I want to touch on music's unsung heroes. The musicians who,
either during their lifetimes, or maybe never, received the recognition
they deserved. Most of us, at one time another, have joked about Ringo
Starr. Starr was not a bad drummer, but he really hit the musical lotto
when he was asked to join The Beatles. If Starr had never joined The
Beatles, we would have never heard of Ringo Starr. But have you ever
thought about the reverse case? What about stellar musicians who were
completely overlooked? Fame and proper
recognition seemed to elude them, either in their own lifetime, or altogether. Sometimes it was because they were in the shadow of other famous musicians. Sometimes, it just took time and rediscovery to recognize the talent that they really had.
Let's start with Amadeus Mozart. When Mozart was a child his father took him on a tour of the great courts of Europe. He was recognized as a musical prodigy, albeit somewhat of a dancing bear, freak show, carnival attraction. However, when this was over, Mozart settled down to a humdrum existence. Financially he lived hand-to-mouth. He was in debt and constantly chased by bill collectors. He borrowed money from rich friends and taught music lessons to get by. When he was finally granted a permanent post by the Emperor Joseph, the ignoramus Emperor cut Mozart's salary (compared to the previous court musician) by 60%! Mozart did achieve some local pockets of fame and recognition. Very few recognized his enormous musical genius. Joseph Hayden, the most famous and popular composer of his time, was one of the few who did recognize Mozart's talent. Mozart died a pauper.
Next up is Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was famous as the premier organist of his day. There was to be a contest between Bach and another renowned organist, Frenchman Louis Marchand. However, on further contemplation, Marchand fled and high tailed it back to France. Bach also had something of the rock and roll spirit. When he was trying out a new organ he would pull out all the stops (literally) and play as loud as he could. In his lifetime, Bach was not famous as a composer. It took an 18-year-old Felix Mendelssohn to realize Bach's greatness and push for greater recognition of one of our all-time great composers. Mendelssohn's effort culminated in a seminal concert in Berlin in 1829 (79 years after Bach's death). The rest, so they say, is history.
We can now fast forward into our own era. I started out by mentioning the good fortune of Ringo Starr in hooking up with The Beatles. However, in a way, it was George Harrison's misfortune to be part of The Beatles. Of course, who wouldn't be standing in the shadows if you were in a band with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Harrison, though, was a musical powerhouse in his own right. As a Beatle, he wrote 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Here Comes the Sun', and 'Something'. 'Something' is the second most covered Beatles' song after 'Yesterday'. Harrison went on to a very successful solo career which hit its peak in his All Things Must Pass three-disc album. This album included Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Gary Wright (remember Dreamweaver), Billy Preston, the group Badfinger, and many others. It was produced by Phil Spector. Harrison's solo hits, just to name a few, included 'My Sweet Lord', 'What is Life', and Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).
There are more unsung musical heroes out there, but we will have to wait until next time to talk about them...
recognition seemed to elude them, either in their own lifetime, or altogether. Sometimes it was because they were in the shadow of other famous musicians. Sometimes, it just took time and rediscovery to recognize the talent that they really had.
Let's start with Amadeus Mozart. When Mozart was a child his father took him on a tour of the great courts of Europe. He was recognized as a musical prodigy, albeit somewhat of a dancing bear, freak show, carnival attraction. However, when this was over, Mozart settled down to a humdrum existence. Financially he lived hand-to-mouth. He was in debt and constantly chased by bill collectors. He borrowed money from rich friends and taught music lessons to get by. When he was finally granted a permanent post by the Emperor Joseph, the ignoramus Emperor cut Mozart's salary (compared to the previous court musician) by 60%! Mozart did achieve some local pockets of fame and recognition. Very few recognized his enormous musical genius. Joseph Hayden, the most famous and popular composer of his time, was one of the few who did recognize Mozart's talent. Mozart died a pauper.
Next up is Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was famous as the premier organist of his day. There was to be a contest between Bach and another renowned organist, Frenchman Louis Marchand. However, on further contemplation, Marchand fled and high tailed it back to France. Bach also had something of the rock and roll spirit. When he was trying out a new organ he would pull out all the stops (literally) and play as loud as he could. In his lifetime, Bach was not famous as a composer. It took an 18-year-old Felix Mendelssohn to realize Bach's greatness and push for greater recognition of one of our all-time great composers. Mendelssohn's effort culminated in a seminal concert in Berlin in 1829 (79 years after Bach's death). The rest, so they say, is history.
We can now fast forward into our own era. I started out by mentioning the good fortune of Ringo Starr in hooking up with The Beatles. However, in a way, it was George Harrison's misfortune to be part of The Beatles. Of course, who wouldn't be standing in the shadows if you were in a band with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Harrison, though, was a musical powerhouse in his own right. As a Beatle, he wrote 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Here Comes the Sun', and 'Something'. 'Something' is the second most covered Beatles' song after 'Yesterday'. Harrison went on to a very successful solo career which hit its peak in his All Things Must Pass three-disc album. This album included Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Gary Wright (remember Dreamweaver), Billy Preston, the group Badfinger, and many others. It was produced by Phil Spector. Harrison's solo hits, just to name a few, included 'My Sweet Lord', 'What is Life', and Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).
There are more unsung musical heroes out there, but we will have to wait until next time to talk about them...
If you liked this article, check out http://www.Louisguitar.com for more articles and music resources.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Burrows
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق