Strauss gets tossed in the deep end

Synopsis

In 1880, when Hans von Bülow was put in charge of the Meiningen Court Orchestra, exciting things happened. He quickly shaped it into one of Europe's elite ensembles, and invited the big guns of the day, Wagner and Brahms, for collaborations and premieres. Von Bülow also had an eye for emerging talent, and included a Serenade for Winds in E-Flat written by an 18-year-old composer named Richard Strauss in his orchestra’s repertory.

Von Bülow asked Strauss to compose another serenade for winds, and invited the now 21-year old to conduct its premiere performance on today’s date in 1884. That was the good news. The bad news was that just before the premiere of this new Serenade in B-Flat, Bülow’s Orchestra was on tour, so Strauss no rehearsal time. Though he had never picked up a baton in his life, it was too good an opportunity to miss. "I conducted my piece in a state of slight coma,” recalled Strauss. “I can only remember today that I made no blunders."

Von Bülow hadn’t blundered either. His faith in Strauss as a composer AND conductor proved prophetic, and his teaching method—similar to the “throw the kid in the deep end and he’ll learn to swim” method—proved successful. Strauss became both a sought-after composer AND conductor.

Music Played in Today's Program

Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949) Suite in Bb for Winds, Op. 4

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;