Sixteens, Sextons, and Stetsons

It was just a guess. But I confirmed with a glance online that there are dozens of songs with “Sixteen” in the title. Many are about “coming of age.”  I found that a bit amusing on April 1, the 16th anniversary of Classic Mornings. In classical music radio, it seems that we sometimes act as if we’re 200-300 years older than we are. So why get excited about “sixteen?”

But we were celebrating 16 years. And there were some interesting coincidental “sixteens” which made their way into the program as I began to plan it.  In 1701, Johann Sebastian Bach turned 16. It was also the year that Anna Magdalena Wilcke was born. You probably know her by the name Anna Magdalena Bach. She married Johann Sebastian Bach decades later. Bach’s first wife, Maria Barbara, died suddenly in 1720. Anna Magdalena was a professional singer.  Many know her name from the collection of pieces Bach assembled for her to practice and to enjoy: the so-called Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook. 

The Bohemian composer Josef Mysliveček was born in the year that Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena celebrated their 16th anniversary. Beethoven’s birthday is December 16. And Antonín Dvořák wrote 16 Slavonic Dances. 

For the 16th anniversary program, I decided to play Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545.  It’s the sonata he said was for beginners. And with the thought of “coming of age” in mind,  I’m aware that there are many young people under 16 who are learning about music and instruments.  I’m sure they were in school that day. But I asked those tuned in to let the young folks know that Vic wants them to join us for Classic Mornings whenever they can, whether they listen on traditional radios or online. 

I often think of the number 16 when I see the name of the late Swedish conductor Sixten Ehrling. And I was thinking about him in anticipation of the 16th anniversary of Classic Mornings. The name Sixten has nothing to do with the number. The Swedish word for “sixteen” is “sexton.” And that has nothing to do with the English word “sexton.” In Swedish, it’s “kyrkvaktmästare.” 

As it turns out, Sixten Ehrling’s birthday was just a couple of days after our 16th anniversary. He was born in Malmö, Sweden in 1918 and died in 2005. On the Davidshallsbron Bridge in his hometown, a 2012 sculpture features 29 pairs of bronzed shoes of famous people who were born in Malmö.  One of those belonged to Ehrling. 

It was hard to fill his shoes following his 10 years as music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (1963-1973).  He has the honor of having conducted 722 performances, more than any other music director in the orchestra’s history. 

I became aware of another chapter in the history of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The players came to frequent the United Artists Auditorium. But they were a little late for the movies there, not by minutes, but by years. And they were almost too late for the opportunity to use the historic venue for recording. The theatre, which had an adjoining office tower, opened in 1928. It had been built for showing films, unlike some theatres which had been built for stage shows and later used as movie theatres. 

The story of the United Artists Auditorium, told by Dan Austin of HistoricDetroit.org, is a fascinating one, recalling the era of film palaces, the legendary films that opened there, as well as the decline of the theatre. From 1979-1983 the Detroit Symphony Orchestra used the “acoustically perfect” auditorium, as Austin described it, for studio recordings. But they had to contend with a lack of heat, rain falling through the ceiling and a lack of electricity. It was worse for those parking close to the theatre. At one point, cars were damaged by bricks falling from the structure. 

It finally came down in 2022, though by that time, it hadn’t been used for decades. I was led to learn about the United Artists Auditorium when I noticed that we have some of the recordings which were made by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and conductor Antal Dorati at the theatre. One of those features music by Antonín Dvořák. I invited Classic Mornings listeners to enjoy the sound, especially after they learned what the orchestra had gone through. That was on April 9, the 120th anniversary of the birth of Antal Dorati, in the year marking the 45th anniversary of the release of the recording. 

I’m grateful for your continued support of Classic Mornings! We began our 17th year close to the Spring Fund Drive (April 20-23). You may make a gift at 217-244-9455 or online at willgive.org. It’s because of you that we enjoy classical music on the radio in central Illinois!