November 30 - Andreas Werckmeister (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 30th are here: Carl Loewe (2019), Allan Sherman (2020), Charles-Valentin Alkan (2021), Weston Noble (2022), and Clay Aiken (2023)

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Andreas Werckmeister (30 November 1645 – 26 October 1706) was a German organist, music theorist,  and composer , He was responsible for a temperament (tuning system) that resulted in all tonalities sounding acceptable on the keyboard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pleading the Fifths

This tuning uses mostly pure (perfect) fifths, as in Pythagorean tuning, but each of the fifths C-G, G-D, D-A and B-F♯ is made smaller, i.e. tempered by 1/4 comma. –  s.v. “Werckmeister temperament“, in Microtonal Encyclopedia (microtonal.miraheze.org)

There were those who maligned and impugned 

The way that Herr Werckmeister tuned;

His fifths were adjusted

Leaving purists disgusted

By intervals painfully pruned.

 

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November 29 - Gaetano Donizetti (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 29th are here: Gustave Reese; Gaetano Donizetti (2019), Gaetano Donizetti (2020), John Gary; Gaetano Donizetti (2021),  Gaetano Donizetti (2022), and

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Gaetano Donizetti (29 November 1797 - April 1848) was one of the most important and popular 
of nineteenth-century opera composers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compare and Contrast

There are those who dislike Donizetti,

They admit he’s effective, and yet he

Is lacking the thought

With which Wagner is fraught;

Which is true, but we shouldn’t be petty.

 

 

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November 28 - Anton Rubinstein (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 28th are here: Jean-Baptiste Lully (2019), Anton Rubinstein (2020), Paul Shaffer; Ferdinand Ries (2021), Jean-Baptiste Lully (2022), and Anton Rubinstein (2023)

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Anton Rubinstein (28 November [O.S. 16 November] 1829 – 20 November [O.S. 8 November] 1894) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor, whose pianism was said to rival Liszt's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Beg To Differ

American pianist Amy Fay admitted that while Rubinstein "has a gigantic spirit in him, and is extremely poetic and original ... for an entire evening he is too much.”  - Wikipedia

"I was furious, for he no longer plays. Either there is a perfectly wild noise or else a whisper with the soft pedal down. And a would-be cultured audience puts up with a performance like that!" – Clara Schumann on Rubenstein, qtd. in Wikipedia

Rubenstein, we know, was great,

But earned, we read, both love and hate.

Some there were in any crowd

Who liked their virtuosos loud,

 

While others thought his thundering touch

Was, for an evening, just too much;

Or said his playing was injurious

To the scores… and they were furious.

 

 

 

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November 27 - Margaret Ruthven Lang (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 27th are here: Jimi Hendrix (2019), Hilary Hahn (2020), Rudolph Reti; Margaret Ruthven Lang (2021), Anton Stamitz (2022), and Anton Stamitz (2023)

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Margaret Ruthven Lang (27 November 1867 – 29 May 1972) was an American composer. She was one of the first women to have an orchestral piece play in America, but is remembered chiefly for her songs and small piano pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life's Quirks

Her father was also a friend of  Richard Wagner. Margaret knew Wagner's children as playmates. – adapted from Wikipedia

Margaret also holds the record for the longest consecutive subscriber to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, totaling 91 years. – Wikipedia

In years gone by the rafters rang

With songs of Margaret Ruthven Lang;

With time her repertoire has faded,

As tastes, alas, became more jaded.

Today I wish to bring to mind

Some factoids of a different kind. –

Her father, bless him, had connections,

Which led her in unique directions;

Imagine being (if you can)

A playmate with the Wagner clan!

And she was loyal and devoted,

And Wikipedia has noted

That loyal to her local band,

For many decades was on hand,

Subscribing to the BSO

For ninety seasons in a row.

 

 

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November 26 - Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff; Johannes [Johann] Bach (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 26th are here: Tina Turner; Robert Goulet (2019), Earl Wild (2020), Johannes Bach (2021), Robert Goulet (2022), and Johannes [Johann] Bach (2023)

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Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff (26 November 1744 - 26 April 1785) was a German military officer, poet, composer, and diplomat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diplomatic Move

He was especially inspired by  Goethe, though Goethe thought little of his music…. Disappointed with his lack of success, in 1784, he moved to  Ansbach to become the Prussian ambassador to the Franconian Circle.  – adapted from WIkipedia 

With his musical life in a mess,

And discouraged by lack of success,

The verdict was clear

On his music career,

So von Seckendorff changed his address.

 

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Johann or Johannes Bach (bapt. 26 November [O.S.] 1604 – buried 13 May 1673) was a German composer and musician.  [English language Wikipedia and Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (8th ed.) give his birth as 26 November, while German Wikipedia gives this as his baptismal date and clarifies that this is the Julian Calendar date, while the Gregorian date is 6 December.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Beginning

His surviving works make him the first Bach with extant compositions. -- Wikipedia

The experts have looked and they say that they can’t

Find earlier Bachs who have scores still extant,

So Johannes of Erfurt and the works that he penned

Have a claim to a birthday observance. — The End.

 

 

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