The symphonic poems are a series of 13 orchestral works by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. The first 12 were composed between 1848 and 1858; the last, Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe (From the Cradle to the Grave), followed in 1882. These works helped establish the genre of orchestral program music—compositions written to illustrate an extra-musical plan derived from a play, poem, painting or work of nature. They inspired the symphonic poems of Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Richard Strauss and others. Liszt's intent, according to musicologist Hugh Macdonald, was for these single-movement works "to display the traditional logic of symphonic thought." In other words, Liszt wanted these works to display a complexity in their interplay of themes similar to that usually reserved for the opening movement of the classical symphony. The composition of the symphonic poems proved daunting. They underwent a continual process of creative experimentation that included many stages of composition, rehearsal and revision to reach a balance of musical form. Aware that the public appreciated instrumental music with context, Liszt provided written prefaces for nine of his symphonic poems. However, Liszt's view of the symphonic poem tended to be evocative, using music to create a general mood or atmosphere rather than illustrate a narrative or describe something literally.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonic_poems_%28Liszt%29

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

306:

Constantine I was proclaimed Roman Emperor by his troops after the death of Constantius Chlorus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I

1536:

Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar founded Santiago de Cali in present-day western Colombia while on his search for the mythical city of El Dorado. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cali

1792:

French Revolutionary Wars: Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick issued the Brunswick Manifesto to the population of Paris, promising vengeance if King Louis XVI and other members of the French Royal Family were harmed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_William_Ferdinand%2C_Duke_of_Brunswick

1909:

French aviator Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel in a heavier-than-air flying machine, flying from near Calais, France, to Dover, England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Bl%C3%A9riot

1978:

Two Puerto Rican pro-independence activists were killed by police at Cerro Maravilla in Villalba, Puerto Rico, sparking a series of political controversies where the police officers were eventually convicted of murder and several high-ranking local government officials were accused of covering up the incident. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Maravilla_Incident

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bat an eyelid (v): (idiomatic) To react in any slight way; to respond http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bat_an_eyelid

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Though ours is a godless age, it is the very opposite of irreligious. The true believer is everywhere on the march, and both by converting and antagonizing he is shaping the world in his own image. And whether we are to line up with him or against him, it is well that we should know all we can concerning his nature and potentialities. --Eric Hoffer http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Hoffer