You all came up with some great background for me on tarantellas for programme notes, so I thought I'd try my luck with Bach and Debussy! Bearing in mind that we have an audience of largely unmusical parents and friends, they'll probably just switch off if I start waffling on about harmonic structure and the like, so does anyone know any interesting facts about Debussy's life? I know that he hated Bach's music, for instance, and thought that everything he wrote was nothing more than about four basic bars spun out into infinity. As for Bach, I've said before that he has 21 children (or thereabouts; I can't remember now!) so I can't say that again. And does anyone know what is specificallly Italian in style about the Italian Concerto?

The Italian Concerto was so called because a) it containes passages of alternation and contrast and it had 3 movements, so resembling the Italian Concerto Grosso
Well thats what my Oxford Dictionary of Music says.
Another source (Master Musician Series) says The Italian Concerto is a brilliant recreation in keyboard terns of a three movement Vivaldi type solo concerto, one harpsichord manual representing the soloist and the other the 'tutti'. The ritornello structure of the first and last movements is so clearly articulated that it would almost seem a matter of routine to arrange this music orchestrally (ie as in Concerto Grosso), whilst the highly embellished solo line of the slow movement would be similar to many oboe or violin movements in cantatas and concertos.
Thomas Beecham (being a Catholic) once said of Bach 'Too much darned counterpoint, and whats more Protestant counterpoint'.
By the way I think you gave him an extra child! He had 7 (two were twins) with his cousin Maria Barbara (whom he married in 1707, she died in 1720) , and 13 with Anna Magdalena whom he married in 1721.
The second (Wilhelm Friedmann) and fourth (Car Phillip Emanuel) togther with the eighteenth ('Johann Christian) are the best known to us.

Thank you, fsharpminor! I knew I could depend on you! I like the Thomas Beecham quote, especially, since this concert is taking place in a Protestant church, but with a very mixed bag of performers and audience.

Debussy married a model who subsequently shot herself (BUT MISSED!) when he ran off with Fauré's mistress.

If that's not an introduction, I don't know what is.

The 21st Bach child is of course PDQ Bach, composer of - among other things - the 1712 Overture for Very Large Orchestra, the Minuet Militaire, the Qui Tollis Peccata-ra-ra-boom-de-ay and the opera Hansel And Gretel And Ted And Alice. Most of his work has been recorded by Peter Schickele, conducting the Greater Hoople Off-Season Philharmonic Orchestra, and I recommend these recordings for further study.

My teacher told me last week that Debussy died of Anal Cancer

Now, Ben....not really one for the programme notes....

Ouch.

Debussy was once escorted out of a Wagner concert for applauding too enthusiastically. I don't know how that fits in........

When he was asked by his teacher which rules he followed (for harmony) he replied "Mon plaisir!"

That makes sense!