TODAY IN MUSIC: January 22, 1575 - TALLIS & BYRD GRANTED ONE OF ENGLAND’S PREMIER PRINTING & PUBLISHING PATENTS & A 21 YEAR MONOPOLY ON POLYPHONIC MUSIC

Thomas Tallis was a member of The Chapel Royal and would serve the Tudor
Dynasty as Organist and Composer over the course of four reigning Monarchs.

January 22 is a most significant day in music for England. It was on this day in 1575 that composers and organists to the court of Queen Elizabeth I, Thomas Tallis (a long-time musician to the court of England, having served three Tudor monarchs before Elizabeth: Henry VIII, his protestant son, King Edward VI, and half-sister to Elizabeth and Edward - Queen Mary I, respectively), and Tallis’ most beloved pupil, one William Byrd, would make English history with the exclusive rights to not only print and publish the polyphonic music of which they had just been granted a 21 year monopoly, but also the right to enforce the strict prohibition of sales of any “songs made and printed in any foreen countrie(s)” in a game-changing attempt at introducing to the world - and seeking dominance in it - the English repertoire among the masses, taking full advantage of the newly improved printing press.

Tallis and Byrd, both favorites of the Queen would be made able, thanks to the patent granted them by Elizabeth, to compose and print music to be used in the church in many of the popular tongues of the period, including English, Latin, French and Italian. Even further. the musical duo were the only composers permitted to use the paper on which music was printed!

William Byrd was once a star pupil of Tallis.

These grants came at an interesting time in British History. By the time Tallis and Byrd had received oligopoly over polyphonic music in 1575, England was already well into the throes of Religious Reform. Elizabeth had already sat some 17 years on a throne which had seen varied states of religious upheavals, revolts and reversals in her predecessors Tudor. Her notoriously fickle father Henry VIII had been the major catalyst behind the secular divide of Catholics and Protestants when he, following his infamous break from the church of Rome some two decades prior in order to legally divorce his wife and reigning Queen Catherine of Aragon and marry protestant Anne Boleyn in her stead), chose to set into motion the Act of Supremacy in 1534 in which he declared himself to be the ‘Supreme Head on earth of the Church of England’. With the advent of Martin Luther and his translated biblical texts into English, Europe - already on the brink of a series of religious civil wars across the continent - armed with this new, powerful public backing from an otherwise formerly neutral world leader, would find it’s citizens re-ignited by the already flickering spark of revolutionary spirit.
 
Protestants and Catholics alike would endure extremely violent, dogmatic reigns under the Tudor dynasty, reigns that would include instated Queen’s heads rolling off the chopping block, to executed ministers, archbishops and common reformists alike. Catholic churches would see themselves whitewashed and stripped of ornamentations in both ‘décor’ (icons) and in liturgical service (music; the ‘making of the cross’ on one’s chest) and replaced with the relatively conservative services of the Protestants, only to be violently undone and to have all ornamentations restored under the conditions of Catholicism during the reign of Mary I just prior to Elizabeth’s accession to the throne.

Music went through much change as the denominations of Christianity rapidly fluctuated, and, under Elizabeth, Tallis - who had been a constant at the Tudor court over the course of three monarchs and now on his fourth - would adjust the music of the Chapel Royal accordingly:

during the periods of Catholic flourishment, the highly ornamental and embellished polyphonic music consisted of rich and elaborate harmonies sung by multiple voices reminiscent of the music of the Renaissance era, while during the Protestant rise and wane, the rich and elaborate would be replaced by the softer, muter, more simple practices of singing with only ‘one syllable per note’ (as envisioned by one archbishop Cranmer), with emphasis placed less on aesthetic structure and more on the transparency of the texts that accompanied the compositions themselves (elaborate ornamentations being considered too 'Popish' for Protestant ears).

Elizabeth I as she would have appeared
in 1575, pictured here in the so-called
"Pelican Portrait" by painter
Nicholas Hilliard.

Elizabeth, having previously bore witness to the divide amongst the subjects of both herself and her predecessors, sought a more neutral approach in religion and it’s use of music, seeking to placate zealots on both sides of the religious divide by instituting her own Act of Uniformity in 1559, which included the 'Ornaments Rubric' clause: the ultimate royal show of religious compromise which would allow the Queen to retain for the Church of England traditional Catholic ceremonies, such as the ‘making of the cross’ at baptisms, and the adornment of the surplice and the cope amongst the clergy, while the doctrine of the Church itself would remain Protestant in nature. Accordingly, she would adjust, through her grant bestowed upon Tallis and Byrd in 1575, the rich polyphonic music of the old (Catholic) church with the new, more simple sound of the protestant choir, creating a uniquely English hybrid of vocal repertoire that, while initially facing public scorn via the religious fanatics of the ever-tumultuous period, would introduce into Europe a ‘Golden Age’ of Elizabethan music – one that continues to astound and astonish audiences around the globe to this day.

Listen below to two of the thirty-four motets composed by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd from the Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vocantur – a collection of compositions dedicated to Elizabeth's 17th year on the throne of England (accordingly, each composer contributed 17 pieces each to the mammoth work to represent each year of their beloved Queen's Reign), and in thanks for granting them the Printing Patent in 1575. This collection was the collective composer’s first work under the Monopoly.

#26, In Jejunio Et Fletu (in Fasting and Weeping) by Thomas Tallis:


#12, O Lux, Beata Trinitas (O Trinity of Blessed Light) by William Byrd:


- Rose.

MAYHEM BEHIND THE MUSIC VIII: TRIVIA & HUMOR - A DOSE OF AMERICANA & A BRITISH BOWWOW

It’s time for another installment of MAYHEM BEHIND THE MUSIC: Trivia & Humor.

This edition examines some rather curious American inventions and humorous innovations, a famous father-son rivalry – and an even more famous little mutt by the name of Nipper.

Featuring a rowdy premiere that could stand toe-to-toe with Stravinsky’s infamous riot in Paris.

WHAT A BUNCH OF DANDIES...

A "Yankee Doodle" - riding on a pony.

We begin in the good ole U.S. of A - in a little town named Lexington, in the “Bay State” of Massachusetts. It is the 19th day of April in the year 1775. As a band of British troops presently serving on North American soil march northwestward from Boston to Lexington and Concord, the high-pitched ring of a fife and the rat-a-tat-tat of drums can be heard playing most jovially through the temperate spring air. Rising over both flute and drum are the rousing voices of the Brits, singing a mocking air about the plight of the dandy – the Yankee Doodle Dandy to be precise. The crude lyric “stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni” a direct assault on the American colonials obsessed with dressing the part of a finely manicured - and most effeminate - Italian gentleman and foolishly attempting to adopt his perfecting aires. The Brits, it seemed, had a running joke - so uncouth was the American – so much of a refined wannabe was their innermost desire (running around spouting off catch Italian phrases in an effort to appear more cultured in addition to adopting their dress) – that the Brits began to refer to them as “Macaronis.”

When the Americans heard the offending satirical song rising up over the plains, they reacted not with a sense of vitriol, but rather turned the Brits - and their mocking joke - on its head, by repeating the song – mocking lyrics and all - back to the enemy amidst rebel fire. Proudly adopting the crude humor of the Brits in a charmingly self-deprecating manner, the Americans would again serenade the Europeans – when the Brits were forced to surrender at Saratoga and Yorktown.

Kind of makes the Yankee’s adoption of the crass "To Anacreon in Heav’n" seem all the less ironic in retrospect.

^{[Fun Fact]} Now considered a patriotic air, "Yankee Doodle" can be heard most often in the northeastern state of Connecticut - where it serves as state anthem! Listen to a recording of the famous tune below:

THE TRIUMPHANT BIRTH OF A FOUNDING FATHER'S MOST MUSICAL CHILD:

Benjamin Franklin seated at his glass armonica

13 years earlier to the Southwest, American Founding Father and future President of Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin was busy making music history with the creation of a new instrument similar in sound to the celesta which he would dub "the glass armonica" – a curious looking contraption consisting of thirty seven glass bowls attached to a spindle which could be spun via a foot pedal to produce an eerily crystalline resonance reminiscent of wet fingers circling the rims of various sized wineglasses (which is exactly how Franklin came up with the idea after first hearing a demonstration of this technique at a concert in 1761).

The glass armonica would win the praise of some notable physicians in the both the American medical sector and overseas who lauded it’s (alleged) soothing abilities for those stricken with melancholia (a supposition later proven to be false when the safety of the instrument was roundly bashed in it's own revised operating manual in 1788 - which would lead to the glass armonica becoming temporarily banned in Germany as a preventative precaution against potential madness - or even succumbing to an untimely death).   

Talk about a turnaround...

Whether friend or foe to the new instrument, one thing remained certain: the glass armonica created quite the stir in the musical sphere. Even major composers would express interest in Franklin's invention - a few even wrote music for it – the most famous of which can be heard below: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Adagio & Rondo for glass harmonica in C minor:

TAKE THAT BARK ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK...

The Brits would once more leave an indelible mark on Western Americana – and indeed on the rest of the world – via a curious little mutt named Nipper – a Jack Russell mix who hailed from Bristol, England. When Nipper (named after his naughty penchant for ‘nipping’ at the heels of visitors to his masters home) unexpectedly died in 1895, just seven years after his owner Mark Henry Barraud passed, Baurrad's surviving brother Francis decided he would pay tribute to both master and mutt by painting a portrait of Nipper, his head curiously cocked to one side – sitting most intently before a wind-up Edison-Bell cylinder phonograph – a music player inherited from his late sibling.

The painting, completed in 1898, might also serve as a means to make a quick profit for the brother Barraud. Francis would present the portrait to James E. Hough, manager at the Edison-Bell Company in New Jersey USA, who promptly rejected it on the basis that “Dogs don't listen to phonographs.”

Undeterred, Francis took the portrait back to London, to the Maiden Lane offices of The Gramophone Company where he would be met with an unexpected surprise - Manager William Barry Owen would buy the painting – provided Barraud replace the portrait’s old-fashioned Edison cylinder phonograph with their brand new Berliner Disc Gramophone – the latest in musical technology. An astonished Francis readily obliged, painting a revised edition he dubbed “His Master’s Voice” in 1890 which he sold to Owen for 100 pounds sterling (50 pounds for the copyright and to grant Berliner leave to register the trademark phrase for use in the United States; and 50 pounds for the painting). The Victor Talking Machine Company would promptly adopt the now infamous logo that year, followed by HMV,  the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and RCA Victor in 1929.

Today, you can find Nipper adorning the labels of the following brands: Victor Talking Machine Company, Gramophone Company, Berliner Gramophone, His Master's Voice, HMV, EMI, RCA, RCA Victor, Victrola, Electrola, Bluebird, Zonophone, JVC and Deutsche Grammophon.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN EUROPE...

STRAVINSKY WHO?

On a hot summer’s eve in 1830’s Belgium, a riot was about to erupt at the Théâtre de la Monnaie that would rival Igor Stravinsky’s spectacularly rowdy première in early twentieth century Paris.

The opera produced for the evening was Daniel Auber’s La Muette de Portici – a patriotic tale of revolutionary spirit that depicted a poor man’s uprising against the powerful Spanish rulers occupying Naples. It was a curious choice of libretto for the French composer, who chose to stage it as an homage to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands' (to which Belgium then belonged) reigning King, William I during the King William I Festival launched in celebration of the 15th year of His Majesty's reign. Apparently Auber hadn’t received the memo that a pre-ordained revolt had been scheduled to take place on the eve of La Muette’s performance at the Theatre – nor did it appear that the Frenchman possessed any idea whatsoever that William was, to many of the citizens of Belgium, a tyrannical oppressor.

As La Muette sauntered into its second act – and right before the duet "Amour sacré de la patrie" could get it’s first notes off the ground, the theater abruptly erupted into chaos. One contemporary eyewitness account details the horror that unfolded that fateful evening:
 

"When Lafeuillade and Casscl began singing the celebrated duet. "Amour sacre de la patrie" enthusiasm exploded irresistibly and [the singers] found it necessary to start afresh in the midst of the cheering. Finally, when Masaniello (Lafeuillade) launched into his entreaty, the invocation "Aux Armes!," the public could no longer be restrained. They acclaimed aria and actor, they booed the fifth act in order to stop the performance, and the delirious crowd [hurled itself] out of the hall... welcomed by the other crowd which waited outside, it joined in the demonstrations which loosed the revolution of 1830."

As raised voices became lost in the calamitous fray and fists began to fly freely from man to man, newly formed mobs who were freshly energized by the riot in the theater took to the streets of Brussels, looting local businesses and laying waste to factories, destroying the machineries found inside. The uprising would quickly spread throughout the country.

If Stravinsky sought any form of comfort after the infamous riot at the rite in 1913, he needn’t have looked any further than Auber.. his predecessor in social outrage.

Speaking of outrage, Did You Know?


Composer-King Frederick the Great wasn’t the only musician to have been corporally punished by his father for daring to dream of a life spent making music.

The newly-crowned "King of the Waltz"
Johann Strauss.. Junior, thankyouverymuch.

Viennese "Waltz King" Johann Strauss the elder famously sparred with his son – also named Johann (the second) – when the boy had the audacity to take up the violin. No son of Strauss’ was going to dare try to take his father’s place – no, not for young Johann. The father Strauss demanded his son take up a “more respectable” vocation: in matters of law or in finance. Much like the King of Prussia, who was soundly cane-whipped across the arse by an enraged father when he was discovered practicing on his trusty flute in secret, a young Johann would receive regular beatings at the end of a three-tailed whip from Johann Sr. for his transgression of stealing away for private lessons on his violin. This cruel form of corporal punishment was immediately preceded by the elder Strauss warning his son that he would "beat the music" out of him.

Johann Jr., however, was undeterred by his fathers malevolence – by age 19, he bravely informed his father of his intent to not only compose, but also to publicly stage a waltz – to which his father unceremoniously scoffed “you have no idea how to write a waltz!”

The senior Strauss took matters even further, hiring a rowdy band of claquers to rise from the audience and hiss. He even rounded up a bunch of brutes to surround the casino where his sons concert was being held in order to incite a riot. Much like in the case of Stravinsky, police had to be called to disperse the crowds.

So much for blood being thicker than water.

Listen below to what is perhaps the most famous waltz of all time, Johann Strauss Junior's "Blue Danube":


Did you know?

...that the United States National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner” has some salaciously scandalous, rather comical - and very British - roots?

Anacreontick's in full Song by caricaturist James Gillray.

Upon revisiting the powerful, testosterone fueled lyrics and melody that makes this Anthem truly one of the worlds most impacting and instantly memorable tunes, the average Partiot would feel quite the sense of irony upon discovering that the melody of the “Star-Spangled Banner” is not only English (and not American as most previously believed), and as for it’s lyrics...well..let's just say, they were less than patriotic. 

Originally titled “To Anacreon in Heav’n,” the true progenitor of what we now know as The Star Spangled Banner was in fact nothing more than a lewd drunkard's tune,  one that was so frequently sung by the often raucous and inebriated members of a special "Gentleman's Club," that it became the club's official drinking song! The name of the 15th century men's only pub? "The Anacreon" making the current anthem an Ode to Freedom and Democracy, and it's grandfather's an Ode to "Free Lovin' " and Drink! ^{[Fun Fact]}

The Anacreontic Song (Listen to the song below):

"To Anacreon in Heaven, where he sat in full glee,
A few sons of harmony sent a petition,
That he their inspirer and patron would be;
When this answer arrived from the jolly old Grecian:
Voice, fiddle, and flute, no longer be mute,
I'll lend you my name and inspire you to boot
And besides I'll instruct you like me to intwine
The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine."

–Words by Ralph Tomlinson, music by John Stafford Smith, C.1775.

Read more history on the anthem here, including details on Stravinsky’s near arrest and Wagner’s Tannhäuser overture! (which I’ve always ‘heard’ –at least in similarity- to “...so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming…”)



Footnotes:

Flag of the United States of America

^{[Fun Fact]} Anacreon was an ancient Greek poet who was known to boast proudly as an advocate of drink and held a special penchant for sex in his -ahem - heart. In essence, "To Anacreon in Heaven" is actually a tribute, or an ode to a sex crazed, famous alcoholic! (Note the rather raunchy repetitive: "And besides I'll instruct you like me to intwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine," "Venus" being the goddess of love, and "Bacchus" the god of wine).

For the modern listener/reader, To Anacreon in Heaven's text may appear, at first listening, a rather chaste song paying homage to some ancient Greek gods. Digging a little deeper into the characters featured the music, and into the inspiration source of it's authors melody and lyrics and one will find a litany of lewd and lascivious innuendo that would make your mother blush. Read the full text of "To Anacreon in Heaven" here (external link).

For more stories like these, check out the Mayhem archives listed below.

• TRIVIA & HUMOR: Did you know? (Fun Opera Facts)
• TRIVIA & HUMOR: Did You Know? (Fun Opera Facts part II) 
• TRIVIA & HUMOR: Did You Know? RIOTOUS BEGINNINGS (Fun Opera Facts part III) 
• TRIVIA & HUMOR Feat. DID YOU KNOW? (Fun Opera Facts part IV)   
• TRIVIA & HUMOR: Feat. Did You Know? (Fun Opera Facts part V)
• TRIVIA& HUMOR: Feat. Did You Know? (Fun Opera Facts part VI) 
• MAYHEM BEHIND THE MUSIC Feat. Did You Know? (Mayhem part VII)

More Mayhem!

• CLASSICAL MUSIC & OPERA: THE MAYHEM BEHIND THE MUSIC 
• MAYHEM BEHIND THE MUSIC: THE HOAX ON YOU  (Feat. Did You Know?)

-Rose.

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HISTORIC DISCOVERIES: A CELESTIAL DANCE OF MUSIC & SCIENCE

William Herschel

TODAY IN HISTORY: March 13, 1781
 
It would be midway through the journey of life as a true polymath that 43 year-old Hanover native, composer, and astronomer William Herschel made the astonishing discovery of (what he believed to be) a stellar disk, or comet, hurtling it’s way through the far off heavens whilst star gazing the night skies over Bath in England. That ‘comet’ turned out to be something far grander in scope for both 18th century intelligentsia and for common man alike: it was soon determined not to be the rocky cosmic projectile as the composer-astronomer once thought, but rather a massive spherical world made up of ice, better known today as the planet Uranus!

Herschel's ground-breaking first sighting of the frigid giant occurred 235 years ago on the 13th day of March in 1781, transpiring just before the close of the Age of Enlightenment, helping solidify the era as a highly innovative, progressive and astonishingly rich period of epic discovery.

This 18th century dynamo would bestow to the world further extraordinary beauties that were both 'seismic' in scope and equally as celestial as his astronomical discovery when he left behind a delectable collection of self-composed symphonies, concertos, and sacred music for posterity to enjoy.

Listen below to the Largo e cantabile from Herschel’s Chamber Symphony in F minor, highlighted by a glorious bounty of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope:


Did you know?

“Uranus,” the planet of never-ending puns, wasn’t always considered to be the "butt" of a joke: the Ice Giant went through multiple name changes, once even holding the handle of it’s 18th century appropriator, “Herschel” (a placeholder title after the name “Georgium Sidus” (Georgian Star) – named by Herschel in honor of King George III of Great Britain and Hanover became the source of contestation by the French), before the now somewhat medical, somewhat crude sounding name of “Uranus,” named after the Greek God of the Sky, was universally agreed upon.


Footnotes:

Learn more about the fascinating life and further scientific discoveries of Sir William Herschel (External Link)

-Rose.

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COMPOSERS & PHRENOLOGY

As we have already seen in my posts on Haydn and Bruckner, Beethoven the Johann(es) (Brahms and Strauss II), such megalithic talents would exude not only a mass adoration, but also a lasting curiosity that would prevail even after death – creating an entire industry of quack medicine as contemporaries and later classical aficionados struggled to try to explain the seemingly other-worldly aura of genius that circumnavigated our beloved composers of yore like some sort of mystifying intellectual halo.

"The Anatomist Overtaken by the Watch in Carry'ng Off Miss W--ts in a Hamper," William Austin, 1773

Grave robber Joseph Carl Rosenbaum and his partner in crime Johann Nepomuk Peter attributed the presence of a so-called “organ of tune” – a protrusion of the skull above the brow thought to be indicative of inherent musical genius – on the heads of the great operatic masters of the classical age, not the least of whom was said to possess the ‘feature’ was the composer Joseph Haydn, whose skull Rosenbaum and Peter illegally possessed. 

The 'Brothers in Bumps Three': L to R: Ludwig van Beethoven, (Franz) Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang "Wolfie" Amadeus Mozart.

The composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were also a part of the “organ” phenomena, and, based solely on the likeness of both composers in portraiture, both composers found themselves (allegedly, in the case of Mozart) fall victim to the phrenology cult^[1] that had peaked in Europe and across (the) America(s) in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Even cultural icons were thrown into the mix – Poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe purported to be in possession of both Mozart and Beethoven’s skulls at various times; while other, more sinister hands would cradle the fragmented skull of Beethoven throughout the height of the Second World War and it’s Nazi regime (as documented in Russell Martin's book "Beethoven’s Hair" (link in LIBRARY); also, read a record of travel by author William Meredith on this external link: THE HISTORY OF BEETHOVEN'S SKULL FRAGMENTS). 

Others were more lucky: composer and pianist Franz Schubert’s skull was exhumed at Vienna in 1863, and later re-buried with it’s host after research scientist Gerhard von Breuning documented the following observations: “[The skulls] seemed to reflect the characteristics of the composers’ works. The walls of Beethoven’s skull exhibit strong density and thickness, whereas Schubert’s bones show feminine delicateness."
 

Plaster-casts of the skulls of Franz Schubert, Franz Joseph Haydn & Ludwig van Beethoven; Alois Wittman; Beethoven-Haus, Bonn c. 19th century

Much like in the case of Haydn’s missing skull in the 19th century, Wolfgang Mozart’s cranium is also said to have been the unfortunate object of a nocturnal heist, although in "Wolfie’s" case, the culprit this time was not a wannabe scientist of note but rather, at least according to legend, the gravedigger who worked the grounds of the St. Marx Cemetery in Vienna where Mozart’s body was first laid to rest in one of the burial grounds’ common graves.

Mozart’s celebrated cranium was later said to have been acquired by the venerated anatomist Joseph Hyrtl, who, it is believed attached a note to the skull with the inscription “Musa Vetat Mori” – a promise to the future curator of the heisted skull of it’s supernatural protection: translated, the inscription reads: “The Muse Prevents Death”.

For a period of some 50 years, the skull of the classical icon Mozart could be found on display at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, who had first acquired, through confidential sources, the skull in 1902. It was later removed from display after public backlash due to its macabre nature – and the fact that the skull was said to haunt those who visited it. Although some damage to the skull, believed to have been caused pre-mortem have been linked to Mozart’s symptoms of headache and dizziness which were experienced by the composer during the final mysterious illness which prematurely took his life, later DNA tests, performed in 2006 (and which used DNA acquired from the cadavers of other members of the Mozart family for comparison) proved problematic. It’s not that the DNA of the alleged skull of Wolfgang Amadeus didn’t match with his kin per-sae – the test would show that the cadaverous members from which the scientists sourced familial DNA proved not to be Mozart DNA at all - opening up a huge can of worms and a giant question mark over the Mozart family tree.

To date, no one knows for certain the whereabouts of Mozart’s skull or whether the tale of it’s “absence” is purely one of folklore, and exhumation is not currently possible: to date, the memorial tablet at the St. Marx Cemetery is but a placeholder – Constanze herself (Mozart’s widow) failed to locate Mozart or his mass grave when she searched for her late husband some 17 years after his death.  A temporary gravestone (where the tablet now stands) was erected in 1855 by the Cemetery in a presumed – yet unconfirmed - location of the grave.

Footnotes:

^[1]The false science that suggested the cranial structure of man dictated both character and personality. Adherents to this now defunct ‘science’ believed the brain to be a segmented ‘organ of the mind’, with each segments (‘mental faculties’) size determined by an individual’s propensity and capacity to convey certain personality traits, which they believed would form on a relatively proportional basis, and which could then, in turn, be determined by the informed observer by “reading” the “bumps and fissures” of the skull.

Navigate the pages in the book below* to read just one of many fascinating treatises on the quack ‘science’ of Phrenology (this one by author Louis Allen Vaught, published in 1902) to learn more about what motivated grave robbers like Rosenbaum and medical ‘scientists’ in the 18th century:

*This book is part of the public domain and is shared legally.

-Rose.

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AUTHOR'S CHOICE: 4 SCHILLER-INSPIRED ARIAS Feat. DID YOU KNOW? ANOTHER MISSING SKULL & NAZI GERMANY

Scroll down to view my selections!

Today’s AUTHOR’S CHOICE entry is made in honor of 18th to early 19th century poet, playwright, historian and physician, Friedrich Schiller - arguably one of Germany’s greatest exports of political and philosophical minds, who also happens to hold the much coveted distinction of frequently sourced and internationally renowned contributors to art and authorship.

Schiller, who died this day on the 9th of may, 1805 at the tender age of 45, was a pioneer of the famed Weimar Classicism movement - producing a litany of his most beloved stage-plays in the late 18th - early 19th centuries.

Much like Schiller’s contemporary and close companion, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (who, alongside Schiller, became the most famous of the movement: Goethe would pen his famous Faust during this period), the German polymath would become one of Western Classical Music’s most favored authors on which to source material for constructing libretti (one could, in this instance, refer to Schiller as the German Shakespeare, although he operated at a far less output than the Bard and is thusly less sourced by comparison. It is highly probable Schiller would have continued writing, were it not for his untimely demise).

I have selected for the reader four of my favorite Schiller-inspired arias from the world of Opera, all of which are based on the works of this most revered master of Gestalt:


I) ELLA GIAMMAI M'AMO – DON CARLOS – GIUSEPPE VERDI
BASED ON: the play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien (Don Carlos, Infante of Spain; produced 1787) 

as sung by German Bass René Pape:

AUTHOR’S CHOICE: TOP 5 SHAKESPEARE-INSPIRED ARIAS, SONGS AND ORCHESTRAL MASTERPIECES

Scroll down to view my selections!

AUTHOR’S CHOICE!

As the literary and music world collectively commemorates the life of poet and playwright William Shakespeare, who left this earthly sphere 400 years ago today, unravelingmusicalmyths has selected for the reader 5 of the most beautiful and impacting arias and orchestral masterpieces inspired by the “Bard of Avon” from the world of classical music.^[1]

 

I) “AVE MARIA” OTELLO – GIUSEPPE VERDI

 

This 4-act opera based on Shakespeare’s “Othello” would be Verdi’s penultimate work in this arena. The musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play would also be one of fellow composer Arigo Boito’s crowning achievements as librettist for the opera.

I have selected for this aria an early recording from a young Anna Netrebko. I far prefer a more mature Netrebko with a richer, fuller voice, but in this recording, her lighter vocal lustre somehow seems to work for Desdemona as she begins to pray to the Holy Mother a tender lament:

II) “HOW SWEET THE MOONLIGHT” – THE MERCHANT OF VENICE – JOCELYN POOK

 

REGINA MORTUA EST, VIVAT REX CAROLUS! KING CHARLES III's LOVE AFFAIR WITH PARRY

In honor of King Charles III's proclamation as Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the Commonwealth, I dedicate below to his countrymen and women and to the citizens of the Territories a piece of special historical significance - not only to the British Crown but to King Charles himself - the setting of the choral introit "I was Glad" set by Sir Hubert Hastings Parry. 

The new sovereign has long been vocal of his deep admiration for the choral piece and for its composer - whom he often refers to as his favorite, and as somewhat of an 'unsung hero' of sorts in the realm of British classical music. His Majesty first heard Parry's anthem performed at the tender age of four whilst the then-Prince bore witness to the coronation of his late mother, the former Queen and Head of State, Elizabeth II in 1953. 

Parry's musical setting of Psalm 122 (verses 1–3, 6 and 7)^[1] has long been embedded in history of the House of Windsor (fr. Saxe-Coburg and Gotha): Parry originally wrote his version of the anthem for the coronation of Charles' great-great-grandfather, Edward VII in 1902, and it has been used in every coronation since, even making an appearance at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine 'Kate' Middleton at Westminster Abbey in 2011. 

Speaking of the occasion in the documentary The Prince and the Composer: A Film about Hubert Parry by HRH The Prince of Wales (presented by Charles himself) the royal remarked:

 "If you're coming into the abbey and you have to walk up the aisle, and there are an awful lot of people peering at you, some pieces of music literally do waft you up the aisle and it's so marvellous that you're sort of carried along on this wave of music. And that's what I think is so brilliant about this piece, giving you all those tingles up the spine and tears in the eyes...It has an extraordinary capacity to lift the spirits, this particular piece of music. It's timeless, really, isn't it?" 

Because of its association with the coronations of British monarchs, the "vivat(s)" section of the score (Latin for "Long live..." (the King/Queen)) was/is forbidden to be sung by the Queen's/King's scholars of Westminster School if the anthem is not performed during a coronation. Instead, the choir is simply instructed to bypass this section (the redacted version of Parry's anthem was famously heard at the aforementioned nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton). 

In 1902, Parry wrote vivats for both King Edward and Queen Alexandria: "Vivat Regina Alexandra, vivat Regina...vivat Rex Eduardus.." ("Long live King Edward...Long live Queen Alexandra.") 

For Elizabeth II's coronation, there was only one vivat, in custom with British tradition, in which the husband of a Queen may not be styled as King as he has not inherited the throne (while the wife of a King, however, may be styled Queen Consort). It is this truncated version that a young Charles heard during the coronation of his "darling mama" from his seat in the gallery alongside the Queen Mum and his Auntie (Princess Margaret). Cries of "Vivat Regina! Vivat Regina Elizabetha!" (Long live the Queen! Long Live Queen Elizabeth!) would have echoed throughout Westminster Abbey and into the future King's ears.

Above: Vivat for Queen Elizabeth II, performed during Her Majesty's coronation in 1953 (begins at 3:08)

This custom means that King Charles' Queen Consort, Camilla, could be included in a new vivat, in addition to the King's (which will likely be sung as "Vivat Rex Carolus"). 

As Camilla is already the female equivalent of the Roman Camillus, she may be referred to as Regina Camilla, however this - and her inclusion in the revised anthem - remains to be seen, should His Majesty opt to carry on in the tradition of his royal predecessors by selecting the anthem of his favorite composer for his own coronation.

Below: Vivat for Queen Elizabeth II, with score, performed during Her Majesty's coronation in 1953 (Vivat begins at 3:40)

Footnotes:  

^[1]from the psalter found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

 -Rose.

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IN MEMORIAM: QUEEN ELIZABETH II (APRIL 21, 1926 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022)

 

Above: a touching tribute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II by Sky News 

As millions of Britons, citizens of the Commonwealth, and others around the globe mourn the loss of Elizabeth II, I have come to reflect upon my former Head of State with a sense of bittersweet splendour - pained that Her Majesty is no longer with us, yet, altogether marveled by the memories of her glorious reign, stamina, and poise. 

For as long as I have lived, Queen Elizabeth II has been somewhat omnipresent in my life. I fancied myself quite the numismatist and philatelist in my most tender years - I am a citizen born into the commonwealth twice over: as a Canadian by birth, and as the daughter of an immigrant from the then-commonwealth state of Hong Kong. 

It was during these formative years that my young mind became fascinated by the striking portraits of our Head of State, ever evolving throughout those very impressionable phases of my own life: from youth, to teenagehood, to womanhood. I saw her increasingly aging visage everywhere throughout the years as my past times seamlessly moulded themselves into a deep passion for history - both Canadian, and British. 

It was the profile, and the face of Elizabeth, embossed on the faces of coins and printed on the surfaces of stamps from all over the world, that piqued my curiosity. I wanted to know more about this woman who seemed to dominate swathes of nations of varying tongues: who she was, and what she meant to my country and to our British cousins. That curiosity led me down the path of studying Canadian and European history, and later - and perhaps most naturally - to the music that helped pave the path toward our shared freedoms, as our ancestors fought in battle to create, in my humble opinion, one of - if not the - greatest nation in the world. As I became more embedded in my studies, I both marveled over and embraced the legacies of the composers who performed in battle long before Elizabeth's conception. I learned of the propagandists and musically inclined courtiers who so crucially and cleverly manipulated, supported, and volleyed their way through the upper echelons of the British state. In many ways, it was an early lesson in psychology and an invaluable teaching of the cunning use (and misuse) of music for purposes of political persuasion and domination.

Though Great Britain's distant past may be marred by undeniable bloodshed, where kings were made kings on the battlefield, and men became men through daring and chivalric conquests, the reign and life of Elizabeth was different. Having both served in, and survived the Second World War and having acceded to the throne whilst arguably still a child herself - at the tender age of 25 - her role was that of a peaceful monarch: a consistently present and poised ruler who never appeared to take for granted the rich (albeit often gritty) historical past which would end up making her unprecedented 70-year long reign possible. 

Her Majesty shunned the methods of her royal predecessors, opting instead to shy away from public conflict by holding close to her breast matters of both personal and political affairs. She put forward a mask of neutrality in an ever changing, not always friendly world. 

Music and musicians of (and associated with) the court became less thought of as mere political pawns but rather allowed to triumph in their own right: during her reign, the so-called 'Land without Music' - England's status as a musical mecca having waned in popularity since the triumphant days of the English Renaissance - once more became resplendent as the likes of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arnold Bax, William Walton, and Edward Elgar introduced to a new generation a majestic, and regal shift from the ever embellished icons of English composers past (men like Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, Henry Purcell, and German-turned-naturalised citizen, George Frederic Handel). 

Full of fanfare, stateliness, pomp and circumstance, swathes of musicians (and even non-musicians) the world over would soon recognize the sound of British royalty in the new Elizabethan age, and envision in their minds images of the resplendent Queen in her chariot, as regal and dignified as the compositions which flourished throughout her reign.

Above: Vaughan Williams' grand ceremonial arrangement of the sixteenth-century hymn "The Old Hundredth", performed at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 2 June 1953 Westminster Abbey, London (preceded by fanfare)

To the very end, Her Majesty remained poised even throughout the dishonours inflicted upon her by those who attempted to corrupt a legacy of leadership - one in which our beloved Sovereign had managed to rule for some seven decades with a refined reticence. It was this sense of stoic disposition which had so notably garnered the admiration and awe of all those who met her, from world leaders to subjects alike. 

There is something to be said for this level of personal conviction. Throughout the numerous traumas Elizabeth faced, particularly over the course of the past several years, her stamina and resolve proved to all of those who supported her that silence speaks volumes, that privacy is a virtue, and that dignity over historical savagery and present day insolence will always triumph in the end. 

Her Majesty vowed to work until the end of her days, and she has honored her oath. Having seldom wavered from her steely-faced, yet gentle resolve, she will be remembered as a ruler of sound mind, a connoisseur of political adroitness, and as a woman of extraordinary courage, strength, and heart. 

With condolences to all those who mourn the loss of Her Majesty, including the working members of the Royal family. 

God Save the Queen. 

Long Live King Charles III.

See more: St Paul's Service of Thanksgiving to Honour the Queen

-Rose.

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MAKING HISTORY: FEBRUARY 9 2016 - LATINUM EXQUISITUS

King Henry VIII of England
Musicologists, Tudor Enthusiasts and Theologians! Mark Tuesday February 9, 2016 in your calendar of awesome historical events!

Today, at Hampton Court Palace, for the first time in almost 450 years, a small number of very lucky attendees (some 350, who applied via ballot) at the Palace’s Chapel Royal heard sung the first Catholic Service at the royal chapel (according to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and as such performed largely in the Latin tongue), since it’s turbulent fallout following King Henry VIII’s infamous break from Rome in 1534 and it’s fickle presence (and absence) throughout the reigns of his children, the future monarchs Edward VI (a Protestant), Mary I (unshakably Catholic), and Elizabeth I (the last of the Tudor dynasty, whose neutral approach to religion and it’s music we have recently discussed here on unravelingmusicalmyths.blogspot.ca).

The Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace.

According to the Chapel Royal’s official press release in January 2016, the service of Vespers was slated to be “celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols…includ[ing] a sermon from… the Bishop of London…” in “an unprecedented coming together of Catholic and Anglican churches on... a historically important site."

This monumental occasion was formed to mark the 500th anniversary of the Hampton Court Palace, and to help bring awareness to the upcoming half-millenium mark since the onset of the Reformation.

The historic event also featured an informative discussion (prior to the service) in The Great Hall  that covered the role and absence of Catholic Services as it relates to the Monarchy during the era of the Tudors right through to the modern age.

WHAT WAS SUNG:

music included works from the Composers Thomas Tallis: Magnificat; William Cornysh: Salve Regina; and John Taverner: "Leroy" Kyrie

 
              Thomas Tallis, Magnificat                   William Cornysh, Salve Regina                John Taverner, “Leroy” Kyrie


Read more (external links):

• OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
• THE GUARDIAN ARTICLE (POST SERVICE) February 9, 2016
• BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS FROM THE HISTORIC SERVICE & NEWS ARTICLE
• A DETAILED TIMELINE OF HENRY VIII'S BREAK FROM ROME 

-Rose.

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HISTORY MADE / QUOTE OF THE DAY: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 - CELEBRATING TERROR WITH GRIEG

Sir John A. Franklin

After nearly two centuries of query, search and indefatigable hope, the second of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated vessels, the HMS Terror has been found in a Nunavut Bay (appropriately named "Terror Bay") some 92 km South of it’s long assumed burial site (believed to have been somewhere under the frigid waters of King William Island and Victoria Island in Canada’s Arctic Archipelago) by private charitable organization The Arctic Research Foundation.

The historic find comes just two years after it’s sister ship, the HMS Erebus was located in Canadian waters on the second of September 2014 by a Parks Canada team headed by Ryan Harris and Marc-André Bernier as part of the nation’s effort “to reinforce Canada's claims regarding sovereignty over large portions of the Arctic.”^[1]

The present find, and that of the HMS Erebus in 2014 has huge implications in the annals of both Canadian and British history (Franklin was English) and the modern interpretation of Franklin’s doomed route across the frigid waters of the Great White North that had led the Naval Officer to pursue a brave effort to smash though (i.e. to complete) a crossing of the Northwest Passage.
 

The Expedition Entering Baffin Bay in Search of John Franklin
- Stuart Henry Bell, 1850.

The Erebus, commanded by James Fitzjames under Sir John Franklin, and the Terror, by fellow British Naval Officer Francis Crozier (also under Franklin), failed to achieve it’s mission when both vessels famously became ensconced in the unforgiving icy waters of the Canadian North, forcing crews (some 105 remaining explorers of an original crew of 129) to navigate on foot – braving harsh weather, fatigue and starvation – perhaps even succumbing to cannibalism in a brazen attempt to survive – as they unsuccessfully sought out a trading post via the Back River, many hundreds of miles to the South.

All men would succumb to the elements, exhaustion and disease (pneumonia and tuberculosis); the unforeseen divergence had already taxed the rationed supply of food, giving way to scurvy. 20th century expeditions to retrace Franklin’s mission led by Canadian anthropologist Owen Beattie in the 1980’s would also reveal certain crew members had suffered the pain and psychosis brought about by botulism – courtesy of poorly sealed tin cans laced with the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and lead poisoning - the key ingredient used to solder the poorly sealed cans.

The precise location of each wreck – kept under lock and seal for preservation and to avoid looting – has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada, thus granting the country a further stronghold over disputable autonomous regions in the North.

Learn more about the historic discovery and the “pristine” condition of the Terror (includes exciting footage of the wreck!) by viewing the news segment below and by perusing the links that follow:

(External links):

• HMS TERROR FOUND: at CBC 
• HMS EREBUS FOUND: at The Star

Afterthoughts: 

What a time to be alive! I was just but 10 years old when I first ‘discovered’ the ill-fated tale of the doomed Franklin Expedition. There I was: a little girl-bibliophile, enthusiastically perusing the latest Scholastic inventory when I stumbled upon the synopsis for Owen Beattie’s “Buried in Ice: The Mystery of a Lost Arctic Expedition.”

John Torrington, discovered by Beattie's team in 1984.

Noble men, a brave endeavor, man’s perseverance, and his fragility – in pioneering, camaraderie, disease, tragedy – death – what was not to love? I set my eyes on the frozen cadaver of John Torrington – inset on the book’s cover – grim, perhaps – fascinating – you bet! There Torrington lay, perfectly preserved in his blue striped tunic, his expression denoting a peaceful oblivion spent submerged under frigid waters – Canada’s waters – MY waters – and I knew right then and there, I was to be a student of history - and the fate of this man and that of his comrades has both mesmerized and fascinated me ever since. 

But it didn't stop there. Beattie’s ‘expedition’ piqued my curiosity far beyond a mere historical aspect as I became navigator, peeling through page after page – only to close the back flap and start once more from the beginning. I would come across the cadavers of shipmates John Hartnell and William Braine – both in equally pristine condition, and I began to marvel at the preservation of man and the persistence of nature, even long after death.

As I read about scurvy and the rat infestation that had plagued both ships, it became immediately clear to me that when pressed and taxed to the utmost extreme, the human body – engendered by an emboldened spirit – could be quite capable of superhuman strength, and astonishing ability.

Somewhere along the way, my interests in history, anatomy and remarkable human feat would bring me into the realm of classical music and opera – not just through the shared enormous physical and emotional effort it requires, but via it’s equally rich history: it’s association with Kings and Conquerors, it’s presence in times of war and times of détente, it’s dogged quest for Nationalism, recognition, remembrance – and above all, for it’s ingenuity, it’s perseverance over generations past, and the richly rewarding future it’s history will bestow upon generations to come.

With the Erebus, and now the Terror, once more laying claim to our collective conscience, I am reminded of the spirit of those brave men, who, much like personal favorite composers like Wagner and Mozart, courageously sought dominance over uncharted waters – and who, while preternaturally meeting an untimely and most unfortunate demise – have absolutely conquered though the eyes of posterity.

What a truly prosperous day for Canada and the Commonwealth!

Today's Quote of the Day is perfectly suited for capturing the essence of this proud historical event, and comes to us courtesy of Edvard Grieg.* Celebrate the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror with a recording of the lustrous Solveig’s Sang - incidental music penned by the composer for Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play Peer Gynt. (Barbara Bonney Soprano): 

“The winter may pass and the spring disappear
The summer too will vanish and then the year
But this I know for certain: you'll come back again
And even as I promised you'll find me waiting then...”

- *text by Henrik Ibsen. From Solveig's Sang (Song), Peer Gynt, Edvard Grieg

Footnotes:

^[1] Source (quote) Wikipedia: HMS Erebus (1826)

-Rose.

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