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International Cat Day pounces its way into our classical broadcast

Aaron Copland and a cat
Library of Congress
Aaron Copland with cat (circa. 1947)

For as long as classical music has dominated the hearts and minds of captivated listeners, so have the cats that inspired its composers, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Jennifer Higdon. Cats are our cozy companions, the pets we turn to in times of struggle, need or contentment. And it’s a simple fact that many classical artists, and countless listeners, have cared for beloved felines.

Thursday is International Cat Day, which has us thinking about the influence of cats on classical music throughout the years. Tune in during our daytime classical hours — at 90.1 FM in the greater Philadelphia area, here at wrti.org, or via our WRTI app — and you’ll hear a smattering of pieces that represent the love and attention composers have shared with their feline friends.

Given how long cats have lived alongside humans, it makes sense that they’ve also had nine lives throughout classical music. Take Domenico Scarlatti’s famous Keyboard Sonata in G minor, K. 30, or “The Cat’s Fugue.” Allegedly, this piece was born from his cat, Pulcinella, running across his keyboard, spawning the lead motif. The story is only legend, but generations of cat-loving classical fans have embraced it; if you’re among them, you might even agree that Pulcinella deserves a composer credit. You’ll be able to hear “The Cat’s Fugue,” performed by Federico Colli, near the middle of our 7 a.m. hour.

Jumping further ahead in history, Aaron Copland’s The Cat and the Mouse ("scherzo humoristique") details a classic interaction between hunter and prey. With sounds that mimic the chasing and pouncing of a cat running after a scurrying little mouse, this piece shows us what could be considered the darker side of cats — their hunter’s instincts. Nonetheless, we accept them for who they are, because how could you not?

Fun fact: this was Copland’s first-ever published work, written just before he began his schooling in Paris — and it isn’t his only work regarding cats! Copland’s “I Bought Me a Cat” will also be played on Thursday, right after The Cat and the Mouse, in the middle of the 9 a.m. hour.

Amidst the sea of cat-tracks to listen to on Thursday, you’ll find names both familiar and lesser-known. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, for one, turns up via the “Puss-in-Boots” section of his ballet The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66: Pas de caractere. But don’t let the veil of popularity block you from the hidden gems of this broadcast, which include Henri Sauguet’s La chatte (“The cat”); Robert Lucas de Pearsall’s “Duetto buffo di due gatti” (“Humorous duet for two cats”); Zez Confrey’s “Kitten on the Keys,” and more.

It’s hard to cover every noteworthy classical figure who owned a cat or otherwise loved them, but a few come to mind that won’t be recognized as part of our feline festivities. One such is Mozart, who, according to his former student Karoline von Greiner Pichler, occasionally acted like a cat — jumping over furniture, rolling around, even meowing. The account, in Pichler’s memoir, suggests that the esoteric power of cats helped Mozart to carve (or perhaps claw out) his legacy, which many still regard as purrfect.