Birthday of Johann Christian Bach

[Tony Halstead]

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) was born 279 years ago today, 5th September.

Other 'birthday boys are Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791) and John Cage (1912).

[Pabmusic]

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) was born 279 years ago today, 5th September.

Other 'birthday boys are Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791) and John Cage (1912).

Sorry, but is that old style or new style? If he was actually born on 5 September (and that's what it was known as) then we should celebrate it elsewhen. I see that Protestant states of the Holy Roman Empire adopted the Gregorian Calendar from 1700, but we did from 1752. I can't work it out.

Bet you didn't expect this when you posted a good post!

[Tony Halstead]

Thanks for the timely ( no pun intended ) reminder.
So, unless my arithmetic is faulty, we should be noting the birthday of Johann Christian Bach as
5th September 1735 (O.S)
16th September 1735 (N.S)

[Pabmusic]

Thanks for the timely ( no pun intended ) reminder.
So, unless my arithmetic is faulty, we should be noting the birthday of Johann Christian Bach as
5th September 1735 (O.S)
16th September 1735 (N.S)

Quite right. (Although I believe the convention is actualy to leave the date as it is and ignore the change. )

[Serial_Apologist]

I bet people caught up in that time were upset at having their lives cut by 9 days!

[vinteuil]

I bet people caught up in that time were upset at having their lives cut by 9 days!

... indeed, it used to be claimed that there were riots. Sadly, this seems to be a myth -

"When the son of the Earl of Macclesfield (who had been influential in passing the Act) stood for Parliament in Oxfordshire as a Whig in 1754, dissatisfaction with the calendar reform was one of a number of issues raised by his Tory opponents. In 1755, William Hogarth produced a painting (and an engraved print from the painting) loosely based on these elections, entitled An Election Entertainment, which shows a placard carrying the slogan "Give us our Eleven Days" (on floor at lower right). An example of the resulting incorrect history is by Ronald Paulson, author of Hogarth, His Life, Art and Times, who wrote that "...the Oxfordshire people...are specifically rioting, as historically the London crowd did, to preserve the 'Eleven Days' the government stole from them in September 1752 by changing the calendar."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_(New_Style)_Act_1750

[richardfinegold]

I bet people caught up in that time were upset at having their lives cut by 9 days!

Must have been a nightmare for the Pension Benefit offices

[MickyD]

Whatever the date, it is a good excuse to listen to this composer's charming, elegant music. He inhabits a totally different world to his brother CPE, but vive la différence!

[doversoul1]

Whatever the date, it is a good excuse to listen to this composer's charming, elegant music. He inhabits a totally different world to his brother CPE, but vive la différence!

JC Bach was said to have remarked that ‘my brother (CPE) lives to compose but I compose to live’.

I think this is just that (charming and elegant)
6 Sonatas Op 5 for Harpsichord played by Sophie Yates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQZaVPRE0Fw

[MickyD]

Agreed, ds...and this lovely movement from one of the symphonies is in much the same vein:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB5pkzZ4HJM

[Pabmusic]

I bet people caught up in that time were upset at having their lives cut by 9 days!

I bet astrologers were put out! I don't think they foresaw it.

Here's the dates for Vasily Kalinnikov (lovely music). The Russians didn't adopt the Gregorian calendar till after the revolution, so they were 13 days adrift.

b. January 13 [O.S. January 1] 1866, Oryol Governorate – d. January 11, 1901 [O.S. December 29, 1900, Yalta.

[David-G]

Thanks for the timely ( no pun intended ) reminder.
So, unless my arithmetic is faulty, we should be noting the birthday of Johann Christian Bach as
5th September 1735 (O.S)
16th September 1735 (N.S)

I have copies of the official birth records of three great aunts, who were born in the Russian Empire in the late 19th century. I was interested to observe that both the old-style and the new-style dates are given.

[makropulos]

What a charming coincidence. I went to visit his grave (which doesn't mention his date of birth, only the year) in St Pancras Old Cemetery yesterday. I hadn't realized it was his birthday!