On This Day!

[Joy]

On September 14, 1737 -- Austrian composer and teacher Michael Haydn, the younger brother of Franz Joseph Haydn, is born in Rohrau.

1760 -- Birth of Luigi Cherubini, Italian composer of operas and sacred works.
The Italian composer Cherubini worked mainly in France where he was introduced into influential circles. He became a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire of Music at its founding in 1795 and served there as director from 1822 until his death in 1842.
His works include operas and a great amount of religious music.
Cherubini wrote some 30 operas and of these "Les deux journèes", now seldom heard, had an influence on Beethoven's only opera, "Fidelio".


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'Truth and beauty joined'

[This message has been edited by Joy (edited 09-14-2004).]

[Peter]

It was particularly the libretto (by Bouilly) of 'les deux Journees' that attracted Beethoven who considered it the best he had ever read. This must have given him the idea as he turned to Bouilly's play 'Leonore' as the source for his opera.
Another influence was Spontini's 'La Vestale'.

Another work that was influenced by Cherubini was the overture to Egmont - Beethoven possessed a copy of Cherubini's Medee and there are striking similarities between the two.

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'Man know thyself'