Who do I think I am?
Read the following descriptions of these composers’ lives. Can you identify who they are? When you find the answer, take the first letter of each surname and rearrange them to make another composer. Some are classical, and some popular.
1) My father and grandfather were upholsterers, and they made enough money to send me to Eton; but the wealth didn’t last, and my father died in a debtors’ prison. I lost my own wealth later on in life too. When I was young, I was so keen on music that I would practise the spinet in the night, dampening the sound with my handkerchief so no one could hear me. My work for the theatre was much copied, and I was one of the first composers to go to law to protect my right to copyright for my compositions. Sadly, a lot of my work was lost in a fire in Covent Garden, but everyone knows my most famous tune - it comes from a masque written in celebration of one of our early kings. People sing this song everywhere from football matches to the Last Night of the Proms! It has a lot of different verses, though, so nobody knows all of it!
2) I started out as a violinist and began my composing career writing for that instrument, but very quickly discovered my talents for writing were greater than my talents for performing. I am one of the few composers to have had all my works recorded. At one time, I was the bandmaster at a lunatic asylum, as I recognised that music can break down barriers. I was very sociable, and had lots of friends in all walks of life, and one of my compositions was sub-titled ‘To my friends pictured within’.
3) I was born to Russian Jews, and my first name was Jacob originally, but that got changed! I started to play the piano when my older brother decided he didn’t like having lessons, so I had his lessons instead - he preferred writing words. I was doing very well for myself until I began to get very bad headaches - and I died very young of a brain tumour. I am dearly loved and remembered, and if I had only lived longer you would have been able to hear some of my more classical writing.
4) I was born into a noble family of Tatars from the cold north. A teacher was brought in to teach me piano, and these lessons continued until we had to move to pay off debts. I was a lazy pupil, but my large hands enabled me to write large, sumptuous chords in my piano writing, and it is for my piano works that I am mainly known; the best of these is so romantic and emotional that it makes listeners cry. That is why the film director David Lean chose it as background music to one of his biggest hits that came out in 1945.
5) I am not quite so famous as the others, but my work is still very lovely and romantic. As a child, I experimented with different sounds, including striking the firewood outside my country home. My first composition was performed in the big hall in the capital city, the Tivoli Hall, and I am chiefly known for my work which was as composer, conductor and violinist. Whilst travelling I met a fellow compatriot and we married in Florence in 1891. I am my country’s chief composer, and my picture is on the back of one of our bank notes.
6) For a while it seemed as though I would never be able to carry on without my partner, who was cruelly taken by murder. We seemed tied together forever but as the years have gone by, I have developed my own personality and the song that I wrote on my own has been re-recorded over 3,000 times. It was very unusual for a popular song in that it was accompanied by a string quartet. I’ve tried to live a simple life, and to bring my children up simply too. I’ve had a few ups and downs in my love life, but my music rises above that and I’ve set up a performing arts school.
What is your answer? Send it to me by email or text, or bring it along to the first session. There will be an interesting prize!
The answer will appear shortly...........
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Students' concert competition!
The students' concert this year will be (as usual) at the Vera Fletcher Hall, Embercourt Road, Thames Ditton, on Sunday June 27th at 3 pm to about 5 pm.
Let me know if you would like to take part - there will an opportunity for you all to perform if you wish.
Are you artistic? Would you like to design the poster for this event?
Here is what you need to do:
* Design a poster which is A4 size.
* You can use any fonts or drawings, but -importantly - it must look ok in black ink (for photocopying), and suitable for printing on any colour of paper.
* It must contain the following information:
What it is ( Music concert for everybody)
Who is doing it (the students, including the TWIG Singers)
Who is organising it (Georgina Colwell, Musicair)
Where it is (Vera Fletcher)
When it is (Sunday June 27th)
What time (3pm)
How much is costs (£5 adults, £3 children under 16)
How to get a ticket (phone or email)
How to make an enquiry (phone or email)
* You could think up a snazzy title if you wish.
Performers do not need to buy a ticket. If the concert should by any stretch of the imagination make a profit, then that will be donated to the Sam Beare Hospice Appeal.
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