Category Archives: Anniversary

On this day in 1796 – the birth of Swedish composer Franz Berwald

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by Ben Hogwood. Picture of Berwald used courtesy of Wikipedia, unknown author

On this day in 1796, the Swedish composer Franz Berwald was born.

Berwald has gained something of a cult following for his four symphonies, which are rightly popular for their poise and elegance, complementary to those who like the music of Schubert and Mendelssohn. Such qualities extend to his chamber music, an output headed by the bright Grand Septet in B flat major:

To that can be added an early Piano Quintet no.1 in C minor, headed by an effervescent tune on the piano:

Berwald’s first published piece, his Quartet for piano and winds, is for the unusual combination of clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano – and as you might expect explores some very attractive instrumental colours:

Published post no.2,956 – Thursday 23 July 2026

On this day – the death of Ernest Bloch

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by Ben Hogwood. Picture of Bloch used courtesy of Wikipedia, unknown author

On this day in 1959, the Swiss-born American composer Ernest Bloch died at the age of 79.

Bloch was a fine composer who has seemingly yet to get the coverage his work deserves. The first piece of his I heard stuck with me, the Concerto Grosso no.1 for strings and piano. It is a powerful piece whose Transatlantic language – hinting at folk influences from either side of the world – is also a pointer towards screen soundtracks that would come along decades later.

Here it is in a fine performance from the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra under Howard Hanson:

Published post no.2,948 – Wednesday 15 July 2026

On this day 165 years ago – the birth of Anton Arensky

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Otkrytoe Pismo Antonij Arensky Postcard-1910

by Ben Hogwood. Picture of Arensky used courtesy of Wikipedia, unknown author

On this day, 165 years ago, a lesser known Russian composer by the name of Anton Arensky was born. Regular readers of Arcana may know that I have something of a soft spot for his music, which at its best channels the poise and elegance of Mendelssohn with the passion of Tchaikovsky. Earlier this year we learned about his songs, in the company of soprano Anastasia Prokofieva and pianist Sergey Rybin.

Yet there are many strings to Arensky’s bow, the most prominent of which is his Piano Trio no.1, a fine piece which you can listen to below, in a fine version from the Beaux Arts Trio:

Published post no.2,945 – Sunday 12 July 2026

America @ 250 – Fanfares for the Common Man and Uncommon Woman, and a hymn by William Billings

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by Ben Hogwood

On the 250th anniversary of American independence, Arcana marks the occasion with two related fanfares. The first, well known and loved, is Aaron Copland‘s Fanfare for the Common Man, the powerhouse piece for brass and percussion that also ends his Symphony no.3:

In response, however, you might not yet know this significant piece with which Joan Tower announced her arrival on the orchestral stage, the Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman:

Finally I wanted to add a personal favourite by one of the founding fathers of American music, William Billings. The eighteenth century composer wrote a large number of hymns, and here is one of the pick – to the tune Africa:

Published post no.2,937 – Saturday 4 July 2026

On this day in 1686 – the birth of composer Benedetto Marcello

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by Ben Hogwood. By Vincenzo Roscioni, from Gallica Digital Library courtesy of Wikipedia

On this day in 1680, the composer Benedetto Marcello was born. While not the best known composer of the Marcello family – Alessandro is in wide circulation for his Oboe Concerto in particular – Benedetto is more than notable for some of the earliest published cello sonatas. You can enjoy these below, in a recording made for Brilliant Classics by cellist Renato Criscuolo and harpsicordist Aldo Criscuolo:

Published post no.2,927 – Wednesday 24 June 2026