Thankful for November Piano Composers

 

In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated in November. It is a time to be thankful, and we can be thankful for several pianists and composers who were born in November. Here are a few of them.

Francois Couperin was born on November 10, 1668, in Paris, and died there. He is the most well known musician among his musically talented family. He first became an organist like his father, and composed for that instrument. Later he composed for the harpsichord, and wrote a manual on how to play the harpsichord.

Alexander Borodin was born on November 12, 1833, in St. Petersburg, and died there. Borodin was a cellist and is best known for his symphonies, although he also wrote for the piano. Nevertheless, music was more of a hobby, as he was a doctor and chemist, particularly in organic chemistry.

Anton Rubinstein was born on November 28, 1829, in Podolsk, Russia, and died in Petergof (Russia). He was a virtuoso pianist; among his achievements was playing seven concerts that covered the history of piano music. He wrote many piano works, and was a successful teacher—including teaching composition to Tchaikovsky.

Aaron Copland was born on November 14, 1900, in New York City and died there. He has been called the Dean of American composers because his compositions evoke American landscapes and pioneer spirit. Many of his works “speak” the vernacular of America. Hie composed in many genres: from ballet to film scores, along with piano scores. He was also a professional teacher and pianist.

Benjamin Britten was born on November 22, 1913, in Lowestoft, UK. Britten composed for orchestras, chamber groups, the piano, and vocal groups. He was particularly interested in composing for children and amateur performers, for which his opera Noye’s Fludde is the most famous. Britten was also a celebrated pianist.

Who know what young person born in November of the 21^st century will become a famous pianist and composer, who will be thanked by future audiences and musicians?

 

November Piano Composers

Tomoko asserts that pianists should get acquainted with the composers of the piano pieces they are performing. Fall for these ten great piano composers who were born in November.

November 2, 1729: Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf was an Austrian violinist and composer for several instruments, including the piano. He was a friend of Mozart and Haydn.

November 6, 1860: Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish music teacher and composer; he was also an internationally popular piano performer. He served as Poland’s prime minister in World War I, and signed the Treaty of Versailles.

November 7, 1810: Ferenc Erkel was a Hungarian pianist and composer. He is known as the father of Hungarian opera, and composed Hungary’s national anthem.

November 11, 1668: Francois Couperin was a French Baroque composer and organist. His most famous books was The Art of Harpsichord Playing, and he composed four volumes of harpsichord music.

November 14, 1900: Aaron Copland was an American composition teacher and conductor, and well as being called the Dean of American Composers. He is known for his populate style.

November 22, 1913: Benjamin Britten. One of Tomoko’s favorite composers, Britten was an English pianist, conductor and composer. Besides writing operas, he wrote solo pieces. He was also interested in writing music for children, the most notable piece being Noye’s Fludde.

November 24, 1868: Scott Joplin was an African American pianist and composer. He has been called the King of Ragtime, and considered this musical genre a form of classical music.

November 25, 1785: Franz Gruber was a German organist and composer. He is best known as the composer of Silent Night.

November 25, 1897: Virgil Thompson was an American    He studied piano at Harvard, and composed for that instrument – as well as composed operas and film music. He was awarded that National Medal of Arts by President Reagan.

November 28, 1829: Anton Rubinstein was a Russian performing pianist, conductor and composer.  He was also Tchaikovsky’s composition teacher. 

The Music of Rain

 

Tomoko appreciates nature, and can hear its music in the wind and rain. Many composers whom Tomoko enjoys have also been inspired by the rain, as the following classical works demonstrate.

Chopin was supposedly moved by a dream in which he was drowning – or by rain falling on his roof – to write his Prelude Opus 20 No. 15: “Raindrop Prelude.”

Debussy leveraged new advances in the piano in his work Estampes: “Gardens in the Rain” as he employed new types of finger to capture the rapidity and frenetic sound of spring showers.

Schubert’s Winterreise: “Flood” is based on Wilhelm Muller’s poems of loneliness journeying across a stormy landscape. The piece combines piano and voice to set the desolate tone.

Also employing piano and voice, Grieg’s Six Songs: “Spring Rain” shows how falling chords can imitate cascading raindrops.

Britten’s Canticle III: “Still Falls the Rain” uses piano, horn and tenor to express the stormy horrors of London’s Blitz war. More well known is Britten’s opera for children Noye’s Fludde, which includes sound effects for rain.

We all need a little rain to appreciate the sunshine. And we can enjoy the rain more with these piano pieces.

Summery Piano

 

Piano playing knows no season. However, any season has more flavor when savored by playing a seasonal piano piece. Here are ten evocative summery pieces to enjoy.

Benjamin Britten: Holiday Diary. An evocative seaside holiday

Claude Debussy. “Voiles” from Preludes Book 1. A sensory musical expression of breezy sails

Gabriel Fauré. Three Songs, Opus 18 No. 1 “Nell.”: an art song with the sun as a recurring symbol

Edvard Grieg. Lyric Pieces, Book 10 Opus 71, No. 2 “Summer Evening”: A quick sketch of a tranquil Norwegian summer evening

Ernest Moeran. Summer Valley: A pastoral sense of Britain and Ireland

Francis Poulenc. Napoli: A three-movement suite that captures the spirit of an Italian summer evening

Ned Rorem. End of Summer: A chamber piece for piano, clarinet and violin that expresses the sensitivity of summer’s end

William Grant Still. “Summerland”: an almost mesmerizing summer day on the plains

Joseph Suk. A Summer’s Tale, Opus 29: a tone poem of a moody summer day

Pyotr Tchaikovsky. “June,” Barcarolle from The Seasons: sixth of a 12-movement piano piece;it depicts a gondola ride

Bringing in Summer on a Tune

 

Summer is a great time to travel, and Tomoko has enjoyed traveling since she was a young woman. Now with the pandemic, it is harder to travel, but Tomoko can enjoy summer travel through the piano pieces she enjoys performing. Many composers of those pieces were inspired by their own travels and sense of place. Here is a sampling to explore.

Probably one of the first thematic piano pieces that might come to mind is George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” which was written for his opera Porgy and Bess. Its tone and pacing reflect a lazy, jazzy afternoon in the South.

Benjamin Britten’s four-part suite of piano pieces, “Ravel’s “Mirrors” (Op. 5), reflects his boyhood pre-war memories of the British seaside where he lived. The lively melody captures summer holiday life with a celebratory movement, stormy sailing, and nighttime peacefulness.  

Claude Debussy’s prelude “Voiles (Veils or Sails)” reminds one of summer breezes, either on land or sea. Its tonality ranges from veiled mystery to bright open sails.

Franz Liszt’s  three-suite set “Années de Pelerinage (Pilgrimage Years)” was inspired by his visits to the Swiss Alps. The piece paints a Romantic picture of flora and fauna as well as still and running water.

Ernest Moeran’s pastoral “Summer Valley” refers to British and Irish landscapes. While he himself lived a creative and lively existence at that time, this composition reflects a more peaceful mood.

Maurice Ravel’s “Mirrors” evokes the impressionistic sound of the ocean, especially movement #3 “A boat on the Ocean.” It is considered one of his three water-themed masterpieces.

Francis Poulenc’s three-movement suite “Napoli” was written during his visit to Italy. The piece certainly plays an homage to Italian barcarolle and caprice. The music’s color mirrors summer streets and shores of Naples.

Whatever the summer mood, there's likely to be a summer piano piece to celebrate summer, no matter where one is.