Composer Corner
Do you share a birthday with a famous composer?
August 5th— Guillaume Du Fay (1397-1474): Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance era. He is considered one of the greatest composers of his time, and among the first musicians to make a living solely as a composer. He wrote both sacred and secular music including masses, motets, chansons (songs), rondeaux, ballades, hymns, and more. Due to his affiliation with the Cathedral of Cambrai (France) his biography and works were documented more than any other 15th century musician.
August 8th— William Henry Squire (1871-1963): British cellist and composer who popularized the instrument by giving public performances in the 19th and 20th century. His compositions for the cello are still included in student repertoire and widely performed to this day. In addition to cello solo pieces, he composed a number of orchestral works, piano pieces, and songs. W. H. Squire served as a professor at the Royal College of Music in London, was a prominent chamber musician, soloist, and member of the London Symphony Orchestra.
August 10th— Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936): Composer, conductor, and director of the
famed St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. His compositional talent was discovered when he was only 11 years old. It earned him an opportunity to study with some of the greatest Russian composers of all time— Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov, who even premiered and conducted Glazunov’s work. (Glazunov was only 16 at the time.) Glazunov gained international success during his lifetime, and is remembered as one of the leading Russian composers of his era.
August 14th— Pierre Schaeffer (1910-1995): founder of Groupe de Recherche de Musique
Concrète (GRMC), and pioneer of “musique concrete” (“concrete music” or “real music”—
original music mixed with recorded sounds). Schaeffer is a French composer and musicologist and one of the key figures of electronic, experimental, and avant garde music. He further developed the techniques of tape looping, tape splicing, and sound collage, while incorporating them into music. He was a profound influence on generations of other avant garde composers of the 20th century.
August 18th— Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): Italian composer and teacher remembered for his contributions to the development of operas during the Classical period. Student of C.W Gluck, Salieri wrote operas in three languages and was considered the leading expert in the field. He achieved international fame for his operatic works, with performances and patrons from the highest courts and nobility of Europe. His music experienced a revival in the 20th century, in part due to the play Amadeus (1979) which dramatized his relationship with Mozart and suggested that Salieri may have poisoned Mozart. Historical analysis reveals no credible evidence of these claims, and instead suggests that the two composers were friendly, as Salieri was a teacher to Mozart’s son, Franz Xavier Wolfgang Mozart.
August 19th— George Enescu (1881-1955): Romanian prodigy, violinist, composer, and
conductor. He began composing at the age of five, and became a student at the Vienna
conservatory at the age of 7— the youngest in history! He toured across Europe and the United states performing and conducting. Many of his compositions are inspired by, or incorporate Romanian folk music. Pablo Casals (cellist) described him as “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart.” Enescu’s music remains popular and widely performed to this day.
August 21st— Count Basie (1904-1984): William James “Count” Basie was an American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader. He had a long and prolific career with his band, the Count Basie Orchestra, and influenced generations of future jazz musicians. His band was famous for being creative and innovative in its use of two tenor saxophone players, and an active rhythm section. Before starting his band, Count Basie toured and collaborated with many other famous musicians including Louis Armstrong. Count Basie is remembered as one of the most influential American jazz artists of all time, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as an asteroid named after him.
August 22nd— Claude Debussy (1862-1918): One of the most influential French composers of the Romantic era. Debussy attended the Paris Conservatory of music at the age of 10, where he studied piano and composition. As a student, Debussy was known to go against the “traditional” compositional techniques, to the annoyance of his professors, yet despite this, he still won the most prestigious music award at the time— the Prix de Rome, in 1884. Debussy’s vast collection of compositions, many of which are influenced by the Impressionist art movement, remain a staple of the musical repertoire and some of the most frequently performed works to this day.
August 25th— Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990): American-born composer, conductor, pianist,
and teacher. While his contributions to music are significant, he is often remembered as the
conductor and director of the New York Philharmonic. A recipient of many awards (Emmy, Tony, Grammy, etc.), he achieved international fame as a conductor and director of some of the most prestigious symphonies around the world. Bernstein died 5 days after announcing his retirement from conducting.
August 29th— Charlie Parker (1920-1955): American jazz composer, bandleader and alto
saxophonist. Parker was a key figure in the bebop style of jazz, and a virtuoso on his instrument. His compositions made use of interpolation and contrafact, which is the practice of creating a new musical work from an already existing work. The new composition may feature borrowed chords, harmonies, or notes and combine them in new ways. Parker’s most famous example of contrafact is “Koko” which is based on chords from “Cherokee” by Ray Noble. This practice became a standard among bebop artists. Parker was know as “Bird” or “Yardbird” in the jazz circles, and is considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time.
