August Wilhelm Bach (UK)

(Berlin, October 4, 1796 – Berlin, April 15, 1869)

He was an influential figure in the Berlin music scene in the second third of the 19th century. Although he is now perhaps primarily remembered as Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy's teacher, he was also a composer. This fascinating trio shows that, although he was not one of the great composers, he wrote music that was enjoyable to play and listen to.

His compositions consist largely of sacred works and keyboard works.

August Wilhelm Bach is not related to Johann Sebastian Bach's family. His father Gottfried, organist at the Dreifaltigkeitskirche in Berlin, was his first music teacher. After attending high school, he became a freelance music teacher outside Berlin from 1813.

In 1814 he returned to Berlin to take up the post of organist at the Gertraudenkirche when his hope of taking over from his late father had failed. He perfected his musical training with Carl Friedrich Zelter on counterpoint and Ludwig Berger on piano. In 1816 he became organist at the Marienkirche in Berlin and in 1820 professor of organ and musical theory at the Institute of Sacred Music, just founded by Zelter, of which he took over as director upon the latter's death in 1832 (he continued to be director until his death of him). August Wilhelm Bach had a great influence on organ building in Prussia, having become commissioner of the royal commission for organ building.

From 1833, he was a member of the Senate of the Royal Academy of Arts and a teacher in that Academy's department of musical composition. From the early 1830s until his death, he was a very influential figure in the musical life of Berlin. As an organist, he was very involved in recognizing the work of Johann Sebastian Bach.

In addition to compositions for soloists, choir, and orchestra, including the 100th psalm Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt, Auguste Wilhelm Bach wrote various organ works (preludes, fantasies, fugues, etc.), piano works, and chamber music works. Very in tune with the musical taste of his time, they rarely express an original musical language.

His three-part collection published around 1830 entitled Der practische Organist (The Practical Organist) includes organ pieces intended for learning and has long been a point of reference. 

August Wilhelm Bach (ITA)

(Berlino, 4 ottobre 1796 – Berlino, 15 aprile 1869)

Fu una figura influente nella scena musicale berlinese nel secondo terzo del XIX secolo. Sebbene ora sia forse principalmente ricordato come l'insegnante di Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy, era anche lui un compositore. Questo affascinante trio mostra che, sebbene non sia stato uno dei grandi compositori, ha scritto musica piacevole da suonare e ascoltare.

Le sue composizioni consistono in gran parte di opere sacre e opere per tastiera.

August Wilhelm Bach non è imparentato con la famiglia di Johann Sebastian Bach. Suo padre Gottfried, organista al Dreifaltigkeitskirche di Berlino è stato il suo primo insegnante di musica. Dopo aver frequentato il liceo, dal 1813 divenne insegnante di musica freelance fuori Berlino.

Nel 1814 tornò a Berlino per assumere l'incarico di organista presso il Gertraudenkirche quando la sua speranza di prendere il posto del suo defunto padre era fallita. Ha perfezionato la sua formazione musicale con Carl Friedrich Zelter contrappunto e Ludwig Berger al pianoforte. Nel 1816 divenne organista al Marienkirche di Berlino e nel 1820 professore di organo e teoria musicale all'Istituto di musica sacra, appena fondato da Zelter, di cui subentrò come direttore alla morte di quest'ultimo nel 1832 (continuerà ad esserlo fino alla morte). August Wilhelm Bach ha avuto una grande influenza sulla costruzione di organi in Prussia, essendo diventato commissario della commissione reale per la costruzione degli organi.

Dal 1833 fu membro del Senato della Royal Academy of Arts e insegnante nel dipartimento di composizione musicale di quell'Accademia. Fu, dall'inizio degli anni 1830 e fino alla sua morte, una figura molto influente nella vita musicale di Berlino. Come organista fu molto impegnato nel riconoscimento del lavoro di Johann Sebastian Bach.

Oltre a composizioni per soli, coro e orchestra, tra cui il 100° salmo Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt, Auguste Wilhem Bach scrisse varie opere per organo (preludi, fantasie, fughe ecc.), opere per pianoforte e opere di musica da camera. Molto in sintonia con il gusto musicale del suo tempo, raramente esprimono un linguaggio musicale originale.

La sua raccolta in tre parti pubblicata intorno al 1830 dal titolo Der practische Organist (L'organista pratico) comprende pezzi d'organo destinati all'apprendimento ed è stato a lungo un punto di riferimento. 

August Wilhelm Bach (DE)

(Berlin, 4. Oktober 1796 – Berlin, 15. April 1869)

Er war eine einflussreiche Persönlichkeit der Berliner Musikszene im zweiten Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts. Obwohl er heute vielleicht vor allem als Lehrer von Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy in Erinnerung bleibt, war er auch Komponist. Dieses faszinierende Trio zeigt, dass er, obwohl er nicht zu den großen Komponisten gehörte, Musik schrieb, die Spaß beim Spielen und Hören machte.

Seine Kompositionen bestehen größtenteils aus geistlichen Werken und Klavierwerken.

August Wilhelm Bach ist nicht mit der Familie Johann Sebastian Bachs verwandt. Sein Vater Gottfried, Organist an der Dreifaltigkeitskirche in Berlin, war sein erster Musiklehrer. Nach dem Besuch des Gymnasiums war er ab 1813 freiberuflicher Musiklehrer außerhalb Berlins.

1814 kehrte er nach Berlin zurück, um die Stelle des Organisten an der Gertraudenkirche anzutreten, als seine Hoffnung, die Nachfolge seines verstorbenen Vaters gescheitert war. Seine musikalische Ausbildung vervollkommnete er bei Carl Friedrich Zelter am Kontrapunkt und Ludwig Berger am Klavier. 1816 wurde er Organist an der Marienkirche in Berlin und 1820 Professor für Orgel und Musiktheorie am gerade von Zelter gegründeten Institut für Kirchenmusik, dessen Leitung er nach dessen Tod 1832 übernahm (was er auch weiterhin blieb). bis zu seinem Tod). . Großen Einfluss auf den Orgelbau in Preußen hatte August Wilhelm Bach, als er Beauftragter der Königlichen Kommission für Orgelbau wurde.

Ab 1833 war er Mitglied des Senats der Royal Academy of Arts und Lehrer in der Abteilung für Musikkomposition dieser Akademie. Er war von den frühen 1830er Jahren bis zu seinem Tod eine sehr einflussreiche Persönlichkeit im Musikleben Berlins. Als Organist war er maßgeblich an der Würdigung des Wirkens Johann Sebastian Bachs beteiligt.

Neben Kompositionen für Solisten, Chor und Orchester, darunter der 100. Psalm „Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt“, schrieb Auguste Wilhelm Bach verschiedene Orgelwerke (Präludien, Fantasien, Fugen etc.), Klavierwerke und Kammermusikwerke. Ganz im Einklang mit dem Musikgeschmack ihrer Zeit, bringen sie selten eine originelle Musiksprache zum Ausdruck.

Seine um 1830 erschienene dreiteilige Sammlung „Der practische Organist“ mit zum Lernen gedachten Orgelstücken gilt seit langem als Referenz.

Aaron Avshalomov (UK)

(Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Russia 11/11/1894 - New York 4/26/1965)

Aaron Avshalomov was a Russian composer. He was born in Nikolajevsk-na-Amure, a small city based on naval trade in the Far East, in eastern Siberia, where his grandfather had started a profitable business after being exiled from the Caucasus in the 1870s. He belonged to a family of "mountain Jews", an ethnic group from today's Dagestan (in the eastern Caucasus) who moved to the Far East in the second half of the 19th century. After a brief period of medical and conservatory studies in Zurich he moved to San Francisco following the outbreak of the October Revolution, then moved almost immediately to Beijing, where he opened a bookstore. Here, he was enormously impressed by the Chinese approach to music and dedicated himself to self-taught composition. After another brief period in the United States in the 1920s, he moved to Shanghai, where there was at the time a huge community of Russians, traders (particularly from the Russian Far East, Chinese Manchuria, and Harbin attracted by the growth of the city), Jews fleeing Nazi persecution, artists and counter-revolutionaries or "white Russians". 

Avshalomov worked as a librarian from 1928 to 1943, at the same time devoting himself to composition; for years, he tried to unite "east" and "west," trying to merge the melodies and rhythms of China with the European orchestral tradition, often resorting to pentatonic scales and percussion instruments from East Asia. Composing works such as Kuan Yin (1925), The Twilight Hours of Yang Guifei (1933), and The Great Wall (1941). In his works, we can also see influences from the Indian and Indochinese musical traditions, but also from traditional music and the Jewish literary tradition. 

During the years of the Japanese occupation of China, he was first under house arrest. Then, between 1943 and 1946, he was appointed director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He then moved again to the United States, where he died in 1965. His son Jacob, born in Qingdao in 1919 and also a musician, contributed to making his father's works known.  

The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1935) is an excellent example of his particular language; the almost Chinese melodies welded with the orchestration and the Russian flavor create an engaging and light plot, with memorable moments and frequent color changes. It is in three movements—a large-scale Andante, a central expressive, and a lively finale—two cadences, much melody, and virtuosic passages; it is an excellent, lesser-known concert and competition piece.

Aaron Avshalomov (ITA)

(Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Russia 11/11/1894 - New York 26/4/1965)

Aaron Avshalomov è stato un compositore russo. Nacque a Nikolajevsk-na-Amure, piccola città basata sul commercio navale nell’estremo oriente, nella Siberia orientale, dove suo nonno aveva avviato un'attività redditizia dopo essere stato esiliato dal Caucaso negli anni '70 dell'Ottocento. Apparteneva a una famiglia di “ebrei della montagna”, gruppo etnico dell’odierno Daghestan (nel Caucaso orientale) trasferitasi in estremo oriente nella seconda metà del XIX secolo. Dopo un breve periodo di studi di medicina e al conservatorio a Zurigo si trasferì a San Francisco in seguito allo scoppio della Rivoluzione d’Ottobre, per poi trasferirsi quasi immediatamente a Pechino, dove aprì una libreria. Qui fu enormemente colpito dall’approccio cinese alla musica e si dedicò da autodidatta alla composizione. Dopo un’altra breve parentesi negli Stati Uniti negli anni ’20 si trasferì a Shanghai dove c’era all’epoca un’enorme comunità di russi, commercianti (in particolare provenienti dall’estremo oriente russo, dalla Manciuria cinese e da Harbin attratti dalla crescita della città), ebrei in fuga dalle persecuzioni naziste, artisti e controrivoluzionari o “russi bianchi”. 

Avshalomov lavorò come bibliotecario dal 1928 al 1943, al tempo stesso dedicandosi alla composizione; per anni cercò di unire “oriente” e “occidente”, cercando di fondere le melodie e i ritmi della Cina alla tradizione orchestrale europea, ricorrendo spesso a scale pentatoniche e strumenti a percussione dell’Asia orientale. Componendo opere come Kuan Yin (1925), Le ore del crepuscolo di Yang Guifei (1933), La grande Muraglia (1941). Nei suoi lavori si possono anche notare influenze della tradizione musicale indiana e indocinese, ma anche della musica tradizionale e della tradizione letteraria ebraica. 

Durante gli anni dell’occupazione giapponese della Cina fu prima ai domiciliari, poi venne nominato direttore dell’Orchestra Sinfonica di Shanghai tra il 1943 e il 1946, per poi trasferirsi ancora negli Stati Uniti, dove morì nel 1965. Il figlio Jacob, nato a Qingdao nel 1919 e anch’egli musicista, contribuì a far conoscere i lavori del padre.  

Il Concerto per flauto e orchestra (1935) è un ottimo esempio del suo particolare linguaggio; le melodie quasi cinesi saldate con l'orchestrazione e il sapore russo creano una trama coinvolgente e leggera, con momenti memorabili e frequenti cambi di colore. In tre movimenti - un Andante su larga scala, un espressivo centrale e un vivace finale - due cadenze e molta melodia e passaggi virtuosistici; è un eccellente pezzo da concerto e da concorso meno conosciuto. 

Aaron Avshalomov (DE)

(Nikolajewsk am Amur, Russland 11.11.1894 – New York 26.04.1965)

Aaron Avshalomov war ein russischer Komponist. Er wurde in Nikolajevsk-na-Amure geboren, einer kleinen Stadt, die auf dem Seehandel im Fernen Osten in Ostsibirien basiert, wo sein Großvater nach seiner Verbannung aus dem Kaukasus in den 1870er Jahren ein profitables Unternehmen gegründet hatte. Er gehörte einer Familie von „Bergjuden“ an, einer Volksgruppe aus dem heutigen Dagestan (im Ostkaukasus), die in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts nach Fernost zog. Nach einem kurzen Medizin- und Konservatoriumsstudium in Zürich zog er nach Ausbruch der Oktoberrevolution nach San Francisco und zog dann fast sofort nach Peking, wo er eine Buchhandlung eröffnete. Hier war er enorm beeindruckt von der chinesischen Herangehensweise an die Musik und widmete sich autodidaktisch dem Komponieren. Nach einer weiteren kurzen Zeit in den Vereinigten Staaten in den 1920er Jahren zog er nach Shanghai, wo es zu dieser Zeit eine große Gemeinschaft von Russen, Händlern (insbesondere aus dem Fernen Osten Russlands, der chinesischen Mandschurei und Harbin, die durch das Wachstum der Stadt angezogen wurden) und flüchtenden Juden gab NS-Verfolgung, Künstler und Konterrevolutionäre bzw. „Weißrussen“. 

Avshalomov arbeitete von 1928 bis 1943 als Bibliothekar und widmete sich gleichzeitig der Komposition; Jahrelang versuchte er, „Osten“ und „Westen“ zu vereinen, indem er versuchte, die Melodien und Rhythmen Chinas mit der europäischen Orchestertradition zu verschmelzen, wobei er oft auf pentatonische Tonleitern und Schlaginstrumente aus Ostasien zurückgriff. Er komponierte Werke wie Kuan Yin (1925), The Twilight Hours of Yang Guifei (1933) und The Great Wall (1941). In seinen Werken können wir auch Einflüsse der indischen und indochinesischen Musiktradition, aber auch der traditionellen Musik und der jüdischen Literaturtradition erkennen. 

Während der Jahre der japanischen Besetzung Chinas stand er zunächst unter Hausarrest, dann wurde er zwischen 1943 und 1946 zum Direktor des Shanghai Symphony Orchestra ernannt, bevor er erneut in die USA übersiedelte, wo er 1965 starb. Sein Sohn Jacob, geb 1919 in Qingdao geboren und auch als Musiker tätig, trug er dazu bei, die Werke seines Vaters bekannt zu machen.  

Das Konzert für Flöte und Orchester (1935) ist ein hervorragendes Beispiel seiner besonderen Sprache; Die fast chinesischen Melodien, gepaart mit der Orchestrierung und dem russischen Flair, ergeben eine fesselnde und leichte Handlung mit unvergesslichen Momenten und häufigen Farbwechseln. In drei Sätzen – einem groß angelegten Andante, einem zentralen ausdrucksstarken und einem lebhaften Finale – zwei Kadenzen und viel Melodie und virtuosen Passagen; Es handelt sich um ein hervorragendes, weniger bekanntes Konzert- und Wettbewerbsstück.

Amazing Italy: Visiting Palladio’s Villas with Maria Cristina Buoso - by Maria Teresa De Donato

 Amazing Italy:

 

Visiting Palladio’s Villas with Maria Cristina Buoso

 

by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Our journey through our  Amazing Italy with our dear friend Maria Cristina, Author and Blogger, continues with other precious pearls of her Region: Veneto.

Enjoy the reading!

  

MTDD: Hi Maria Cristina, and welcome back to my Virtual Cultural Salon.

MCB: Thanks to you, Maria Teresa, for the invitation. It is always a pleasure to be your guest.

 

MTDD: Maria Cristina, after getting to know your city, Rovigo, quite well, we moved on to some areas of her province and started, last time, to examine the Venetian Villas.

Shall we resume the tour of the Villas today?

MCB: Yes. Last time I spoke in general about the Venetian Villas. Today, I want to talk to you about those by Palladio, who designed them in the mid-16th century for the local aristocratic families and the upper middle class of the Venetian Republic.

They are considered masterpieces of art and architecture history and make the landscape in which they are built prestigious. Some are known throughout the world and have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

MTDD: Very interesting! Would you like to introduce us to their architect, Andrea Palladio briefly?

MCB: Sure. Andrea Palladio was born on 30 November 1508 in Padua and died on 19 August 1580 in Maser, in the province of Treviso. He was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Republic of Venice. He was influenced by Roman and Greek architecture in his work, especially that of Vitruvius, an engineer and architect who lived in the first century BC. Palladio is considered one of the most influential individuals in the history of architecture. Although he designed churches and palaces, he was best known for country houses and villas.

 

MTDD: Last time, you mentioned some Venetian Villas now considered Unesco Heritage. Do those of Palladio belong to this category?

MCB: Yes, they do. In fact, the city of Vicenza, with its 23 buildings designed by Palladio and the 24 Palladian villas of the Veneto, are listed by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage City of Vicenza and Palladian Villas of the Veneto. Palladio's churches are at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, "Venice and its Lagoon."

 

MTDD: We can say, therefore, that Palladio was undoubtedly one of the greatest architects Italy has ever had.

MCB: I agree. Andrea Palladio lived in a historical context that was favorable to him. It was the Renaissance period. Towards the middle of the 15th century, the aristocratic nobles escaped from the chaos of the city and took refuge in nature. For this reason, they needed a residence in which to relax, have fun, and cultivate their passions, such as hunting, dancing, music, and walking in the gardens. For this reason, they needed a new and more functional home for their purposes.

 

MTDD: How did the Villas designed by Palladio differ from those built up to that point?

MCB: Palladio abandoned the previous idea of a medieval villa castle, which had the task of defense, for a new model of house with a new function that was more productive and humanistic. He found a union between ancient and modern, a balance between man and nature, where he managed to integrate the various models and the new needs of the owners in perfect harmony. In short, he had to reconcile the expectations of the nobles with their passions, health, rest, study, and more with the control and carrying out of the various agricultural jobs that were an integral part of these new housing realities in the area.

The architectural features of his creations stand out from other villas for their elegance, balance, and symmetry. Furthermore, the spaces intended for agricultural work were practical and harmonious with the manor rooms. The villas were often composed of a central body as a residence for the owners, usually located on a single floor with a staircase full of important sculptures, which served to show off the wealth and nobility of the owner, who entertained guests with dinners, dances, concerts, and more.

For further information, here are some links:

 

https://www.arte2000.it/blog/ville-palladiane-splendide-architetture-nelle-campagne-venete/

https://www.villevenetecastelli.com/un-po-di-storia/

http://web.tiscali.it/AndreaPalladio/html/introd_ville.htm

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ville_palladiane

https://www2.irvv.net/it/listituto/storia.html

http://www.rivieradelbrenta.biz/ville_venete/

 

MTDD: Shall we conclude our interview today with a succulent recipe for our readers?

MCB: Absolutely! Today, I propose Polenta, ribs, and pork sausage

 

Recipe

Polenta, ribs, and pork sausage

Another memory recipe. There are many versions of this recipe. In my memory, I remember ribs and sausage made grilled or with tomato.

Let's start...

First, prepare the Polenta, either the normal or instant version. You can choose whether to make it more or less soft. My mother left it soft because she then placed the sauce on top of it with the sausage and/or rib. Everything was delicious.

Cook the ribs and sausages in the iron or griddle version, as you prefer. I don't need to tell you how to do it because you will have already cooked them this way.

Steamed

Put olive oil and the chopped celery, onion, and carrot in a high-pitched pan. When it has wilted, add the pork parts and brown for a while; add pepper and a little salt (which you will adjust better towards the end so as not to make everything too salty); if you like a little paprika and/or chili pepper, they were not once included in the recipe, but now it is expected to add them. Pour some tomato puree and a little water for slow cooking; check now and then; the meat must come away from the bone.

Enjoy your meal!