The young woman in the picture is the Polish Countess Delfina Potocka, at the age of 23. Five years before she had married Count Potocki, thus acquiring both the surname and the title.
But Delfina was unhappy in her marriage, and she divorced the count in 1830. Afterwards, she began her travelling.
First, she toured across Europe, and after living for a while in London finally settled in Paris.
Sensitive by nature, Delfina gathered in her salons the musicians, poets, painters and novelists of her time. There she reencountered Frédérick Chopin in 1831, just when he was considering that giving piano lessons was the only option he had to earn a living. And he took her as a pupil.
It is still rumored that there was more than teaching going on, but there is no evidence to support those rumors. A year earlier, Chopin wrote a friend about a dinner he attended at home of "the beautiful wife of Count Potocki", but that is all.
However, they maintained a regular correspondence for many years, no matter where they happened to be at any one time. In 1847, one of those letters could have revealed to Delfina that Chopin had dedicated one of his compositions to her, a short waltz.
Delfina had been a diligent and able student with Chopin, so it is fair to assume that she was able to play the waltz at the speed specified by her teacher, i.e., molto vivace, which means very lively and animated. The little waltz became popular and came to be called "The Minute Waltz" because of its short duration.
Following, Valentina Lisitsa rendition, trying to play it in just one minute:
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The years of 1810 and 1811 witnessed the arrival in the world of three giants of 19th century romantic music: Schumann and Chopin in 1810; Franz Liszt in 1811.
Generally, people tend to think that Liszt is a musician much later to Chopin, but as we already see the latter only precedes by a year to Liszt. The reason is that Liszt lived a good amount of years more than the ill-fated Frédéric. And so, long after Chopin's death in 1849, Franz Liszt was more alive than ever, performing recitals all over Europe, meeting and knowing aristocratic women on a very intimate level, whether a princess or a countess… and creating music.
For all this to happen, at the age of eight, little Franz had to show up his talent. This was not difficult because his parents were able to recognize it immediately: his father Adam Liszt was mayor of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy and had dealt extensively with Joseph Haydn. As soon as Franz turned 9, the Liszt family moved with him to Vienna to receive lessons from the most renowned music teachers. Then came Paris and later the whole of Europe.
Franz was born to conquer.
At 22 he is already a celebrated musical personality in the Parisian salons. In a select meeting between those attending were Chopin, Meyerbeer, Délacroix and Heine, among others, he was introduced to the Countess Marie d'Agoult, a well-known lady in Paris aristocratic environments. Marie, as well, was fond of writing, George Sand style. Also, she was six years older than Liszt and was married, to be exact. But love took hold and as love can do everything, Marie and Franz, despite the scandal caused, managed to unite their lives taking refuge in Switzerland, in a house on the outskirts of Geneva.
There, for almost two years, Franz will love and work intensely.
Love Dream No 3
It is probably the piece with which Liszt is better identified by common people. It belongs to a series of three nocturnes published in 1850, one year after Chopin's death. Altogether, they bear the name of Liebesträume and were conceived from poems.
The Nocturne No 3 consists of a beautiful theme that is repeated three times with intelligent variations linked by cadenzas that demand great technical skill. The second variation (1:41) represents the climax of the small work and is where the interpreter is authorized to destroy the piano if so he wishes. The third variation, on the other hand, is much more delicate (3:14). It dies away little by little to finish with a pianissimo arpeggio.
The version is by the Italian pianist Vanessa Benelli.
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Whilst serving as maestro di cappella in the city of Köthen, Johann Sebastian Bach composed the 24 preludes and fugues that form the Book I of The Well-Tempered Klavier. He had arrived in Köthen in 1717, shortly after his then-employer, the Duke of Weimar, had lifted the punishment he had imposed upon Bach, releasing him from prison.
The Duke had an assortment of peculiarities which had been slowly but surely worsening his relationships with his "lackey" Bach (i.e. an assistant for various purposes), who had been serving him from 1708 as both chamber musician and organist of the Court. To the mix, we should add the rebellious character of Konzertmeister Johann Sebastian, and his stubbornness and obstinacy, traits that accompanied him throughout his life, often hampering his dealings with his superiors.
In 1717, Bach learned that he had been recommended for the position of Kapellmeister at the Court of Köthen, which he accepted with alacrity, sending at once his family to that city. Alas, he had not requested the mandatory authorization from the Duke...
And when he did, it was too late. Exasperated, the Duke did not respond and after Bach’s insistence, surely not very tactful, the boss lost his patience. After four weeks of imprisonment, Bach “was freed from arrest with notice of his unfavourable discharge”, as reads the note by the Registrar of the Court. Eventually, Bach reunited with his family in Köthen and took charge of his post, where he remained until 1723.
JS Bach - Prelude No 2
This rendering of the Prelude No. 2 of The Well-Tempered Klavier, Book 1, by Glenn Gould, is unmistakable, though interestingly rather slow. The Canadian pianist and composer is said to have renewed the interpretation of Bach, despite the fact that he used to play sitting at the piano on a short-legged chair, with his chin almost touching the keyboard! (What we will not see here because I could only get the audio version).
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"Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon". A painting by Caspar D. Friedrich, c. 1824
When, years after Beethoven’s death, the opera singer Magdalena Willmann was asked why she had rejected the maestro’s proposal of marriage, she responded: "Because he was very ugly and half crazy."
We know nothing about Magdalena, but it seems she did not mince her words. However, even if she was exaggerating, the truth is that Beethoven's relationships with women were never straightforward, but rather complex and awkward. His dour features and (according to some contemporaries) the marks of smallpox, did not help the situation either.
Apart of the singer, the list of candidates to become "Mrs Beethoven" was long: the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, the two sisters Therèse and Josephine von Brunswick, Therèse Malfatti, Bettina Brentano, Amalie Sebald and others.
Despite all his efforts, the genius of Bonn never married. Countess Guicciardi was the dedicatee of Beethoven’s most famous sonata, the popularly known Moonlight Sonata; she was happy to accept the honor but refused to tie the knot.
Although not a great beauty, Giulietta was a charming seventeen-year-old girl when she commenced her music lessons with young Beethoven. Ludwig had recently arrived in Vienna in 1793, and after a few months of mutual education, he succumbed to the spell of la contessina. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old newcomer who was attempting to make his mark in the Viennese musical society was small fry for the young lady.
But Ludwig did not bear a grudge against her. The sonata, composed during Beethoven’s stay at the home of the Brunswicks in 1801 (where he spent the season looking at the already mentioned sisters out of the corner of his eye), was published in 1802. It was dedicated to la contessina with affection, but also with a printing error: "... composta e dedicata alla damigella contessa Guilietta Guicciardi".
The initial movement of the sonata represents a break with the classic mold. Instead of the traditional structure fast - slow - fast, Beethoven started the piece with a very slow adagio, with the precise indication: adagio sostenuto –a beautiful and simple melody against a background of triplets.
The popular title of the sonata is due to Heinrich Rellstab, a poet and music critic of the time, who compared the adagio with the vision of the Swiss Lake Lucerne, on a luminous night. Most titles traditionally given to the sonatas of Beethoven owe their names to the wits of publishers or some enthusiastic romantic poets.
In the last bars, in the low registry, the left hand takes charge of the G sharp with which the melody had started.
Sonata N° 14 Opus 27 N°2 - Adagio sostenuto - Piano: Wilhelm Kempff
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In the summer of 1763, Leopold Mozart came to the conclusion that it was time to move away from Salzburg and, once and for all, set off on a long tour across Europe with his son Wolfgang and his older sister Nannerl, who both had shown, from an early age, extraordinary musical talents.
A year earlier, in 1762 —Wolfgang was not yet six— the children had successfully performed in Munich and, in September of the same year, dazzled the courts of Vienna gaining fervent applause, a watch, some elegant clothes and some kisses on the cheeks.
After returning from these 'flying' visits which normally took a couple of weeks (each way), Leopold began planning an extensive European tour. This, eventually, would last more than three years, leading them to travel throughout France and England. The aim of this tour was to present the world with what he called "the gift that God has given me" and expecting from it, naturally, some money.
Leopold was right. The tour resulted in a huge success and became useful in many ways: little Wolfgang, only seven, had a lavish premiere playing in the courts of great kings and princes, deepening his experience as a musician, improviser and composer. Above all, it made money, and plenty.
But this was not manna from heaven.
In fact, in the second half of the eighteenth century, Leopold Mozart behaved as a seasoned entrepreneur, as we should say today. Before coming to each village, Leopold, the producer, used to publish a notice in local newspapers announcing the arrival of these amazing children and reporting the marvelous things they could do with a keyboard, even if it was covered with a cloth avoiding the children to see the keys.
An advertisement in a London newspaper, in 1763, reads:
"To all Lovers of Sciences:
The greatest prodigy that Europe, or that even Human Nature has to boast of, is, without contradiction, the little German boy Wolfgang Mozart; a boy, eight years old who has, and indeed very justly, raised the admiration not only of the greatest men, but also of the greatest musicians in Europe. It is hard to say, whether his execution upon the harpsichord and his playing and singing at sight, or his own caprice, fancy and compositions for all instruments, are more astonishing. The father of this miracle, being obliged by desire of several ladies and gentlemen to postpone, for a very short time, his departure from England, will give an opportunity to hear this little composer and his sister, whose musical knowledge wants no apology.
Performs every day in the week, from twelve to three o'clock, in the Great Room, at the Swan and Hoop, Cornhill.
Admittance 2s. 6d. each person."
If Leopold was an outstanding producer of cultural events, he was far less successful as a promoter of his son’s career. He tried hard to obtain for Wolfgang a stable position in a court other than Salzburg's. Fortunately for posterity, all of them were unsuccessful, which allowed Mozart to apply his mind at working for himself.
Sonata in F major - Adagio - Elisabeth Leonskaja
Although in 1762 the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria rewarded Wolfgang for his performance in Vienna with a little suit decorated with gold braids, later she was less well disposed towards him. In 1771, having received an inquiry from his son, the Archduke Ferdinand, about employing Wolfgang in his court, Maria Theresa advised him not to admit "composers or any other useless people like them", in particular, "none of the Mozarts, who drift around the world like beggars".
Maria Theresa is remembered as a great promoter of science and the arts; a genuine representative of enlightened despotism, even though in this case the anecdote shows that she was a little bit more despotic than enlightened.
The Empress left this world in 1780. So, we may assume that she might have been able to enjoy some of the three sonatas that Mozart, the beggar, composed in Paris in 1778.
The Sonata in F major is less well known than the Sonata in A major (with its popular Rondo alla turca or Turkish March) but it is equally beautiful and represents another illustration of the rich diversity of Mozart's instrumental output. This sonata has three movements and a conventional structure: allegro - adagio - allegro molto. The adagio is one of the sweetest and delicate slow movements of the keyboard music of its time.
The parents of Franz Schubert and those of Thérese Grob had known each other since they were young. They were neighbors in a suburb of Vienna –Liechtental– so the children of both families did play together, jumping and running one after another for much of their childhood. So, in the heat of those children's games, little Franz must have noticed the beauty of Thérese –a magic moment that history does not register.
Two years younger than Franz, as Thérese reached thirteen she was revealed to possess a beautiful soprano voice. In 1814, barely grown up, both will perform together on-stage at the premiere of the Mass in F for vocal quartet, organ and orchestra of the young master. Schubert, aged seventeen, conducts; Thérese, fifteen, is the soprano soloist.
All this was fine, but the girl's parents truly believed that the relationship had no future because Franz was just beginning an uncertain career as a musician and it was unthinkable that he could achieve any reputation in the short term.
As if all this were not enough, Klemens von Metternich, the champion of conservatism in charge of the security of Vienna and all of Austria, had recently issued a decree prohibiting marriage if the future husband had no means of supporting his wife. As was exactly the case.
Three or four years of vain attempts will follow. Schubert will try to obtain a position as Kapellmeister or as director of some of the great Viennese theaters, but it was all to no avail.
Eventually, the parents of Thérèse will find a promising suitor for their daughter in a man employed as a baker. "At least there will be no lack of bread on the table", Madame Grob is reported to have said.
They will contract the sacred link in November of 1820. Little Franz is sheltered inside the house of the poet Mayrhofer, with his heart broken in pieces.
Impromptus Opus 90 No. 4
This is the last of this series. It is marked allegretto, that is, fast but not too much. The introductory and main theme is articulated in descending arpeggios, that fall in cascade having some gentle chords as a response. After the natural development of this idea the central section begins, where the arpeggios have been replaced by chords that hold a melody with a certain air of lament or imploration. Then returns the main theme which is repeated exactly the same as before until the two chords marked forte appear with which the piece ends.
Krystian Zimerman is not only a great pianist but an accomplished musician. It is said that during a rehearsal with the New York Philharmonic he made a scandal because a cellist raised his hand requesting a break when the day was just beginning to pay off. Zimerman did not allow the break and the director was forced to ask the cellist to return to his seat and continue the rehearsal.
You would not find a person in the world who would not believe that the so-called classical music soothes the soul and helps to eradicate our inner demons. Those people also see themselves as good folks, as sensitive souls that would be incapable of killing a fly. However, this is not always true.
The Goldberg Variations is a work that would confirm the perceived virtues of classical music. Composed for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, it was completed around 1742, almost at the end of his life, while serving as kantor in Leipzig. The work includes an aria and 30 variations; it all ends with a shorter version of the initial aria, as if to remind us where everything came from. The complete piece lasts a little less than an hour and it is customarily played in one go, even though the interpreter generally takes a break after Variation 15th.
According to one of Bach's biographers, the Variations were composed at the request of a count in Dresden, to be performed by his harpsichordist (a certain Herr Goldberg) during the count's long sleepless nights. The purpose was successfully fulfilled and Johann Sebastian was generously rewarded.
Let us now listen to the Aria. The version is from the pianist Francois de Larrard.
Goldberg Variations - Aria:
Many, many years later, The Silence of the Lambs, a novel by Thomas Harris, was published. Its male protagonist, the fearsome killer psychiatrist, Dr Hannibal Lecter, is a great lover of the music of Bach. Later, the homonymous film was unveiled; on it, we can see that minutes before Dr Lecter savagely killed the police officers who guarded him, the prisoner is enthralled to the aria of the Variations, just as we do it right now.
The officers are taking the supper to him and have to open the gate of the cage where Hannibal is locked. During this scene, parts of 6th and 7th variations can be heard.
6th Variation
7th Variation
While the hideous killing occurs, part of the 13th and 21st variations are played. Here you can listen to them in their entirety: 13th Variation
21st Variation
Dr Lecter got rid of his jailers. He devoured a chunk of the face of one of the guards and trashed to death the other one. Once the mission is accomplished, ecstatic, Hannibal enjoys the shorter, final version of the aria.
Sensitive souls can be found anywhere!
Following, the complete version, from the Russian pianist Evgeny Koriolov:
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Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750, the same year an eminent English doctor who happened to be in Leipzig at the time, recommended the great musician an ophthalmic operation to avoid blindness. Overcoming his initial reticence, Johann Sebastian agreed. The eminent doctor carried out the operation, but it failed. Later on, the eminent doctor performed a second operation. This time, the father of Western music became completely blind.
Fortunately, Bach had already produced almost all the 1087 pieces included in the Bach Work Catalogue (BWV for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis); he had tried practically all musical forms, with the exception of the opera, a genre he never tackled.
JS Bach composed four orchestral suites, of which suite No. 3 is one of the best known of all his orchestral production. This suite, also called Overture, consists of a succession of the dances of the time, whose French names —allemande, courante, bourrée, sarabande and others, ending with a gigue— reflect the influence of the French court during XVI and XVII centuries, a period during which such structure was all the rage.
The second movement of Suite No. 3 is an “air” that has become even more popular than the suite itself. Its musical beauty is sustained by a central melody that effectively interweaves with other melodic lines lead by a violin and a viola.
JS Bach. Air from Suite No. 3. The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra
Following Bach’s death, these suites fell into complete oblivion. Like so many of Johann Sebastian’s other works, the suites were heard again only since February 1838, when a young musician named Felix Mendelssohn, aged 29, conducted the complete Suite No. 3 in Leipzig.
There are many versions of different instruments for this “air”. One of these, arranged for violin and orchestra by a German composer during the 19th century, was most influential in establishing the popularity of the piece. Transposing the “air” from the original D major key to G major, he made it possible to play the main melody on one string only, the G string of the instrument. Thus, the moniker, "Air on the G string" was born.
A jazzy version
Back in the 60s, the jazz pianist Jacques Loussier completely “modernized" it, creating a radical change in the atmosphere of the piece. Accompanied only by a bass and percussion, this jazz version would have struck with astonishment poor Johann Sebastian.
Thanks to Mendelssohn, we can say Bach is still with us. Thanks to Jacques Loussier, we can say Bach is one of us.
The Jacques Loussier Trio - Air on the G string
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