COMPOSER OF THE WEEK: 17. Giuseppe Verdi

Born: October 10, 1813; Le Roncole, Italy

Died: January 27, 1901; Milan, Italy

Nationality: Italian

Occupation: Composer

Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian opera composer who was born on October 10, 1813 and died on January 27, 1901. He was born in a moderate-class family near Busseto and studied music with the help of a local patron. 

Verdi's childhood home, Le Roncole

Verdi possessed a dominant place in the genre of Italian opera after the era of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioachino Rossini, whose works significantly influenced him.

In his early operas, Verdi showed interest in the Risorgimento movement in pursuit of the unification of Italy, and as an elected politician, he also participated for a while. The chorus “Va, pensiero” from his early opera, “Nabucco (1842)” and similar choruses in later operas reflected the spirit of this Italian unification movement, and Verdi was respected as a representative of these ideals. 

The portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, Giovanni Boldini

However, Verdi, who was a very private person, after succeeding as an opera composer and being able to reduce the amount of opera-making work, tried to live an ordinary life by owning the land in his hometown. However, Verdi, who succeeded in the opera “Aida (1871)”, returned to the musical world and then with his late three masterpieces, “The Requiem (1874)” and the operas “Otello (1887)” and “Falstaff (1893)”, he surprised the musical world.

Verdi conducting the Paris Opera premiere of Aida in 1880

In his last years, Verdi did many philanthropic ventures, publishing a song in 1894 for the benefit of earthquake victims in Sicily, and from 1895 planning, building and donating a shelter for retired musicians in Milan, and building a hospital close to Busseto. While staying at the Grand Hotel in Milan, Verdi suffered a stroke on January 21, 1901 and died on January 27 at the age of 87.

The statue of Verdi, Busseto

His body was initially buried in a private ceremony at Milan's Cimitero Monumentale and then a month later moved to the crypt of the Casa di Riposo. At this time, the opera Nabucco's “Va, pensiero” was conducted by Arturo Toscanini along with a chorus of 820 singers, and a huge crowd of about 300,000 attended the ceremony.

Casa di riposo per musicisti, Milano

Verdi's grave, the Casa di Riposo, Milan

Today, his opera is still very popular and the 2013 bicentenary of his birth was widely celebrated in broadcasts and performances.

Thank you.

Famous Works

Lecture Program List

YouTube

Korean Blog

Naver TV

Naver Post

News about Newly Released Books

How are you?

Today I want to announce the news about my new books.

Since publishing Modigliani's novel “Dedo, Modi, and Modigliani” in March, two manuscripts I have written in the meantime have been published (in Korean) again in J Books and Media.

The titles of two newly published books are “The Music, Movies and Stories about Wine” and “The Music, Movies and Stories about Coffee.”

These books are about wine and coffee, the subjects other than music and art, which I have written so far. The contents of the books are based on the materials of “Interesting Wine Stories” and “Interesting Coffee Stories”, the lecture programs I conducted in the SPACE of Art Collage JANG I ran before.

With the materials about wine and coffee in my lecture programs, I also introduced the stories about music and films for wine and coffee together, so that wine and coffee lovers can broaden their knowledge for wine and coffee.

In addition, like the books I wrote before, I included QR codes (for YouTube) of the music and movie trailers contained in the books so that readers can enjoy audio-visually.

My new books, started selling yesterday, are available in Kyobo Bookstore, Interpark, Aladin and J Art in South Korea.

Thank you.

The Introduction of the Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 52. The Pretty Housewife (1915)

How are you?

Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani one by one every week.

The 52nd work to introduce for this week is “The Pretty Housewife” in 1915.

This work is a portrait of an expressionist style and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 110.5 x 49.8 cm. It is currently possessed by Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

The Barnes Foundation Museum

The work I introduce today is also a portrait of a woman doing housework, as “Serving Woman (La Fantesca)” I previously introduced. However, La Fantesca feels positive, hopeful and somewhat bright, but this work is gloomy and depressing in contrast to the title.

Serving Woman (La Fantesca) (1915)

First of all, the dark brown and black colors used in the work increase the heavy feeling in the painting. Unlike La Fantesca, the background was divided based on the center of the work, and the shelf in the background is balanced with the basket that the woman is holding.

In addition, the black ribbon on the woman's head, which is in harmony and balanced with the black attire of the woman, focuses the viewers' attention on the woman’s slightly faint hair and on the woman's face at the same time.

Looking at the woman's appearance, her expression is gloomy and not bright as if she is suffering from harsh and tough reality, and the pain of life is felt more from her saggy shoulder due to her hand holding a basket that looks heavy enough to drop soon, and the apron flowed down.

Also, looking at the woman's whole body, her forearms look exceptionally thick compared to other parts, and this seems to reflect the reality which is so difficult and hard. The attitude of the woman standing straight as if she was frozen seems to reflect the woman's reality without spare time. 

In addition, unlike the ears of the models expressed by Modigliani in other works, the one ear of the woman, which is hard to distinguish because it is drawn in the same color as the hair color, and the almost invisible one eyebrow on the side of her hand holding the basket, seem to suggest that she is gradually losing herself from harsh and tough reality.

Thank you.

On view Room 21, West Wall, Barnes Foundation, PA, US

Lecture Program List

YouTube

Korean Blog

Naver TV

Naver Post

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: 35. Charles Gleyre, ACJ Art Academy

Name: Charles Gleyre

Born: May 2, 1806; Chevilly, Switzerland

Died: May 5, 1874; Paris, France

Nationality: Swiss, French

Art Movement: Academic Art, Romanticism

Field: Painting

Influenced on: Antonio Ciseri

Teachers: Richard Parkes Bonington

Pupils: Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Frederic Bazille, James McNeill Whistler, Jean-Leon Gerome, Auguste Toulmouche, Daniel Ridgway Knight, Edward Poynter, Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ

Friends and Co-workers: Horace Vernet

Charles Gleyre was a Swiss artist who was born on May 2, 1806 and died on May 5, 1874. Born in Chevilly near Lausanne, he was raised by an uncle in Lyon, France after his parents died when he was eight years old. 

Before moving to Paris, Gleyre began his formal artistic education under Jean-Claude Bonnefond in Lyon, and after moving to Paris, he entered École des Beaux-Arts under Louis Hersent. He also attended the Academie Suisse, where he studied watercolor technique at Richard Parkes Bonington's studio. 

Then Gleyre went to Italy, where he became acquainted with Horace Vernet and Louis Léopold Robert. They left Italy in the spring of 1834, and traveled to Greece, Turkey and Egypt, where they remained together until November 1835. Then, Gleyre continued to travel to around Egypt and Syria without returning to France until 1838, and returned to Lyon due to health problems.

In 1843, Gleyre became influential as an art teacher by acquiring the studio of Paul Delaroche, which was then a famous teaching atelier in Paris. He taught many younger artists who become famous later, including Jean-Léon Gérôme, Jean-Louis Hamon, Auguste Toulmouche, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Louis-Frederic Schützenberger, Henry-Lionel Brioux, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frédéric Bazille.

On May 5, 1874, Gleyre died suddenly while visiting the Retrospective Exhibition, opened on behalf of the exiles from Alsace and Lorraine.

FAMOUS WORKS

ALL WORKS LIST (Charles Gleyre)

RELATED ARTISTS

1. Claude Monet

2. Pierre-Auguste Renoir

3. Alfred Sisley

4. Frederic Bazille

5. James McNeill Whistler

6. Jean-Leon Gerome

7. Auguste Toulmouche

8. Daniel Ridgway Knight

9. Edward Poynter

10. Horace Vernet

ALL ARTISTS LIST

Currently, “J art”, an internet mall of “Art Collage JANG” is selling artprints of worldwide famous artists.

In relation with this sale, I will introduce one by one every week, whose artprints are on the sale list, by following categories.

1. Artist’s Bio: Introduce brief bio of selected artist

2. Famous Works: Move to the corresponding artprints in J art by clicking

3. All Works List: Move to all works of selected artist in J art by clicking

4. Related Artists: Move to the works of the artists in J art, who are related to the selected artist.

5. All Artists List: Move to the list of all artists selling artprints in J art

Lecture Program List

YouTube

Blog (Korean)

Naver TV

Naver Post

Thank you.

55. The history of Jazz: 11. Fusion Jazz, ACJ Music Academy

How are you?

Following the last week, I am going to start my 55th lecture.

I had conducted music lectures at Art Collage JANG in Seoul, South Korea every Saturday from March 2015 to December 2017. I am going to introduce the lecture by the lecture’s order every Saturday.

The 11th and last theme of “The history of Jazz” I will introduce this week is “Fusion Jazz.” 

It is a summary of the contents of “55th ACJ Music Academy, The history of Jazz: 11. Fusion Jazz”, which was introduced on July 16, 2016.

Fusion Jazz or Jazz Fusion is one of the music genres in the late 1960s when musicians tried to combine jazz's harmony and improvisation with funk, rock, rhythm & blues and Latin jazz style. 

During this period, many jazz musicians performed various musical experiments, such as using electronic musical instruments or amplifying sound using electronic effectors and synthesizers. For jazz fusion, brass instruments such as trumpets and saxophones are usually used for melody and solo performances, and electric bass, electric guitar, synthesizer and drums are used for the rhythm section.

Afro-Cuban Jazz, one of the first forms of Latin jazz, is a jazz fusion with an Afro-Cuban musical rhythm that includes jazz harmony and improvisation. Afro-Cuban Jazz first appeared in New York City in the early 1940s with Cuban musicians such as Mario Bauza and Machito. 

Mario Bauza

Machito

Jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton released an album "Duster" in 1967 collaborated with an electric guitarist and a pioneer of electric jazz Larry Coryell, which is considered one of the first Fusion Jazz records. 

Gary Burton

A trumpet player and composer Miles Davis' album "In a Silent Way" which was released in 1969 is considered his first fusion album.

Miles Davis

‘The Free Spirits’ is often considered as the first band in jazz rock, sometimes used as a synonym for the term "jazz fusion.” 

The Free Spirits

Herbie Hancock, one of the first jazz musicians to use synthesizer, became an important pioneer in Jazz-funk with the album “Head Hunters” in 1973 and the album “Thrust” in 1974.

Herbie Hancock

Formed by Chick Corea in 1971, ‘Return to Forever’ began with Latin-inspired music, but in 1973 they transformed into a jazz rock group influenced by psychedelic and progressive rocks. 

Chick Corea

In addition, electric guitarist Pat Metheny, who also influenced in the 1970s, formed ‘The Pat Metheny Group' in 1977 and entered both jazz and pop charts with his second album, "American Garage (1979)."

Pat Metheny

Until the early 1980s, many original fusion genres were included in genres other than jazz rock, especially, Smooth Jazz is an example in a comfortable listening style, a subgenre of jazz fusion influenced by the style of R&B, funk and Pop. 

The collaboration between jazz and pop/rock flowed into a more commercial direction in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Al Jarreau and Kenny G were pioneers of this pop-oriented fusion.

One of the jazz fusion genres, Acid Jazz, also known as Club Jazz, was created in clubs in London, England in the mid-1980s and is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, soul, funk and disco. 

Another fusion jazz genre, Nu jazz, also known as Jazztronica, was created in the late 1990s to refer to music that mixes jazz elements with other musical styles such as funk, soul, and electronic music.

Progressive rock, with its long solo performance and complex musical characteristics, has also very similar musical characteristics to jazz fusion, and examples of progressive rock with fusion elements include the songs of Ozric Tentacles and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Ozric Tentacles

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

The early jazz fusion moved around a single frame called “jazz rock,” but the subsequent fusions became more diverse through continuous experiments. Jazz fusion is another face of jazz in the flow of time and history, and it is still ongoing.

You can also review this lecture from following media.

Related Music

Lecture Program List

YouTube

Blog (Korean)

Naver TV

Naver Post

Next week, I will begin a new genre, "History of Pop Music", which is scheduled for six weeks.

Thank you.

The Stories about Art Films: 11. Mr. Turner (2014), ACJ Movie Academy

Basic Info

Title: Mr. Turner

Genre: Drama

Country: United Kingdom, France, Germany

Language: English

Running time: 150 minutes

Release date: 15 May 2014 (Cannes), 31 December 2014 (United Kingdom)

Staff

Director: Mike Leigh

Producer: Georgina Lowe

Screenplay: Mike Leigh

Music: Gary Yershon

Cinematography: Dick Pope

Editor: Jon Gregory

Cast

Timothy Spall as J. M. W. Turner:

Dorothy Atkinson as Hannah Danby

Marion Bailey as Sophia Booth

Paul Jesson as William Turner Snr

Lesley Manville as Mary Somerville

Martin Savage as Benjamin Robert Haydon

Ruth Sheen as Sarah Danby

Summary

“Mr. Turner” is a 2014 biographical drama film based on the last 25 years of the life of artist Joseph Mallord William Turner. Mike Leigh wrote the script and directed, and Timothy Spall appeared as Turner in the film. It premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where Timothy Spall won the award for Best Actor. The film was critically acclaimed, and nominated for four categories each at the 87th Academy Awards and 68th British Academy Film Awards.

Plot

The film features the last 25 years of the life of the British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner. Turner, who is greatly affected by his father's death and loved by his housekeeper Hannah Danby, falls in love with a seaside landlady, Mrs. Booth, with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies.

Movie Review

“A masterpiece”

“Beautiful, absorbing, masterly executed on all accounts”

“A great film”

“Amazing Movie”

Interesting stories about the film

1. At the request of director Mike Leigh, Timothy Spall learned to paint for about two years for his role.

2. The film generated a new interest in the works of Joseph Mallord William Turner. On December 3, 2014, Turner's "Rome, From Mount Aventine", painted in 1835 was sold at auction by Sotheby's for approximately £30 million (about US$48 million). It recorded the highest sales price for the works of pre-20th century British artists.

Rome, From Mount Aventine, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1835)

3. At the beginning of the film, Turner's father shaves Turner. His father was actually a barber and wig maker.

Thank you.

Movie Trailer

Lecture Program List

YouTube

Korean Blog

Naver TV

Naver Post