sporting imaginative titles like “Anxiety,” “Melancholy,” “Robin Redbreast,” and “The Waves,” these etudes are especially appropriate for the early advanced pianist in developing appropriate expression and interpretation.