Saturday, March 4, 2006

Spotlight
Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi was born on this date in 1678. Best known for his set of violin concertos, "The Four Seasons," Vivaldi composed baroque concertos, operas and sonatas. He was also one of those instrumental in standardizing the three-movement concerto. Johann Sebastian Bach was an admirer of Vivaldi's music and was greatly influenced by his work. Bach arranged 10 of Vivaldi's solo concertos for piano and other instruments.

Quote
"Four seasons fill the measure of the year; There are four seasons in the mind of man." – John Keats

Word of the day
tremolo: in music, the rapid repetition of one or two notes to produce a tremulous effect; Vivaldi often used arpeggios and tremolos in his music. (© )

Today's News

• homeschooling: growing quickly in the US (story)
• McDonald's: Tel Aviv branches change color to show they're kosher (story)
• Antarctica: ice sheets are melting faster than snow can replace it (story)

Today's History

• US Constitution: went into effect; Congress met for the 1st time (1789)
• New Deal: economic recovery and social welfare plan outlined by FDR during his inaugural address (1933)
• John Lennon: sparked controversy by saying that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus (1966)

Today's Birthdays

• Henry the Navigator: prince of Portugal (1394-1460)
• Knute Rockne: Notre Dame football coach who revolutionized the sport (1888-1931)
• Patricia Heaton: actor, Everybody Loves Raymond (48)