Poetry, stories, art, and music from the desk of Jezzie G, a writer without a label
Háry János
1926
Opera
Zoltán Kodály
Classical
Born: 16 December 1882, Kecskemét, Hungary
Nationality: Hungarian
Died: 6 March 1967, Budapest, Hungary
Kodály was a composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, pedagogue, and philosopher. He Is internationally known as the creator of the Kodály method of music education
Guide Me Home
1988
New Age
Montserrat Caballé
Opera
Born: 12 April 1933, Barcelona, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Died: 6 October 2018, Barcelona, Spain
Caballé was an operatic soprano. Covering a wide variety of roles, she is best known for performances in the works of Verdi and of the bel canto repertoire including works of Rossini and Bellini. Caballé’s voice has been described as powerful and pure with superbly controlled vocal shadings and pianissimo
Funeral March of a Marionette
1872
Classical
Charles Gounod
Opera
Born: 17 June 1818, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 18 October 1893, Saint-Cloud, France
Gounod was a composer and wrote twelve operas including “Faust” (1859) and “Romeo and Juliet” (1867), both of which remain in the international repertory. Gounod also composed church music, songs, and other shorter pieces. He was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won France’s prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. A deeply religious man, Gounod considered the priesthood after his studies
Habanera
1875
Opera
Georges Bizet
Opera
Born: 25 October 1838, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 3 June 1875, Bougival, France
Bizet was a composer of the Romantic era, best known for his operas. He achieved little success before his final work “Carmen” which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the operatic repertoire. Bizet died of a heart attack 3 months after its premiere, unaware that it would prove a spectacular success
Giselle
1841
Ballet
Adolphe Adam
Opera, Ballet
Born: 24 July 1803, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 3 May 1856, Paris, France
Adam was a composer, teacher, and music critic. He was a prolific composer for the theatre and is best known for his ballets “Giselle” (1841) and “La Corsaire” (1856), and his operas “Le Postillon de Lonjumeau” (1836) and “Si J’etais Roi” (1852).
Evening Song
1938
Classical
Zoltán Kodály
Classical
Born: 16 December 1882, Kecskemét, Hungary
Nationality: Hungarian
Died: 6 March 1967, Budapest, Hungary
Kodály was a composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, pedagogue, and philosopher. He Is internationally known as the creator of the Kodály method of music education
Deep Peace
2003
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Giovinezza
1937
Classical
Beniamino Gigli
Classical, Opera
Born: 20 March 1890, Recanati, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 30 November 1957, Rome, Italy
Gigli was a lyric tenor opera singer, widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation
Finlandia
1899
Romantic
Johan Julius Christian Sibelius
Romantic
Born: 8 December 1865, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Nationality: Finnish
Died: 20 September 1957, Ainola, Finland
Sibelius was a composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods. He is considered to be Finland’s greatest composer and is frequently credited with helping Finland develop its national identity as it struggled for independence from Russia. Sibelius is perhaps best known for Finlandia, the Karelia Suite, Valse Triste, and the choral symphony Kullervo
Danny Boy
2016
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Cello Concerto No.2 in C minor
1964
Concerto
Dmitry Kabalevsky
Orchestral, Opera, Ballet, Chamber Music
Born: 30 December 1904, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nationality: Russian
Died: 14 February 1987, Moscow, Russia
Kabalevsky was a composer and teacher of aristocratic Russian descent. He was a prolific composer of piano and chamber music best known for his Second Symphony, ‘Galloping Comedians’ and his Third Piano Concerto
En Kadhal Solla
2010
Film and TV
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Film and TV
Born: 31 August 1979, Chennai, India
Nationality: Indian
Raja is a film score and soundtrack composer and a singer-songwriter. He is known for his music scores for Tamil films and is considered a versatile composer. Raja utilizes Western music elements and has been credited for introducing hip hop to the Tamil film and music industry. Over a 25-year career Raja has worked on over 100 films winning wards such as the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director in 2004 for his score for &G rainbow Colony. In 2015 raja formed his own music label, U1 Records, and in 2017 the film production studio, YSR Films
Dances of Marosszék
1927
Dance
Zoltán Kodály
Classical
Born: 16 December 1882, Kecskemét, Hungary
Nationality: Hungarian
Died: 6 March 1967, Budapest, Hungary
Kodály was a composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, pedagogue, and philosopher. He Is internationally known as the creator of the Kodály method of music education
Cello Concerto No. 9
1760
Romantic
Luigi Boccherini
Classical
Born: 19 February 1743, Lucca, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 28 May 1805, Madrid, Spain
Boccherini was a composer and cellist of the Classical era. Even though he matured apart from the major European musical centres his music retained a courtly and galante style. He is best known for a minuet from his String Quartet No.5 in E and the Cello Concerto in B flat major. Boccherini’s oeuvre also includes several guitar quintets
Be Still
2003
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Dances of Galánta
1933
Orchestral
Zoltán Kodály
Classical
16 December 1882, Kecskemét, Hungary
Nationality: Hungarian
Died: 6 March 1967, Budapest, Hungary
Kodály was a composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, pedagogue, and philosopher. He Is internationally known as the creator of the Kodály method of music education
Cavalleria Rusticana
1890
Opera
Pietro Mascagni
Opera
Born: 7 December 1863, Livorno, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 2 August 1945, Rome, Italy
Mascagni was a composer best known for his operas. In 1890 his opera “Cavalleria” caused on of the greatest sensations in operatic history and ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music. Despite claims that Mascagni was a one-opera wonder “L’Amico Fritz” and “Iris” have also remained in the European repertoire since their premieres. Mascagni composed fifteen operas, an operetta, and several orchestral works. He enjoyed great success in his lifetime as a composer and a conductor
Edhirthu Nill
2013
Film and TV
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Film and TV
Born: 31 August 1979, Chennai, India
Nationality: Indian
Raja is a film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He is known for his music scores for Tamil films and is considered a versatile composer. Raja utilizes Western music elements and has been credited for introducing hip-hop to the Tamil film and music industry. Over a 25-year career, Raja has worked on over 100 films winning wards such as the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director in 2004 for his score for &G rainbow Colony. In 2015 raja formed his own music label, U1 Records, and in 2017 the film production studio, YSR Films
Bacchus
1909
Opera
Jules Massenet
Romantic
Born: 12 May 1842, Montaud, France
Nationality: French
Died: 13 August 1912, Paris, France
Massenet was a composer of the Romantic era best known for operas, including Manon )41884) and Werther (1892). Massenet also composed oratorios, orchestral works, songs, and other music. He became a professor at the Conservatoire teaching composition from 1878-1896. His students included Ernest Chausson, Gabriel Pierné, and Gustave Charpentier. Massenet’s operas are considered well-crafted and intelligent products of the Belle Époque
Adiemus
1994
New Age
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins has written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
A Dream
1920
Classical
Enrico Caruso
Opera
Born: 25 February 1873, Naples, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Dies: 2 August 1921, Naples, Italy
Caruso was an operatic first lyric tenor and dramatic tenor. To great acclaim, he sang at the major opera houses of Europe and America in a variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires. Caruso was one of the first major singing talents to be commercially recorded and made 247 recordings from 1902-1920 making him an internationally popular star in the world of entertainment
Gloria
2010
Religious Music
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins has written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
Panis Angelicus
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister.
Festive Overture
1954
Classical
Dmitri Shostakovich
Classical
Born: 25 September 1906, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nationality: Russian
Died: 9 August 1975, Moscow, Russia
Shostakovich was a composer and pianist who became internationally known following his First Symphony premiered in 1926. He was regarded as a major composer of his lifetime. Shostakovich combined various musical techniques within his works and his compositions are known for their sharp contrasts, ambivalent tonality, and elements of the grotesque
Saachitale
2022
Film and TV
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Film and TV
Born: 31 August 1979, Chennai, India
Nationality: Indian
Raja is a film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He is known for his music scores for Tamil films and is considered a versatile composer. Raja utilizes Western music elements and has been credited for introducing hip-hop to the Tamil film and music industry. Over a 25-year career, Raja has worked on over 100 films winning wards such as the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director in 2004 for his score for &G rainbow Colony. In 2015 raja formed his own music label, U1 Records, and in 2017 the film production studio, YSR Films.
You Raise Me Up
2003
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Faust
1859
Opera
Charles Gounod
Opera
Born: 17 June 1818, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 18 October 1893, Saint-Cloud, France
Gounod was a composer and wrote twelve operas including “Faust” (1859) and “Romeo and Juliet” (1867), both of which remain in the international repertory. Gounod also composed church music, songs, and other shorter pieces. He was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won France’s prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. A deeply religious man, Gounod considered the priesthood after his studies
O Sole Mio
1916
Opera
Enrico Caruso
Opera
Born: 25 February 1873, Naples, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 2 August 1921, Naples, Italy
Caruso was an operatic first lyric tenor and dramatic tenor. To great acclaim, he sang at the major opera houses of Europe and America in a variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires. Caruso was one of the first major singing talents to be commercially recorded and made 247 recordings from 1902-1920 making him an internationally popular star in the world of entertainment.
Elegie
1872
Belle Epoque
Jules Massenet
Romantic
Born: 12 May 1842, Montaud, France
Nationality: French
Died: 13 August 1912, Paris, France
Massenet was a composer of the Romantic era best known for operas, including Manon )41884) and Werther (1892). Massenet also composed oratorios, orchestral works, songs, and other music. He became a professor at the Conservatoire teaching composition from 1878-1896. His students included Ernest Chausson, Gabriel Pierné, and Gustave Charpentier. Massenet’s operas are considered well-crafted and intelligent products of the Belle Époque
Rait Zara Si
2021
Film and TV
A. R. Rahman
Film and TV
Born: 6 January 1967, Chennai, India
Nationality: Indian
Rahman is a composer, record producer, singer, and songwriter and is popular for his film work. He is a humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising funds for a variety of causes and charities. Rahman was honoured by Stanford University for his contribution to global music and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rotary Club of Madras. In 2017 he made his debut as a director and writer for the film Le Musk
Walking in the Air
1985
Film and TV
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Ein Traum
1889
Classical
Edvard Grieg
Romantic
Born: 15 June 1843, Bergen, Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Died: 4 September 1907, Bergen, Norway
Grieg was a composer and pianist. He is considered one of the main composers of the Romantic era and his music remains the standard of the global classical repertoire. Grieg made use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions and brought fame to the music of Norway
The Nuns Chorus
1965
Folk Music
Kiri Te Kanawa
Opera
Born: 6 March 1944, Gisborne, New Zealand
Nationality: New Zealander
Te Kanawa is a retired opera singer best known for her full lyric soprano voice. She has received accolades from across the world, particularly for her performances of Mozart, Strauss, Handel, Puccini, and Verdi. In her later career, Te Kanawa performed concerts and recitals. Her final performance was in Ballarat, Australia in 2016
Dalibor
1865-67
Opera
Bedrich Smetana
Classical
Born: 2 March 1824, Litomysl, Czechia
Nationality: Czech
Died: 12 May 1884, Prague, Czechia
Smetana was a composer and a pioneer in the development of a musical style closely identified with his people’s aspirations for a cultural and political revival. In Czechia, he is regarded as the father of Czech music. Internationally, Smetana is best known for his 1866 opera “The Bartered Bride”
Palladio
1995
Concerto Grosso
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins as written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
Verklärte Nacht
1899
Sextet
Arnold Schoenberg
Der Blaue Reiter
Born: 13 September 1874, Vienna, Austria
Nationality: Austrian-American
Died: 13 July 1951, California, USA
Schoenberg was a composer, teacher, music theorist, painter, and writer. Consider one of the most influential composers of the 20th century he is associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art and a leader of the Second Viennese School. Target by the Nazi Party as a Jewish composer his work was labeled degenerate and was forbidden from being published, in 1933 he emigrated to the USA becoming a US citizen in 1941
Dahnis et Cholé
1912
Symphony
Maurice Ravel
Impressionism
Born: 7 March 1875, Ciboure, France
Nationality: French
Died: 28 December 1937, Paris, France
Ravel was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Although he rejected the term he is often associated with Impressionism. During the 1920s and 1930s, Ravel was regarded internationally as France’s greatest living composer
Missa in Augustiis
1798
Religious Music
Joseph Haydn
Classical
Born: 31 March 1732, Rohrau, Austria
Nationality: Austrian
Died: 31 May 1809, Vienna, Austria
Haydn was a composer of the Classical era and instrumental in the development of chamber music. He spent much of his career as a court musician for the remote estate of the Esterházy family. This isolated him from other composers and music trends. However, Haydn’s music was circulated widely and he was the most celebrated composer in Europe
Carmen
1875
Opera
Georges Bizet
Opera
Born: 25 October 1858, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 3 June 1875, Bougival, France
Bizet was a composer of the Romantic era, best known for his operas. He achieved little success before his final work “Carmen” which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the operatic repertoire. Bizet died of a heart attack 3 months after its premiere, unaware that it would prove a spectacular success
The Old Ways
1991
New Age
Loreena McKennitt
New Age
Born: 17 February 1957, Manitoba, Canada
Nationality: Canadian
McKennitt is a singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist best known for Celtic and Middle Eastern-influenced world music. She is also known for her refined soprano vocals. McKennitt has sold over 14 million albums worldwide
Naked
Album: Out of the Dark
Date: 1996
Genre: Dance/Electronic
Artist: Falco
Falco (1957-1998) was a singer and musician with several international hits including “Vienna Calling,” “Rock Me, Amadeus,” and posthumously “Out of the Dark.” “Rock Me Amadeus” reached No.1 on the Billboard charts in 1986 making Falco the only German language artist to score a number-one hit in the US
The Carnival of the Animals: The Swan
1868
Classical
Camille Saint-Saëns
Classical
Born: 9 October 1835, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 16 December 1921, Algiers (El Djazaïr), Algeria
Saint- Seáns was a composer, organist, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic era. Among his best-known works are the First Cello Concerto (1872), Danse Macabre (1874), and The Carnival of the Animals (1886). A musical prodigy, Saint- Seáns made his concert debut at the age of ten
Cantate Domino
1994
Classical
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins has written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
La Valse
1919-1920
Classical
Maurice Ravel
Impressionism
Born: 7 March 1875, Ciboure, France
Nationality: French
Died: 28 December 1937, Paris, France
Ravel was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Although he rejected the term he is often associated with Impressionism. During the 1920s and 1930s Ravel was regarded internationally as France’s greatest living composer
Benedictus
1999
Mass
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins has written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
Nymphs and Shepherds
1675
Baroque
Henry Purcell
Baroque
Born: 10 September 1659, London, UK
Nationality: English
Died: 21 November 1695, London, UK
Purcell was a composer of a uniquely English form of Baroque music which incorporated Italian and French elements. He is one of the greatest English composers and the most famous before the 20th century’s Elgar, Williams, and Britten
Samba
2004
Classical Pop
BOND
Classical Pop
Formed: 2000
Nationality: Australian
BOND is a string quartet formed by music producer Mike Batt and promoter Mel Bush in 2000. The current line-up consists of Tania Davis (first violinist), Eos Counsell (second violin), Elspeth Hanson (viola), and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello). Hanson replaced original band member Havlie Ecker 2ho left in 2008 to have a child
Bach Street Prelude
1997
Classical Pop
Vanessa Mae
Classical, Classical Pop
Born: 27 October 1978, Singapore
Nationality: Thai-British
Mae is a violinist and has achieved album sales reaching several million, and in 2006 she was the wealthiest entertainer under thirty. Mae also competed under the name Vanessa Vanakorn for Thailand in the 2014 Winter Olympics alpine skiing
Korobushka
2000
Classical Pop
BOND
Classical Pop
Formed: 2000
Nationality: Australian
BOND is a string quartet formed by music producer Mike Batt and promoter Mel Bush in 2000. The current line-up consists of Tania Davis (first violinist), Eos Counsell (second violin), Elspeth Hanson (viola), and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello). Hanson replaced original band member Havlie Ecker 2ho left in 2008 to have a child
Quixote
2000
Classical Pop
BOND
Classical Pop
Formed: 2000
Nationality: Australian
BOND is a string quartet formed by music producer Mike Batt and promoter Mel Bush in 2000. The current line-up consists of Tania Davis (first violinist), Eos Counsell (second violin), Elspeth Hanson (viola), and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello). Hanson replaced original band member Havlie Ecker 2ho left in 2008 to have a child
Jezzie G 