Galileo Galilei had three children, all illegitimate, although the youngest Vincenzio was legitimized when he was thirteen. The daughters, Virginia and Livia, were placed in a convent when they were thirteen and twelve. Although this sounds as though Galileo was a distant and uncaring parent, he loved his children dearly, especially Virginia. The convent was probably the best he could have done for them since they would not have been able to make good marriages. Virginia, who took the name Maria Celeste at her profession of vows, adored her father. Their letters throughout Suor [the word for Sister] Maria Celeste’s life told the story of their deep and abiding love for each other and it was these letters that provided so many details of their lives.
Galileo didn’t have it much better than his impoverished daughters. Through the money he earned from his teaching and tutoring and from stipends that he was awarded, he was able to help out the convent from time to time. However, he suffered greatly from many afflictions that would keep him bedridden for months at a time. He also suffered at the hands of the Inquisition, being accused of teaching and publishing heretical material. Deeply devoted to his Catholic faith, but at the mercy of the enemies who spread rumors and lies, Galileo adhered to the restrictions the Office of the Inquisition put on him. Although he had many friends in Italy and all over Europe who were devoted to him personally and professionally, he spent the last decade or so of his life imprisoned in his house, slowly going blind. As bad as his physical ailments were, it sorrowed his soul more that he was kept separated from his daughter. Eventually, Galileo was proven right in his scientific discoveries and acknowledged as the genius he was.
Dava Sobel, author of Galileo’s Daughter, also wrote Longitude, another book I very much enjoyed. She has a real gift for making science understandable and for making the story gripping.
Back in the day – the Bard’s day, that is – a reference to Astronomy didn’t mean the true science it is now. After all, people still thought the Sun circled the unmoving Earth. Shakespeare says he has “Astronomy, But not to tell of good or evil luck.” People looked to the Sun, Moon, and planets they could see to try to predict the future. Even doctors would cast horoscopes to determine how to treat people. The poet doesn’t need to use “Astronomy” to tell the youth’s future, he can tell from his eyes.
How many of you have read War and Peace? All the way through? The War parts and the Peace parts? It is a challenge (my copy 1455 pages) but one so worth it. Not bragging, just a fact, I’ve read it twice. I just loved this book.
Leo Tolstoy (9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910) was from a noble family, his ancestor Pyotr being given the title “Count” by Peter the Great. Losing his parents at a young age Tolstoy and his siblings were raised by relatives. He did not do well in his studies and left the university to live a “lax and leisurely lifestyle” (Wikipedia). He began writing and had his first book published in 1852. He and his brother joined the army and fought in the Crimean War. This and other experiences in his travels led him to pacifism. His correspondence with Gandhi influenced his philosophy of non-violence, and ultimately Martin Luther King’s. (Philip Glass’s marvelous opera Satyagraha brings the three of them together.)
War and Peace (1869) has inspired many translations, as well as movies, television series, and operas. The 1956 film version starred Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Mel Ferrer. Although it was heavily edited and many felt Fonda was too old to play Pierre, the film was nominated for several Oscars and Golden Globes. The 1972 – 1973 20-part series from the BBC was able to delve more into the book than a movie could hope to. In this version the great Anthony Hopkins plays Pierre. The series was remade in 2016. The opera by Sergei Prokofiev has gone through many transformations and has been recorded on several labels. While all of these versions show the enduring nature of Tolstoy’s story, none is so rich in detail as the book. The 1968 translation by Ann Dunnigan is considered one of the best because of her ability to catch Tolstoy’s phrasing and idioms. Whatever version you choose to read, I highly recommend giving it a go.
Whether you prefer symphonies, opera, concerti, chamber music, or vocal music, Antonin Dvorak (8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) had something for everyone. Born in Bohemia, he was deeply influenced by the folk music and styles of Czech music and was one of the first Czech composers to be widely known outside of his own country. He won composition competitions and was touted by Brahms as one of the best new composers of the era. Brahms was influential in getting his own publisher to bring out Dvorak’s works.
Dvorak’s European career was illustrious over the course of his life and led to his being invited to be the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City from 1892 – 1895. It was here that he composed his most famous symphony, Symphony No 9 From the New World and his Cello Concerto in B minor. The summer of 1893 was spent in Spillville Iowa, a heavily Czech community, and he composed his String Quartet in F (American quartet).
Returning to Bohemia in 1895, Dvorak continued to compose and conduct. In 1900 he wrote his best known opera Rusalka. Based on a fairy tale that was similar to The Little Mermaid, Rusalka became successful in Czech areas and all over Europe. Rusalka, a water nymph, sings a “Song to the Moon,” hoping that the human prince she loves will hear and love her too. He does, but the story has no happily-ever-after ending. Here is the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko singing in silk and honey tones this lovely song. Enjoy!
Maybe some of you will remember the poem that we look at today: “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.” Written in 1889 by Eugene Field (2 September 1850 – 4 November 1895) it was one of many poems written for children during his short 45-year life.
Born in St Louis, Missouri, Eugene Field lost his mother when he was six and his father when he was nineteen. (His father was the attorney who represented Dred Scott, the slave who sued for his freedom.) Field attended several colleges without completing a degree. He tried his hand at several occupations but none took until in 1875 he became a journalist and worked for newspapers in Missouri, Kansas and Denver. In 1883 he moved to Chicago and wrote for the Chicago Daily News, publishing a light-hearted column Sharps and Flats.
In 1879 he started publishing poetry, much of it for children, and also wrote short stories. Some of his books were illustrated by Maxfield Parrish and some of his poems were set to music. Lucy Simon adapted the poem and wrote the music for “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod” that she and her sister Carly recorded. Other folk singers such as the Brothers Four and the Mamas and the Papas also recorded it.
Here is the poem and then the charming song sung by the Simon Sisters.
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night Sailed
off in a wooden shoe,— Sailed
on a river of crystal light Into
a sea of dew. "Where
are you going, and what do you wish?" The
old moon asked the three. "We
have come to fish for the herring-fish That
live in this beautiful sea; Nets
of silver and gold have we," Said
Wynken, Blynken, And
Nod.
The old moon laughed and sang a song, As
they rocked in the wooden shoe; And
the wind that sped them all night long Ruffled
the waves of dew; The
little stars were the herring-fish That
lived in the beautiful sea. "Now
cast your nets wherever you wish,— Never
afraid are we!" So
cried the stars to the fishermen three, Wynken, Blynken, And
Nod.
All night long their nets they threw To
the stars in the twinkling foam,— Then
down from the skies came the wooden shoe, Bringing
the fishermen home: 'Twas
all so pretty a sail, it seemed As
if it could not be; And
some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed Of
sailing that beautiful sea; But
I shall name you the fishermen three: Wynken, Blynken, And
Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes, And
Nod is a little head, And
the wooden shoe that sailed the skies Is
a wee one's trundle-bed; So
shut your eyes while Mother sings Of
wonderful sights that be, And
you shall see the beautiful things As
you rock in the misty sea Where
the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:— Wynken, Blynken, And
Nod.
Today is the birthday of Engelbert Humperdinck. No, not that Engelbert Humperdinck. He just ripped off the name.
The original Humperdinck was a German composer and teacher who lived from 1854 to 1921. He taught all over Europe and composed many works for the stage. Most of these were singspiele, a type of German play with dialogue and songs. It’s considered a genre of opera now. When he worked with Richard Wagner in 1880-81 assisting him in the production of Parsifal, he also tutored Wagner’s son Siegfried. In 1900 he moved to Berlin where he taught composition. One of his students there was Kurt Weill who turned out to be renowned himself.
Humperdinck’s most famous opera was Hansel und Gretel, completed in 1893 and premiered in December of that year by the composer/conductor Richard Strauss. It was an instant success and has been performed regularly ever since. When the Metropolitan Opera began its Saturday matinee broadcasts on the radio in 1931, Hansel und Gretel was the first opera broadcast. Because it premiered near Christmas and is an opera that children can easily understand, it is performed mostly at Christmas-time.
With the exception of the Father who is a baritone, the other characters are all women’s voices. Young boys are often portrayed by mezzo-sopranos because a boy’s voice hasn’t changed yet. In this clip of the "Evening Prayer" from Act 2, Kathleen Battle (soprano) sings Gretel and Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano) sings Hansel. It’s sung in the original German, although it is often performed in English. Enjoy!
