Christmas Madness-Part III

Ask someone their favorite Christmas song, and there's a chance it will be White Christmas. Written by Irving Berlin (who wrote over 1,000 songs), Bing Crosby's recording has sold more than 50 million copies. In fact, one source ranks the song as the number one Christmas hit of all time. It was ranked number two on the Songs of the Century list (second to Over the Rainbow).

Although possibly an apocryphal story, Berlin supposedly wrote the song in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. He often stayed up all night writing. One morning, after writing all night long, he told his secretary, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"

The first public performance of the song was by Bing Crosby on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall, Christmas Day, 1941. He recorded the song with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers for Decca Records in just 18 minutes on May 29, 1942, and it was released on July 30 as part of an album of six 78-rpm songs from the film Holiday Inn. At first, Crosby did not see anything special about the song. He just said "I don't think we have any problems with that one, Irving."

The song initially performed poorly and was overshadowed by the film's first hit song, Be Careful, It's My Heart. By the end of October 1942, however, White Christmas topped the Your Hit Parade chart. It remained in that position until well into the new year. Its popularity may be attributable to the mix of melancholy — "just like the ones I used to know" — with comforting images of home — "where the treetops glisten." These words must have resonated strongly with listeners during World War II. The Armed Forces Network was flooded with requests for the song.

In 1942 alone, Crosby's recording spent eleven weeks on top of the Billboard charts. Re-released by Decca, the single returned to the #1 spot during the holiday seasons of 1945 and 1946, becoming the only single with three separate runs at the top of the U.S. charts. The recording became a chart perennial, reappearing annually on the pop chart twenty separate times before Billboard Magazine created a distinct Christmas chart for seasonal releases.

Following its prominence in the musical Holiday Inn, the composition won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In the film, Bing Crosby sings White Christmas as a duet with actress Marjorie Reynolds, though her voice was dubbed by Martha Mears. This now-familiar scene was not the moviemakers' initial plan; in the script as originally conceived, Reynolds, not Crosby, was to sing the song.

The familiar version of White Christmas most often heard today is not the one Crosby recorded in 1942. He was called to Decca studios on March 18, 1947, to re-record the track; the 1942 master had become damaged due to its frequent use. Efforts were made to exactly reproduce the original recording session, and Crosby was again backed by the Trotter Orchestra and the Darby Singers. Even so, there are subtle differences in the orchestration, most notably the addition of a celesta and flutes to brighten up the introduction.

Crosby was dismissive of his role in the song's success, saying later that "a jackdaw with a cleft palate could have sung it successfully." But Crosby was associated with it for the rest of his career. Another Crosby vehicle — the 1954 musical White Christmas — was the highest-grossing film of 1954.

Crosby's White Christmas single has been credited with selling 50 million copies, the most by any release and therefore it is the biggest-selling single worldwide of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records 2009 Edition lists the song as a 100-million seller, encompassing all versions of the song, including albums. Crosby's holiday collection Merry Christmas was first released as an LP in 1949, and has never been out-of-print since.

Some say Elton John's recording of Candle in the Wind outsold White Christmas. However, after careful research, Guinness World Records in 2007 concluded that, worldwide, Crosby's recording of White Christmas has, in their estimation, sold at least 50 million copies, and that Elton John's recording of Candle in the Wind 1997 has sold 33 million, making Crosby's recording the best-selling single of all time.

Watch Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds in the classic scene from Holiday Inn.

Christmas Madness-Part II

Nat King Cole

My favorite secular Christmas song is The Christmas Song, subtitled Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. It is one of the songs featured at Orchestra Kentucky's Christmas Madness on Friday and Saturday, December 17th and 18th. Tyrone Dunn will sing.

Originally subtitled, Merry Christmas to You, The Christmas Song is a classic written in 1944 by vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool,” the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born.

“I saw a spiral pad on his piano with four lines written in pencil,” Tormé recalled. “They started, ‘Chestnuts roasting ... Jack Frost nipping ... Yuletide carols ... Folks dressed up like Eskimos.’ Bob (Wells, co-writer) didn’t think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics.”


The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song early in 1946. At Cole’s behest — and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records — a second recording was made the same year utilizing a small string section. This version becoming a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole re-recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael. The latter recording is generally regarded as definitive and continues to receive considerable radio airplay each holiday season, while Cole’s original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974. Mel Tormé recorded the song himself in 1954, and again in 1965 and 1992.

Watch Nat King Cole sing this classic hit.

Christmas Madness-Part I

Next week, I will begin a series of blogs on the music to be performed at Orchestra Kentucky's next Retro Series concert, Christmas Madness. The concert will feature a thirty-five piece orchestra, the Rewinders (rock band) and the Retro Singers, performing classic, secular Christmas hits. Included will be songs from Brenda Lee, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters, Jose Feliciano, Bruce Springsteen, Andy Williams, The Eagles, and many more!

To order your tickets, click here or call (855) 232-1452 (toll free) or (270) 846-2426 (locally).

In the meantime, enjoy Brenda Lee singing her hit, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Finale

Today's blog concludes our discussion of Tchaikovsky with a link to an article about The Nutcracker, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia/.

I have warm feelings about The Nutcracker. I remember falling in love with the music as a child. There was something about the lovely melodies and lush orchestration that made a deep impact on me. So much so, it furthered my desire to learn an instrument. In fact, Tchaikovsky is known for both his memorable melodies and inventive orchestration.

To conclude this series, watch the final waltz and apotheosis from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part XI

Tchaikovsky's death mask

Today's blog explores the mysteries surrounding Tchaikovsky's death. Was it cholera or suicide?

Tchaikovsky died in Saint Petersburg on November 6, 1893, nine days after the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique. Though only 53 years old, he lived a long life compared to many Russian 19th century composers. He was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, near the graves of fellow-composers Alexander Borodin, Mikhail Glinka, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Mily Balakirev and Modest Mussorgsky. Because of the Pathétique's formal innovation and the overwhelming emotional content of its outer movements, the work was received by the public with silent incomprehension at its first performance. The second performance, led by Nápravník, took place 20 days later at a memorial concert and was much more favorably received. The Pathétique has since become one of Tchaikovsky's best known works.

Tchaikovsky's death has traditionally been attributed to cholera, most probably contracted through drinking contaminated water several days earlier. However, some, including English musicologist and Tchaikovsky authority David Brown and biographer Anthony Holden, have theorized that his death was a suicide. According to one variation of the theory, a sentence of suicide was imposed in a "court of honor" by Tchaikovsky's fellow alumni of the St. Petersburg Imperial School of Jurisprudence, as a censure of the composer's homosexuality. This unproven theory was first broached publicly by Russian musicologist Alexandra Orlova in 1979, when she emigrated to the West. Wiley writes in the New Grove (2001), "The polemics over [Tchaikovsky's] death have reached an impasse ... Rumor attached to the famous die hard ... As for illness, problems of evidence offer little hope of satisfactory resolution: the state of diagnosis; the confusion of witnesses; disregard of long-term effects of smoking and alcohol. We do not know how Tchaikovsky died. We may never find out ....." (http://www.wikipedia.com/)

Watch the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part X

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Today's blog continues the bio of Tchaikovsky. Find out why the line "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" had special meaning for Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky returned to Moscow Conservatory in the autumn of 1879, having been away from Russia for a year after the disintegration of his marriage. However, he quickly resigned, settling in Kamenka yet traveling incessantly. During these years, assured of a regular income from Nadezhda von Meck, he wandered around Europe and rural Russia, never staying long in any one place and living mainly alone, avoiding social contact whenever possible. This may have been due in part to troubles with Antonina, who alternately agreed to, then refused, divorce, at one point exacerbating matters by moving into an apartment directly above her husband's.Tchaikovsky listed Antonina's accusations to him in detail to Modest: "I am a deceiver who married her in order to hide my true nature ... I insulted her every day, her sufferings at my hands were great ... she is appalled by my shameful vice, etc., etc." It is possible that he lived the rest of his life in dread of Antonina's power to expose publicly his sexual leanings. These factors may explain why, except for the piano trio which he wrote upon the death of Nikolai Rubinstein, his best work from this period is found in genres which did not depend heavily on personal expression.


In 1880 the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, commissioned by Tsar Alexander I to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in 1812, was nearing completion in Moscow; the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II in 1881 was imminent; and the 1882 Moscow Arts and Industry Exhibition was in the planning stage. Nikolai Rubinstein suggested a grand commemorative piece for use in related festivities. Tchaikovsky began the project in October 1880, finishing it within six weeks. He wrote to Nadezhda von Meck that the resulting work, the 1812 Overture, would be "very loud and noisy, but I wrote it with no warm feeling of love, and therefore there will probably be no artistic merits in it." He also warned conductor Eduard Nápravník that "I shan't be at all surprised and offended if you find that it is in a style unsuitable for symphony concerts." Nevertheless, this work has become for many, as Tchaikovsky authority Professor David Brown phrased it, "the piece by Tchaikovsky they know best."

Watch the Grand Pas-de-deux from The Nutcracker. A pas-de-deux, or dance for two, is a duet for dancers.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part IX

von Meck

Behind every great artist is a patron of the arts. Tchaikovsky had Nadezhda von Meck. But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Read on, courtesy of www.wikipedia.com:

"Nadezhda von Meck was the wealthy widow of a Russian railway tycoon and an influential patron of the arts. Having already heard some of Tchaikovsky's work, she was encouraged by Kotek to commission some chamber pieces from him. Her support became an important element in Tchaikovsky's life; she eventually paid him an annual subsidy of 6,000 rubles, which made it possible for him to resign from the Moscow Conservatory in October 1878 at the age of 38, and concentrate on composition. With von Meck's patronage came a relationship that, at her insistence, was mainly epistolary – she stipulated they were never to meet face to face. They exchanged well over 1,000 letters between 1877 and 1890. In these letters Tchaikovsky was more open about much of his life and his creative processes than he had been to any other person.

"As well as being a dedicated supporter of Tchaikovsky's musical works, Nadezhda von Meck became a vital enabler in his day-to-day existence by her financial support and friendship. As he explained to her,

"There is something so special about our relationship that it often stops me in my tracks with amazement. I have told you more than once, I believe, that you have come to seem to me the hand of Fate itself, watching over me and protecting me. The very fact that I do not know you personally, while feeling so close to you, accords you in my eyes the special status of an unseen but benevolent presence, like a benign Providence.

"In 1884 Tchaikovsky and von Meck became related by marriage when one of her sons, Nikolay, married Tchaikovsky's niece Anna Davydova. However, in 1890 she suddenly ended her relationship with the composer. She was suffering from health problems that made writing difficult; there were family pressures, and also financial difficulties arising from the mismanagement of her estate by her son Vladimir. The break with Tchaikovsky was announced in a letter delivered by a trusted servant, rather than by the usual postal service. It contained a request that he not forget her, and was accompanied by a year's subsidy in advance. She claimed bankruptcy, which, if not literally true, was evidently a real threat at the time.

"Tchaikovsky may have been aware for nearly a year of his patroness's financial difficulties. This did not stop him from continuing to take his allowance for granted (with regular protestations of his eternal gratitude), nor did he offer to return the advance he received with the farewell letter. Despite his growing celebrity throughout Europe, von Meck's allowance still made up a third of the composer's income. While he may have no longer needed her money as much as in the past, the loss of her friendship and encouragement was devastating; he remained bewildered and resentful about her abrupt disappearance for the remaining three years of his life."

Surprisingly, Bowling Green is home to a relative of von Meck. She told me that the family had handed down a story explaining von Meck's decision to "cut Tchaikovsky off." According to her, it was because of Tchaikovsky's homosexuality, which the patroness had not known of previously.



Watch the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker (performed by the Mariinsky ballet).

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part VIII

Tchaikovsky and wife

For Tchaikovsky, marriage was not heaven on earth like it is for most of us. (Notice I said most of us!). Read on, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.com/:

"In 1868, at the age of 28, Tchaikovsky met the Belgian soprano Désirée Artôt, then on a tour of Russia. They became infatuated, and were engaged to be married. He dedicated his Romance in F minor for piano, Op. 5, to her. However, on September 15, 1869, without any communication with Tchaikovsky, Artôt married a member of her company, the Spanish baritone Mariano Padilla y Ramos. The general view has been that Tchaikovsky got over the affair fairly quickly. It has, however, been postulated that he coded her name into the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor and the tone-poem Fatum. They met on a handful of later occasions, and in October 1888 he wrote Six French Songs, Op. 65, for her, in response to her request for a single song. Tchaikovsky later claimed she was the only woman he ever loved.


In April 1877 Tchaikovsky's favorite pupil, Vladimir Shilovsky, married suddenly. Shilovsky's wedding may in turn have spurred Tchaikovsky to consider such a step himself. He declared his intention to marry in a letter to his brother. There followed Tchaikovsky's ill-starred marriage to one of his former composition students, Antonina Miliukova. The brief time with his wife drove him to an emotional crisis, which was followed by a stay in Clarens, Switzerland, for rest and recovery. They remained legally married but never lived together again nor had any children, though she later gave birth to three children by another man.

Tchaikovsky's marital debacle may have forced him to face the full truth concerning his sexuality. He apparently never again considered matrimony as a camouflage or escape, nor considered himself capable of loving women in the same manner as men. He wrote to his brother Anatoly from Florence, Italy on February 19, 1878,

Thanks to the regularity of my life, to the sometimes tedious but always inviolable calm, and above all, thanks to time which heals all wounds, I have completely recovered from my insanity. There's no doubt that for some months on end I was a bit insane, and only now, when I'm completely recovered, have I learned to relate objectively to everything which I did during my brief insanity. That man who in May took it into his head to marry Antonina Ivanova, who during June wrote a whole opera as though nothing had happened, who in July married, who in September fled from his wife, who in November railed at Rome and so on—that man wasn't I, but another Pyotr Ilyich.

A few days later, in another letter to Anatoly, he added that there was "nothing more futile than wanting to be anything other than what I am by nature."


Watch the Mariinsky's performance of The Dance of the Mirlitons from The Nutcracker. A mirliton was an early instrument, producing its sound like a kazoo.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part VII

Today's blog regards Tchaikovsky's struggle with homosexuality. He was gay during a time when it was socially unacceptable. The subject so affected Tchaikovsky, that his biography would be incomplete without it. So, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.com/, we now turn to the topic.

"In his book, Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man, Poznansky showed that Tchaikovsky had homosexual tendencies and that some of the composer's closest relationships were with persons of the same sex. Tchaikovsky's servant Aleksei Sofronov and the composer's nephew, Vladimir "Bob" Davydov, have been suggested as possible romantic interests. Tchaikovsky dedicated his Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique, to Davydov. The love theme from Romeo and Juliet is generally considered to have been inspired by Eduard Zak.


More controversial than Tchaikovsky's reported sexual proclivities is how comfortable the composer might have been with his sexual nature. After reading all Tchaikovsky's letters (including unpublished ones), Poznansky concludes that the composer "eventually came to see his sexual peculiarities as an insurmountable and even natural part of his personality ... without experiencing any serious psychological damage." Relevant portions of his brother Modest's autobiography, where he tells of his brother's sexual orientation, have also been published. Modest, like Pyotr, was homosexual. Some letters previously suppressed by Soviet censors, where Tchaikovsky openly speaks out about his homosexuality, have been published in Russian, as well as by Poznansky in English translation. However, biographer Anthony Holden claims British musicologist and scholar Henry Zajaczkowski's research "along psychoanalytical lines" points instead to "a severe unconscious inhibition by the composer of his sexual feelings":

One consequence of it may be sexual overindulgence as a kind of false solution: the individual thereby persuades himself that he does accept his sexual impulses. Complementing this and, also, as a psychological defense mechanism, would be precisely the idolization by Tchaikovsky of many of the young men of his circle [the self-styled "Fourth Suite"], to which Poznansky himself draws attention. If the composer's response to possible sexual objects was either to use and discard them or to idolize them, it shows that he was unable to form an integrated, secure relationship with another man. That, surely, was [Tchaikovsky's] tragedy.

Musicologist and historian Roland John Wiley suggests a third alternative, based on Tchaikovsky's letters. He suggests that while Tchaikovsky experienced "no unbearable guilt" over his homosexuality, he remained aware of the negative consequences of that knowledge becoming public, especially of the ramifications for his family. His decision to enter into a heterosexual union and try to lead a double life was prompted by several factors—the possibility of exposure, the willingness to please his father, his own desire for a permanent home and his love of children and family. While Tchaikovsky may have been romantically active, the evidence for "sexual argot and passionate encounter" is limited. He sought out the company of homosexuals in his circle for extended periods, "associating openly and establishing professional connections with them." Wiley adds, "Amateurish criticism to the contrary, there is no warrant to assume, this period [of his short-lived marriage] excepted, that Tchaikovsky's sexuality ever deeply impaired his inspiration, or made his music idiosyncratically confessional or incapable of philosophical utterance." Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music agrees, describes his turn towards a troubled inner world where he, “found a world of self-expression that he might never have discovered had he felt less alienated from society.”

Watch the Mariinsky's version of the Chinese Dance or Tea, from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part VI



Music from Swan Lake

 Today's blog continues with Tchaikovsky's biography, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.com/:

"From 1867 to 1878, Tchaikovsky combined his professorial duties with music criticism while continuing to compose. Some of his best-known works from this period include the First Piano Concerto, the Variations on a Rococo Theme for violoncello and orchestra, the Little Russian and Fourth Symphonies, the ballet Swan Lake and the opera Eugene Onegin. The First Piano Concerto suffered an initial rejection by its intended dedicatee, Anton Rubinstein's brother Nikolai, though he eventually championed the work. The work was subsequently premiered in Boston in October 1875, played by Hans von Bülow, whose pianism had impressed Tchaikovsky during an appearance in Moscow in March 1874.


"In Moscow, teaching with Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky gained his first taste of famed appreciation. Introduced into the Artistic Circle, a club founded by Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky enjoyed a sense of social celebrity status among friends and fellow artists. However, over a five-year period, Tchaikovsky became frustrated with teaching and found himself struggling financially. He gradually moved away from Rubinstein, to maintain his independence from Rubinstein's renowned reputation. Nevertheless, while the move to Moscow was bittersweet, filled with friendship, jealousy, and inner struggles, it was successful from a professional point of view. Tchaikovsky's musical works were frequently performed, with few delays between their composition and first performances, and the publication (after 1867) of songs and piano music for the home market helped bolster the composer's popularity."

Watch the Royal Ballet perform the Arabian Dance from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part V

Last week we discussed Tchaikovsky's conservatory years. Today, we turn to the influence of "The Mighty Handful", also known as "The Five". Sounds ominous, doesn't it?

Again, I quote from http://www.wikipedia.com/:

Rubinstein's Western musical orientation brought him into opposition with the nationalistic group of musicians known as The Five. As Tchaikovsky was Rubinstein's best-known pupil, he became a target for the group, especially for César Cui [pronounced, "kwee"]. Cui's criticisms began with a blistering review of a cantata Tchaikovsky had written as his graduation exercise from the Conservatory. Calling the piece "feeble", Cui wrote that if Tchaikovsky had any gift for music, "then at least somewhere or other [the cantata] would have broken through the fetters of the Conservatoire". The effect of this review on Tchaikovsky was devastating: "My vision grew dark, my head spun, and I ran out of the café like a madman.... All day I wandered aimlessly through the city, repeating, 'I'm sterile, insignificant, nothing will come out of me, I'm ungifted.'"

When in 1867, Rubinstein resigned as conductor from Saint Petersburg's Russian Musical Society orchestra, he was replaced by composer Mily Balakirev, leader of The Five. Tchaikovsky, now Professor of Music Theory at the Moscow Conservatory, had already promised his Dances of the Hay Maidens (which he later included in his opera The Voyevoda, as Characteristic Dances) to the society. In submitting the manuscript (and perhaps mindful of Cui's review of the graduation cantata), Tchaikovsky included a note to Balakirev that ended with a request for a word of encouragement should the Dances not be performed. Possibly sensing a new disciple in Tchaikovsky, Balakirev wrote "with complete frankness" in his reply that he felt that Tchaikovsky was "a fully fledged artist". These letters set the tone for Tchaikovsky's relationship with Balakirev over the next two years. In 1869, the two entered into a working relationship, the result being Tchaikovsky's first recognised masterpiece, the fantasy-overture Romeo and Juliet, a work which The Five wholeheartedly embraced.

Though, personally, Tchaikovsky remained on friendly terms with most of The Five, professionally, he was usually ambivalent about their music. Despite the collaboration with Balakirev on the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, Tchaikovsky made considerable efforts to ensure his musical independence from the group as well as from the conservative faction at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.

Watch the Ballet Company of The Mariinsky Theatre, dance the Chocolate or Spanish Dance from The Nutcracker. The Mariinsky Theatre is where the Nutcracker was first premiered. I had the pleasure of attending a concert there when I visited St. Petersburg, Russia.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part IV

Imperial School of Jurisprudence

Continuing our discussion of Tchaikovsky, today we explore his days as a music student, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.com/:

"On June 10, 1859, at the age of 19, Tchaikovsky graduated from the School of Jurisprudence with the rank of titular counsellor, a low rung on the civil service ladder. On June 15, he was appointed to the Ministry of Justice. Six months later he became a junior assistant and two months after that, a senior assistant, where he remained for the rest of his three-year civil service career.


"In 1861, Tchaikovsky attended classes in music theory organized by the Russian Musical Society (RMS) and taught by Nikolai Zaremba. A year later he followed Zaremba to the new Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Tchaikovsky decided not to give up his Ministry post "until I am quite certain that I am destined to be a musician rather than a civil servant." From 1862 to 1865 he studied harmony and counterpoint with Zaremba, while Anton Rubinstein, director and founder of the Conservatory, taught him instrumentation and composition. In 1863, Tchaikovsky abandoned his civil service career and began studying music full-time, graduating from the Conservatory in December 1865. Though Rubinstein was impressed by Tchaikovsky's musical talent, he and Zaremba later clashed with the young composer over his First Symphony, written after his graduation, when he submitted it to them for their perusal. The symphony was given its first complete performance in Moscow in February 1868, where it was well received."

When I conducted concerts in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2003, I visited the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where I took a conducting lesson and toured the facility. I was impressed that, of all the famous graduates of the school, Tchaikovsky was the one person whose name was inscribed in the school's grand staircase.

Listen to a tableau from Act I of The Nutcracker.

A Heavenly Review

Read this review of last weekend's Orchestra Kentucky concert, Rock 'n Roll Heaven.

Thank you, Sheena Johnson Smith. I'm glad you liked it.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part III

Tchaikovsky as a teenager

Today, we continue our discussion of Tchaikovsky with his mother's death and early school years. Not an easy time for young Peter.

"On June 25, 1854 Tchaikovsky suffered the shock of his mother's death from cholera. Tchaikovsky authority David Brown calls it 'the crucial event of [Tchaikovsky's] years at the School of Jurisprudence',and noted that 'it was certainly shattering.' Tchaikovsky bemoaned the loss of his mother for the rest of his life, and admitted that it had 'a huge influence on the way things turned out for me.' He was so affected that he was unable to inform Fanny Dürbach [his French governess] until two years after the fact. At the age of 40, approximately 26 years after his mother's death, Tchaikovsky wrote to his patroness, Nadezhda von Meck, 'Every moment of that appalling day is as vivid to me as though it were yesterday.' However, within a month of his mother's death he was making his first serious efforts at composition, a waltz in her memory. Tchaikovsky's father, who also became sick with cholera at this time but made a full recovery, immediately sent the boy back to school in hope that the classwork would occupy his mind. To make up for his sense of isolation and to compensate for the loss in his family, Tchaikovsky formed important friendships with fellow students, such as those with Aleksey Apukhtin and Vladimir Gerard, which lasted the rest of his life. He may have also been exposed to the allegedly widespread homosexual practices at the school. Whether these were formative experiences or practices toward which the composer would have gravitated normally, biographers agree that he may have discovered his sexual orientation at this time.

"Music was not considered a high priority at the School of Jurisprudence, but Tchaikovsky maintained a connection to music extracurricularly, by regularly attending the theater and the opera with other students. At this time, he was fond of works by Rossini, Bellini, Verdi and Mozart. He was known to sit at the school's harmonium [a type of reed organ] after choir practice and improvise on whatever themes had just been sung. 'We were amused,' Vladimir Gerard later remembered, 'but not imbued with any expectations of his future glory.' Piano manufacturer Franz Becker made occasional visits to the school as a token music teacher. This was the only formal music instruction Tchaikovsky received there. In 1855, Ilya Tchaikovsky funded private lessons with Rudolph Kündinger, a well-known piano teacher from Nuremberg. Ilya also questioned Kündinger about a musical career for his son. Kündinger replied that while he was impressed with Tchaikovsky's ability to improvise at the keyboard, nothing suggested a potential composer or even a fine performer. Tchaikovsky was told to finish his course and then try for a post in the Ministry of Justice."

Watch a performance of the March from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part II

Tchaikovsky family-
Peter is on the left

Today's blog features an article on Tchaikovsky's childhood, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.com/. Don't forget to get your tickets to Orchestra Kentucky's Tchaikovsy's Nutcracker, Monday, November 29, 2010. Tickets are going fast. 

"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, a small town in present-day Udmurtia, formerly province of Vyatka in the Russian Empire, to a family with a long line of military service. His father, Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky, was an engineer of Ukrainian descent who served as a lieutenant colonel in the Department of Mines and manager of the famed Kamsko-Votkinsk Ironworks. His grandfather, Petro Fedorovich Chaika, emigrated from Mykolaiv, Ukraine. The composer's mother, Alexandra Andreyevna née d'Assier, 18 years her husband's junior, was of French ancestry on her father's side, and was the second of Ilya's three wives. Tchaikovsky had four brothers (Nikolai, Ippolit, and twins Anatoly and Modest), and a sister, Alexandra. He also had a half-sister Zinaida from his father's first marriage. Tchaikovsky was particularly close to Alexandra and the twins. Anatoly later established a prominent legal career, while Modest became a dramatist, librettist, and translator. Alexandra married Lev Davydov and had seven children, one of whom, "Bob", "[became] a central figure in the composer's final years". The Davydovs provided the only real family life Tchaikovsky knew as an adult, and their estate in Kamianka (now part of Ukraine) became a welcome refuge for him during his years of wandering.

"In 1843, due to the growth in family responsibilities, Tchaikovsky's parents hired a French governess, Fanny Dürbach, a 22-year-old experienced teacher who, Modest later wrote, "knew both French and German equally well, and whose morals were strictly Protestant". While Dürbach had been hired to look after Tchaikovsky's elder brother Nikolai and a Tchaikovsky niece, it was not long before Tchaikovsky became curious about the young woman and, as biographer Anthony Holden wrote, "wormed his way into Fanny Dürbach's affections, and thus into her classes". Dürbach's love and affection for her charge is said to have provided a counter to Tchaikovsky's mother, who is described by Holden as a cold, unhappy, distant parent not given to displays of physical affection. However, Tchaikovsky scholar Alexander Poznansky wrote that the mother doted on her son.

"Tchaikovsky began piano lessons at the age of five. A precocious pupil, he could read music as adeptly as his teacher within three years. His parents were initially supportive of his musical talents, hiring a tutor, buying an orchestrion (a form of barrel organ that could imitate elaborate orchestral effects), and encouraging his study of the piano. However, his parents' passion for his musical talent soon cooled, and, in 1850, the family decided to send Tchaikovsky to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in Saint Petersburg. The school mainly served the lesser nobility, and would prepare him for a career as a civil servant. As the minimum age for acceptance was 12, Tchaikovsky was required to spend two years boarding at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence's preparatory school, 800 miles (1,300 km) from his family. Once those two years had passed, Tchaikovsky transferred to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence to begin a seven-year course of studies."


Watch a performance of the Overture Miniature to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part I

Tchaikovsky

Today's blog begins a discussion regarding Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. I thought we would begin with a general overview of Tchaikovsky, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.com/.

Pyotr (or Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky  was born on May 7, 1840 [O.S. April 25-Russia used the Old Style calendar or Julian calendar during Tchaikovsky's life] and died on November 6, 1893 [O.S. October 25]). He was a Russian composer of the Romantic era, which is generally dated as the years 1800 to 1900. His composed six symphonies, ten operas, three ballets, instrumental and chamber music and 106 songs. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the Overture 1812, his First Piano Concerto, his last three numbered symphonies, and the opera Eugene Onegin.

Born into a middle-class family, Tchaikovsky was educated for a career as a civil servant, despite his obvious musical precocity. He pursued a musical career against the wishes of his family, entering the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1862 and graduating in 1865. This formal, Western-oriented training set him apart from the contemporary nationalistic movement embodied by the influential group of young Russian composers known as The Five, with whom Tchaikovsky's professional relationship was mixed.

Although he enjoyed many popular successes, Tchaikovsky was never emotionally secure, and his life was punctuated by personal crises and periods of depression. Contributory factors were his suppressed homosexuality and fear of exposure, his disastrous marriage, and the sudden collapse of the one enduring relationship of his adult life, his 13-year association with the wealthy widow Nadezhda von Meck. Amid private turmoil Tchaikovsky's public reputation grew; he was honored by the Tsar, awarded a lifetime pension and lauded in the concert halls of the world. His sudden death at the age of 53 is generally ascribed to cholera, but some attribute it to suicide.

Although perennially popular with concert audiences across the world, Tchaikovsky's music was often dismissed by critics in the early and mid-20th century as being vulgar and lacking in elevated thought. By the end of the 20th century, however, Tchaikovsky's status as a significant composer was generally regarded as secure.

Watch this tribute to Tchaikovsky, complete with photos and biographical highlights and accompanied by the Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker

Next up for Orchestra Kentucky is Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. The Louisville Ballet will join the orchestra in selections from the famous ballet. The rest of the concert will be traditional Christmas music. The concert will be presented on Monday, November 29th at 7:30 p.m. at Van Meter Hall.

Over the next week or so, I will discuss Tchaikovsky and his masterpiece, bit by bit. Tomorrow, I will begin a discussion about Tchaikovsky's life. In the meantime, and to get you in the mood, watch a photo montage from the Louisville Ballet's 2008 production.

Only the Good Die Young-Finale



Righteous Brothers

Since tonight is the first of two nights for Orchestra Kentucky's Rock 'n Roll Heaven concert, I thought I would end my series of blogs with the song that created the idea that there might be a heaven for rock 'n rollers. Of course, the song is Rock 'n Roll Heaven, which was recorded by the Righteous Brothers.

The song was written by Alan O'Day (born October 3, 1940). He is best known for writing and singing Undercover Angel, a song which was number one in 1977. He also wrote the 1974 Helen Reddy number one hit Angie Baby. Rock 'n Roll Heaven, also released in 1974, peaked at number three on the charts. In the 1980s he moved from pop music to television, co-writing over 100 songs for the Saturday morning Muppet Babies series, and in the 1990s he wrote and performed music on the National Geographic series Really Wild Animals.

There are two sets of lyrics to the song. Here are the original lyrics. At the risk of stating the obvious, I've made comments about who the song refers to in parenthesis by the lyrics:

If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band, band, band

Jimmi gave us rainbows (refers to Jimi Hendrix's Rainbow Bridge)
And Janis took a piece of our hearts (refers to Janis Joplin's Piece of My Heart)
And Otis brought us all to the dock of a bay (Otis Redding's (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay)
Sing a song to light my fire (The Doors' Light My Fire)
Remember Jim that way (Jim Morrison of The Doors)
They've all found another place
Another place to play

(Chorus)

Remember bad bad Leroy Brown (Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce)
Hey Jimmy touched us with that song (Jim Croce)
Time won't change a friend we came to know
And Bobby gave us Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife)
Well look out, he's back in town (the final line from the song, Mack the Knife)
They'll all be there together
When they meet in one big show

(Chorus)

There's a spotlight waiting
No matter who you are
'Cause everybody's got a song to sing
Everyone's a star
(Everybody's got to be a star)

(Chorus)

****************************************************
All of the above-named stars are represented in the show, except for Jimi Hendrix. I thought about opening the concert with his rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, but then common sense stepped in!

Watch a video tribute to the artists featured in the Righteous Brothers' hit.

Now watch this video tribute, which features a new recording of the song, new lyrics, and a montage of the artists featured therein.

See you this weekend!

Only the Good Die Young-Part XII

Michael Jackson

The most recent inductee to Rock 'n Roll Heaven is Michael Jackson. Orchestra Kentucky will pay tribute to the "King of Pop" with three songs at its Rock 'n Roll Heaven concert this weekend.

When I think of Michael Jackson, I see two people: the innocent little boy who sang like a pro, and Michael Jackson, the dysfunctional man who turned into a sort of circus freak. Very sad.

In the interest of full disclosure, and if it's not already obvious, I am a fan of the young Michael Jackson. When I was in elementary school, I collected 45 rpm recordings of The Jackson 5. I'll Be There is one I particularly remember. Today, it is a Motown classic. Jackson lost me with the white glove, moon walk, and his "hiccup" style of singing. I also found his music of that time to be repetitive and tuneless, with too much emphasis on rhythm. Despite my dislike for his music of the '80s, I continued to remember his early years with fondness and respect. So, it is with that in mind that I give you, the reader, some background on Michael Jackson, courtesy of www.wikipedia.com.

"Michael Joseph Jackson was born [in Gary, Indiana on] August 29, 1958...The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s, and began his solo career in 1971.

"In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller, were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as Black or White and Scream made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, pop, contemporary R&B and rock artists.

"Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of music. He was also a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for beneficial causes and supporting more than 39 charities.

"Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury ruled him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series This Is It, Jackson died on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had reportedly been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam. The Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a homicide, and his personal physician pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death."

Jackson was 50 years old at the time of his death.

Watch Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5's first appearance on American Bandstand.

Only the Good Die Young-Part XI

Karen Carpenter

Today we discuss one of my favorite female singers, Karen Carpenter. (In case you're interested, my other favorites are Ella Fitzgerald and opera singer Jessye Norman.) As has been the case with all of the musicians featured in this series, Karen Carpenter's story is a sad one.

Karen Anne Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut on March 2, 1950. Her brother, Richard, became a piano prodigy at an early age. In fact, their parents saw Richard as the talented one, even after Karen had become a star.

In June 1963, the Carpenters moved to Downey, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. When Karen enter high school, she joined the band and ended up playing drums.

A bit pudgy as a child, Karen started her first diet around the age of 17. Under a doctor's guidance Karen, who stood 5'5" and weighed 145 pounds, went on the Stillman Diet. She drank 8 glasses of water a day and counted fat grams. This started her life-long battle with anorexia nervosa. By September 1975, Karen's weight dropped to 91 pounds.

Richard formed a jazz trio in 1965 with college friend Wes Jacobs (a bass and tuba player). Karen joined The Richard Carpenter Trio on drums. Karen, Richard, and other musicians also performed as Spectrum, a group which featured a harmonious, vocal sound. They recorded many demo tapes in the garage studio of friend and bassist Joe Osborn, but with no studio success. 
 Finally, in April 1969, A&M Records signed the Carpenters to a recording contract. Their first singe, which reached #54 on the charts, was a cover of The Beatles' Ticket to Ride.Their next album, 1970's Close to You, featured two mega-hit singles, (They Long to Be) Close to You and We've Only Just Begun. They peaked at #1 and #2, respectively, on the Hot 100.

Karen Carpenter started out as both the group's drummer and lead singer, and she originally sang all her vocals from behind the drum set. Eventually, she was persuaded to stand at out front at a microphone while another musician played the drums, although she still did some drumming. By 1973, Karen's drumming lessened. Nevertheless, Karen always considered herself a drummer who sang-not a singer who drummed.

The Carpenters frequently cancelled tour dates, and they stopped touring altogether after their September 4, 1978 concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In 1981, after the release of the Made in America album (which turned out to be their last) the Carpenters returned to the stage and did some tour dates, including their final live performance in Brazil.

In 1979, Richard Carpenter took a year off to cure a dependency on quaaludes. Karen decided to make a solo album with producer Phil Ramone, something that she had always wanted to do. Her solo work was markedly different from usual Carpenters fare, consisting of adult-orientated and disco/dance-tempo material with more sexual lyrics and the use of Karen's higher vocal register. The project met a tepid response from Richard and A&M executives in early 1980. The album was shelved by A&M CEO Herb Alpert, in spite of Quincy Jones' attempts to talk Alpert into releasing the record after some tracks had been remixed. A&M made the Carpenters pay $400,000 to cover the cost of recording Karen's unreleased solo album, which was to be charged against the duo's future royalties.

Carpenters fans got a taste of the album in 1989 when some of its tracks (as remixed by Richard) were mixed onto the album Lovelines, the final album of Carpenters' new unreleased material. Seven years later, in 1996, the entire album, featuring mixes approved by Karen before her death and one unmixed bonus track, was finally released.

Karen unsuccessfully dated several men, finally marrying a real estate developer Tom Burris on August 31, 1980. The marriage was not a happy one, and the couple filed for divorce in November 1981.

The song Now, recorded in April 1982, was the last song Karen Carpenter recorded. She recorded it after a two-week intermission in her therapy with psychotherapist Steven Levenkron in New York City for her anorexia. The sight of Karen upon her return to California in April shook Richard and his parents, since she had lost a considerable amount of weight since beginning her therapy with Levenkron.

Her final demise is outlined in a http://www.wikipedia.com/ article:

"In September 1982, Karen's treatment—which had never convinced her family as being an effective method—took a sinister turn of events when Karen called her psychotherapist to tell him she felt dizzy and that her heart was beating irregularly. Karen was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and hooked up to an intravenous drip, which would be the cause of her much debated 30 pound weight gain in eight weeks. Richard recalled visiting her in the hospital, saying "Karen, this is crap. Don't you understand? This is crap! You're going about this all the wrong way, this guy isn't getting anything accomplished, because you're in a hospital now!"

"Karen returned to California in November 1982, determined to reinvigorate her career, finalize her divorce and begin a new album with Richard. She had gained 30 pounds over a two-month stay in New York, and the sudden weight gain (much of which was the result of intravenous feeding) further strained her heart, which was already weak from years of crash dieting. During her illness, Karen also took thyroid replacement medication (in order to speed up her metabolism) and laxatives.

"On December 17, 1982, Karen made her final public appearance in the "multi-purpose" room of the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California singing for her godchildren and their classmates who attended the school. She sang Christmas carols for friends.

"Shortly after the new year, Richard tried to get through to Karen that she was still sick, saying many years later 'Karen had marvellous, big brown eyes. And there was just no life in them.' Speaking of a meeting with his sister and Werner Wolfen, the Carpenters' financial advisor, two weeks prior to her death, Richard said:

Karen was hot as hell at me for even questioning how she looked. And I told her 'the only reason I'm bringing all of this up, and talking to people...is because I'm concerned and because I love you.' And am I glad I said that because within weeks, that was that. She was dead.

"On February 4, 1983, less than a month before her thirty-third birthday, Karen suffered heart failure at her parents' home in Downey, California. She was taken to Downey Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead twenty minutes later. The LA coroner gave the cause of death as "heartbeat irregularities brought on by chemical imbalances associated with anorexia nervosa." Her divorce was scheduled to have been finalized that day."


Watch Karen sing Rainy Days and Mondays.

Only the Good Die Young-Part X

Pete Ham of Badfinger

The story of Pete Ham, lead singer and songwriter for the group Badfinger, is one of the most tragic in rock 'n roll history. Orchestra Kentucky will perform one of the group's biggest hits this weekend at Rock 'n Roll Heaven.

Again, thanks to http://www.wikipedia.com/, this is Ham's story:

Peter William Ham was born on April 27, 1947 in Swansea, Wales. In 1961, Ham formed a local rock group called The Panthers. After several name and member changes, the group became The Iveys in 1965.  Ray Davies of The Kinks took an initial interest in the group and, in 1968, Mal Evans (The Beatles' personal assistant) introduced the group to the Fab Four, who unanimously approved their signing to Apple Records. Apparently, The Beatles were impressed by the band's songwriting abilities.

Upon the single release of Paul McCartney's Come And Get It, the group changed its name to Badfinger.  Initially protesting against using a non-original song, Ham was convinced of the wisdom of having a likely hit single to propel the band's career. Indeed, the song became a worldwide Top Ten hit. In late 1970, Ham's song, No Matter What, became another Top Ten worldwide hit, which he followed with two more worldwide hits: Day After Day and Baby Blue. Ham's greatest songwriting success came with Without You, which he co-wrote. When Harry Nilsson covered the song in 1972, it became a worldwide #1 hit. The song was nominated for a Grammy and won an Ivor Novello award for Song of the Year in 1973. Badfinger was signed by Warner Bros. Records in 1972, when Apple Records began to fail.

From 1973 to 1975, during their time with Warner Bros. Records, Badfinger suffered financial and managerial problems. By 1975, Ham literally had no money in his bank account. With no explanation from the band's business manager Stan Polley, and a girlfriend who was eight months pregnant, Ham became despondent and hanged himself in the garage of his Surrey home. His blood alcohol was .27%. Ham's suicide note read: "I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. This is better." The note had a post script about the band's business manager: "P.S. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. I will take him with me." Some of Polley's other clients also accused him of corruption.  Ham was 27 years old.

Watch Pete Ham and Badfinger sing No Matter What.

Only the Good Die Young-Part IX

Janis Joplin

Just say "no" to drugs. If Janis Joplin had, we would still be enjoying her music to this day. Although Joplin is not available, Orchestra Kentucky will present the next best thing: Bev Lovelace will perform two of Joplin's hits at this weekend's Rock 'n Roll Heaven concert. You'll have to attend to find out which tunes will be featured.

The following account of her life comes from http://www.wikipedia.com/:

Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on January 19, 1943. Her mother was registrar at a business college and her father was an engineer for Texaco. Joplin's parents felt that Janis always needed more attention than her two siblings: According to her mother, "She was unhappy and unsatisfied without [receiving a lot of attention]. The normal rapport wasn't adequate."

As a teenager, Joplin was friends with a group of students who were considered outcasts. One of them had albums by African-American blues artists Bessie Smith and Leadbelly, whom Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer. She began singing in the local choir and expanded her listening to blues singers such as Odetta and Big Mama Thornton.

Primarily a painter while still in school, she first began singing blues and folk music with friends. She stated that she was mostly shunned in high school. Joplin was quoted as saying, "I was a misfit. I read, I painted, I didn't hate niggers." As a teen, she became overweight and her skin broke out so badly she was left with deep scars which required dermabrasion. Other kids at high school would routinely taunt her and call her names like "pig," "freak" or "creep."

Joplin graduated from high school in 1960 and attended Lamar State College of Technology in Beaumont, Texas, during the summer and later the University of Texas at Austin, though she did not complete her studies.

Cultivating a rebellious manner, Joplin styled herself in part after her female blues heroines and, in part, after the Beat poets. She left Texas for San Francisco in 1963, living in North Beach and later Haight-Ashbury. In 1964, Joplin and future Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen recorded a number of blues standards, further accompanied by Margareta Kaukonen on typewriter (as percussion instrument).

Around this time her drug use increased, and she acquired a reputation as a "speed freak" and occasional heroin user. She also used other psychoactive drugs and was a heavy drinker throughout her career; her favorite beverage was Southern Comfort.

In the spring of 1965, Joplin's friends, noticing the physical effects of her amphetamine habit, persuaded her to return to Port Arthur, Texas. Back in Port Arthur, she changed her lifestyle. She avoided drugs and alcohol, began wearing relatively modest dresses, adopted a beehive hairdo, and enrolled as a sociology major at Lamar University in nearby Beaumont, Texas.

In 1966, Joplin's bluesy vocal style attracted the attention of the psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. She was recruited to join the group by Chet Helms, who brought her back to San Francisco. Due to persistent persuading by keyboardist and close friend Stephen Ryder, Joplin avoided drug use for several weeks, enjoining bandmate Dave Getz to promise that using needles would not be allowed in their rehearsal space or in the communal apartment where they lived. When the group moved with the Grateful Dead to a house in Lagunitas, Californina, Joplin relapsed into hard drugs.

Her band's debut album was released by Columbia Records in August 1967, shortly after the group's breakthrough appearance in June at the Monterey Pop Festival. In November 1967, the group parted ways with Chet Helms and signed with top artist manager Albert Grossman. Up to this point, Big Brother had performed mainly in California, but had gained national prominence with their Monterey performance.

During the spring of 1968, Joplin and Big Brother made their nationwide television debut on The Dick Cavett Show. Time magazine called Joplin "probably the most powerful singer to emerge from the white rock movement," and Richard Goldstein, in Vogue magazine, wrote that Joplin was "the most staggering leading woman in rock... she slinks like tar, scowls like war... clutching the knees of a final stanza, begging it not to leave... Janis Joplin can sing the chic off any listener."

The group' second album, Cheap Thrills, gave the band a breakthrough hit single, Piece of My Heart, which reached the number one spot on the Billboard charts eight weeks after its release, remaining for eight (nonconsecutive) weeks. The album was certified gold at release and sold over a million copies in the first month of its release.

On August 31 and September 1, Joplin announced that she would be leaving Big Brother. The group continued touring through the fall and Joplin gave her last official performance with Big Brother on December 1, 1968.

Joplin formed a new backup group, the Kozmic Blues Band. The band was influenced by the Stax-Volt Rhythm and Blues bands of the 1960s, as exemplified by Otis Redding and the Bar-Kays, who were major musical influences on Joplin. The Stax-Volt R&B sound was typified by the use of horns and had a more bluesy, funky, soul, pop-oriented sound than most of the hard-rock psychedelic bands of the period.

By early 1969, Joplin was addicted to heroin, allegedly shooting at least $200 worth of heroin per day.

The Kozmic Blues album, released in September 1969, was certified gold later that year but did not match the success of Cheap Thrills. Joplin and the Kozmic Blues Band toured North America and Europe throughout 1969, appearing at Woodstock in August. By most accounts, Woodstock was not a happy affair for Joplin. Faced with a ten hour wait after arriving at the festival, she shot heroin and was drinking alcohol, so by the time she hit the stage, she was "three sheets to the wind." At the end of the year, the group broke up.

After a short time off drugs, Joplin began using heroin again. Around this time she formed her new band, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, composed mostly of young Canadian musicians and featured an organ, but no horn section.

Among Joplin's last public appearances were two broadcasts of The Dick Cavett Show. Her last public performance, with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, took place on August 12, 1970 at the Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts.

During September 1970, Joplin and her band began recording a new album in Los Angeles. Although Joplin died before all the tracks were fully completed, there was still enough usable material to compile an LP. Mercedes Benz was included despite it being a first take, and the track Buried Alive In The Blues, to which Joplin had been scheduled to add her vocals on the day she was found dead, was kept as an instrumental. The result was the posthumously released Pearl (1971). It became the biggest selling album of her career and featured her biggest hit single, a cover of Kris Kristofferson's Me and Bobby McGee. Kristofferson had been Joplin's lover not long before her death. In 2003, Pearl was ranked #122 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The last recordings Joplin completed were Mercedes Benz and a birthday greeting for John Lennon (Happy Trails, composed by Dale Evans) on October 1, 1970. Lennon, whose birthday was October 9, later told Dick Cavett that her taped greeting arrived at his home after her death. On Saturday, October 3, Joplin visited the Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles to listen to the instrumental track for Nick Gravenites' song Buried Alive in the Blues prior to recording the vocal track, scheduled for the next day. When she failed to show up at the studio by Sunday afternoon, producer Paul A. Rothchild became concerned. Full Tilt Boogie's road manager, John Cooke, drove to the Landmark Motor Hotel (since renamed the Highland Gardens Hotel) where Joplin had been a guest since August 24. He saw Joplin's psychedelically painted Porsche still in the parking lot. Upon entering her room, he found her dead on the floor. The official cause of death was an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol. Cooke believes that Joplin had accidentally been given heroin which was much more potent than normal, as several of her dealer's other customers also overdosed that week.

Joplin was cremated and her ashes were scattered from a plane into the Pacific Ocean and along Stinson Beach. The only funeral service was a private affair, attended by Joplin's parents and maternal aunt. Joplin's will funded $2,500 to throw a wake party in the event of her demise. Brownies laced with hashish were unknowingly passed around while party members contained their emotions of grief.


Watch Joplin's live performance of Piece of My Heart.