Who were your favourite composers’ teachers?

On October 05, we’re celebrating our dear teachers all around the world. You all remember your favourite teachers, the one who made you love ─ or at least not despise ─ math, the one who finally helped you understand an obscure concept, the one who was nice to you when you needed it… Well, the same goes for composers! Let’s discover some of them:

Nadia Boulanger: the teacher of them all

You don’t know anything about her? But you’ve probably heard about Astor Piazzolla, Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, Aaron Copland, Quincy Jones, Michel Legrand… Well, they’ve all learnt composition from Nadia Boulanger! A pianist, organist, conductor and composer, she turned to teaching after the tragic death of her younger sister Lili Boulanger ─ a composition prodigy herself ─ as she felt that all her own compositions were now “useless”. She taught over a thousand aspiring composers, truly shaping the sound of the 20^th century.

If you come to the Philharmonie, there’s a good chance you’ll hear the works of one of her students! And on 01.10, young Luxembourgish cellist will play one of her own pieces.

From one great teacher to another

You’re probably wondering who taught this incredible woman, right? That would be Gabriel Fauré ─ you’ve probably heard his Pavane once or twice. Fauré, in turn, taught someone whose most famous work you surely know, the Boléro… Maurice Ravel of course! He joined Fauré’s composition class at the Conservatoire de Paris, and his teacher was very keen on him, but he was expelled for not winning any prize despite several attempts. However, that didn’t matter to Fauré who valued originality and finding your own voice above all. He thus maintained his relationship with Ravel ─ his most talented pupil, according to him.

Did the student surpass the master? We’ll let you when the Luxembourg Philharmonic will be performing Fauré’s Requiem and Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé.

A musical textbook

You can’t talk about teachers and school without talking about textbooks! Boring? Well, yes, if you’re talking about a dry, very theoretical manual … but what if it was a musical textbook? That’s how Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Art of Fugue is often considered, though it’s also fit for concert performances. It’s basically a masterclass on counterpoint, this composition technique where several melodies are intertwined without losing their identity, but rather conversing with one another. A lot of mystery surrounds this work, which according to the legend, Bach died while composing. He also left a musical signature by incorporating the notes B-A-C-H in it!

Whether it was meant to be a simple textbook or an actual concert piece, The Art of the Fugue is definitely enjoyable, and the is bringing it to you at the Philharmonie on 23.10.

Let’s celebrate teachers with music! Grab your tickets on or via the Phil30 app. And to learn more about the Philharmonie, come to one of during the weekends!

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