Unconscious bursts of creativity that engender significant artistic endeavors are not necessarily inspired by passionate romantic love alone. Greek mythology believed that this kind of stimulus came from nine muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. Muses were long considered the source of knowledge embodied in poetry, lyric songs and ancient myths. Throughout the history of Western art, artists, writers and musicians have prayed to the muses, or alternately, drawn inspiration from personified muses that conceptually reside beyond the borders of earthly love. True to life, however, composer inspiration has emerged from the entire spectrums of existence and being. Nature has always played a decidedly important role in the inspiration of various classical composers, as did exotic cities, landscapes or rituals. Composer inspiration is also found in poetry, the visual arts, and mythological stories and tales. Artistic, historical or cultural expressions of the past are just as inspirational as is the everyday: the third Punic War or the contrapuntal mastery of Bach is inspirationally just as relevant as are the virulent bat and camel. Composer inspiration is delightfully drawn from heroes and villains, scientific advances, a pet, or something as mundane as a hangover. Discover what fires the imagination of people who never stop asking questions.
We think of Bob Dylan as a unified poet and songwriter. It’s hard to think of his poems without his melodies. American composer John Corigliano (b. 1938), however, looked more deeply into Dylan’s poetry. Having always heard about the high
In a recent recording of Béla Bartók’s third string quartet, violist Stanley Konopka created a new transcription of the work for a double-string orchestra. He was inspired by a string orchestra arrangement of Beethoven’s ultimate statement for string quartet, the
During his studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990) met France’s most important composers, including Saint-Saëns and Fauré. Once he had returned to America, Copland became an outspoken champion and advocate of Fauré’s music. He writes,
From modest and humble beginnings, Jeanne Bécu Du Barry (1743-1793) rose to become one of the most powerful women in France. As headmistress to Louis XV, she was highly influential at court, in financial and political matters, but eventually, she
The second string quartet by Pavel Haas (1899-1944) carries the unusual nickname “From the Monkey Mountains.” It references a popular holiday area in the rustic Vysočina highlands, popularly known as the Monkey Mountains, nestled between Bohemia and Moravia. A student
For the vast majority of his life, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was “a man easily satisfied, happy with his friends and colleagues, lacking the taint of ruthless ambition and egotistical self-promotion characteristic of so many, and without the pretension and hollow
Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) is rightfully considered one of the most important cellists of the 20th century. Essentially a performer with modern sensibilities, his playing “is characterized by an appealing, immaculate quality, with an especially vibrant tone, easy delivery and a
Summer and boats – for countries built around water systems, ‘messing about in boats’ is an idyllic summer treat. The line, of course, comes from Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 children’s book, The Wind and the Willows, where Ratty remarks to Mole: