As I wrote earlier today, David Ritchie has correctly identified the first of
the tragic events in the history of popular western music that occurred on
Dec.8th - i.e., the murder of John Lennon on that date in 1980.
The other event in popular music that I had in mind was the announcement on
Dec. 8th, 1995 by surviving members of The Grateful Dead (four months after the
death of founding member Jerry Garcia) that they would no longer perform under
that name. (In spite of this announcement, former members, along with other
musicians, have toured as The Grateful Dead in 2003, 2004, and 2009. Several
members of the group performed together again for the fiftieth anniversary of
the founding of the band, in what they announced would be their final
concerts.) The community which I had in mind when I wrote that this event would
be seen as tragic is, of course, the Deadheads. (Those list members unfamiliar
with this social phenomenon can read about it in Wikipedia - just enter
‘Deadhead’ in the search field.)
The premier of which I made note occurred Dec. 8th, 1813. The piece of music -
parts of which the conductor Thomas Beecham likened to a lot of yaks jumping
about - is Beethoven’s 7th Symphony.
The composer whose 150th birthday we celebrated yesterday was Jean Sibelius.
Here are links to the third movement of his Voces intimae:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GGpb6hNcds
and his Valse Triste:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ls8-pk4IS4
Chris Bruce,
in 'soulful quest for serenity’ mode
in Kiel, Germany
On 08 Dec 2015, at 21:45, epostboxx@xxxxxxxx wrote:
I note four events in the on-this-day-in-the-history-of-western-music
calendar.
One is the premier of what most would regard as one of the classics in the
musical canon. The composer himself though it one of his finest works, it was
enthusiastically received by the public, and is generally held in high regard
to this day. (There are dissenting voices: the conductor Thomas Beecham, for
one, is reported to have exclaimed, “What can you do with the fourth
movement? It’s like a lot of yaks jumping about!”) Care to make a guess
before you ‘google’ for an answer?
Two of the events (in the history of ‘popular’ music) are sad: the first
universally held to be tragic, the second was certainly seen as tragic by a
particular fan community.
The fourth event is a birthday — that of a composer who declared that what he
had to offer was “cold, clear water.”
Elucidation — with links to performances of relevant pieces — tomorrow.
Chris Bruce,
in a melancholy mood for
a variety of reasons, in
Kiel, Germany
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