Fall for these September Composers

 It is the start of the school year in many countries, and it is the month that several famous piano composers were born. Here are six examples, each with unique experiences.

Anton Bruckner was born on September 4, 1824, in Ansfelden, Austria. Most of his piano compositions were written for teaching purposes. Besides composing, Bruckner was a well-known organist and taught organ performance.

Antonin Dvorak was born on September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, Czech Republic. Known for his Romantic era nationalism in his music, he later became the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in the U.S.

Arnold Schoenberg was born on September 13, 1874, in Vienna. He is known for transforming how musical harmony is treated. Not only did he compose music, but also he taught and wrote, and was a music theorist. Although a teacher, he himself was largely self-taught in terms of learning about music and composition.

Gustav Holst was born on September 21, 1874, in Cheltenham, UK. Like Dvorak, Holst was inspired by—and promoted—English folk songs. He started composing at age 12, but his father wanted him to become a professional pianist; with his poor eyesight and asthma, Holst found piano playing difficult so he stayed with composing.

Dmitri Shostakovich was born on September 25, 1906 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His mother started giving him piano lessons when he was nine years old. Four years later he composed a funeral march in memory of political murders. He started his professional career as a concert pianist and composer, but was more successful in the latter arena.

George Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898, in New York City. He began as a song plugger and recorded piano rolls, where he discovered jazz. However, he was also influenced by neo-classical composers, including the September composers Shostakovich, and Schoenberg.

Try to Remember the Piano Composers of September

 September is known as the typical month to start the school year. It’s also a popular month for piano composers to be born. Here is a sampling.

September 1, 1854: Engelbert Humperdinck. Known for his opera Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck first composed it as a set of songs, with piano accompaniment, for his nieces’ puppet show.

September 1, 1661: Georg Bohm. This German organist and composer wrote for the keyboard, and is known for his improvisational style of playing. Bohn and Bach were close friends.

September 4, 1824: Antonin Bruckner. Austrian composer Anton Bruckner starting playing the organ as a child, and gave organ lessons as an adult. He didn’t start composing seriously until almost in his 40s, and was not widely recognized until his 60s. Most of his piano works were written for teaching purposes.

September 8, 1841: Antonin Dvorak. Czech composer Antonin Dvorak also drew on his native Slavic folk dance forms in his piano duet piece Slavonic Dances. Moravian and other Eastern European traditional music forms also inspired him.

September 13, 1819: Clara Schumann. Besides being an accomplished composer, Clara Schumann was the professional pianist in the family. She was also a great business partner and confidante for Schuman, and edited his work after he died.  

September 13, 1874: Arnold Schoenberg. Born to a Jewish family in Austria, Schoenberg largely taught himself how to play the piano, even though his mother was a piano teacher. Later on he too became a music teacher even though he is more known for developing the twelve-tone method of composition.

September 16, 1887: Nadia Boulanger. While she did not think she was an accomplished composer, Boulanger was a gifted composer teacher. Gershwin wanted to study under her, but she refused as she didn’t want to stifle his more popular style. She also performed on the organ and piano.

September 25, 1906: Dmitri Shostakovich. Even as a child, Dmitra showed a gift for the piano and music in general. At age 13 he entered the Petrograd Music Conservatory, and he wrote his first symphony at age 19. Much of his work was theatrical, and he was known for his film music. Nevertheless, he also wrote for the piano, including waltzes.

September 26, 1898: George Gershwin. Like Schoenberg, Gershwin’s family was Jewish. Interestingly, Gershwin and Schoenberg were friends and tennis partners in the States. His first compositions were Broadway theater works, but he composed and performed popular, jazz and classical genres.

Composing in the Autumn Years

 Tomoko asserts: “Piano playing is good when you are 60 years old; you can even start after 70.  As long as you can move your hands, you can continue to play the piano. Tomoko remarks, “Playing also stimulates the brain, and keeps it younger.” Playing at an older age has other benefits too. “When you get older, you may find yourself repeating pieces,” says Tomoko. “They can be so beautiful, and give you warm memories as well as console you.” 

Likewise, Tomoko knows musical performers and teachers who are in their nineties. Tomoko recalls Pablo Casals performing publicly at the age of 96. At that time, in 1972, one of Tomoko’s college friends was inspired by Casals, and flew to Arizona State University where he was playing a benefit concert to raise money for an International Cello Library. Tomoko went along with her friend, and met Casals at the airport. They spent a meal with him and his young wife, who was the same age at Tomoko at the time. 

In that vein, some composers started late in life.

Austrian composer Anton Bruckner starting playing the organ as a child, and gave organ lessons as an adult. He didn’t start composing seriously until almost in his 40s, and was not widely recognized until his 60s. Most of his piano works were written for teaching purposes. 

French composer Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier played the piano mainly as a hobby because his family did not approve of a musical career for him. Instead, he would as a civil servant. As did Bruckner, Chabrier started full-time composing as he reached 40. He is sometimes associated with Debussy with his tender emotional piano pieces. Some of those worked served as the core inspiration for his later orchestral versions. He also created duet piano works.

Considered a major modernist composer, American Elliott Carter Jr. most the most productive after the age of 80. 

In that vein, while some piano composers died earlier in live, such as Mozart, others led long and productive lives. As with Chabrier, Carter’s family did not encourage music, although they let him take piano lessons. Amazingly, the man who sold insurance to Carter’s family was Charles Ives, later to become a renown composer. Ives encouraged Carter’s love of music, which led to Carter earning a doctorate in music. In his 40s, Carter edited Ives’ music and only then started composing, which he then did daily until his death in 2012. Most of his piano works were concertos.  

Several other composers lived to their mid eighties and nineties: Randall Thompson, Richard Strauss, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles-Camille Saint-Saens, Cecile Chaminade, Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, and Jean Sibelius.

As the autumn days grow shorter, it is comforting to know creating, playing and listening to piano music certainly is a lifelong joy, and can even keep one younger in spirit. Just ask Tomoko.