How the 1812 Overture Became Music for the Fourth of July

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Dean Rob Cutietta of the USC Thornton School of Music and Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Dean Rob seemed like the perfect guy to ask why a piece written by Tchaikovsky about an 1812 Russian victory over the French has become a part of so many 4th of July celebrations? And why does it always come with fireworks?

Such a great question. You can’t go to a 4th of July concert now without hearing the 1812 Overture. You do hear Copland, you do hear Bernstein, you do hear Gershwin, you certainly hear John Philip Sousa, but that’s always on the first half. It’s never what the people come for.

To get to the answer we have to think back to the mid 1970s.'>>>

https://www.kdfc.com/culture/staff-blog/classical-california-ultimate-playlist/tchaikovsky-1812-overture/?

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1. Republicans were idiots even back then

I remember those days and hyper anti-Soviet republicans thinking it was the most patriotic, American work.

They simply refused to believe me when I pointed out they were cheering on a Russian military victory. Written by a gay Russian no less.