Geocoma Meyerbeer: The deliberately forgotten Composer by David Faiman 2020 215pg 1/8/21

 How anti-semitism influences our music taste?

(1791–1864). The archetypal composer of French grand opera. Meyerbeer's huge extravaganzas such as Les Hugeunots and Le Propheta were immensely popular in their day. All the great opera singers sang in his opera's at the time when he was a great celebrity. 1678 Antonia Vivaldi's works were never known until the Four Seasons was played in the 20C and then his other compositions which might only have been known in Venice were discovered. Meyerbeer was well known till WW1 and extremely famous till his memory was deliberately erased while Vivaldi was accidently forgotten. Meyerbeer died in Paris and a special train and pomp with royalty took him back to the Prussian capital Berlin for burial. Frederick William II King of Prussia 1786- 1798 liberalized the country to develop the economy and allowed Jews rights. Meyerbeer was educated in Hebrew studies by a Haskala supporting private tutor, and he remained a Jew all his life. 1814-1815 His first opera launch in Vienne was badly timed as Beethoven Fidelio had just had its premier. He spent 9 years in Italy and there took on the name Geocoma from Rossini. He was commissioned to write 2 operas for La Scala 1820. 1923 Rossini invited him to Paris, Where the put on Italian Opera. his music influence Belzan and Alexander Duma pere used some of his ideas in the Count of Monty Cristo. In France he produced operas in French. Robert and Clara Schumann were such anti-Semites and spoke against him while Franze Liszt who wrote piano compositions based on Meyerbeer’s grand operas and went out of his way to defend his honor. Mendelsohn exhibited many examples of anti-Semitism embarrassed of having a Jewish grandfather. Richard Wagner was such a prominent musician and an anti-Semite that critics wouldn't contradict him of what he said about Meyerbeer’s music, he knew how to use antisemitism of others to promote his aims and music. Meyerbeer's got the reputation of music in bad taste.

1895 Palestine a small orchestra was set up in Rishon le Tzion that played music by Halevy Meyerbeer Mendelsohn Mozart Wagner etc. A concert was also give in 1914 to celebrate 50 years since Meyerbeer death.

1910 Shulamit Ruppin founded an orchestra 1923 Mordechai Golinkin and opera conductor from St. Petersburg arrived to set up a Hebrew Temple of art. Before leaving Russia he and Feodor Chaliapin had given a benefit concert to be able to found an opera company in Jerusalem and operas were played at the Jaffa Eden cinema. Operas were translated into Hebrew including Anton Rubinstein’s Die Maccabaer and Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots(Hebrew by Aharon Ashman) A total of 17 different operas were played till the company went bankrupt in 1927. It got no government subsidy. Both Herbert Samuel and Alfred Mond gave good reviews others criticized the bad Hebrew. 1947 An American Edis de Philippe founded the Israel National Opera. Placido Domingo who sang in it said that they did not do Meyerbeer and in it was never do in it 31 years. Edis de Phillipe died in 1979 and the opera company soon after. 1985 New Opera Company came into being. Between Jan Peerce 1950 and until Parvarotti in 1992 Meyerbeer was not played Toscanini conducted Wagner at the opening of the IPO before he became associated with Hitler’s Nazism. Mahler’s symphonies were largely neglected till Leonard Bernstein brought them to New York now they are listened to as much as Beethoven. Max Bruch was not Jewish but the Nazi treated his works with suspicion. Both Rossini and Verdi had great praise for Meyerbeer's work.

Note the book has a lot of information on the actual operas and when they were played but I see music as part of history not the, history of music.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who by fire Leonard Cohen in the Sinai by Matti Friedman 2022  Free Sample 23/7/23

Leonard Cohen arrived in Israel in October 1973 at the Sinai front soon after playing to half a million people at the Isle of Wight festival which was bigger than Woodstock. He was 39years old. Events inspire artist like Guernica inspired Picasso in the Spanish Civil War and the 5th Symphony was composed by Beethoven during the Napoleonic wars.

Israel judgement was clouded by the 6 Day War victory of 1967 and allowed itself to sink into arrogance and complacency. After suffering 2600 fatalities the soldiers managed to turn the war around. After the war Israel was in many ways a different country. Cohen language was formed out of the Hebrew Bible as a child growing up in a Montreal synagogue the grandson of a learned Rabbi. He called Israel his "myth " home.

1973 When he came for the Yom Kippur War .Each concert was a pure artistic transmission, no money changed hands or tickets sold. Most of the soldiers didn't speak English but poetry when, good can communicate before it is understood. and unlike Woodstock everyone was sober. Many asked "Where are your parents from?" would say they escaped from the Holocaust. Israelis of this first generation are not a minority, not religious not exactly Jews but creatures sprung form sunlight and salt water.