This week, we celebrated Independence Day with some musical fireworks of our own! Browse our incendiary playlist below: 

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich (1840-1893) 1812 Overture The excitement of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture makes it easy to forget the human cost of the event it commemorates. In 1812, the French and Russians fought at the Battle of Borodino—the Russian army’s desperate attempt to halt NAPOLEON’S advance into Russia. Contrary to Tchaikovsky’s musical narrative, nobody really won, and the battle ended in crippling casualties and retreat on both sides. It is hardly surprising that the triumphant depiction of the battle in Tchaikovsky’s work has appealed to more people’s taste. After regrouping, Napoleon’s weakened Grande Armée expected to easily capture Moscow and use it for shelter. The Russians, however, had abandoned and largely burned down their own city, opting to let the brutal northern winter finish off their opponents. Despite the French and Russian connections, the overture has become ubiquitous in American Fourth of July celebrations. That probably has to do with its festive nature, and the cannon shots at the end, which offer a perfect opportunity for (hopefully) coordinated fireworks blasts.

Debussy, Claude (1862–1918) Preludes, Book 2: Feux d'artifice Debussy’s piano preludes offer a wide variety of moods for performers to interpret, from “The Submerged Cathedral” to “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair” to “The Dance of Puck,” However, Debussy added the titles almost as an afterthought, writing them at the end of each piece, rather than the beginning. He wanted performers to approach the works without preconceptions suggested by the title. “Fireworks” is an impressionistic musical picture, with blurry showers of sparks and sparkling explosions of sound. The fireworks that Debussy had in mind were not those of the Fourth of July variety, but rather the Four-teenth of July variety, that is, those of the Bastille Day festivities that take place in France on July 14th, a patriotic day of celebration. So, the composer inserted a very subtle quote of La Marseillaise at the end of this movement. 

Haydn, Joseph (1732–1809) Symphony No. 59 in A Major (Fire) 1. Presto Around 1766 Haydn began keeping a thematic catalog of his music. This was probably in response to criticism from Haydn’s patron, Nicolaus Esterhazy, that Haydn was not producing enough music! Despite these efforts, Haydn’s symphonies are by no means numbered chronologically. A perfect example of this is his Symphony No. 59. It was probably composed in the years 1768 or 1769. Chronologically, it should fall in the late 30s of numbered symphonies. It is not certain why it received this late number. It shows all the stylistic characteristics of Haydn’s earlier works, including sudden shifts in dynamics, tempo, and nervous tremolando figurations in the strings. These are all characteristic of a style which was given the name STURM UND DRANG, meaning “storm and stress.”

Handel, George Frideric (1685–1759) Music for Royal Fireworks Like much of Handel’s music, Royal Fireworks Music is the result of Handel’s relationship with King George I of England. It was commissioned to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the War of Austrian Succession in 1748. On April 27, 1749, a huge crowd assembled for a grand celebration in Green Park. There, a fireworks display of colossal proportions had been promised. The famous Italian stage designer and pyrotechnician Giovanni Servandoni was brought in for the occasion. He erected a huge triumphal arch and prepared all the rockets and missiles. Handel composed the Royal Fireworks Music. And, as often happens on these occasions, the weather had a mind of its own. A steady downpour put a damper on the festivities. Only a fraction of the fireworks went off as planned, and the scaffolding itself even wound up catching fire!

Stravinsky, Igor (1882–1971) Fireworks, OP. 4 In 1908, the young Stravinsky composed this festive work as a gift for the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov on the occasion of his daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, RIMSKY-KORSAKOV died before he could hear it. Despite this setback, Stravinsky’s work was not in vain. When Fireworks received its premiere in 1909, the impresario Serge Diaghilev was in the audience, and he was so impressed by Stravinsky’s music that he hired the young composer to work with the newly formed Ballet Russe. Their first collaboration, the ballet Firebird, premiered in 1910, and possesses the same kind of bright, colorful orchestral sound as Fireworks. Diaghilev and Stravinsky would go on to collaborate on many more trailblazing ballets, including Petrouchka and The Rite of Spring. 

Strauss, Richard (1864–1949) Ariadne auf Naxos: Es gibt ein Reich Fireworks play a central role in the plot of Strauss’s light-hearted opera Ariadne Auf Naxos, despite never actually being seen on stage. The opera revolves around a dinner party, where an opera company and a Commedia dell'arte group are each set to each perform after dinner. Dinner has run long though, and the hosts don’t want to delay the ever important fireworks display, set to start at nine o’clock on the dot. So both productions are forced to perform their shows at the same time. The opera company performs their serious opera-within-the-opera called, appropriately, Ariadne Auf Naxos. It’s based on the myth of Ariadne, who falls in love with the god of wine Bacchus, after being abandoned on the island of Naxos by Theseus, the Minotaur-slayer. Interspersed into this serious tale is the comedy troupe and the commedienne Zerbinetta, who insert their own love story into the proceedings. The result is a delightful juxtaposition of low-brow slapstick comedy with traditional highbrow opera seria.

Rameau, Jean-Philippe (1683–1764) Acante et Cephise: Overture Lots of supernatural elements are involved in the Rameau opera Acante et Céphise. Based somewhat on Middle Eastern mythology, the opera is about a genie who gives the power of telepathy to two lovers, so they can sense each other’s presence when they’re away from each other. The connection to fireworks, however, actually has to do with the opera’s premiere. The work was written for celebration of the birth of the Louis, Duke of Burgundy, an heir to of Louis XV. Sadly, Louis died about 10 years later, before ever ascending to the throne. The overture had nothing to do with the plot, and everything to do with the celebration. It was in three sections, labeled “The Nation’s Good Wishes,” “Fireworks,” and “Fanfare.” Rameau included canon fire in the score during the fireworks section, alongside the colorful oboes, bassoons, flutes, and one of the first appearances of clarinets in the literature. There were likely some physical pyrotechnics at the event as well. 

Knussen, Oliver (b. 1956) Flourish with Fireworks Oliver Knussen has been one of the more prominent British composers of the last 40 years, writing everything from symphonies, to chamber works, to children’s operas. His 1988 orchestral piece Flourish With Fireworks was an homage to Stravinsky’s Fireworks, which we heard in round 5. It was written for the occasion of Michael Tilson Thomas taking over as conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. The LSO had a special place in Knussen’s past: his father played double bass in the orchestra for years. Knussen even included a musical cryptogram in the work, adding the solfege versions of the initials LSO and MTT (for Tilson Thomas) into the notes of the work.

Costello, Elvis (b. 1954) Indoor Fireworks If you’re not going outside this evening to look at some fireworks on the fourth of July, then this is the song for you. Ok, maybe not. In this touching song, Costello uses “Indoor Fireworks” as an elaborate metaphor for a love affair that has burned out. It’s a lovely example of his thoughtful lyrics, songwriting skill, and compelling voice. It comes from his 1986 album King of America, an album that featured Costello bearing an elaborate crown on the cover. Produced by American producer T Bone Burnett, it was his first album without his backing band the Attractions. It also seemed like a way for Elvis Costello to escape his nom de plume. He’s credited as both Declan MacManus (his given name) and the “Costello Show” on the record, but hardly at all by his stage name “Elvis Costello.” Costello was known for nicknames though. At various times he’s gone by Napoleon Dynamite, The Imposter, Howard Coward, and Little Hands of Concrete,