The Abduction from the Seraglio, or, The Abduction from the Harem/Brothel was Mozart’s first important German opera. Of course, Mozart had done other operas in German, but this was his first big-hit. The Abduction from the Seraglio was brought into play partly by the success of Idomeneo, King of Crete in Munich, and also from the determined efforts of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II; Joseph II wanted to establish a German opera in Vienna, probably because of the snobbery of having operas in languages other than one’s own home language! No, actually, Viennese audiences preferred the musically sophisticated Italian opera to the usually crudely conducted German plays whose dialogue was interspersed with simple little songs. (Remind anyone of The Magic Flute!) Read the rest of this Composition »
Hildegard von Bingen was a fascinating historical figure. She was an exceptional woman and a noted polymath. A polymath is a person with encyclopedic knowledge who excells in almost anything she/he pursues. She was a mystic and visionary of wondrous proportion, a composer, an artist, an herbalist, an author, a counselor, a linguist, a naturalist, a scientist, a physician, a philosopher, a poet, and an activist. She is the first known composer with an existing biography. One of her works, the Ordo Virtutum, has been called the first form, and possibly the origin, of opera. She wrote theological, botanical, and medicinal texts, as well as letters, liturgical songs, poems, and the first surviving morality play.
She was an 11th century Renaissance woman! I would also add that Hildegard was a feminist icon to that list, but that would be adding a modern concept to an ancient time. Nevertheless, I think it’s fair to assume that Hildegard herself knew how intelligent and powerful she was in a time when women’s scope was so narrow.
Hildegard von Bingen, also known as Blessed Hildegard or Saint Hildegard, was a German abbess of a large convent in 11th century Germany. She was placed into a convent by her family as a young girl and was known to have intense visions at a very early age. Hildegard’s first recollection as a youth was about a vision, where she propounded upon a vision she had with such detail, that her family and community were amazed. Her visions were recorded by an anchoress named Jutta (who was her teacher) and her lifelong secretary and scribe, Volmar. Hildegard described her visions as fantastic and luminous. According to well-known neurologist Oliver Sacks, her visions are a classic example of extraordinary imagery preceding a migraine. Dr. Sacks says in his book, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, that Hildegard’s “visions were instrumental in directing her towards a life of holiness and mysticism. They provide a unique example of the manner in which a physiological event, banal, hateful or meaningless to the vast majority of people, can become, in a privileged consciousness, the substrate of a supreme ecstatic inspiration.”
She composed music based on her visions. Her known compositions - that is, the ones that still physically exist - are numerous considering how little we have from the Middle Ages period. Her compositions vary in subject matter, ranging from 43 antiphons, 18 responsories, 4 hymns and 7 sequences, 2 symphonies (for virgin and widows) and three unique pieces (Alleluia, Kyrie and O viridissima virga) for a total of 77 works.
Today, January 27th, 2008, is the 252nd birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Or, as I like to call him, my Motzie! I threw an early Mozart birthday party last night, where I got together with my fiancee and a friend for some drinks (which Mozart would have appreciated), delicious food and some Amadeus watchin.
We had a blast, and I got to answer some cursory Mozart questions to our guest and my fiancee. Anywhere from “was Mozart buried in an unmarked grave like a pauper?” to “did Mozart really have a silly laugh like that?” I will get to these questions later. As an added gesture and a general fanaticism towards Mozart, my fiancee and I had another little shindig where we watched Mozart’s opera Die Entfuerung auf dem Seraglio (The Abduction from the Seraglio) and drank some more New Glarus Raspberry alcohol.
I have been throwing Mozart birthday parties since I knew the movie Amadeus existed. When I was 11 years old, Read the rest of this Composition »