Nearly 100 composers have a round birthday in 2020 (100/200/300 etc.) and about 30 are celebrating the anniversary of their death. More than 140 have a “half round” birthday (50/150/250 etc.) and more than 50 have the anniversary of their death. But all of them are outshone by the 250th birthday of the genius Ludwig van Beethoven (17.12.1770). Franz Lehár would celebrate his 150th birthday if there were a pill for immortality. From these two composers an interesting tension between classical music and artful “light” music for a concert programme already arises.
Oskar Straus was born in the same year as Franz Lehár (1870) and in the same year Josef Strauss died at the age of 43. Johann Michael Bach, a nephew of Johann Sebastian Bach, died in 1820.
In the long list of about 330 commemoration days of famous composers there are certainly some less well-known names, but this one could be a personal favourite of yours. So there would be a lot to do if you wanted all the honours that beautiful music has left us. Or who might still write something, because even 50 year olds are included in the list of those celebrating anniversaries.
