Franz Schubert 1875 oil painting by Wilhelm August Rieder, after his own 1825 watercolor portrait Franz Peter Schubert (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁant͡s ˈʃuːbɐt]; 31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer. In a short lifespan of less than 32 years, Schubert was a prolific composer, writing some 600 Lieder, ten complete or nearly complete symphonies, liturgical music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and solo piano music. Biography[edit] Early life and education[edit] Schubert was born in Himmelpfortgrund (now a part of Alsergrund), Vienna, on 31 January 1797. The house in which Schubert was born, today Nussdorfer Strasse 54, in the ninth district of Vienna. At the age of six, Franz began to receive regular instruction from his father and a year later was enrolled at his father's school. Teacher at his father's school[edit] At the end of 1813, he left the Stadtkonvikt and returned home for teacher training at the Normalhauptschule. Supported by friends[edit]
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) A page from Beethoven's manuscript of the 9th Symphony The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (sometimes known simply as "the Choral"), is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827). Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best-known works of the repertoire of classical music.[1] Among critics, it is almost universally considered to be among Beethoven's greatest works, and is considered by some to be the greatest piece of music ever written.[1] In 2002, Beethoven's autograph score of the Ninth Symphony, held by the Berlin State Library, was added to the United Nations World Heritage List, becoming the first musical score to be so honoured.[3] Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven in 1820. Beethoven was almost completely deaf when he composed his ninth symphony. The Philharmonic Society of London originally commissioned the symphony in 1817.[4] The main composition work was done between autumn 1822 and the completion of the autograph in February 1824.[5]
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Prokofiev in New York, 1918 Biography[edit] Early childhood and first compositions[edit] Formal education and controversial early works[edit] As a member of the Saint Petersburg music scene, Prokofiev developed a reputation as a musical rebel, while getting praise for his original compositions, which he performed himself on the piano.[28][29] In 1909, he graduated from his class in composition with unimpressive marks. He continued at the Conservatory, studying piano under Anna Yesipova and continuing his conducting lessons under Tcherepnin.[30] In 1910, Prokofiev's father died and Sergei's financial support ceased.[31] Fortunately he had started making a name for himself as a composer and pianist outside the Conservatory, making appearances at the St Petersburg Evenings of Contemporary Music. In 1911, help arrived from renowned Russian musicologist and critic Alexander Ossovsky, who wrote a supportive letter to music publisher Boris P. The first ballets[edit] Life abroad[edit] Notes
E. T. A. Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822), better known as E.T.A. Hoffmann, was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist.[1] His stories form the basis of Jacques Offenbach's famous opera The Tales of Hoffmann, in which Hoffman appears (heavily fictionalized) as the hero. He is also the author of the novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppélia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote, while Schumann's Kreisleriana is based on Hoffmann's character Johannes Kreisler. Hoffmann's stories were very influential during the 19th century, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement. Life[edit] Youth[edit] Hoffmann's ancestors, both maternal and paternal, were jurists. The household, dominated by the uncle (whom Ernst nicknamed O Weh — "Oh dear!" The provinces[edit] Warsaw[edit] Berlin and Bamberg[edit] Berlin[edit]
Frédéric Chopin Photograph of Chopin by Bisson, c. 1849 Frédéric François Chopin (/ˈʃoʊpæn/; French pronunciation: [fʁe.de.ʁik ʃɔ.pɛ̃]; 22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849), born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin,[n 1] was a Romantic-era Polish composer. A child prodigy, Chopin was born in what was then the Duchy of Warsaw. Both in his native Poland and beyond, Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest 'superstars', his association (if only indirect) with political insurrection, his amours and his early death have made him, in the public consciousness, a leading symbol of the Romantic era. Life[edit] Childhood[edit] Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola,[1] 46 kilometres (29 miles) west of Warsaw, in what was then the Duchy of Warsaw, a Polish state established by Napoleon. In October 1810, six months after Chopin's birth, the family moved to Warsaw, where his father acquired a post teaching French at the Warsaw Lyceum, then housed in the Saxon Palace. Chopin's Polish residences Education[edit]
Romantic music Romantic music is a term denoting an era of Western classical music that began in the late 18th or early 19th century. It was related to Romanticism, the European artistic and literary movement that arose in the second half of the 18th century, and Romantic music in particular dominated the Romantic movement in Germany. Background[edit] Romanticism[edit] Traits[edit] Characteristics often attributed to Romanticism, including musical Romanticism, are (Kravitt 1992, 93–94, 107): Such lists, however, proliferated over time, resulting in a "chaos of antithetical phenomena", criticized for their superficiality and for signifying so many different things that there came to be no central meaning. Trends of the 19th century[edit] Non-musical influences[edit] Events and changes that happen in society such as ideas, attitudes, discoveries, inventions, and historical events always affect music. Another development that had an effect on music was the rise of the middle class. Nationalism[edit]
Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (sometimes spelled Strawinsky or Stravinskii; Russian: Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский, transliterated: Igorʹ Fëdorovič Stravinskij; Russian pronunciation: [ˌiɡərʲ ˌfʲjodɐrɐvʲɪt͡ɕ strɐˈvʲinskʲɪj]; 17 June [O.S. 5 June] 1882 – 6 April 1971) was a Russian (and later, a naturalized French and American) composer, pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. Life and career[edit] Early life in the Russian Empire[edit] Igor Stravinsky, 1903 In 1905 he was betrothed to his cousin Yekaterina Gavrilovna Nosenko (called "Katya"), whom he had known since early childhood.[13] In spite of the Orthodox Church's opposition to marriage between first cousins, the couple married on 23 January 1906: their first two children, Fyodor (Theodore) and Ludmila, were born in 1907 and 1908, respectively.[14] Life in Switzerland[edit] Vaslav Nijinsky as Petrushka in 1910–11 Life in France[edit] Vera de Bosset Sudeikin
Lied Lied (German pronunciation: [liːt]; plural Lieder [ˈliːdɐ]) is a German and Dutch word literally meaning "song". It usually describes the setting of romantic German poems to music, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert. Among English speakers, "Lied" is often used interchangeably with "art song" to encompass works that the tradition has inspired in other languages. The poetry forming the basis for Lieder often centers upon pastoral themes, or themes of romantic love. History[edit] For German speakers, the term "Lied" has a long history ranging from 12th century troubadour songs (Minnesang) via folk songs (Volkslieder) and church hymns (Kirchenlieder) to 20th-century workers songs (Arbeiterlieder) or protest songs (Kabarettlieder, Protestlieder). Other national traditions[edit] The Lied tradition is closely linked with the Germanic languages. Bibliography[edit] Hallmark, Rufus (1996). External links[edit]
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Portrait of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1898 by Valentin Serov (detail) Rimsky-Korsakov believed, as did fellow composer Mily Balakirev and critic Vladimir Stasov, in developing a nationalistic style of classical music. This style employed Russian folk song and lore along with exotic harmonic, melodic and rhythmic elements in a practice known as musical orientalism, and eschewed traditional Western compositional methods. However, Rimsky-Korsakov appreciated Western musical techniques after he became a professor of musical composition, harmony and orchestration at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1871. He undertook a rigorous three-year program of self-education and became a master of Western methods, incorporating them alongside the influences of Mikhail Glinka and fellow members of The Five. His techniques of composition and orchestration were further enriched by his exposure to the works of Richard Wagner. Biography[edit] Early years[edit] Rimsky-Korsakov's birthplace in Tikhvin
Strophic form Strophic form (also called "verse-repeating" or chorus form) is the term applied to songs in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music.[1] The opposite of strophic form, with new music written for every stanza, is called through-composed.[2] A modified strophic form varies the pattern in some stanzas (A A' A"...) somewhat like a rudimentary Theme and variations. Contrasting verse-chorus form is a binary form that alternates between two sections of music (ABAB), although this may also be interpreted as constituting a larger strophic verse-refrain form. Many classical art songs are also composed in strophic form, from the 17th century French air de cour to 19th century German lieder and beyond. Haydn used the strophic variation form in many of his string quartets and a few of his symphonies employed almost always in the slow second movement. See also[edit] [edit] References[edit]
George Gershwin George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist.[1][2] Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known. Among his best known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), as well as the opera Porgy and Bess (1935). Gershwin studied piano under Charles Hambitzer and composition with Rubin Goldmark and Henry Cowell. Gershwin's compositions have been adapted for use in many films and for television, and several became jazz standards recorded in many variations. Biography[edit] Early life[edit] Gershwin came from Russian Jewish heritage. The first child of the family was Ira Gershwin, born with the name Israel, on December 6, 1896. After Ira and George, two more children were born to the family: Arthur (1900–1981) and Frances (1906–1999). Tin Pan Alley[edit] In the late 1910s, Gershwin met songwriter and music director William Daly.