Synopsis
Today we have a letter to read, written by Mozart in the middle of May in the year 1778. Mozart was in Paris, 22 years old, and had this to say to his father back in Salzburg:
“I think I told you in my last letter,” wrote Mozart, “that the Duc de Guines plays the flute extremely well, and that his daughter is my pupil in composition. She also plays the harp magnifique. She has a great deal of talent, even genius, and in particular a marvelous memory so that she can play all her pieces, actually about 200, by heart. It is, however, extremely doubtful as to whether she has any talent for composition, especially as regards invention or ideas.”
The Duc de Guines was the former French ambassador to London and believed by Mozart's father to be in the inner circle of the French Queen Marie Antoinette, and hence a contact well worth cultivating. De Guines commissioned Mozart to write a double concerto for himself on flute and daughter on harp. Mozart complied with a courtly Concerto in C Major. Four months after delivering the music, Mozart had to report to his father that he still hadn't seen any payment for his efforts!
Music Played in Today's Program
W.A. Mozart (1756 - 1791) Concerto for Flute and Harp, K. 299 Emmanuel Pahud, flute; Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp; Berlin Philharmonic; Claudio Abbado, conductor. EMI 57128
On This Day
Births
1931 - American composer Donald James Martino, in Plainfield, N.J.;
Deaths
1910 - Russian composer Mily Balakirev (Gregorian date: May 29);
Premieres
1726 - Handel: opera "Alessandro" (Julian date: May 5);
1889 - Massenet: opera "Esclarmonde" at the Paris Opéra;
1948 - Quincy Porter: Viola Concerto, in New York City;
1948 - Wallingford Rieger: Symphony No. 3, in New York City;
1966 - Ralph Shapey: "Rituals," in Chicago;
1966 - Villa-Lobos: Sinfonia No. 9, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;
1969 - Cage: "HPSCHD," for amplified harpsichord and 51 tapes, in Urbana, Ill.;
1971 - Britten: opera "Owen Wingrave," as a telecast on BBC-TV in England and NET (National Educational Television) in the United States;
1972 - Jaocb Druckman: "Windows" for orchestra, by the Chicago Symphony; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1972;
1974 - Bernstein: ballet "Dybbuk," by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, with choreography by Jerome Robbins and the composer conducting;
1991 - Joan Tower: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting;
Others
1792 - The Teatro la Fenice ("The Phoenix") opens in Venice;
1888 - Emile Berliner gives the first public display of his invention, the flat gramophone disk, at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
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About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.
