#ClassicsaDay #PrideMonth Week 3

For the month of June, Classics a Day celebrates Pride Month. And the challenge is to post works from classical composers who self-identified as other than heteronormative. 

There are a lot of composers to choose from -- and not just in the modern era. This was a challenge that deepened my knowledge of classical music. And deepened my appreciation of the additional struggles faced by LGBTQ+ composers both past and present. Here are my posts from the third week of #PrideMonth.

06/13/22 Jean-Baptiste Lully - Chaconne from "Phaeton"

Lully was a composer, but he was also a dancer. When his infected foot became gangrenous, he refused amputation. It would have ended his dancing career. Lully died soon after, with both limbs intact.

06/14/22 Virgil Thomson - Symphony on a Hymn Tune

Thomson composed this work while studying with Nadia Boulanger in the 1920s. It wasn't premiered until 1945. Among the hymn tunes quoted is "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow!"

06/15/22 Arcangelo Corelli - Concerto in D major, Op. 6, No. 4

Corelli's Opus 6 collection of concerti was published in 1714. They became an instant classic. Handel composed his own Opus 6 in homage to Corelli.

06/16/22 Karol Szymanowski - Variations on a Polish Folk Theme, Op. 10

Szymanowski wanted to create a new Polish national style of classical music. This set of variations from 1904 is a good example of this.

06/17/22 Jennifer Higdon - Percussion Concerto for Solo Percussion and Band

2010 was a good year for Higdon. She won the Pulitzer Prize for her Violin Concerto, and a Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Comoposition for this work.