Monday 27 September 2010

2011 Classical Music Calendars

We are nearly into October and I am working to finish my 2011 Classical Music calendars. So far I have finished:
  • Great Composers
  • Opera
  • Russian Composers
  • Piano composers
  • Italian composers
This week I hope to publish French Composers and then German composers by mid-October.

So far I have published them on zazzle and some on cafepress

Thursday 23 September 2010

175th Anniversary of the death of Vincenzo Bellini

On 23 September 1835 the great Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini died at the tragically young age of 33.
He died near Paris of acute inflammation of the intestine. In 1876 his remains were transferred to his home town Catania in Sicily.
He was a child prodigy and led a busy productive life. He was a bit of a dandy and very popular. He never married, but had several relationships with beautiful society women.

You can find out more about him at 52composers.com

Monday 13 September 2010

Italian Classical Composers

Following my Russian composers project I am doing the same for Italian composers.
On 52composers.com I now have a page which links to each individual composer.
I have also published a poster (illustrated right) on zazzle with greetings cards and other merchandise. Later this week I hope to have the calendar published.
Featured composers are:
  • Bellini
  • Corelli
  • Donizetti
  • Leoncavallo
  • Mascagni
  • Monteverdi
  • Palestrina
  • Pergolesi
  • Puccini
  • Rossini
  • Verdi
  • Vivaldi

Tuesday 7 September 2010

History of Radio - 1924

I found this 1924 children's book the other day in a junk shop.
Interesting the illustration of an early radio receiver with headphones or is that a Dell computer on the table? Early mp3 player?
Of course the boy wears the headphones while the girl looks on admiringly! Is he wearing tights?

I have put it on zazzle so you can buy a print if you want.

Monday 6 September 2010

Russian Classical Composers


Having completed portraits of 12 Russian composers I have put up a page at www.52composers.com which links to the profile pages I have done so far.
I have also done a 2011 calendar and a poster (illustrated right). They are available at zazzle
Composers included are:
  • Balakirev
  • Borodin
  • Glinka
  • Khachaturian
  • Mussorgsky
  • Prokofiev
  • Rachmaninoff
  • Rimsky-Korsakov
  • Scriabin
  • Shostakovich
  • Stravinsky
  • Tchaikovsky
I hope to do similar publications for Italian, French and German composers before Christmas.

Saturday 4 September 2010

September classical composer anniversaries

  • 1/9/1854 Humperdinck born
  • 4/9/1824 Bruckner born
  • 4/9/1892 Milhaud born
  • 4/9/1907 Grieg died
  • 5/9/1735 J Christian Bach born
  • 5/9/1912 John Cage born
  • 8/9/1813 Gesualdo died
  • 8/9/1841 Dvorak born
  • 8/9/1949 Richard Strauss died
  • 10/9/1659 Purcell born
  • 13/9/1819 Clara Schumann born
  • 13/9/1874 Schoenberg born
  • 17/9/1179 Hildegard von Bingen died
  • 20/9/1957 Sibelius died
  • 21/9/1874 Holst born
  • 23/9/1836 Bellini died
  • 25/9/1906 Shostakovich born
  • 25/9/1849 J Strauss Sr died
  • 26/9/1898 Gershwin born
  • 26/9/1945 Bartok died
  • 25/9/1921 Humperdinck died