It seems as how every book stems from an idea, every song stems from an inspiration. Whether it’s the composer’s surroundings or his or her personal experiences, the inspirations and stories behind their greatest pieces of work are forever fascinating. The Frederick Symphony Orchestra is diving into the inspirations and stories behind some of the most well known compositions:
- Aaron Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man: During World War II, the conductor of the Cincinnati Orchestra asked Copland to create an introductory composition for concerts. He alluded to using similar pieces by English composers during World War I, but Copland made a salute to four freedoms instead, including freedom from fear, want, religion, and speech/expression. In the end, Copland settled on a salute to the common man.
- Franz Joseph Haydn, Farewell: A court composer for Count Esterházy, Haydn composed this piece to convince the Count to shorten his prolonged stay at his summer palace. In the last movement of the symphony, the musicians left one by one, packing their scores and moving offstage, until only two violins were left. The Count took a hint, and everyone went home.
- Franz Liszt, Les Preludes: The Nazis used parts of Liszt’s composition as the official theme song for the propagandistic German Weekly Newsreel from 1940 to 1945. It’s reminiscent of the footage from Apocalypse Now, which uses Richard Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.
- George Frideric Handel, Water Music & Royal Fireworks Suites: As George I and his companions sailed the Thames River in 1717, the king had 50 musicians continuously play Handel’s Water Music suites for hours. Later, Handel composed Royal Fireworks Suite for King George II to promote the unpopular treaty ending the War of Spanish Succession.
- Ludwig Van Beethoven, 3rd Symphony: This composition was dubbed the “Eroica” symphony, which translates to heroic in Italian. Beethoven wrote it as a tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte, but when the general crowned himself emperor in 1804, Beethoven declared that Bonaparte was a tyrant. The composer angrily tore out the score’s title, leaving the piece as its title today.
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade (Tales of 1001 Nights): The Russian composer was inspired by a female character, Scheherazade, in the book One Thousand and One Nights, also known as Arabian Nights, almost 200 years after the original publication year. The book details stories from Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian folklore.
- Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sleeping Beauty: Charles Perrault wrote the original version of Sleeping Beauty in 1697, and the Brothers Grimm split Perrault’s original story into two parts in 1812. Tchaikovsky used the story as his inspiration for a ballet of the same name in 1890, and perhaps the most recognized version today is from the 1959 Disney movie.
- Richard Wagner, Bridal Chorus: Wagner created this composition as part of his opera, Lohengrin. The inspirational fairytale opera is taken from medieval German romance, and Bridal Chorus (better known today world as Here Comes the Bride) plays after the ceremony, as the wedding party accompanies the heroine to her bridal chamber.
From books and ballets to wars and anthems, the stories behind classical music compositions are fascinating – and this is just the beginning. There’s no telling what will inspire the next great symphony, but we can’t wait to hear it.
If you’re interested in hearing us play some inspiring compositions, check out our next concert on June 11, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in Jack B. Kussmaul Theater.