Synopsis
Today’s date marks the original Columbus Day, honoring the Italian explorer who for decades was described as the man who “discovered America.” In recent years Native American leaders have pointed out that indigenous peoples had been living on the continent for thousands of years, and Columbus didn’t “discover” anything — in fact, he didn’t even know where he was, which is why he called the people he found here “Indians.” Some historians now think that Viking explorers from Scandinavia arrived in America long before Columbus — and others suggest the Chinese arrived before those Europeans.
Even so, it’s Columbus who has a national holiday (now always observed on the closest Monday in October), and concert music written to celebrate it. For example, there’s a Columbus Suite by Victor Herbert, originally commissioned for the 1893 Chicago World Fair to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Columbus voyage, but not actually premiered until 1903.
A much more recent “Columbus-inspired” work, and much more elegiac in tone, is by the Native American composer James DeMars. Premonitions of Christopher Columbus is scored for Native American flute, African drum, and chamber orchestra. In this work, DeMars blends sounds of the various ethnic traditions that would come to make up modern America.
Music Played in Today's Program
Victor Herbert (1859-1924) Columbus Suite Slovak Radio Symphony; Keith Brion, cond. Naxos 8.559027
James DeMars (b. 1952) Premonitions of Christopher Columbus Tos Ensemble with R. Carlos Nakai, Native American flute Canyon 7014
On This Day
Births
1686 - German composer and lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss, in Breslau
1713 - Baptismal date of German composer Johann Ludwig Krebs, in Butterstedt, Weima
1872 - English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, in Down Ampney, Gloucestershire
1880 - English-born Canadian composer and organist Healey Willan, in London
Deaths
1692 - Italian composer Giovanni Battista Vitali, 60, in Bologna
Premieres
1910 - Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony (after Walt Whitman) at the Leeds Festival
1924 - Mahler: Symphony No.10 (first and third movements only), arranged by Ernest Krenek (with additional retouching by Alexander von Zemlinksy and Franz Schalk), by Vienna Philharmonic, Franz Schalk conducting. The American premiere of these two movements was give on Dec. 6, 1949, by the Erie (Pennsylvania) Philharmonic conducted by the composer's nephew, the Austro-American conductor Fritz Mahler (1901-1973). The English musicologist Deryck Cooke prepared the first performing edition of Mahler’s entire Tenth Symphony which received its first performance on August 13, 1964, by the London Symphony conducted by Berthold Goldschmidt. Since then, Cooke has revised his arrangement, and several other musicologists have prepared their own rival performing editions of Mahler’s surviving notation for this symphony.
1931 - Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme of Corelli (La Folia) for solo piano, in Montréal (Canada), by the composer
1951 - Bizet: opera Ivan le Terrible (posthumously), in Bordeaux
1951 - Dessau: opera Die Verurteilung des Lukullus (The Trial of Lucullus) (second version), in East Berlin at the Deutsche Staatsoper
1961 - Douglas Moore: opera The Wings of the Dove (after the novel by Henry James), in New York
1971 - Andrew Lloyd Webber: rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar, in New York City. A choral version of this musical was performed in Kansas City, Kan. On May 15, 1971, and a touring company was launched to present the musical on July 12, 1971. Prior to any staged presentations, the work was first released as a double LP record album in October of 1970.
1984 - Olly Wilson: Siinfonia, by the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting
1984 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Celebration for orchestra, by the Indianapolis Symphony, John Nelson conducting
1997 - Sallinen: Overture Solennel, in Monaco by the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, James DePreist conducting
1998 - Philip Glass: opera The Voyage, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Bruce Ferden conducting
2000 - Rautavaara: Harp Concerto, in Minneapolis with harpist Kathy Kienzle and the Minnesota Orchestra, Omso Vänskä conducting
Others
1739 - Handel completes his Concerto Grosso No. 7 in London (Gregorian date: Oct. 23)
Love the music?
Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.
Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.
YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.
Your Donation
About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.