Music for St. Cecilia's Day

Synopsis

Today is the Feast Day of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. Over time, her Feast Day came to be celebrated with special works composed in her honor, all extolling the power of music. Of these, the most famous were written by three great British composers: Henry Purcell, George Frederick Handel and Benjamin Britten.

In the 17th century, Henry Purcell wrote four cantatas, or odes for St. Cecilia’s Day. The most famous of these, Hail! Bright Cecilia! was written in 1692.

British poet John Dryden, a contemporary of Purcell’s, wrote two poems in praise of St. Cecilia. These attracted the attention of great British composer of the following century, George Frederick Handel. The first, Alexander’s Feast premiered in 1736 — oddly enough not on St. Cecilia’s Day — but proved so popular that Handel set Dryden’s other ode to St. Cecilia, From Harmony, Heavenly Harmony, and performed both pieces on today’s date in 1739.

Great 20th-century British composer Benjamin Britten was actually born on St. Cecilia’s Day in 1913. In the early 1940s, British poet W.H. Auden wrote Anthem for St. Cecilia’s Day for Britten, who set it to music in 1942.

Music Played in Today's Program

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Hail Bright Cecilia!; Gabrieli Consort; Paul McCreesh; Archiv 445 882

George Frederic Handel (1685-1759): Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day; English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor; Archiv 419 220

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Hymn to St. Cecilia; London Sinfonietta Voices; Virgin 90728

On This Day

Births

• 1709 - Baptism of Bohemian composer Frantisek Benda, in Staré Benátky. In 1763 Benda wrote his autobiography, an important source of information on music and musicians of the period.

• 1710 - German composer Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (eldest son of J. S.), in Weimar

• 1780 - German composer Conradin Kreutzer, in Messkirch, Baden

• 1899 - American pianist and songwriter Hoagy Carmichael, in Bloomington, Indiana

• 1901 - Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo, in Sagunto

• 1913 - English composer Benjamin Britten, in Lowestoft, Suffolk

• 1925 - American composer, conductor, professional French horn player, and author Gunther Schuller, in New York

• 1936 - German composer and conductor Hans Zender, in Wiesbaden

Deaths

• 1900 - English composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, in London, 58

• 1955 - French composer Guy Ropartz, 91, in Lanloup

Premieres

• 1712 - Handel: opera Il Pastor Fido, at the Queen’s Theater in London (Gregorian date: Dec. 3);

• 1727 - Handel: opera Riccardo Primo in London (see Julian date: Nov. 11)

• 1739 - Handel: Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, in London at Lincoln’s Inn Field (Gregorian date: Dec. 3)

• 1740 - Handel: opera Imeneo in London at Lincoln’s Inn Fields (Gregorian date: Dec. 3). This work was billed as an operetta.

• 1872 - Dvořák: Piano Quintet No. 2 (original version), at the Konvikt Hall in Prague. Dvořák revised this early chamber work in 1887.

• 1895 - Rachmaninoff: Caprice Bohémien (Capriccio on Gypsy Themes) (Gregorian date: Dec. 4)

• 1907 - Charles Martin Loeffler: A Pagan Poem, Karl Muck conducting Boston Symphony Orchestra

• 1928 - Ravel: ballet Bolero, danced by Ida Rubinstein, at the Paris Opéra

• 1931 - Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite, in Chicago, by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra