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Key Points
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nWhen we hear “classical composer,” we usually instantly think of the most famous of the famous European composers of the 17th to 19th Centuries. I mean, I instantly think of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.
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nI googled “classical composer,” and those three were the top three composers in my google search (although in a different order).
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nThe other top responses, in order, are Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Haydn, Schubert, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Wagner.
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nYep, they are all European. All from the 17th to 19th Centuries. And you know what else they all are?
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nMen!
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nBack in the 17th to 19th Centuries, it wasn’t easy for women to get recognition for creating art, including composing music. But these days it’s a bit better.
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One woman who made things a better for women in music is classical composer Libby Larsen, who was born in Delaware on this date in 1950. She’s lived much of her life in Minnesota.
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nShe is a co-founder of the American Composers Forum, and she has held residencies with a variety of orchestras.
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nLarsen learned to play piano at age three – and she was self-taught! She watched her older sister’s piano lessons and later copied everything she’d seen. Of course, she had lessons herself eventually and had a variety of different musical influences – from her mom’s boogie-woogie to her dad’s Dixieland band, from her Gregorian chanting in Catholic school to a degree in music at university.
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Larsen says that her music is inspired by poetry and paintings and architecture and philosophy, and she loves to read scores.
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n(Scores are written music in which the various vocal and instrumental parts are written separately from one another and arranged vertically on large pages).
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By the way, I was wondering what makes classical music “classical,” and I couldn’t find a very good definition! I read one definition that says that it is “serious” music that follows long-established principles. Hmmm… I think that a lot of other music is serious, too!
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nI read one definition that says what classical music is NOT – folk, jazz, rock, pop (which stands for “popular”). Ooookay.
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nHere is another article that explores the question, “What makes classical music classical?”
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nAnd here is a video about Larsen.
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nI googled “classical composer,” and those three were the top three composers in my google search (although in a different order).
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nThe other top responses, in order, are Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Haydn, Schubert, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Wagner.
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nYep, they are all European. All from the 17th to 19th Centuries. And you know what else they all are?
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nMen!
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nBack in the 17th to 19th Centuries, it wasn’t easy for women to get recognition for creating art, including composing music. But these days it’s a bit better.
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One woman who made things a better for women in music is classical composer Libby Larsen, who was born in Delaware on this date in 1950. She’s lived much of her life in Minnesota.
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nShe is a co-founder of the American Composers Forum, and she has held residencies with a variety of orchestras.
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nLarsen learned to play piano at age three – and she was self-taught! She watched her older sister’s piano lessons and later copied everything she’d seen. Of course, she had lessons herself eventually and had a variety of different musical influences – from her mom’s boogie-woogie to her dad’s Dixieland band, from her Gregorian chanting in Catholic school to a degree in music at university.
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Larsen says that her music is inspired by poetry and paintings and architecture and philosophy, and she loves to read scores.
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n(Scores are written music in which the various vocal and instrumental parts are written separately from one another and arranged vertically on large pages).
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n
By the way, I was wondering what makes classical music “classical,” and I couldn’t find a very good definition! I read one definition that says that it is “serious” music that follows long-established principles. Hmmm… I think that a lot of other music is serious, too!
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nI read one definition that says what classical music is NOT – folk, jazz, rock, pop (which stands for “popular”). Ooookay.
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nHere is another article that explores the question, “What makes classical music classical?”
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nAnd here is a video about Larsen.
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Santuranticuy
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nAnniversary of the first radio broadcast
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nAnniversary of the first performance of Silent Night
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nChristmas Eve / Nochebuena
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nYap Constitution Day in Micronesia
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nAnniversary of first solar-heated home
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nNational Eggnog Day
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nPlan ahead:
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Check out my Pinterest pages on:
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nHistorical anniversaries in December
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nJanuary birthdays
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