This Day in the Arts

This Day in the Arts — March 27 in sound recording history

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Every now and then, I like to throw in a rather off-beat topic in this series, and today is one of those posts. Most people these days likely don’t give a second thought to the idea of stereophonic sound — that is, a recording of sound that is enhanced by being played on two tracks simultaneously, producing a more natural effect, and a richer, fuller sound experience. It isn’t that long ago, however (within my lifetime… although perhaps that *is* a long time ago for some of my readers!) that monaural sound was all there was in the recording industry. One track, a thinner sound. On March 27, 1958, stereophonic records were introduced, and the recording industry was revolutionized, not quite overnight, but within the next decade.

This Day in the Arts — March 20 in Broadway Theatre History

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We’re back on Broadway for today’s segment of This Day in the Arts, but this time we’re looking at the history of a theatre, rather than one particular production. On March 20, 1911, the Winter Garden Theatre opened on Broadway. It had previously been a horse exchange — horses and carriages were what made “Long Acre Square” (later Times Square) popular before that time, to give way to another sort of hoofer when the building was transformed into a lavish — and large — theatre. Because of its previous purpose, there was a LOT of space across what became the stage area, and the proscenium was the widest of any theatre on Broadway. Broadway today has the Shuberts of that era to thank for the Winter Garden and other well-known theatres on the Great White Way.

This Day in the Arts — March 13 in Broadway Musicals History

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Today, not only am I celebrating the anniversary of the opening of a delightfully whimsical Broadway musical, I’m also (stealthily) celebrating the birthday of a writer friend. Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, who went on to write such classics of the Broadway stage as Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot, brought a tiny Scottish village to life for 581 performances (not just one every one hundred years) beginning on March 13, 1947 when Brigadoon opened at the Zeigfeld Theatre on Broadway.

This Day in the Arts — March 6 in Film and Stage History

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The word “icon” is bandied about in the entertainment world perhaps too readily. However, I believe there is no question that the achievement in film and stage history we are celebrating today does deserve the term “iconic performance.” On March 6, 1985, Yul Brynner gave his 4,500th stage performance as King Mongkut in The King and I. His final performance, his 4,633rd (!) was on June 30 the same year. Less than four months later he died of lung cancer.

This Day in the Arts — February 27 in Music History

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I had to do some sleuthing to track down the details of the event I’m celebrating today. Although it was mentioned in a couple of sources, other sources seemed to contradict the information. However, we can justifiably celebrate this anniversary today without fear of error. On February 27, 1919, Sir Adrian Boult conducted the first public performance of Gustav Holst’s symphonic suite The Planets although in that concert the work was not heard in its entirety. An earlier two-piano version of the work had been performed some time before that, and Boult also conducted a private unveiling of the orchestral version in 1918. The first public performance of the full work was in 1920. See why I had to check my facts?

This Day in the Arts — February 20 in Film History

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Just a word before we get to today’s snippet of history. I am honored to have been asked to do a guest post in Donna Martin’s blog series Writerly Wisdom today. You may read my post about writers and blogging at Donna L. Martin’s On the Write Track. Now to This Day in the Arts: On February 20, 1927, actor Sidney Poitier was born. I confess I find it hard to believe that he is eighty-six years old. I have long admired him as an actor and as an advocate for civil rights. It is a joy to celebrate him today.

This Day in the Arts — February 13 in Music History

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On February 13, 1867, in Vienna, Austria, a conductor named Johann Herbeck raised his baton to conduct a “choral waltz” which he had commissioned by none other than the Waltz King himself, Johann Strauss, Jr.  By all accounts, in its choral form it was not a success and might have fallen into obscurity if Strauss had not later had it performed instrumentally in Paris, where it was an immediate hit. The waltz? On the Beautiful Blue Danube, usually known simply as “The Blue Danube Waltz.”

This Day in the Arts — February 6 in Arts Patronage

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On February 6, 1952 twenty-five year old Princess Elizabeth awoke to learn that her father, King George VI, had died in the night and she was now Queen. (Succession is immediate and automatic — when the monarch dies, the successor becomes monarch without any lapse whatsoever.) What does this have to do with the arts, Beth? I assure you, there is a connection.

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