Composer Bookmarks | Farley's House of Pianos

Composer Bookmarks

Farley's distributes bookmarks featuring composers to Madison Area Friends of Piano Play-a-Thon performers as a way of thanking them for sharing their musical talents. Farley's started creating the collectible bookmarks in 2013. Each year four composers are chosen. Some are well known, some lesser known but well deserving. Composer suggestions are always welcome, especially composers who are female and/or people of color.

2020

CÉCILE CHAMINADE August 8, 1857 – April 13, 1944 FAMOUS PIECE Chaminade's salon piano songs such as Scarf Dance were so popular that female amateur musicians formed hundreds of Chaminade clubs in the early 1900s. INTERESTING FACTS At age 8, Chaminade performed her own work for Georges Bizet. Almost all of Chaminade's 400 compositions were published during her lifetime. She was the first female composer to become a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, the highest honor from the French government. CHIQUINHA GONZAGA October 17, 1847 – February 28, 1935 FAMOUS PIECE Gonzaga's O Abre Alas created a whole new genre of music: marchinha. INTERESTING FACTS Born in Brazil in a time when it was scandalous for women to be professional musicians, Gonzaga became well known as a pianist and composer of operettas, waltzes, polkas, and tangos. She wrote over 2,000 pieces in her lifetime, and became Brazil's first female conductor. Gonzaga was also politically active, and sold her sheet music to raise money for the abolitionist cause. THELONIOUS MONK October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982 FAMOUS PIECE Monk's 'Round Midnight, which is now a jazz standard, often includes an introduction composed by Dizzy Gillespie. INTERESTING FACTS Born in North Carolina, Monk grew up in New York City. He began playing the piano when he was 6 years old, and was mostly self taught. Monk had a unique improvisational style and an unusual habit of getting up to dance while other musicians soloed. Although Monk only wrote about 70 pieces, he is the second most recorded jazz composer. ANTONIO VIVALDI March 4, 1678 – July 28, 1741 FAMOUS PIECE Vivaldi's Four Seasons violin concertos represent features of the natural world, such as birds, mosquitoes, and creeks. INTERESTING FACTS Vivaldi was a Venetian priest and accomplished violinist who composed many of his pieces for an all-female musical group at the orphanage where he worked. Vivaldi's nickname was 'il Prete Rosso' (the red priest) because of his red hair. Vivaldi died in poverty because his music, very popular for most of his life, had gone out of style.

2019

Béla Bartók March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945 FAMOUS PIECE In Bartok's last completed work, Concerto for Orchestra, every principal player gets at least one solo. INTERESTING FACTS Born in Hungary, Bartók could play forty songs on the piano by the time he was four. Inspired to study folk music when he overheard a nanny sing folk songs to her charges, he incorporated folk melodies into his compositions. Anti-fascist, Bartók reluctantly moved to the U.S. when the Nazis took over Hungary. Nadia Boulanger Duke Ellington FAMOUS PIECE Although It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) is one of his most famous songs, Ellington was critical of commercial swing music, saying 'jazz is music, swing is business.' INTERESTING FACTS Ellington got his nickname, Duke, as a child due to his distinguished style. He wrote over a thousand pieces in his life, many of which became jazz standards. He almost always conducted his orchestra while playing the piano. SERGEI RACHMANINOFF April 1, 1873 – March 28, 1943 FAMOUS PIECE Rachmaninoff dedicated his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor to the physician who helped him overcome his depression and writer's block. INTERESTING FACTS Rachmaninoff had very large hands and an excellent memory. Shortly after he moved to the U.S., many piano companies wanted him to play their pianos on tour. Rachmaninoff chose Steinway, the only company that didn't offer to pay him, and played Steinway pianos for the rest of his life.

2018

JOHANNES BRAHMS May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897 FAMOUS PIECE Hungarian Dances INTERESTING FACTS Born in Germany, Brahms became a composer despite his parents' belief that he could make more money as a performer. He was a perfectionist who spent almost 15 years composing his first symphony. He collected autographs of two of his favorite composers, Mozart and Haydn. Brahms loved practical jokes, and once grew a long beard to fool his friends. FLORENCE PRICE April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953 FAMOUS PIECE Symphony No. 1 in E minor, premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933, was the first piece by an African-American woman to be played by a major orchestra. INTERESTING FACTS Born in Arkansas, Price published her first composition at age 11. She played the organ for silent films and wrote radio jingles to make extra money. She ultimately composed more than 300 works, many of which were performed around the world. MAURICE RAVEL March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937 FAMOUS PIECE Boléro, an experimental piece based on repetition instead of development. INTERESTING FACTS Born in France, Ravel's Basque heritage was a great influence on his music. Because of his musical and political progressiveness, Ravel was expelled from the Conservatoire de Paris twice. Ravel was indifferent to what others thought of his work. He worked very slowly and carefully, and so was not very prolific. GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN March 24, 1681 – June 25, 1767 FAMOUS PIECE Viola Concerto in G Major INTERESTING FACTS Telemann composed an opera in secret when he was 12 because he wasn't allowed to study music. His friend J. S. Bach named Telemann the godfather of one of his sons. Telemann was highly acclaimed in his day, but after he died, people decided he was not as good as Bach because he wrote too many pieces (over 3,000!) Biographers of the time even praised pieces thought to be Bach's, but actually written by Telemann.

2017

LEONARD BERNSTEIN August 25, 1918 – October 14,1990 FAMOUS WORKS The music of West Side Story, which Bernstein composed simultaneously with Candide. INTERESTING FACTS Bernstein was named Louis at his grandmother's request, but his parents always called him Leonard, and he changed his name at age 15. Bernstein became famous overnight when he filled in for the ill conductor of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra and the performance was broadcast nationally on the radio. FRANCESCA CACCINI September 18, 1587 – after 1641 FAMOUS PIECE La liberazione di Ruggiero is widely considered the oldest opera by a female composer. INTERESTING FACTS Caccini, known as La Cecchina (The Songbird), studied the humanities from an early age. She was such a talented musician that she received a job offer from the King of France as a teenager, but the Duke of Florence refused to let her go. Caccini eventually became the most highly paid musician at the Florentine Court. ACHILLE-CLAUDE DEBUSSY August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918 FAMOUS PIECES Clair de lune, the most famous (and quietest) movement of Suite bergamasque. INTERESTING FACTS Debussy, born into a poor French family, was only able to take music lessons due to his aunt's generosity. He grew to become an influential experimental composer. In his seascape La Mer he was inspired by the ideas of the English painter J.M.W. Turner and the French painter Claude Monet. IGOR STRAVINSKY June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971 FAMOUS PIECE The Rite of Spring, a ballet which caused an audience uproar at its 1910 premiere. INTERESTING FACTS Born in Russia, Stravinsky moved to the United States at the beginning of World War II. In 1944, the police warned him that his unconventional arrangement of 'The Star Spangled Banner' was illegal. However, it turned out the police were incorrect, and Stravinsky became a US citizen one year later.

2016

AMY BEACH September 5, 1867–December 27, 1944 FAMOUS PIECES Hermit Thrush at Morn, Gaelic Symphony INTERESTING FACT The first successful female orchestral composer in the United States, Beach began writing music when she was five years old. When she married, she agreed to stop giving music lessons, to perform in public only twice a year, and to focus on composition instead. JOSEPH BOLOGNE Chevalier de Saint-Georges December 25, 1745–June 10, 1799 FAMOUS PIECES Violin Concerto in D Major, Adagio in F Minor, INTERESTING FACT The son of a plantation owner and a slave, Saint-George was not only a famous classical violinist, conductor and composer, he was also a champion fencer, an anti-slavery activist, and a leader in the French Revolution who survived two assassination attempts. TAN DUN Born August 18, 1957 FAMOUS PIECES Water Concerto Score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon INTERESTING FACT Born in the Hunan province of China, Dun worked as a rice planter before getting his musical start with a Peking Opera troupe. Now a world-famous composer, Dun has composed for many films, as well as for Google. Many of Dun's orchestral works involve video and call for instruments made of paper, stone, or water. COLE PORTER June 9, 1891–October 15,1964 FAMOUS WORKS Kiss Me, Kate, Night and Day INTERESTING FACT Born in Indiana to a wealthy family, Porter defied his grandfather to become a composer instead of a lawyer. Unlike many other Broadway composers, he wrote both the lyrics and the music for his songs.

2015

ALBERTO GINASTERA April 11, 1916–June 25, 1983 FAMOUS PIECES Danzas Argentinas Estancia, Op. 8 INTERESTING FACT The rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded a version of one of Ginastera's songs for their album Brain Salad Surgery. When they played it for Ginastera, he exclaimed, 'Diabólico!' They were concerned that he didn't like it, but he meant that it was frightening—exactly the way he intended it to be. SCOTT JOPLIN circa 1867/8–April 1, 1917 FAMOUS PIECES Maple Leaf Rag, The Entertainer INTERESTING FACT Although Joplin is most famous for ragtime music, he also wrote an opera, which was only performed once in his lifetime. Audience members walked out because it was so different from European opera, and because, at the time, African Americans like Joplin were only supposed to compose commercial—not artistic—music. FANNY MENDELSSOHN November 14, 1805–May 14,1847 FAMOUS PIECES Piano Trio, Op. 11; Notturno in G minor INTERESTING FACT Fanny's more famous brother, Felix, didn't think it was proper for her to publish any of her over four hundred compositions under her own name, so he had six of them published under his name instead. To his dismay, Queen Victoria's favorite piece of 'his' turned out to be one of Fanny's. FRANZ SCHUBERT January 31, 1797–November 19, 1828 FAMOUS PIECES Ave Maria, Piano Sonata in A minor INTERESTING FACT Schubert was less than five feet tall, and his friends' nickname for him was Schwämmerl, or little mushroom.

2014

CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH March 8, 1714–December 14, 1788 FAMOUS PIECES Magnificat, Fantasia in C Minor, Solfeggietto in C minor INTERESTING FACT He was born 300 years ago and many musicians will mark the occasion by performing his works during 2014. During his lifetime he was more famous than his father, Johann Sebastian Bach LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN December 16, 1770–March 20, 1827 FAMOUS PIECES 9 Symphonies, 32 Piano Sonatas INTERESTING FACT Beethoven wrote more than 650 compositions, despite worsening deafness apparent even as he composed his second symphony. FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN March 1, 1810–October 17, 1849 FAMOUS PIECES Études, Op. 10 and 25, 24 Préludes, Op. 28 INTERESTING FACT He only performed in public about 30 times, and was much more comfortable playing smaller, salon concerts. All of his compositions include a piano! MARY LOU WILLIAMS May 8, 1910–May 28, 1981 FAMOUS PIECES Camel Hop; What's Your Story, Morning Glory; Roll Em' INTERESTING FACT She was often called The First Lady of Jazz, playing, composing and arranging for greats like Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Tommie Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie.

2013

Franz Joseph Haydn Franz Liszt Domenico Scarlatti Clara Schumann