Hector Berlioz, famed French composer born this day in 1803. Also born in France as well, too. In 1803. He composed most of the works of Berlioz, including Symphonie Fantastique, which is pronounced "Cym-fo-knee Phan-tahs-TIC-TIc-Tic-tic-tic....."
Today in musical history
Famous composers' birthdays and fantastic facts about them (molto emphasis on fantastic, non troppo emphasis on facts). If you want to know something worthwhile about your favorite composer, well then, you're on-line--go look them up. Otherwise, if you just want to kill time, click away here.
Claudio Monteverdi born in 1567, which means he is celebrating his, um, er, well, he was born a LONG time ago, which makes him an early composer, even though he is the LATE Claudio Monteverdi. He also has the dubious distinction of being the composer most often mistaken for a vacation spot, as in:
Stevie Wonder's birthday! OMG, where would pop music be today without that gold standard song Superstition, held up as a shining beacon of everything noble and seaworthy in a pop single, that rates 113 out of 100? Hyperbole? Yes! Exaggeration? No! Contradiction? Maybe!
Johannes Kepler announced his harmonics law today in 1618. It immediately went planetum. He later released it in his greatest hits album, Harmonice Mundi (latin for I hate Mondays).
The Beach Boys' eleventh album, Pet Sounds, is released on this day in 1966. This is such an easy target for silly comments that I'm not even going to bother.
Erik Alfred Satie born in 1866. He of the lovely, light, minimalistic pieces. Every time I play his Gymnopedie #1 in public, every time, someone comes up and says, "Will you please turn your sound down?" Er, no, wait, that's not the phrase to which I was referring.
Miles Davis, one of the GOJs (Giants of Jazz) born today. If born in a country that uses the metric system, his first name might have been Kilometer. Or not.
The Monterey Pop Festival of 1968 was cancelled in, um, let's think.....1968! So the MPF did NOT happen on this day, but its NOT happening DID happen, Or put another way, its not happening is what did happen, as opposed to its happening, which did not happen. Is that clear ?
Quick! Name that riff:
bah bah baah
bah bah ba-baah
bah bah baah bah bah
That's right! Smoke on the Water released by Deep Purple in 1975. I know a lot of teen and younger guitar player wannabees (I teach guitar), and they ALL still want to play that riff! It's older than their parents!