The address has become a part of American tradition. It is studied in schools and warmly praised by writers. The Gettysburg Address shows an important interpretation of the Declaration of Independence that is still remembered and used. It is widely accepted as one of the most important documents in U.S. history, together with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. To this day, it is one of the most famous, beloved, and most quoted of modern speeches.
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Urbain Fauré (born Pamiers, Ariège, Midi-Pyrénées, May 12, 1845; died Paris, November 4, 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist, and music teacher. He was the most important French composer of his time. The way he wrote music, especially his harmonies, had a big influence on many 20th century composers. Most French composers at the time became famous by writing operas, but Faure only wrote one opera. His most important works are his French songs, chamber music and piano music. His "Requiem" (which includes a solo, "Pie Jesu", for a treble singer or soprano) is one of the most popular of all requiems and can be performed with quite a small orchestra and choir. Other very popular pieces are his "Berçeuse" from the "Dolly Suite" for piano duet, the "Sicilienne" from the music for "Pelléas et Mélisande", and the song "Après un rêve" which is sometimes also played by a solo instrument, e.g. the cello.
Fauré came from the south of France. He was born into a large family and was sent to live with a foster-nurse for four years. When he was quite small he often played the harmonium at the small chapel attached to the school where his father was director. A blind lady heard him and told his father that he ought to send him to a good music school. His father did not want to at first, but when the boy was nine he was sent to study at the École Niedermeyer in Paris. This was a school which trained young people to become church organists and choir directors. He spent eleven years there and had a good musical education. One of his teachers was the great composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
At first he held several jobs in churches, playing and accompanying the choirs. During the Franco-Prussian War Faure served in the army and did some teaching. When he returned to Paris in October of 1871 he got the job of choir accompanist at a big church in Paris called Saint-Sulpice. He often met up with Saint-Saëns and his friends who included the composers Lalo, Duparc, d’Indy and Chabrier. Several of these musicians, including Fauré himself, formed a music society called Société Nationale de Musique in 1871.
In 1874 Saint-Saëns retired from the church called the Madeleine and Fauré became choirmaster. In the same year he became engaged to Marianne Viardot, daughter of the singer Pauline, but then Marianne broke off the engagement. He travelled to Weimar to hear Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. Fauré liked Wagner’s music but it did not influence him.
In 1883 Fauré married Marie Fremiet. They had two sons. He had to spent a lot of time earning money by teaching to keep his family and so he did not have much time to compose except during the summer. His publishers did not pay him much money for his compositions.
In 1892 he became inspector of the music conservatories in the French provinces, which meant he no longer had to teach amateur students. In 1896 he finally became chief organist at the Église de la Madeleine. He also became professor of composition at Paris Conservatoire. Here he taught several students who became important French composers, including Maurice Ravel, Nadia Boulanger and Charles Koechlin. In 1905 he became director of the conservatoire.
As he became older he became deaf. High and low pitches sounded muddled to him. He retired from the Conservatoire in 1920 at the age of 75. In that year he received the Grand Cross of the Légion d’Honneur. It was unusual for a musician to have such a high honour. His health became poor, partly because he smoked heavily. He died in Paris from pneumonia in 1924 and was given a state funeral.
Gabriel Fauré is the greatest composer of French art song, or mélodie. He learned a great deal at the École Niedermeyer about how to write beautiful, flowing harmonies. He also studied the church modes. This can be heard in a lot of his music. He wrote several song cycles (groups of songs) including one called "La Bonne Chanson".
Fauré's piano works are mostly short works such as barcarolles, nocturnes and impromptus. They are often full of arpeggiated figures with the melody going from one hand to the other. His chamber works include piano quartets and quintets, a string quartet, a piano trio, two sonatas for violin and piano and two for cello and piano. His "Élégie" for cello and piano is especially well-known. He never showed a great deal of interest in writing for the orchestra. His orchestral works mostly consist of incidental music. His "Requiem" is popular both with amateur and professional choirs.
Music critic
A music critic is someone who writes about concerts that have taken place or new music that has been written. They write reviews about this in newspapers or journals. What they write is called musical criticism.
When people write about the history of music or compare musical styles, this is called musicology. Musical criticism is about what is going on in the musical world at the moment.
Music critics can have a lot of influence on a musician’s success. If a musician gets a bad review people may not bother to go and hear him. If he has a very good review people will think he must be good and they will all want to hear him.
Occasionally it can happen that a new piece of music has such a terrible review that everyone wants to go and hear how terrible it is. They may then find that they like it and the music might become famous. This is called a “succès de scandale” (French for “scandalous success”). Stravinsky’s "Rite of Spring" (1913) is a good example.
Music critics will spend a lot of time listening to music. They often do other jobs with music such as teaching. Some famous music critics include:
Pete Maravich
Peter Press Maravich (June 22, 1947 - January 5, 1988), also known as "Pistol Pete" Maravich, was an American basketball player. He played for Lousisana State University and averaged 44.2 points per game. That is the highest average ever in the history of college basketball. Then Maravich played for ten seasons in the NBA. He played for the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Jazz, Utah Jazz, and the Boston Celtics. He once scored 68 points in an NBA game against the New York Knicks.
He was known for his great dribbling, passing and shooting abilities. Maravich died from a heart attack on January 5, 1988.
Maravich's father, Press Maravich, also played in the NBA.
John Batman
John Batman (21 January 1801 – 6 May 1839) was an Australian farmer and businessman who was one of the first white people to live in Melbourne.
Batman was born in Rosehill, Parramatta (part of Sydney), and spent time in Tasmania (then called Van Diemen's Land). In Tasmania he started farming on land the government gave him. He brought more land. During this time, he was involved in conflicts with the Tasmanian Aborigines.
In December 1825, or early 1826, Batman captured the notorious bushranger (a kind of robber), Matthew Brady.
Batman asked to be given land in the Westernport area of Victoria, but the government rejected him. So, in 1835, as a leading member of the Port Phillip Association he sailed for the mainland of Australia in the schooner "Rebecca" and explored much of Port Phillip Bay. Batman made an agreement, now known as Batman's Treaty, with some local Aborigines to rent their land in return for things like knives and flour every year. Probably the Wurundjeri people did not understand the agreement. In any case, the Governor of New South Wales said the agreement was not legal the land was owned by the Government rather than the Aborigines.