Paul Bowles' "Road to Morocco"

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Paul Bowles (1910 – 1999) Suite and Concerto for Two Pianos EOS Ensemble; Jonathan Sheffer, cond. BMG/Catalyst 68409

On This Day

Births

• 1786 - frequently cited birthdate of German composer Carl Maria Von Weber, in Eutin, Oldenburg (the exact date is not certain);

• 1836 - British playwright Sir William Schwenck Gilbert, in London; Gilbert provided most of the witty librettos for the famous operettas of Sir Arthur Sullivan;

• 1895 - Russian composer and pianist Sergei Liapunov (Lyapunov), in Yaroslavl (Gregorian date: Nov. 30);

• 1860 - Polish composer, piano virtuoso, and statesman, Ignace Jan Paderewski, in Kurylowka, Podolia/Russian Poland(see Julian date: Nov. 6);

• 1909 - American song writer and lyricist Johnny Mercer, in Savannah, Ga.;

Deaths

• 1953 - American composer and American folksong compiler, Ruth Crawford (Seeger), age 52, in Chevy Chase, Md.; She was the step-mother of the famous folk singer Peter Seeger;

• 1999 - American composer and author Paul Bowles, age 88, in Tangier, Morocco;

Premieres

• 1875 - Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3 in c, Op. 60, in Vienna, by the Hellmesberger Quartet, with the composer at the piano;

• 1877 - Tchaikovsky: “Variations on a Rococo Theme,” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Nov. 30);

• 1883 - Dvorak: "Husitska" Overture at the opening of the Czech National Theater in Prague;

• 1891 - Tchaikovsky: symphonic balled "The Voyevode" in Moscow (Julian date: Nov. 6);

• 1953 - Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 6, by the Louisville Orchestra in Kentucky;

• 1968 - Paul Creston: Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, in Montevallo, Alabama;

Others

• 1741 - Handel arrives in Dublin for an extended stay, involving a number of concerts in the Irish capital, including the premiere of his latest oratorio "Messiah" the following Spring (Gregorian date: Nov. 29);

• 1928 - Mickey Mouse debuts in "Steamboat Willie," in New York; This was the first animated cartoon with synchronized pre-recorded sound effects and music -- the latter provided by organist and composer Carl Stalling of Kansas City; Stalling would later provide memorial music for many classic Warner Brothers cartoons;