Sir Walter Scott

Synopsis

Today’s date marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott.  Born in Edinburgh in 1771, he became Scotland’s most famous novelist, poet, playwright, and historian. His works were wildly popular throughout Europe and America in the 19th Century and attracted the attention of many famous composers.

Franz Schubert was a fan and set several of Scott’s poems to music.  In fact, Schubert’s beloved setting of “Ave Maria” was originally written to words from Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake. “ Rossini based an opera on “The Lady of Lake” – “La Donna del Lago” being its Italian title -- and Donizetti’s opera “Lucia di Lammermoor” is based on Scott’s novel “The Bride of Lammermoor.”

There are TWO operas based on “Ivanhoe,” Scott’s popular historical novel about medieval Templar knights: the Austrian composer Otto Nicolai made an Italian-language version entitled “Il Templaro,” and the German composer Heinrich Marschner a German-language version called “Der Templer und die Jüdin.”

The Frenchman Georges Bizet based his opera “La jolie fille de Perth” on Scott’s novel “The Fair Maid of Perth,” and the “Rob Roy” concert overture by Hector Berlioz takes its inspiration from the Scott novel of the same name.

Music Played in Today's Program

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) – Rob Roy Overture (Montreal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond.) London/Decca 421 193

On This Day

Births

• 1875 - English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, in London; His father was from Sierra Leone and his mother English; He composed a very successful trilogy of oratorios based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Hiawatha": "The Song of Hiawatha" (1898), "The Death of Minnehaha" (1899) and "Hiawatha's Departure" (1900);

• 1890 - French composer Jacques Ibert, in Paris;

• 1896 - Russian inventor Lev Sergeivitch Termen (anglicized to Leon Theremin) in St. Petersburg (Julian date: August 3); He invented the theremin, an electronic instrument whose sound was used or imitated in a number of film scores (“Spellbound,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, etc.) and in the Beach Boys’ song “Good Vibrations”

• 1922 - German-born American composer and conductor Lukas Foss, in Berlin (presumed date; Foss says his birth year is not authenticated and he has no birth certificate);

Deaths

• 1728 - French composer and gamba virtuoso Marain Marais, age 72, in Paris;

• 1985 - American composer Richard Yardumian, age 68, in Bryn Athyn, Pa.;

Premieres

• 1865 - Liszt: oratorio, "St. Elizabeth," in Pest, Hungary;

• 1935 - Grofé: "Hollywood" Suite, at the Hollywood Bowl;

• 1986 - Penderecki: opera "The Black Mask," at the Salzburg Festival in Austria;

• 2000 - Saariaho: opera "L'amour de loin," at the Salzburg Festival in Austria, with a cast including Dawn Upshaw, Dwayne Croft, and Dagmar Peckova; and Kent Nagano conducting the Southwest German Radio Orchestra of Baden-Baden;

Others

• 1772 - Johannes Nepomuk Maelzel, German inventor credited with the creation of the metronome, is born in Regensburg; For a time he was the friend of Beethoven and collaborated with him on various projects;

• 1969 - The three-day Woodstock Music and Arts Fair begins in Bethel, fifty miles south of Woodstock, N.Y., attended by nearly half a million rock 'n' roll enthusiasts.