When I began this blog, I vowed to do it for at least one full year. I’m doing it for myself, but let me say how much I appreciate you, the readers, for your feedback, responses, and your support.

I made a long list of pieces I wanted to present and write about. I’m slowly chipping away at that list. But every once in a while, I stumble across something new and fascinating – you know, like when you go past page 2 of your google search?

Seriously though, among the vast wasteland of trash, you can dig up some real gems. Here’s one I click on because, well, it had a cool picture. And it ended up being a really cool piece of music … and a very interesting story.

Before this post, I had never heard of Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens. He is the third musician named Eugene Goossens, all from the same family, who lived in the same house, in London. Goossens conducted the British premiere of Stravinsky‘s Rite of Spring, and was the conductor of the Rochester (New York) Philharmonic and instructor at the prestigious Eastman School of Music. Sounds pretty normal, right?

So now it gets interesting. Goossens had an colorful affair with Australian Rosaleen Norton, an artist, occultist, and witch, at a time when Australia was socially conservative. He was stopped at the Sydney airport and searched; his bags had some curious photos, masks, incense, and other objects – enough to cause a huge scandal at the time, and ending Goossen’s musical career.

Here is Goossen’s 1913 “The Eternal Rhythm”, which I had never heard before; I quite like it. It sounds very much like the post-romantic works of the time, and smacks especially of Scriabin.

… And if you don’t know how, Anitra will be happy to teach you.

Anitra is a character in the Norwegian play Peer Gynt, written by Henrik Isben. The play is a satire of Norway and Norwegians, their peculiarities, their mythology, and their humor (if you can call it that.) Isben asked Norway’s composer poster-child, Edvard Grieg, to write music for the play. Later, Grieg created two suites using music he wrote for the play, which have become orchestral favorites the world around. Not too shabby for a country of fishermen, whose total population today is less than 6 million.

March 8 is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history.

Gender inequality certainly exists in music. And while the field of performance (solo and ensemble performers) has become considerably more gender balanced than it was in the past, composition still remains a male-dominated career.

Today I want to celebrate Amy Beach, who was the first American woman to have a successful career as a concert pianist and composer of Art Music.

Despite being a female composer at a time when composers simply weren’t supposed to be female, Beach was revered as a member of the Second New England School – the elite, first group of highly educated American composers. Their music is fabulous, but they get overshadowed by their European contemporaries, and nowadays, their music is considered to be not truly “American”. (whatever!)

Anyway, Beach is one seriously strong person. After she married in 1885, her husband asked (ie, demanded) that she limit her concert performances, an donate all her earnings to charity. Nevertheless, she persisted. Her 1896 “Gaelic Symphony” was a monumental success. Critics tried to find weaknesses in the composition and attach them to her sex, but to no avail. Audiences and her colleagues lifted her up as one of America’s finest.

The whole symphony is fabulous. If you have the time, I’d highly recommend listening to the rest of it – check the sidebar on Youtube, and follow the roman numerals. And if you don’t have the time … come back when you do 🙂