On today’s date in 1885,  George Bernard Shaw had these thoughts after a performance of Mozart’s opera, “Don Giovanni”:

“A century after Shakespeare’s death it was fashionable to ridicule the pretensions of the author of ‘Hamlet’ to intellectual seriousness and to apologize for his childishness. At present, a century after Mozart’s death, we have among us those who hold [similar views] of the composer of ‘Don Giovanni.’ Now the truth about Shakespeare was never forgotten — never even questioned by the silent masses who read poetry, but skip notes, comments, and criticism . . . And the masses are similarly sound on the subject of Mozart, shown by the fact that Mozart will still draw a house when nothing else will.”

Today Shaw is chiefly remembered as a playwright, but his collected music criticism fills three stout volumes.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) — Don Giovanni (Berlin Philharmonic; Herbert von Karajan, cond.) Deutsche Grammophon 419635

Frederick Loewe (1904 - 1988) — My Fair Lady (Original Soundtrack Recording) Sony 66711