Herschel Looks Up

Synopsis

Today is the birthday of a quite remarkable 18th century British composer, Sir William Herschel, who was born in Hannover, Germany, on this date in 1738.

Herschel’s father was a regimental oboist, and young William himself eventually joined papa’s regimental band… also as an oboist. In his early 20s he settled in England, originally entrusted with improving performing standards of the Durham Militia Band, he soon was teaching music to some of the wealthy British families in that area. As a performing musician, Herschel was active in Newcastle, Leeds, Halifax and Bath, and in time became a prominent figure on the music scene, attracting the attention of the Royal Family.

He composed 24 symphonies and a number of concertos, including this one in C Major for oboe and orchestra.

In addition to music, however, Herschel had a passion for astronomy, and, beginning in the 1770s, concentrated more and more of his attention on scientific matters. In 1781, he discovered the planet Uranus, a feat that made him famous throughout Europe.

Herschel was named “Astronomer Royal” to the British crown and given a pension that enabled him to give up music and devote himself entirely to astronomy. Haydn, during his stay in England, paid Herschel a visit to take a peek through his impressive 40-foot telescope. Herschel was knighted in 1817, and became the first president of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1821. He died the following year, in 1822, at the age of 83.

Music Played in Today's Program

William Herschel (1738 – 1822) Oboe Concerto in C Richard Woodhams, oboe; The Mozart Orchestra; Davis Jerome, cond. Newport Classic 85612

Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934) Uranus, from The Planets Philharmonia Orchestra; Simon Rattle, cond. EMI 9513

On This Day

Births

• 1738 - German-English composer, oboist, and astronomer (Sir) William Herschel, in Hannover;

• 1934 - English composer, pianist and organist Peter Dickinson, in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire;

Deaths

• 1787 - German-Bohemian composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, age 73, in Vienna;

• 1986 - Polish-born French composer Alexandre Tansman, age 89, in Paris;

Premieres

• 1732 - Handel: opera “Catone” in London (see Julian date: Nov. 4);

• 1807 - first public performance of Beethoven: Symphony No. 4, at a benefit concert for charities (The very first performance had been in March of the same year at private concert underwritten by the aristocracy and performed at the palace of Prince Lobkowitz, one of Beethoven's patrons);

• 1832 - Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 ("Reformation") in Berlin;

• 1903 - d'Albert: opera "Tiefland" (The Lowlands) (1st version), in Prague at the New German Theater;

• 1909 - Vaughan Williams: song-cycle, "On Wenlock Edge," in London;

• 1920 - Holst: orchestral suite, "The Planets," Queen's Hall, London, conductor Albert Coates (first public performance);

• 1927 - Jerome Kern: musical "Show Boat," in Washington, D.C.;

• 1930 - Stravinsky: "Symphony of Psalms," in Brussels (see also Dec 13, 1930);

• 1974 - Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15, in Leningrad, by the Taneyev Quartet;

• 1974 - William Grant Still: opera "Bayou Legend," by Opera South in Jackson, Miss.;

• 1983 - John Harbison: "Mirabai Songs" (to poems of Mirabai, translated by Robert Bly), at Emmanuel Church in Boston, by soprano Susan Larson and pianist Craig Smith; A chamber orchestra version of this song cycle premiered in Cambridge, Mass., on Feb. 1, 1984;

• 2001 - Michael Daugherty: "Philadelphia Stories," at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Zinman, conducting;

• 2002 - Jake Heggie: “Holy the Firm,” for cello and orchestra, at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, Calif., by the Oakland East Bay Symphony conducted by Michael Morgan, with Emil Miland the soloist;

Others

• 1926 - First broadcast of a music program on the NBC radio network, featuring the New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch, the New York Oratorio Society, and the Goldman Band, with vocal soloists Mary Garden and Tito Ruffo, and pianist Harold Bauer;

• 1989 - Leonard Bernstein refused a National Medal of the Arts from President George Bush in protest against revoked NEA funding for a New York City exhibit on AIDS;