Monday, November 14, 2011

Music Monday ~ 14 November : Fertile astrological soil for composers?

Glancing through lists of births for this day through the years, 14 November, I noticed the word composer coming up again and again. "Odd", I thought. Scorpio, ruled by Pluto, or traditionally by Mars, doesn't strike me as being a particularly musical sign.

But, but but....nextdoor lies Libra, where Mercury and/or Venus might well be found in charts for 14 November. Libra is ruled by Venus, planet of the arts including music. Then too, Moon or ascendant could be in a musically oriented sign - Libra or Taurus - or even Aquarius (invention, innovation = composing).

14 November is in the 3rd decan (tenth) of Scorpio, which is known as the Cancer decan giving Moon as secondary ruler of the date. Those born during the last week of Scorpio are likely to be a softer, more sensitvie breed than their fellows from the two earlier decans - and more apt to use the legendary Scorpio passion with far more senstivity.

Another thought: Scorpio is a Fixed sign - composing music is producing something kind of "fixed", as against performing music, which produces more of a fleeting pleasure.

Ah well, that's my explanation! Here's the list I came up with:
1663 - Friederich Wilhelm Zachow, composer

1719 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father (d. 1787)

1740 – Johann van Beethoven, Ludwig van Beethoven's father and 1st teacher (d. 1792)
(Interesting that the fathers of two iconic composers were both born 14 November)

1778 – Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1837)

1800 - Heinrich Ludwig Egmont Dorn

1805 – Fanny Mendelssohn, German composer and pianist (d. 1847)

1816 - John Curwen, composer

1825 - August Reissmann, composer

1829 - Giulio Roberti, composer

1845 - Johann Ernst Perabo, composer

1879 - Geoffrey Turton Shaw, composer

1887 - Bernhard Paumgartner, Austria, musicologist/conductor/composer

1900 – Aaron Copland, American composer (d. 1990)

1932 - Ramon Zupko, composer

1939 – Wendy Carlos, American composer

1949 – Raul Di Blasio Argentine pianist, composer, producer

1954 – Yanni, Greek musician & composer

1957 - Frank Affolter, pianist/writer/composer

1960 – Tom Judson, American actor and composer

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