COLUMBIAN LINGERIE MODEL BUSTED IN DRUG SYNDICATE
EARLIER NEWS:
NEW HENDRIX RECORDINGS TO BE RELEASED!
MEN AT WORK RIP OFF KOOKABURRA
CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAS AND DRUGS
LIL' WAYNE HEADIN' TO THE CLINK?
PIANIST GEOFFREY TOZER DIES AT 54
MEETING WITH DEMOCRAT O'DONNELL
BIG ROW OVER WHAT HAPPENED IN THE BEATLES' STUDIO SESSIONS!
UNEXPECTED MEETING WITH TODD BRABEC OF ASCAP
1969 JOHN LENNON INTERVIEW BY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD REVEALED
EARLIEST IN DEPTH BEATLES BRITISH TV INTERVIEW DISCOVERED
FIRST EVER RECORDING FOUND****
"OBAMA GIRL" FEATURES MY FRENCH SONG ON HER MYSPACE SITE
AMERICAN IDOL: CHIKEZIE TOO CHEESY FOR VIEWERS
LEAVE A COMMENT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW
COLUMBIAN LINGERIE MODEL BUSTED IN DRUG SYNDICATE
February 24
Fats Waller sang a song called a "Porter's Love Song To A Chamber Maid". So do we have a modern equivalent, but this time "A Drug Lord's Song To A Lingerie Model"?
The Rolling Stones' "Angie", from their "Goat's Head Soup" album of 1973, was allegedly about Angie Bowie and her supposed relationship with Mick Jagger--though the title was actually written by the composer of the song Keith Richards.
Now, there is the story of Angie the Columbian lingerie model turned drug runner, in charge of countless drug courier models. In a plot from James Bond, and a sure fire future movie subject, one Angie Valencia (below) is on the run in Mexico. She was reported to police by one of her captured hotties loaded with cocaine. The busted Angie is said to have learned her trade from her ex, a drug lord known as "The Monster". She apparently split to set up a rival empire.
So now we can imagine The Monster, heart-broken and deserted, his AK fallen down the back of his desk and a pile of unsold coke on the table, singing a plaintive ballad in a minor key to the woman who left him to set up a rival business. Ouch. Even worse, she is now on the run. If only she had pursued that other career for models, the subject of the famous rocker on "Goat's Head Soup", "Star Star".
The answer is, could be. Many sources have maintained he was in a relationship with a "married woman", composer and sometime collaborator Kay Swift. But Swift may have just been a musical colleague and part time "front" only. Then there is the report from one girl who apparently went to bed with him to see what would happen... what happened was nothing. So that is the assexual theory. Then there are claims that he bedded chorus girls from his shows, but I've only seen one report of that in print, published by a current (gay) writer and singer.
So now there is the report, from a blogger, who says he was once told by a writer, Lyle Stuart, that no less a person than Irving Caesar once told him Gershwin was gay. Caesar is the famous lyricist who wrote the words to Gershwin's first hit "Swanee", of 1919, and for "Tea For Two", the classic that was later instrumentally reworked by Shostokovich. Both Caesar and Stuart had offices in New York's famous Brill Building (1619 Broadway).
The bean-spilling writer apparently stated that Caesar also said that Gershwin had a woman as a "cover" for a while, but that the woman's unofficial services were terminated after she blew up at Gershwin once when he was late for a "date".
Caesar lived to 101, dying in 1996. Someone who worked with Gershwin from 1919 must know something.
But does it matter? Not really, however Stravinsky said that Gershwin was the most gifted melodist since Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky was of course gay. Both composers had the same peerless floating and striking melodic ability. Is there some kind of musical sensiblity that only gay composers can have? Both Schubert and Chopin, the two predecessors in melodic life to Tchaikovsky and Gershwin, are claimed by some to have been at least bi-sexual, if not outright or predominantly gay (one of my main sources, the London "News Of The World" newspaper, is of course somewhat shaky as an authority--John Lennon did not mention the paper in his song "Polythene Pam" for nothing. The other source is a 1998 CD album compilation of "Gay Composers" that included in its music music by Schubert and Chopin).
So is there something that the most recent claimant to this super melodic ability, Paul McCartney, has not been telling us? Come on Macca... I think his escape is that his ability is not quite of the same type or style.
As for Gershwin, it is probably better that noone knows about the writer of "The Man I Love" for sure... (Yes, I know it was written for a show to be sung by a girl, and that Ira wrote the lyrics anyway...)
NEW HENDRIX RECORDINGS TO BE RELEASED!
There is a new Hendrix album out, and the record apparently consists of new songs and versions of some of his older tunes, all from his final session. The album is called "Valleys Of Neptune". If Neptune has valleys, and if anyone could let us see them sonically, then Hendrix would surely be the person.
The album is out on March 9. As part of the release, 5,000 individually numbered copies will be released on vinyl.
Innovative Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard has died. He was found dead in his home on January 13, 2010. The cause of death was apparently cocaine and alcohol intoxication.
Spotted by Mymusicdiscovery at an instore gig in 2009, Reatard did not admit to being a retard, but he did say that the blues scene in Memphis these days was pretty commercial. "The real blues now is coming out of the north Mississippi Delta", he said.
This seems consistent with his album title from 2001, "Memphis Is Dead". Unfortunately, now Reatard is too.
The down-style titles continued, with Reatard's second and last solo album entitled "Watch Me Fall", from 2009.
"Watch Me Fall"
MEN AT WORK RIP OFF KOOKABURRA
January
'
"I win. No-one messes wid da kookaburra"
Men At Work, the '80s band known for "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under", have been found by a court to have infringed a copyright held by the Melbourne, Australia writer of a 1934 children's song "Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gumtree". Singer Colin Hay is not laughing now, as the band has to pay the publishers and/or estate of the original composer. And saxophonist/flautist Greg Ham may have thought he was only hamming (oh) when he played the flute figure in the song, the part that has infringed the copyright, but the kookaburra has, finally, had the last laugh.
The publishers of the childrens' song, which was apparently written to order by school teacher Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides' jamboree, are said to be seeking 40 to 60% of the Men At Work song's world earnings. The hearing as to the amount of royalities to be paid over will begin in late February.
"Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gumtree" is a well known song in the under ten classrooms of Australia. The second half of the Men At Work flute figure clearly infringes a part of the song.
My Music Discovery has always been a big fan of "Who Can It Be Now", the sax led "knock knock on the door" tune that was Men At Work's first hit, but the other song, the subject of the case, has never quite appealed. It was the flute part I was not down with. Given MMD's intuition for a ripoff, maybe the reason is now apparent. It wasn't just the jingoistic lyrics.
On a more serious level, the inclusion of the brief lick was probably a last minute arranging decision by the band that was in hindsight a little naive. Harmless and naive, but expensive. It is particularly problematic as the band may have put in the lick as an affectionate nod to the country's history. It would be like somebody putting in a few bars of "The Stars And Stripes" just to flavor the record. The difference is the latter tune is public domain. Colin Hay suggests this in the interview excerpt below.
However, musically, the borrowed melody is part of the "figure" of the song and so it is, actually, an open and shut case of appropriation, a direct lift. It may also be that Men At Work were more successful because of the lick, the flavoring--in which case, the court made the correct decision in more ways than one.
Ironically, it has been suggested that Sinclair, in 1934, may have copied an old Irish tune anyway! If so, should "Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gumtree" (or the relevant part of it) be "copyrightable" anyway? I assume the band's lawyers looked at this.
The similarity was first noticed by the publishers when the origin of the figure was a question on a television game show, so the publishers essentially had their work done for them already...
CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAS AND DRUGS
December 2009
Some classical performers may want to be rockstars (Vanessa Mae, Nigel Kennedy, etc) but you do not (and they did not) have to take drugs to achieve this. This comment arises because regretfully a member of an Australian orchestra, aged about 20, has actually met his maker (and I'm not talking Stradivarius) as a result of trying drugs obtained from a doorman at his hotel when the orchestra was on tour abroad. It seems his room at home was plastered with heavy metal posters: maybe, on tour, the the lure of trying this imagined and secretly desired lifestyle became too much. A greater awareness of the world would presumably have saved him.
The event led the orchestra to cancel its tour.
HOT AD TOPS VIRAL VIDS
November 2, 2009
Kylie Minogue's 2001 lingerie ad tops the most popular "viral" ads list, as rated by an online content distributor.
The rocky track to the ad is Swedish band The Hives, and "Main Offender".
See it, or rather, Kylie, and more details:
LIL' WAYNE HEADIN' TO THE CLINK?
October 23, 2009
Press reports indicate that Lil' Wayne, rapper/singer, has agreed to plead guilty to a fire-arms related charge in a plea deal. The catch is, sources say he may still nab a year in the slammer--mandatory. The sentence is probably way inappropriate, but some people may say the same of his records! He'll find out in February, by all accounts.
If so, there will most likely be less 'Lil Wayne postings on the Myspace home page.
MMD says that, as Mr Wayne's world appears to comprise sound of a somewhat diluted nature, his case would appear to be in sharp contra-distinction to that of Keith Richard's 1977 Toronto case. This comment is based on a recording of his singing on Youtube.
Early works by Mozart have turned up in Europe. The music was "premiered" in Salzbug recently, but typically there is as yet no trace of it on Youtube. Looks like someone, probably a record company, wants to earn money from the music: surprise, surprise.
The pieces are an apparently interesting first movement of a piano concerto in G major, and a prelude in G major. He was under ten at their writing, but that's no obstacle to quality as his first symphony (K 16) was written at about eight and is quite good.
And experts say the music is daring:
The music at the top is part of the new music, and would have been transcribed by Mozart's father Leopold. The bar at the middle at the bottom of the page sees the young Mozart flying rapidly up and then down the keyboard.
Australian pianist Geoffrey Tozer, famous for recordings of Medtner and other under-recorded composers, died in Melbourne, Australia in August. Tozer once played in China to a televison audience of 80 million.
His very early departure went initially unnoticed by the modern Australian sports and money-obsessed "journalists"--and wouldn't have been noticed at all except somebody pointed it out after a week. Mymusicdiscovery says: Australia seems to be a country that does not tolerate individuals, people who are different. May this change. The country needs its own head of state--it could even have been Geoffrey Tozer as ceremonial President in fact. I mean, poet Vaclav Havel was elected Czech President.
As legend has it, he was found by Prime Minister Paul Keating earning about only $8,000 a year, and was promptly awarded a large national grant.
Great pianist. Innovative repertoire too. Here, he plays Medtner sonata Triad Opus 11 No 1 in Ab major
See my recent review of a Les Paul live gig in 2008
Les watches bassist Nicki Parrot sing "Santa Baby"
Les' Gibson Les Paul guitar, 2008
Les' effects pedals, 2008
Photographs: Simon J Harper
MEETING WITH DEMOCRAT O'DONNELL
New York November, 2008.
Mymusicdiscovery met briefly with New York Assemblyman Daniel J O'Donnell (Democrat) - brother of television's Rosie O'Donnell - at a recent post election meeting in Manhattan. The question for the Assemblyman was this: what form is Barack Obama's music education plan going to take - "a small topic but a big one", as we described the issue. His answer: "I don't know but when I get to my office I'll find out". OK! We've put the subject out there! Maybe it will be compulsory for all citizens to learn the riff to "Smoke On The Water" (or another riff of your choice) very soon ...
BIG ROW OVER WHAT HAPPENED IN THE BEATLES' STUDIO SESSIONS
London
If you are not aware, Geoff Emerick, the Beatles' celebrated studio engineer (he came up with sound solutions) has written a no holds-barred book on the sessions, "Here, There And Everywhere - My Life Recording The Beatles". This is a "must have", and a great and pleasant surprise for Beatles (and recording) fans. However, Ken Scott, who also worked on many of the sessions, has some differing memories of certain events recounted by Emerick. Yey, a tabloid argument!
The two have even traded polite blows online:
"[Ken Scott] said that he just read the bit in MACCAnews about the "hidden lyric" in "Hey Jude". He said he felt obliged to point out that the lyrics are correct the performer isn't. The words were muttered by John during a vocal overdub. Paul did not hit a wrong note. At least not at that point.
He also gave me a link to his site where he points out more errors in Geoff's book
Well seems Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott disagree on a few points of fact but it is still very interesting to hear such great detail on the recording sessions from not a third party but from the people directly involved. I can't wait to get the book.
Statement from Geoff Emerick Regarding Ken Scott's Comments about "Here, There and Everywhere : My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles"
March 8
I was saddened to learn that Ken Scott is attempting to discredit my book, "Here, There, and Everywhere", despite the fact that he has obviously not seen the published edition.
I would not care to speculate on the motivations Ken has for publicly taking issue with my memoir, let alone on his evident need to rush his negative comments into print after apparently reading only an uncorrected proof of the book. Yes, these were events that occurred forty years ago, and Ken's memory may differ in some respects, but this is the true story of the Beatles in the recording studio as I and many of my colleagues remember it. As the Beatles' own Anthology project proved, put four people in a room and you will get four differerent recollections of the same event. That is simply human nature. Nonetheless, my co-author and I took great pains to ensure the accuracy of all that is stated in the book.
In the instances where Ken Scott is pointing out a substantive factual mistake and is not merely nit-picking, we will ensure that our publisher is notified and that the correction is made in future editions. However, most of what Ken refers to as "errors" are in fact either differences of opinion, or instances where he is misquoting or mischaracterizing what I say. In other cases, he is flat out wrong.
Regarding what Ken characterizes as the book's "relentless tirade against George Harrison," I would argue that I have in fact painted an honest, balanced and even affectionate picture of George, about whom I write, "Even though we were never close personally, we always got along well professionally, and I always had great respect for his musicianship and his abilities as a producer. Especially after he got interested in Eastern music, George brought a new dimension to Beatles records and his contribution was inestimable." That is hardly what I would call a "tirade."
And since Ken is so vehement about getting things correct, I will point out that he is wrong when he says that Paul McCartney was the only Beatle to have employed me after the group split up. I was asked by John to record numerous Plastic Ono Band projects, and I was brought in by Ringo to engineer the "Sentimental Journey" album and, years later, to mix "Vertical Man." Not to mention the fact that I was asked by all three surviving Beatles in 1994 to engineer "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love."
If and when Ken gets around to writing his memoir, I will certainly defend his right to share his recollections as he remembers them, even if I don't necessarily agree with them. Until that time, I hope he will extend me the same courtesy.
Geoff Emerick
Rebuttal from Ken Scott to Daytrippin Magazine regarding Geoff Emerick's response addressing criticism to his book March 12
Dear Daytrippin',
Many thanks for allowing me to respond to Geoff's letter.
First and foremost I wish to sincerely apologize to Geoff for my comment about his employment being only by Paul. I was wrong and I openly admit it. I would very much like to now see Geoff admit, and apologize for, his errors.
On February 10th, 2006, I sent 3 letters to Gotham Publishing. I wrote to the president of the company, the editor of the book and also to the editorial department notifying them of substantive factual mistakes in the book. To this date I have still had no response. I also have in my possession copies of letters sent to the publishers by other people mentioned in the book, each one complaining of errors. All parties to this publication had plenty of warning and if any one connected with this book were at all interested in the truth they could have made changes before it hit the book shelves not "in future editions".
With regard to Geoff's assertion that my complaints are based on an uncorrected proof, he is totally incorrect. Yes, my first reading was that version, but prior to writing my first letter I obtained a corrected copy to check for changes. They were negligible. If anyone connected with Geoff had bothered to look properly at what I wrote they would have noticed that all the page numbers given were for the final copy, not the proof copy. This is exactly the kind of sloppiness and lack of attention to detail that pervades this book.
My next admission. I am biased. I was and still am very fond of George. To see him described the way he is on numerous pages makes me mad. To quote a very good friend of his, " He was always called the quiet one, but anyone who knew him knew that once he started there was no way you could shut him up". "Dour" ? This is the man that made the Rutles and Monty Python movies possible. "Sarcastic" ? Well I can't argue that, except to say it was always with humor. And everyone dreading when he had to record a solo? In all the time I worked with the band I saw absolutely no evidence of this. Geoff in fact states, in an interview from Good Day Sunshine, issues 79 & 80, that George ".....was very meticulous. It didn't matter how long that sort of thing took, he'd just do it". Sounds just the same as Paul to me, but that's just my opinion.
Now to the facts. I would be most interested to hear how the errors I point out can be called "differences of opinion". There is no opinion contained in any of them. Opinion is that Rubber Soul is "not especially noteworthy" (I have to assume this is Geoff's opinion because he incorrectly states it was the feeling of those working the sessions; I was on all but 3 of those sessions and certainly didn't feel, or hear that anyone else felt, that way) or that the "White Album" is "virtually unlistenable", as the book so eloquently states. As for Geoff's other statement, I gave page numbers for every error, I therefore invite him to show me where I misquoted, mischaracterized or I'm "flat out wrong".
Let's try a couple more and see if these contain opinions, misquotes, mischaracterizations or are flat out wrong.
The book tells how a hurriedly done mix of "Penny Lane" was rushed to Capitol Records, inadvertently missing the end David Mason piccolo trumpet flourish. A new mix with the flourish, destined to be the released version, was later done and sent out to Capitol. If someone had even bothered to listen to the record they would have discovered it was the other way round. Paul decided he didn't like the ending and so the second mix was done without the flourish and it was this version that became the single. If the book is correct, I, and a lot of other people, have "quite a collector's item" in our record collections.
And though I did find the description of the novel use of a condom during the recording of "Yellow Submarine" amusing, I have to ask why it is that in previous interviews Geoff had stated it was a plastic bag, as do other people present at the time.
Last but not least. Geoff did incredible work and has an incredible story to tell. But, because there will always be differences of opinion, fact checking is essential and it shouldn't need the use of artistic licence and pure fiction in an attempt to turn his book into a big seller.
Cheers,
Ken Scotthttp://www.daytrippin.com/letters.htm"
Source: Maccanews/San Antonio Herald
UNEXPECTED MEETING WITH TODD BRABEC OF ASCAP
I was recently on the Upper East Side of New York when I walked into a bar off 1st Avenue. I looked to my right and saw Todd Brabec, head of Membership for ASCAP, sitting at the bar. Brabec lives in Los Angeles, so it was clearly a rare sighting.
I had met him once in LA at a class, so I introduced myself. He made a few comments about the current state of the music business, as he sees it. He said there were few jobs in the music industry around much now: the way to get ahead at this time is to be innovative. In other words, new ideas are king.
Brabec agreed with me when I said that the thin music quality now (rock music) is a result of the poor music of the eighties: the writers of rock music now grew up listening to that music, and so they didn't have a good example to follow.
From my own point of view, I think that internet sites such as youtube will remedy that problem: youtube, for example, provides a quick and immediate access to all kinds of music, a quick infusion of music knowledge. Youtube has clearly succeeded radio as the prime exposure to music, and there is no payola restricting the range of music available! You write good music from listening to other (good) music.
Brabec was the manager of Crosby, Stills & Nash. As such, he has therefore made a great contribution to music.
1969 JOHN LENNON INTERVIEW BY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD REVEALED
The world's top ranking jazz site, All About Jazz.com, has reported details of an interview with John Lennon grabbed on the fly by a fourteen year old in Lennon's hotel, on reel to reel. All About Jazz provides a link to the interview itself (see below).
In the interview Lennon says there are messages, on all levels, in all music (not just the Beatles'!). He echoes other songwriters' comments that even the writer himself may not realise all that the music contains until later.
He also explains why he was already having difficulties with entering the land of Sam. He explains: "They don't want to let me in because I like peace. They like war because it makes them fat, and if I'm there they'll have to own up to not liking peace". He urges people to stand up and vote for what they want, saying (in other words) that there are no victims, only volunteers. It is you who allow someone to lord it over you: it's no good just sitting around complaining about it.
It is a powerful and profound interview. You can also hear Lennon conversing with people about travel arrangements at the same time.
EARLIEST IN DEPTH BEATLES INTERVIEW DISCOVERED
London, BBC July 1
Extraordinary news from London, UK. The BBC reports that a TV interview with The Beatles by Scottish Television in March, 1964 has been discovered in a tin can in a garage. A London film archiver heard about a stash of sixty four ("When I'm Sixty Four": another Beatles clue about Paul?) cans of film, and investigated. Among the first he opened (he says he has only looked at about five so far) he discovered the rock gem (get it?).
The interview was conducted by two presenters on a Scottish children's show, on Thursday, March 4. Morag Hood interviewed "Lennon and McCartney", and nineteen year old Paul Young fired the questions at George and Ringo. The latter sat ON THE FLOOR, as the station wanted to make it casual! The results are brilliant: it is an interview so relaxed that Beatles author Mark Lewinsohn said on the BBC program, broadcast yesterday, that it is "so laid back it's about to fall over".
The film captures The Beatles just after they had made the film "A Hard Day's Night", and after their first visit to America. The interview with John and Paul is extremely interesting, as they talk about how they write songs. It was still relatively early in their career, so they are quite open. "We write on any old pianos lying around .... or on a guitar" says John. McCartney is more specific, saying they usually sit down to try to "knock one off", but "sometimes he (John) will finish one on his own in a day".
In the opinion of a Beatles expert, the interview is the earliest known long form interview by a British (albeit Scottish) television station.
The actual interview excerpts from the BBC 4 show (edited by mymusicdiscovery.com) are here:
Source: BBC 4 www.bbc.co.uk/radio4
Paris April
The first ever recorded sound has been discovered. Amongst other recordings, ten seconds of a woman singing the folk song "Au Clair de lune" (Oh Moonlight) in 1860 was played in March at a conference at Stanford University. The recording was made by a French inventor, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, on a contraption known as the "phonautogram". The actual recording is etchings of sound on a smoke-covered page.
This site has a piano version
OBAMA GIRL FEATURES MY FRENCH SONG ON HER MYSPACE SITE
New York May 2, 2008
Yes, for a few days "Obama Girl" put aside her super powers and uploaded my song "Quest-ce que c'est" to her Myspace page. The song was recorded in Los Angeles at Grammy-winning Sunburst Recording in LA, a studio that records LA jazz artists and singer/songwriters. Adam Sandler has recorded comedy albums there, and Woodstock legend Richie Havens has been a client.
CHIKEZIE TOO CHEESY FOR VIEWERS
March 26, 2008
This week on America Idol, soul crooner Chikezie, the smooth-voiced singer from Los Angeles, was eliminated from the competition. Quite a good performer, Chikezie nevertheless let himself down by way of one (or two) too many cheesy '70s efforts on the popular weekly show. Touching the girls' hands near the stage may have proved a visual confirmation of the cliche that caused Americans to finally run out of patience. If he had sung, say, a Manilow song, or something like even Soundgarden's grunge opus "Black Hole Sun", he may have still been strutting the stage.
The fact that he was (with the small-voiced but dred-haired Jason Castro) in the bottom three this week with fellow Afro-American Syesha, who has also sung in my view too many Motown-style numbers, may strengthen the point: it is probably dangerous for Afro-American performers in the competition to sing too many Motown/'70s soul songs. Unless you have a voice as distinctive as Diana Ross, it is hard to step away from the classic recordings, and the competitor's individuality may be blurred. For example, watching Syesha this week, it was hard to see her as different from any '70s singer. That's both good and bad, but the feeling that "we've heard it before" starts to arise and elimination may loom. Syesha has a great voice, but she needs to step out of the stereotype.
Given also the unusual choices by, for example, David Archuleta and the girl from Oregon, song choice has indeed become important in the competition this year.
London March 16, 2008
There are very few clues as to Mozart's exact appearance. The two most famous pictures of the adult Mozart are indeed just an unfinished painting by his brother-in-law Joseph Lange of Mozart at the piano, in probably 1789, and a posthumous work by Barbara Kraft - not a great choice. There are only a total of three authentic portraits from Mozart's life-time, during his adult period in Vienna.*
Lange--said to be the closest to life by Mozart's wife Constanze:
... real
Kraft (painted in 1819):
... the painter hadn't seen Mozart for 36 years
(These reproductions are from an excellent Mozart (and other music)
website, containing much well-organised information: edto)
Well according to recent reports, things have changed on this front: a painting dating from 1783, when Mozart was 27, has been discovered in an American collector's stash. And Professor Cliff Eisen of King's College, London says he is able to authenticate the painting. The portrait is an oil which shows the profile of a man in a bright red jacket. Professor Eisen says he verified the authenticity of the portrait by comparing it against auction records and other contemporaneous documents, including a letter written by Mozart to a patron in September 1782.
Amazingly, Eisen says the description in Mozart's letter matches the portrait all the way down to the buttons on the jacket. The artist was most likely Joseph Hickel, a Court painter, and the painting had been marking time in the family of a friend of Mozart's for over two hundred years before it was bought by the current owner in 2005.
Mozart was once described by an acquaintance as having a delicate build with straw-colored hair. In the painting Mozart looks fairly robust, but has the kind of skin coloring that a person with straw-colored hair could be expected to have.
*King's College says: "To date only three other authentic pictures of Mozart, from this time, were known: a silverpoint drawing by Doris Stock, executed at Dresden in 1789; a wax medallion by Leonhard Posch, made in Vienna about 1788; and an unfinished portrait in oils by Mozart’s brother-in-law, Joseph Lange, sometime between 1782 and about 1787."
Posch's medallion:
Source: London (AP)/www.cbs2.com
Mymusicdiscovery is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Copyright Mymusicdiscovery 2008-2009