Lieutenant Kijé is music by Sergei Prokofiev originally written to accompany the film of the same name, produced by the Belgoskino film studios in Leningrad and released in 1934 (poster pictured). It was his first attempt at film music, and his first commission from within the Soviet Union; he had lived abroad since the 1917 October Revolution. In the early days of sound cinema, among the distinguished composers ready to write film music, Prokofiev was not an obvious choice for the commission. Based in Paris for almost a decade, he had a reputation, at odds with the cultural norms of the Soviet Union, for experimentation and dissonance. Nevertheless, he was anxious to return to his homeland, and saw the film commission as an opportunity to write music in a more accessible style. After the film's successful release, he adapted the music into what became a popular orchestral suite, his Op. 60. First performed on 21 December 1934, it became part of the international concert repertoire, and one of the composer's best-known and most frequently recorded works. Elements of its score were used in several later films, and in two popular songs of the Cold War era.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_Kij%C3%A9_(Prokofiev)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1124:

Lamberto Scannabecchi was elected Pope and took the name Honorius II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Honorius_II

1844:

The Rochdale Pioneers, usually considered the first successful co-operative enterprise, opened their store in Rochdale, England, and formed the basis for the modern co-operative movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_cooperative_movement

1919:

After serving two years in prison for encouraging people to resist military conscription, anarchist Emma Goldman was deported from the United States to Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman

1923:

Nepal and the United Kingdom signed a treaty, the first to define the international status of Nepal as an independent and a sovereign nation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal%E2%80%93Britain_Treaty_of_1923

1937:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel- animated feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_(1937_film)

1995:

In accordance with the Oslo II Accord, Israeli troops withdrew from the city of Bethlehem in preparation for the transfer of its control to the Palestinian National Authority. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

glitten: A cross between a glove and a mitten, often in the form of a fingerless glove with an attached mitten-like flap that can be used to cover the fingers. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glitten

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It is infinitely better that the profane and loose be unmasked than to be muffled up under the veil and hood of traditional hypocrisy, which turns and dulls the very edge of all conscience either toward God or man.   --Roger Williams https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Williams