Greetings from the Oregon Coast!
Well, here we are as Summer winds down and Fall approaches. Actually, the Fall months can be the nicest time of year on the coast, so I’m typing with my fingers crossed! I hope all is well wherever you are! Take a few minutes to see what’s new in “Pianotes” this month!
The first African-American band to play in Carnegie Hall was Count Basie’s Band in 1939.
Suzanne Ciani was the first female composer to write the complete score for a major motion picture - “The Incredible Shrinking Woman” in 1981.
So little was known about composer Scott Joplin (“The Entertainer,” “The Maple Leaf Rag,” etc.) that in his 1936 book, “The Negro and His Music,” Alain Locke stated that Joplin was a white man.
New Reviews: Once again we have an international group of new reviews of music from Germany, Australia, Argentina and Spain as well as the good ol’ USA. It’s quite a fascinating mix! I’ll have an interesting selection for you in September as well, including the “Deluxe” edition of David Lanz’s newest solo piano album,
Carousel, which has only been available from David’s website and will be available on many streaming services on September 11. I’ll reactivate my review on the MainlyPiano homepage around Labor Day. I also reviewed two new pieces of sheet music as well as two new solo piano songbooks, so if you’re looking for some new music to play, take a look. Links to all of the new reviews are
here.
Suzanne Ciani’s piece, “Eagle,” has a rather interesting origin. On her first visit to Northern California, Suzanne enjoyed watching these large birds sweeping through the sky and diving for their prey. She assumed the birds were eagles, and named the piano solo for them. The next time she was in the area, her sister gave her a bird-identification lesson - the birds in her song were actually turkey vultures!!!! And no, Suzanne didn't change the title!
John Philip Sousa's march, "The Stars and Stripes Forever," is the traditional song played by circus bands as a distress signal to warn the performers that there is an emergency.
Some of the ladies of Beethoven's time claimed that he did not have any rhythm while dancing.
New Interviews (not!): Once again, there just wasn’t time to do any interviews in August, but I have several that I’m working on, so there should be at least two or three new interviews in September. Check back and see what’s new during the month!
It was discovered that one of Beethoven's best-loved pieces was given the wrong title because of the composer's sloppy handwriting. The composer actually titled “Fur Elise” “Fur Therese."
Anselm Hettenbrenner, who was at Beethoven's bedside when he died, said that in his final moments, Beethoven roused himself from his coma to shake an angry fist at the heavens. There was a dramatic clap of thunder and a flash of lightening, and the composer was dead.
The Boston police once wanted to fine Igor Stravinsky for writing an arrangement of "The Star Spangled Banner."
September Birthdays: Here is a sampling of musical September birthdays!
1: Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), Gloria Estefan, Barry Gibb, Conway Twitty (1933-93)
2: Horace Silver (1928-2014), Billy Preston (1946-2006)
3: Memphis Slim (1915-88), Craig Urquhart & Jace Vek
4: Beyonce, Eric Chapelle
5: John Cage (1912-92), Freddie Mercury (1946-91), John Paris
6: Carol Parsons (Mom's 96th!!!) & Kimberly Haynes
7: Buddy Holly (1936-59), Sonny Rollins (1930-2026), Gloria Gaynor, Ron Korb
8: Pink, Patsy Cline (1932-63)
9: Michael Buble, Otis Redding (1941-67), Jill Haley & Craig Einhorn
10: Henry Purcell (1659-95), Jose Feliciano, Matias Baconsky
11: Harry Connick, Jr., Ed Bazel & David Tolk
12: Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972), George Jones (1931-2013)
13: Bill Monroe (1911-96), Fiona Apple, Peter Cetera, Mel Torme (1925-99), Seay, Jordan Buetow & David Mauk
14: Amy Winehouse (1983-2011)
15: Roy Acuff (1903-92)
16: Earl Klugh, BB King (1925-2015)
17: Michael Dulin, Hank Williams (1923-53)
18: Frankie Avalon, Jimmie Rodgers (1933-2021), Adrian Webster
19: Brook Benton (1931-88), Trisha Yearwood, Bill Medley, Lisa Swerdlow
20: John Jarvie
21: Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Leonard Cohen (1934-2016), Faith Hill
22: Chuck Wild (Liquid Mind), Joan Jett
23: Bruce Springsteen, Julio Iglesias, Ray Charles (1930-2004), John Coltrane (1926-67)
24: Michael Debbage, Steven Cravis & Stephen Cairns
25: Glenn Gould (1932-82), Tom Ameen
26: George Gershwin (1898-1937), Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022), Bill Leslie, Justin Levitt, & John Albert Thomas
27: Avril Lavigne, Richard Carr
28: Ed Sullivan (1901-74)
29: Jean-Luc Ponty, Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022), Gene Autry (1907-98)
30: Johnny Mathis, Buddy Rich (1917-87)
Happy Birthday, one and all!
The British refer to the whole note as a "semibreve" and a half note as a “minim.”
The British refer to the quarter note as a "crotchet" and an eighth note as a “quaver.”
The British refer to the sixteenth note as a "semiquaver" and a thirty-second note as a “semidemiquaver.” That makes a sixty-fourth note a “hemidemisemiquaver.” There will be a quiz!
September Music Holidays and Celebrations: There isn't anything too exciting this month!
All Month: Classical Music Month & International Square Dancing Month
9/14-19: Line Dance Week
9/17: International Country Music Day
9/20: National Dance Day
9/25: National One-Hit Wonder Day
9/26: Record Store Day
9/29: Broadway Musicals Day
Van Cliburn won an international piano competition in Russia in 1958 and became a national hero. His recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto topped the pop album chart for seven weeks.
Amy Beach's (1867-1944) “Gaelic Symphony” was the first symphonic work by an American woman. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony in 1896.
Johann Sebastian Bach was a busy boy. In his 65 years, he produced some 1200 musical works and 20 children. Of his children, 11 were boys and 9 were girls. Five of the boys were named Johann. Ten of the children died in infancy or soon afterwards.
That’s it for this month! I have some photos from our garden (all lilies except one of petunias) for you again this month. Have a great September!
Kathy
When Mozart was 14, Pope Clement XIV awarded the young composer the gold cross of the Order of the Golden Spur. This made him Sir Wolfgang Signor Cavaliere Mozart.
Frederic Chopin’s body was buried in a cemetery in Paris, but his heart is buried in Warsaw, Poland.
Mozart is said to have been afraid of ghosts and trumpets. He was also a terrible speller and was poor at math. Some of his symphonies were mis-numbered - #24 is really #31, and there is no #37.
To the best of my knowledge, the "trivia" items are true, but I can't guarantee it.
