Bach and George Martin, the Fifth Beatle

By Georg Predota , Interlude

© medium.com

The English rock band The Beatles, formed in Liverpool in 1960, is widely considered the most influential band of all time. Led by songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the band was part of 1960s counterculture and inspired an international fan frenzy called “Beatlemania.” They stormed the United States pop market in what was dubbed the “British Invasion” and enjoyed huge commercial success. The Beatles essentially wrote simple songs emerging from folklore roots. Although primarily rooted in contemporary rock ’n roll, they absorbed different influences and styles, “having been inspired by everything, from Negro blues to Magyar dances.” And as a scholar writes, “they borrowed here and there with unabashed enthusiasm and made it all their own.” And while they considered “Beethoven a con, just like we are now,” Paul McCartney once said “Bach was always one of our favorite composers.” 

George Martin, 1965

Paul and John sang in the church choirs of St. Peter and St. Barnabas in Liverpool, but none of the Beatles could read music. They certainly had no training in classical music and/or on an instrument. That particular aspect was introduced and fostered by their mentor and producer George Martin (1926-2016), a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music. Martin had studied composition, conducting and orchestration, music theory, harmony and counterpoint, and he usually arranged the songs of the band.

Beatles and George Martin

Martin strongly denied that he was the real creative genius behind the Beatles. On the contrary, he insisted, “I worked only to their original designs and to their specific requests, even to details of arrangements which they sang to me and which I often transcribed on the spot in the studio.” George Martin was recurrently called the “Fifth Beatle,” and classical influences in the band’s music should essentially be credited to him. 

Beatles and George Martin in studio, 1966

Prior to working with The Beatles, Martin had worked at Parlophone, a branch of EMI, as a producer of classical and baroque records. Tellingly, he always called “classical music his first love.” Martin himself dabbled in composition, and he orchestrated a number of Bach works in the manner of Leopold Stokowski. In addition, he worked traces of Bach into several Beatles songs, and that included the megahit “Yesterday.” Paul McCartney wrote the melody and chord progression, but it was Martin’s idea to accompany the song with a string quartet. Sir Paul remembers, “that on that session George explained to me how Bach would have voiced it in a choral voicing or a quartet voicing. And he’d say, ‘This would be the way Bach would do it’.”

George Martin and Paul McCartney, 1969

Paul also remembered “the original inspiration for “Blackbird” was from a well-known piece by Bach, which I never know the title of, which George and I had learned to play at early age…we felt that we had a lot in common with Bach. For some reason we thought his music was very similar to ours.” That particular famous Bach tune, transformed and transposted in “Blackbird,” turns out to be the “Bourrée” from the Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996. 

George Martin

After Paul McCartney listened to Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 on a television program, he had the idea of incorporating the high trumpet sound into one of his songs. “Penny Lane” is a nostalgic celebration of his childhood in Liverpool, and the second part of the song features a tune played by the piccolo trumpet. The song “All you Need is Love” sports a coda by George Martin. The band gave Martin permission to write whatever he wanted, telling him “Put together any tunes you fancy, and just play it out like that.” As such, Martin mingled together the melodies of “Greensleeves,” “In the Mood,” and Bach’s 2-part Invention No. 8 in F Major. A scholar writes, “despite the role of a favorite composer that Bach allegedly played for The Beatles, there are only a few concrete traces in their work, and most of them lead directly or indirectly back to the “Fifth Beatle” George Martin.

Giacomo Puccini - his music and his life

 

Puccini is one of the most beloved of all opera composers La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot still play to packed opera houses the world over. Generally snubbed by the critics, Puccini was a serial adulterer whose greatest passions (apart from women) were massacring the local duck population and hurtling around in high-speed cars and boats. Yet behind the macho image, he was a creative artist of profound sensitivity and dramatic flair. This essential music companion provides a compelling overview of the constant tension between Puccini's indulgent personal life, his status as an international celebrity and his excruciatingly high standards as a composer.

Italian composer Giacomo Puccini started the operatic trend toward realism with popular works such as 'La Bohème' and 'Madama Butterfly.'

Who Was Giacomo Puccini?

Italian composer Giacomo Puccini started the operatic trend toward realism with his popular works, which are among the most often performed in opera history. But the fame and fortune that came with such successes as La Bohème, Madama Butterfly and Tosca were complicated by an often-troubled personal life. Puccini died of post-operative shock on November 29, 1924.

Early Life

Giacomo Puccini was born on December 22, 1858, in Lucca, Italy, where since the 1730s his family had been tightly interwoven with the musical life of the city, providing five generations of organists and composers to the Cathedral of San Martino, Lucca’s religious heart. It was therefore taken for granted that Puccini would carry on this legacy, succeeding his father, Michele, in the role first held by his great-great grandfather. However, in 1864 Michele passed away when Puccini was just 5 years old, and so the position was held for him by the church in anticipation of his eventual coming of age.

But the young Puccini was disinterested in music and was a generally poor student, and for a time it seemed that the Puccini musical dynasty would end with Michele. Puccini’s mother, Albina, believed otherwise and found him a tutor at the local music school. His education was also subsidized by the city, and over time, Puccini started to show progress. By the age of 14 he had become the church organist and was beginning to write his first musical compositions as well. But Puccini discovered his true calling in 1876, when he and one of his brothers walked nearly 20 miles to the nearby city of Pisa to attend a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida. The experience planted in Puccini the seeds of what would become a long and lucrative career in opera.

From Milan to 'Manon'

Motivated by his newfound passion, Puccini threw himself into his studies and in 1880 gained admission to the Milan Conservatory, where he received instruction from noted composers. He graduated from the school in 1883, submitting the instrumental composition Capriccio sinfonico as his exit piece. His first attempt at opera came later that year, when he composed the one-act La villi for a local competition. Although it was snubbed by the judges, the work won itself a small group of admirers, who ultimately funded its production.

Premiering at the Teatro dal Verme in Milan in May 1884, La villi was well received by the audience. But more importantly, it caught the attention of the music publisher Giulio Ricordi, who acquired the rights to the piece and commissioned Puccini to compose a new opera for La Scala, one of the most important opera houses in the country. Performed there in 1889, Edgar was an utter failure. But Ricordi’s faith in Puccini’s talents remained unshakable, and he continued to support the composer financially as he set to work on his next composition.

Blaming the failure of Edgar on its weak libretto (the lyrical portion of an opera), Puccini set out to find a strong story on which to base his new work. He decided on an 18th-century French novel about a tragic love affair and collaborated with the librettists Guiseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica on its adaption. Manon Lescaut premiered in Turin on February 2, 1893, to great acclaim. Before the year was out, it was performed at opera houses in Germany, Russia, Brazil and Argentina as well, and the resulting royalties paid the 35-year-old Puccini quite handsomely. Despite this overwhelming success, however, his best was still to come.

The Big Three: 'La Bohème' and 'Madama Butterfly'

With their accessible melodies, exotic subject matter and realistic action, Puccini’s next three compositions are considered to be his most important; over time they would become the most widely performed in opera history. The result of another collaboration between Puccini, Giacosa and Illica, the four-act opera La Bohème was premiered in Turin on February 1, 1896, again to great public (if not critical) acclaim. In January 1900, Puccini’s next opera, Tosca, premiered in Rome and was also enthusiastically received by the audience, despite fears that its controversial subject matter (from the novel of the opera’s same name) would draw the public’s ire. Later that year, Puccini attended a production of the David Belasco play Madam Butterfly in New York City and decided that it would be the basis of his next opera. Several years later, on February 17, 1904, Madama Butterfly premiered at La Scala. Though initially criticized for being too long and too similar to Puccini’s other work, Butterfly was later split up into three shorter acts and became more popular in subsequent performances.

His fame widespread, Puccini spent the next few years traveling the world to attend productions of his operas to ensure that they met his high standards. He would continue to work on new compositions as well, but his often-complicated personal life would see to it that one would not be immediately forthcoming for some time.

10 legendary musicians who never learned to read music

Taylor Swift, Hans Zimmer, Aretha Franklin. Picture: Getty

By Sophia Alexandra Hall, ClassicFM London

@sophiassocials

 

You don’t need to be able to read music in order to be a great musician. From Hendrix to Zimmer, these famous faces will make you question just how much musical education is needed to achieve greatness.

You’d think to be a famous musician... you’d need to be able to read music?

Well, you’d be wrong to think so, as these following musicians have been proving for decades.

More and more musicians are learning to play via the Internet and by ear, which can be evidenced by the rise of apps and online lessons for children, which don’t necessarily involved learning to read sheet music.

Read on to find out which of your favourite musicians have created successful careers, without this once thought to be mandatory skill.

1. Jimi Hendrix (1942 - 1970)

   The singer-songwriter Jimi Hendrix reportedly taught himself to play by ear on the electric guitar, and would use words and colors to express how he wanted the music to sound.

   

   Jimi Hendrix Performs in New York. Picture: Getty

2. Stevie Wonder (1950-)

   Stevie Wonder has been blind since shortly after his birth. He played multiple instruments from an early age, including the piano, harmonica, and drums and was signed to Motown at the age of 11.

   

   Stevie Wonder performs onstage at Q85. Picture: Getty

3. Hans Zimmer (1957-)

   One of the most famous film composers in music history, Hans Zimmer cannot read conventional music notation. He started out playing piano for bands before becoming a jingle writer, which is where he credits the development of his compositional skills.

   

   Hans Zimmer performs onstage at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. Picture: Getty

4. Danny Elfman (1953-)

   Another film composer, Danny Elfman, who is known for scores including Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, spent a large part of his career being unable to write or read music.

   
   

   

   Danny Elfman speaks at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Picture: Getty

5. Taylor Swift (1989-)

   Taylor Swift shot to stardom with her first album at the age of 17. While a talented multi-instrumentalist, Swift revealed in a Rolling Stone interview that she does not read music. She says, “I would not have majored in music because when music becomes technical for me I don’t like that part of it.”

   
   

   

   Taylor Swift on stage at Westfield. Picture: Getty

6. Bob Dylan (1941-)

   American singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan is regarded by some as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Notably, Dylan was inducted into the Hall of Fame without knowing how to read music.

   

   Bob Dylan Records "Bringing It All Back Home". Picture: Getty

7. Aretha Franklin (1942 - 2018)

   The Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin could not read music. She music by ear, having perfected this talent by spending her childhood singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan.

   

   Aretha Franklin on Top of the Pops. Picture: Getty

8. The Beatles

   “None of us could read music… None of us can write it.” John Lennon admitted this about the band in a 1980 Playboy interview, “but as pure musicians, as inspired humans to make the noise, they [Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr] are as good as anybody.”

   

   The Beatles at a press conference. Picture: Getty

9. Eric Clapton (1945-)

   English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Eric Clapton ranked second in the Rolling Stone’s list of the ‘100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time’ despite not being able to read music.

   

   Eric Clapton At Prince's Trust Rock Gala. Picture: Getty

10. Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977)

    The King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley played guitar, bass and piano all by ear. He couldn’t read or write music and had no formal lessons, but could hear a song and reportedly play it after only one listen.

    

    Elvis Presley on television 1968. Picture: Getty

My passion of music (II)

Music occupies an important place in my life. Definitely also in yours. This morning, I was sitting on my porch and realized that it's kind of lonely around me. I really can’t live without music. I turned on my radio.

Well, people have different musical tastes depending on their age, education and even mood. Some people like classical music, others prefer rock, pop or jazz, but nobody is indifferent to it.

As for me, I used to sing in front of the mirror in my childhood. A pencil box served me as a microphone and I imitated a show on the stage. It was great fun! At the age of 9, I wanted to become a radio host. Not knowing then, that one day it will become true.

At present I can’t spend a day without music. In the morning I prefer fast rhythmic music. It’s like a cup of coffee or a cool shower that encourages you and freshens you up. So, since the early morning you are in a cheerful spirit and the forthcoming day seems to give many pleasant surprises. Isn’t it a great start to the day?

I am  in a bad mood, so I turn to music. Nothing can help me better to forget about my problems than a merry song. Listen to your favourite melody and your spleen will disappear, and you are in a good temper again. What's my favorite melody? Well, I don't have one. Or something between Beethoven and the Apo Hiking Society. 

After a hard working day I like to listen to some slow, beautiful melody. It helps me to relax and to forget about my tiredness.

My whole Filipino family cannot live without music. They listen to music, dance to music or learn to play musical instruments. There is music everywhere: at home, in the car,  in a concert hall, in the park, at the seaside, in the forest and even in the street.

Music is not only a combination of pleasant sounds. It is an art which reflects life. Music reflects people’s ideas and emotions. My ideas and emotions. In this world of ours, filled with conflicts, tragedies, joys and hopes, music strives to speak to people of what is most important.

Music in the lives of different people is different: some compose music, others play music, and others only listen to it. A lot of people who cannot play any musical instrument love to listen to music either at home or at a concert. Different people like different kinds of music. I tried to "compose" my first pieces on the grand piano, when I was 11. Something between Beethoven's "Für Elise" and Freddy Aguilar's "Mindanao". 

At the age of 7, I started collecting records. The then vinyl long plays. Later I got a lot of CDs. I downloaded music whenever I got the chance to.  I tried to watch all the programmes dealing with it on TV and went to the concerts as often as possible. 

Different people like different music. The scientists say that they can define your character if they know what music you like. For example, they suppose that people who listen to rock music are very clever and reasonable. British scientists confirm that most young people listen to aggressive music such as metal and rock. Scientists say that these people are good students, because of their character and assiduousness. I agree with this statement, because I think that music shows your soul and nature.

I always adored people who compose music and write poems. I think that such people are very talented. Also I believe that they can draw pictures and show their feelings by their music or poems. They can make you cry or laugh. Moreover they make you think about global problems or you may lie soft and just dream while you are listening to the music.

Nowadays we have relaxing music, which we use in medicine. More helpful than all kinds of music is classical music by such famous composers as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Vivaldy. I didn't expect that Filipinos would like (or even love!) this kind of classical music. Up to the day, I started hosting classical music radio shows.

The music I hate is heavy metal. I find it noisy and dreadful. When I listen to this style of music it presents to my mind pictures of dark days. Though some young people are fond of this style of music, it is not to everyone’s taste. To my mind, too loud music can do damage to our ears. I am indifferent to other styles of music. For example, I don’t mind listening to jazz. Improvisation is an important part of this style, that’s why a jazz song may sound a little different each time it is played. I think that jazz is a mixture of many different kinds of music, but I consider it a bit complicated.

My mother and father approve of my tastes in music. Though they prefer to listen to classical and “bard music”, they think that, on the whole, modern music is not too bad. My parents agree that each generation has its own tastes.

It goes without saying that music plays a very important role in people’s lives. It reflects our moods and emotions. Music appeals to our hearts and transforms our feelings. It conquers our souls and enriches our minds. Besides, listening to music is the perfect way to spend free time and not to feel bored. You can hardly find a person who doesn’t like or need music and who never sings or dances. Music is beauty in sounds; it is our magic source of inspiration.

Well, and then, one day during 2001,  I was  introduced to Philippine (Classical) Music. I was invited to several performances ... . 

(To be continued)

Ludwig van Beethoven: A Universe of Dedications

by Georg Predota , Interlude

Julie von Breuning

Beethoven’s friendship with Stephan von Breuning (1774-1827) lasted a lifetime. We will meet him in more detail in another episode. For now it suffices to say that Beethoven’s Violin Concerto was dedicated to him. Concurrently, Beethoven fashioned a piano transcription, which is dedicated to Julie von Breuning. Born Julie Vering, she was the daughter of Beethoven’s physician Gerhard von Vering, and an excellent pianist with whom Beethoven enjoyed playing duets. It has been suggested that this double dedication was a wedding present to the von Breunings, who had been married in April 1808. Incidentally, the arrangement for piano and orchestra was published at least half a year before the original version for violin and orchestra. Some commentators have questioned the idiomatic merits of arranging a violin concerto for the piano, but “it could be argued that the importance of the work lies not in the violin virtuosity of the solo part, but rather in the musical qualities that transcend the instrumental setting.” This little anecdote has a rather sad ending, however, as Julie von Breuning died at age 19 after less than a year of marriage. The official cause was given as “hemorrhage of the lungs brought on by the imprudent use of cold foot baths.”

Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna took place from 18 September 1814 to 9 June 1815 and intended to reestablish something of the European order that had existed before the conquests of Napoleon. Under the chairmanship of Prince Metternich, leaders of the major European states discussed not only political matters, but also engaged in social activities. For one, they attended a grand Beethoven concert on 29 November 1814. This concert had already been postponed three times, but eventually the newspaper reported on 30 November, “At noon yesterday, Hr. Ludwig v. Beethoven gave all music lovers an ecstatic pleasure. In the Redoutenssal he gave performances of this beautiful musical representation of Wellington’s Battle at Vittoria, preceded by the symphony, which had been composed as a companion piece. Between the two works an entirely new cantata, Der glorreiche Augenblick.” The Vienna City Administration had commissioned the work, and Beethoven set a text fashioned by Aloys Weissenbach, a former army doctor. The audience included the Empress, the Tsarina of Russia, the King of Prussia and other dignitaries. The concert was twice repeated in December 1814, and the dedication of the Cantata dutifully reads “To the Congress of Vienna.”

Count Franz von Oppersdorff

In 1806, Beethoven spent an uneasy summer at the country estate of his patron, Prince Lichnowsky. The Prince and Beethoven had gotten into a heated argument over a request to perform for a group of visiting French Soldiers. According to the composer Ferdinand Ries, it was Count Franz von Oppersdorff who stepped between the two quarreling men just in time to prevent Beethoven from smashing a chair over Lichnowsky’s head. Beethoven abruptly departed the Lichnowsky estate and spent the rest of his summer holiday at the Oppersdorff estate. The Count maintained a private orchestra and to honor his famous musical guest, he arranged for a performance of Beethoven’s Second Symphony. Beethoven was pleased, and Oppersdorff commissioned a new symphony from Beethoven. Since Beethoven had been working on his Fifth Symphony at the time, he initially might have intended it in fulfillment of the commission. In the end, Beethoven presented his Fourth Symphony, a work that was essentially complete before the commission, to Oppersdorff. Oppersdorff paid 500 guilders for the work, and five month later commissioned Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, paying another 500 guilders. That work, however, is jointly dedicated to Count Razumovsky and Prince Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz.

Beethoven’s letter to Franz Oliva

Franz Oliva (1786 – 1848) was a banking clerk at Offenheimer and Herz, and he served Beethoven as a part-time secretary from about 1809 until December 1820, when Oliva moved to St. Petersburg. Oliva occasionally served as Beethoven’s business representative, receiving funds from various publishers. Beethoven and Oliva got on well together, and he personally delivered a letter from Beethoven to Goethe. In 1809 Beethoven dedicated the Op. 76 Variations to him, but predictably the relationship ran into trouble on various occasions. Beethoven warned his landlord Pasqualati, “Do not have much to do with the rascal Oliva. I am glad that this connection, which was only formed through necessity, will hereby be entirely broking off.” After Oliva’s departure for St. Petersburg, the Austrian Government, under threat of imprisonment, demanded his return to Vienna. Oliva would have none of it and took a wife and residency in St. Petersburg. When the biographer Otto Jahn contacted Oliva’s daughter for correspondence between Beethoven and her father, he was curtly told that a fire had destroyed all documents.

Did Giuseppe Verdi Compose only Operas?

by Georg Predota, Interlude

Giuseppe Verdi, 1840

We do know that Giuseppe Verdi was born in the small village of Roncole, near Busseto in the Duchy of Parma. What is not clear, however, is the exact date of his birth. The baptismal register of 11 October records him as ‘born yesterday,’ but as days were sometimes counted as beginning at sunset, that could mean either 9 or 10 October. His parents belonged to families of small landowners and traders, and his father Carlo was described as an innkeeper and his mother Luigia Uttini as a spinner. The family always celebrated the boy’s birthday on 9 October, and Verdi strongly believed that he was actually born on that day.

Verdi as organist in Busseto

We are not going to argue with Verdi about his birthday, but instead recognize him as one of the most precocious musical talents of all time. He started keyboard lessons at the age of three, and when his teacher passed away, the nine-year old Giuseppe took over his teacher’s job and duties. He was rejected in his application to the Milan Conservatory, citing “faulty piano technique; a promising composer with genuine imagination but in need of contrapuntal discipline.” This rejection, although painful, did not prevent Verdi to arguably become the greatest Italian musical dramatist.

Boito and Verdi, 1893

Verdi composed 27 operas, beginning with Oberto in 1839 and ending with Falstaff in 1893. After Verdi had completed Aida in 1870/71, he decided that he would write no more music for the stage. Instead he turned to a religious work in the Messa da Requiem and to instrumental music in his Quartet for Strings. In the event, his operatic collaborations with Boito resumed, but around the time of Falstaff, he again composed a number of religious choral works. Collected under the title Quattro pezzi sacri, Verdi paid respects to two figures from the Italian past that he considered central to the cultural unity of the country.

Verdi’s birthplace

He uses texts by Dante, and relies for his musical setting on the contrapuntal treatment and word painting of Palestrina. Scholars have suggested, “Verdi’s last antique style might well suggest an old man’s retreat from the world; but on another level it speaks yet again of Verdi’s passionate concern for the national traditions into which he had been born, and with which he had so constantly engaged.

Verdi described the setting of the “Ave Maria” as Scala enigmatica armonizzata a Quattro voci miste (Enigmatic scale, harmonized for four mixed voices). This enigmatic scale spans an octave and rises by a semitone and by an augmented second. It is followed by three whole tone and two semitones. It descends with two semitones followed by one whole tone and an augmented second. From there a semitone, the original augmented second, and finally a semitone concludes the descending version of Verdi’s enigmatic scale. The scale is first heard in the bass, both ascending and descending, and then in the alto, tenor and the soprano. It sounds like a harmonic and contrapuntal exercise, and originally it was not part of the Quattro pezzi sacri, but eventually the publisher Ricordi included it in the set.

Verdi at age 86

Verdi’s setting of the “Stabat mater” calls for four-voice choir, and large orchestra with harp. Composed in 1896 and 1897 it uses the text of the famous Roman Catholic hymn “The grieving Mother stood.” Variously attributed to Pope Innocent III, St. Bonaventure, and the Franciscan monk Jacopone da Todi, it offers a unique female perspective on the crucifixion of Jesus. In twelve couplets, the poetry expresses compassion for Mary, mother of Christ, as she watches her son suffering on the cross. Verdi’s setting refrains from text repetitions, and he unifies the work with internal melodic references. Taking the poetry from the last canto of Dante’s Paradiso, “Laudi alla Vergine Maria” is a largely homophonic and delicate setting for two sopranos and two contraltos. His setting of the “Te Deum” is scored for double choir and orchestra, and it is a work of considerable originality and power. It is widely regarded as “the proper conclusion to any performance of this group of settings.” Although the text is frequently used to celebrate military victories and coronations, Verdi wrote to his friend Giovanni Tebadini “the text has nothing to do with victories and coronations.” Instead, Verdi presents an intimate and moving prayer that constantly changes in tone and expression.

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Serge Rachmaninoff - Conductor Horst-Hans Bäcker

Horst-Hans Bäcker

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Romanian State Philharmonic Orchestra Banatul Piano Soloist: Katja Huhn Conductor: Horst-Hans Bäcker