Eisler and extra, 2025
This Week in Classical Music: June 30, 2025. Eisler and extra. Subsequent Sunday is the birthday of the German composer Hanns Eisler, who was born on July 6th of 1898, in Leipzig. As a younger man, he studied with Arnold Schoenberg; he then cooperated with the playwright Bertolt Brecht, creating music for a lot of of his performs however abandoning the 12-tone approach within the course of. Within the late Nineteen Twenties – early Thirties, Eisler turned very political, turning laborious left. He emigrated to the US in the course of the Nazi years, however ended his life in East Germany, having composed the nationwide anthem of this Communist totalitarian regime. We discovered his life so fascinating that we’ve posted not one however two entries about it, right here and right here.
Jiří Benda, additionally recognized by his German title, Georg Benda, was born in Bohemia, then a part of the Austrian Empire, on June 30th of 1722. His older brother was the famous composer František (Franz) Benda. When he was 19, Jiří Benda was known as to Berlin by none apart from Frederick the Nice, King of Prussia, to play the violin within the Royal Chapel in Berlin. He was later summoned to affix his brother Franz at Potsdam, the place the royal court docket resided. Later in his life, Georg Benda labored for the Duke of Gotha; he additionally traveled to Italy and Paris. In 1788, he moved to Vienna, hoping to be employed because the Kapellmeister of the brand new German opera, deliberate by the Emperor Joseph II. That didn’t work out, and the disillusioned Benda deserted music for good, touring and finding out philosophy. Benda’s melodramas, the precursors of German opera, have been extremely valued by Mozart.
Christoph Willibald Gluck was born on July 2nd of 1714. He was one of many best composers of the mid-18th century. Gluck was particularly good within the style of opera, which he, to a big extent, outlined for his time. We’ve written about Gluck many instances and have samples of his music in our library.
Hans Werner Henze, a German modernist composer, was born on July 1st of 1926. Like Eisler, however in a really totally different context, he had robust political convictions and supported leftist causes. He was a member of the Italian Communist Celebration (Henze moved to Italy in 1953) and wrote music glorifying Ho Chi Minh and Che Guevara. Despite that, he was a gifted composer who labored in many alternative kinds, from the 12-tone and serial idiom to jazz, and created music that’s fascinating to take heed to years after it was first carried out.
Lastly, we must always point out Leoš Janáček, one other Czech composer (Benda, although he lived his life within the Austrian Empire, was Czech by beginning). Janáček was born on July 3rd of 1854, within the Moravian village of Hukvaldy, when his nation, Czechoslovakia, was nonetheless a part of Austria-Hungary. Janáček was a buddy of Antonín Dvořák, was influenced by him, and along with Dvořák and Smetana, is taken into account one of many best Czech composers.