Biographies Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is often referred to as the most brilliant composer ever known. Not only is his work highly regarded today, but was admired by his contemporary peers, like the eloquent Ludwig van Beethoven, whou once summmed it up concisely, saying, "Mozart is good and admirable." The "good and admirable" Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756. The Classical Period was well under way, and Salzburg was quickly becoming one of the centres for the arts in Europe. Mozart was fortunate to be born into the family of one of the town's foremost music teachers: Leopold Mozart. Leopold's influence in his young son's musical development was enormous, as he encouraged the eager Wolfgang to improve his already astounding talents. By the age of four, having already experimented on his own for about a year with tunes and chords, Wolfgang began his studies in earnest on the keyboard. Under Leopold's training, Mozart began learning at an incredible rate. In half an hour, Mozart was able to learn an entire minuet and trio.

Mozart also posessessed an eerie sense of perfect pitch. By the age of six, Leopold felt that his son and his daughter, who was also extremely talented, were ready to be presented to the rest of the world. With this in mind, the family set out for Munich, the Bavarian capital. Upon their arrival, Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl were presented to the Municher nobles, who, needless to say, were stunned by the performances of thes two tiny children. A tour of Munich which lasted nearly three weeks followed this highly successful first concert, and the Mozarts' renown and popularity grew. This wildly successful tour presented the Mozarts with the key to a tour in Vienna, the musical capital of the Classical world. This tour in turn led to one in Paris and Versailles. It was in Paris, when Wolfgang was seven, that his first published works appeared. Four sonatas for clavier and violin were printed. By the age of 13, Mozart had written La Finta Semplis, his first opera. He was enjoying enormous popularity, swarmed by throngs of people wherever he travelled in Europe. Returning to Salzburg, Mozart took up employment as concertmaster for the Archbishop Colloredo.

Unfortunately, the Archbishop was unconvinced of Mozart's genius, and fired the young composer at the age of twenty-one. Following his release, Mozart toured unsuccessfully through Mannheim and Paris, where he endured the loss of his beloved mother. Heartbroken and jobless, he returned to Salzburg where he was forced once again to be employed by the hated Archbishop. This spell of employment was short-lived. Soon, Mozart was travelling again, this time to Vienna, where he married Constanze Weber in 1782. In 1785, Mozart began work on one of his most famous operas_The Marriage of Figaro. By 1787, Mozart was writing as if in a frenzy, churning out works, trying to keep up with the costs of his sickly wife and six children. However, his hard work paid off. He finally landed a position as the Imperial and Royal Court Composer in Vienna. Mozart soon found disappointment in his new job.

The salary was insufficient to pay for his now extravagant lifestyle, and the fashionable Viennese public was tiring of his concerts. He was forced to borrow money, mostly to pay for his wife's health care, and this depressed him. Despite these setbacks, Mozart was optimistic that his fortune would change. His fortune did change, but not for long. In 1791, his newest opera, The Magic Flute premiered to rousing success. However, Mozaart did not live long to enjoy this success. He was by this time quite ill, suffering from weakness, and fainting frequently. On Decembler 5, 1791, Mozart died, trying to compose the drums for his Requiem.

The joy of Mozart's music reflects Mozart's own enjoyment of life and its pleasures. Even during the times of his deepest despair, Mozart was able to fill his music with the ebulliency of his soul. In these passages, Mozart's playful sense of fun is clearly evident. However, Mozart was also capable of stirring darker emotions. Thus while some themes bounce merrily, others are sombre and pensive. Mozart had few influences. His musical genius allowed him to be almost completely original. Despite the constant praise that was lavished upon him, however, Mozart never allowed himself to become arrogant of supercilious.

He still kept himself open to new experiences, especially those of a musical nature. For instance, after hearing the music of Bach, Mozart exclaimed, "Now here's something one can learn from!" During the course of his thirty-year musical career, Mozart produced over 600 works, in all the popular forms of the time, including concertos for piano, violin, and viola, sonatas, trios, quartets, quintets, symphonies, and operas. Mozart made his music reflect the changing opinions of the time while simultaneously adding his own. If there is one artist wo represents the order and sedate nature of Classical perfection, while embodying the turbulent emotional appeal of the Romantic era, that artist is Mozart. And if one artist can be called the greatest musical genius ever to grace this Earth, that artist is Mozart, the God of Music. More ...

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Sergei Rachmaninoff, great Russian pianist and composer, was born in Oneg, district of Novgorod, on April 1, 1873. Rachmaninoff's musical talents were discovered early, as both his grandfather and father were amateur pianists. His parents took him to St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1882, where he studied until 1885 under Demiansky. He then went to the Moscow Conservatory to study with Zverev, where he remained until his graduation as a pianist in 1891. While in Moscow, he chanced to meet Tchaikovsky, who showed interest in the young composer's talent.

He also wrote, at the age of 19, his famous Prelude in c-sharp minor. In 1902, Rachmaninoff married his cousin Natalie Satina, and they lived for several months in Switzerland. He then returned to Russia to conduct the Bolshoi Theater for the seasons of 1904 to 1906. He moved to Dresden in 1906, working there in the winters and spending his summers in Russia. In 1909, he toured the U.S. for the first time. From 1910 to 1917, he conducted the Philharmonic Society Orchestra in Moscow, but left Russia after the Revolution in 1917. After the Revolution, Rachmaninoff lived in Switzerland. In 1935, he moved to New York, then to Los Angeles, which became his permanent home. A few weeks before his death on March 28, 1943, Rachmaninoff became an American citizen.

Rachmaninoff's music was inspired by the Romantic Russian music of the Nineteenth Century. It was often melancholic, dwelling largely in minor keys, with broad melodies and resonant harmonies.

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev was a great Russian composer born April 27, 1891 in Sontzovka. He, like many famous composers, took his first piano lessons from his mother, and showed incredible promise at an early age. He wrote an entire piano score for his first opera, "The Giant", by the age of nine. Two years later, in 1902, he finished an overture and 3 tableaux for another opera, "On Desert Island". From 1904 to 1907, he worked on yet another opera, "Ondine". Upon its completion, Prokofiev went to Moscow to take lessons in compositions from Gliere. While in Moscow, he wrote a Symphony in G, and an opera called "Feast during the Plague".

Prokofiev enrolled at the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the age of 13 and studied with Rimsky-Korsakov. When he graduated in 1914, his First Piano Concerto won him a grand piano, the Anton Rubinstein Prize for best pianist-composer. In 1920, Prokofiev traveled to Paris, where he met Diaghilev, a producer for his ballets. He also met Koussevitzky, who eventually published Prokofiev's works. Prokofiev married Lina Llubera in 1923, a soprano from Spain whose real name was Carlina Codina. However, the marriage was not successful. By 1940, Prokofiev was living with a young writer named Myra Mendelson. He was not yet divorced from his first wife, but this turned out not to be a problem, as she was sent to a concentration camp in 1946 for political crimes and was not released for 8 years. Prokofiev died in Moscow on March 5, 1953. Prokofiev's work was progressive and modernistic in style. Some of his most popular works include an opera called "Love for 3 Oranges", and a children's symphonic fairy tale, "Peter and the Wolf".

SCOOT JOPLIN

The ragtime music of black composer Scott Joplin is often seen as the American equivalent of Mozart's Austrian minuets, or Chopin's Polish mazurkas. Joplin was born in Texarkana on November 24, 1868. After learning to play the piano at home, he studied with a local German musician. At the age of 17, he moved to St Louis, where he worked as a piano player. When the World's Fair was staged in Chicago in 1893, Joplin moved there, attracted by the excitement and music. In 1894 he took music at a segregated black school, George Smith College. In 1899, he composed the "Maple Leaf Rag", which was to become the most famous of all piano rags. The piece was named after the Maple Leaf Hall, a local dance hall. On the proceeds from sheet music sales of the "Maple Leaf Rag", Joplin was able to make a permanent home in St. Louis and write music full-time. Joplin dedicated himself to ragtime music. He began the composition of both a ragtime ballet called the "Ragtime Dance", and a ragtime opera, called "A Guest of Honor". He moved to New York in 1907 to continue teaching and writing. There, he made another attempt to adopt the operatic form to ragtime with his work entitled "Treemonisha". Unfortunately, he did this with dubious success. He continued to write piano rags, which remained his mainstay. Around 1917, Joplin contracted syphillus, a condition which led to his insanity. He died in a state hospital. Joplin's most well loved songs are still his piano rags like "The Entertainer" (1902), which was revived by the 1974 movie "The Sting". In 1976, Joplin became the recipient of an award for exceptional posthumous achievement from the Pulitzer Prize Committee.

Robert Alexander Schumann

Robert Alexander Schumann was born in Zwickau, Germany, on June 8, 1810. As a child, his musical interests were nurtured by his father. He was given piano lessons at the age of 10 from the organist of a local church. In 1828, he entered the Leipzig University as a law student, but was more interested in philosophy. While in Leipzig, Schumann studied piano with Friedrich Wieck. He traveled to Heidelberg in 1829. There he began studying music in earnest. When he returned to Leipzig in 1830, he lived in the home of Wieck, while he took lessons in composition from Heinrich Dorn. Schumann was not entirely mentally sound. His life was filled with tragic events, such as the death of his father from nervous disease, the suicide of his 19-year-old sister, and the early deaths of two of his three brothers. Schumann had a fascination with poets and writers who met early and unfortunate deaths. He also suffered from what he called pervasive melancholy. Symptomatic of this popular malady were losses of conciousness, shortness of breath, and inexpressible angst. In 1840, Schumann made plans to marry 21-year-old Clara Wieck, the daughter of his mentor, Friedrich Wieck. Needless to say, Friedrich didn't want his daughter to marry the unstable Schumann, but a court decision allowed the pair to complete their nuptials. Despite the objections and exhortations of Schumann's new father-in-law, the marriage turned out to be very happy and successful. Altogether, Clara and Robert had seven children: three daughters and four sons. Schumann's weak mental health didn't affect his ability to produce music. He wrote many pieces for the stage, including operas, as well as piano and orchestral works. His style was deeply Romantic. However, his music was not somber and dramatic like that of Beethoven, but harmonious and melodious. Schumann died in Endenich on July 29, 1856. During his final days he showed few moments of lucidity. He refused to see his wife and children. One of the only visitors he accepted was Brahms, with whom he enjoyed playing piano duets. There is some contention as to the cause of Schumann's death. Modern evidence points to his symptoms as syphilitic, but the physicians of his day diagnosed his illness as either a sclerosis of the brain, or dementia praecox.

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is perhaps the most famous Russian composer ever. He was born in Votkinsk, on May 7, 1840. Having been born to a reasonsonably well-off family, he was given a good musical education from a French teacher. At the age of 10, Tchaikovsky moved with his family to St. Petersburg, where he studied to become a government clerk. His musical talent, however, did not manifest itself until he attended the new school in the city founded by Anton Rubinstein. That school came to be called the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Here, Tchaikovsky learned harmony and counterpoint, as well as composition. Tchaikovsky was hired by the Moscow Conservatory in 1866 as a professor of harmony. At this point he began to compose in earnest, but his first works were somewhat uninspired. It was his symphonic poem "Fatum" (1869) which finally demonstrated Tchaikovsky's promise as an individualistic composer, with its minor modes and rhythmic life. His subsequent works, though often criticized, went on to become enormously famous. Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 (1875) was initially called "unplayable" by his good friend Nicolai Rubinstein. Similar attacks were made on his Violin Concerto (1881) by Leopold Auer, to whom the score was dedicated. However, the incredible popular response to these pieces spoke for Tchaikovsky's mastery. Much of Tchaikovsky's music reflects a life fraught with tragedy. His mother died of cholera when he was 14. A woman with whom he considered marriage married another man in 1868; when he was finally married in 1877, he found that his homosexual nature was incompatible with his new wife, and in a fit of dispair, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to commit suicide; a woman, Nadezhda von Meck, who had been supporting Tchaikovsky with an annuity of 6000 rubles per year terminated this income and all correspondence at the peak of his career. Tchaikovsky found this particularly sad because, having corresponded with her for over 13 years, he had considered von Meck among his best friends. It seems ironic that Tchaikovsky should die of the same disease that claimed his mother. While visiting St Petersburg in 1893 during the height of a cholera epidemic, Tchaikovsky ignored the warnings about drinking unboiled water. On November 6, 1893, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky died.

PERCY ALDRIDGE GRAINGER

Percy Aldridge Grainger was born in Melbourne, Australia on July 8, 1882. Grainger was an eccentric character who made many advances on contemporary music. Some of these include a pioneering quartet for electronic instruments, written in 1937, and replacing the usual Italian terms used in music with plain English. Grainger also experimented with different methods of notation. His electronic quartet, for example, was written as a series of zigzags and curves. One of his greatest talents, however, was his piano playing. When he met the famous composer Grieg in 1906, Grainger impressed him with his pianistic skill. Grainger's rendition of Grieg's Piano Concerto became very popular. By 1914, Grainger had settled in the United States. In 1928, he married Ella Viola Strom in an enormous wedding held at the Hollywood Bowl. Between 1919 and 1931, he taught music in summer seminars at the Chicago Musical College. He then chaired the music department at New York University for one year beginning in 1932. In 1935, Grainger established the Grainger Museum at the University of Melbourne. He hoped to share with the public his large collection of musical souvenirs. He also requested that his skeleton be kept there after his death. When he died in 1961, however, this particular request was denied, and his body was interred in a normal fashion. Grainger's music is folk-based, though he experimented widely with "gliding" intervals and polyrhythm.

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

Mussorgsky is considered to be one of the Russian Five, that group of Slavic composers seen to be the quintessence of native Russian music. The Russian Five also includes Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, and Rimsky-Korsakov. These composers drew their inspiration from the rich musical well of Russian folk art. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was born in Karevo in 1839. At the age of ten, he was sent St. Petersburg to prepare for military school. In 1856, after four years in the military school, he joined a regiment, and did not think of a musical career until he met composers Alexander Dargomizhsky and Mily Balakirev in 1857. In 1858 he resigned his commission to take up music, which he pursued unsystematically. Following the liberation of the Russian serfs in 1861, Mussorgsky gained an interest in their character and speech. He began several works, but none of them gained much success. Many of them remained unfinished after his death in 1881 from spinal disease.

LUIGI BOCCHERINI

A contemporary of Luigi Boccherini once said: "If God chose to speak to man he would employ the music of Haydn; but if he desired to hear an earthly musician, he would select Boccherini." Boccherini was an Italian cellist and composer of the Eighteenth Century. He was born in Lucca in 1743. He first studied music with his father, a double bass player, before being sent to continue his education in Rome in 1757. He returned to Lucca in 1761 to play cello for the local orchestra, then departed on a tour of Austria and France with the violinist Manfredi. Boccherini finally settled in Madrid in 1769, where served the Infante Don Luis, who died in 1785. He was appointed the Court Composer for Frederick William II of Prussia in 1787 and kept that job until the King's death in 1797. Boccherini's fortune went downhill from this point until he himself died in 1805.

JOHANNES BRAHMS

Johannes Brahms was born in the German town of Hamburg in 1833. As the son of a double bassist, he began studying music at an early age, soon proving himself to be an excellent student of the piano-forte. At the age of 11, Brahms began to compose, playing his pieces in sailors' taverns, and saloons to earn money for the family. In 1853, he toured with famous Hungarian violinist Eduard Remenyi (Hoffman), who introduced him to Gypsy music; the music of the Gypsies was to become one of Brahms' major influences. On this tour, he also met Liszt, Schumann, Joachim, and other artistic luminaries of his time. In 1862, Brahms visited Vienna, where he chose to make his permanent home. By 1864, he had devoted himself to composition, and the performance of his own works. During this period, Brahms established his success as a composer, his works garnering international success. He earned a Ph.D. in music from Breslau in 1879. He had also been offered a Mus.D. from Cambridge in 1877, but he refused it because he did not wish to travel there in person to receive it. In 1896, he began to suffer from cancer of the liver, to which he succumbed the following year. The music of Brahms successfully merges Classicism and German Romanticism. In his compositions, he sought to create works of craftsmanship and coherence, qualities which spoke of his excellent musical workmanship.

Johan Julius Christian Sibelius

Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (or Jean Sibelius) was a composer whose family dates back to 17th Century Finland. He was born in Hameelinna on December 8, 1865. He began his childhood piano studies at the age of 9. He also took lessons in violin, which he was soon playing in chamber music performances. He enrolled at a University in Helsinki in 1885. He intended to study law, but dropped out after only a semester of study. He registered instead at the Conservatory, where he practiced violin and composition. A string quartet that he wrote at the conservatory earned him a grant from the government which allowed him to travel for further study in Germany. He went to Berlin, where he Alan Becker gave him lessons in counterpoint and fugue. He also traveled to Vienna for further education. Sibelius married Aino Jarnefelt in 1892, and began teaching composition at the Helsinki Conservatory. In 1897, he was granted an 3,000 marks annuity by the Finnish Senate. He quit his job at the conservatory in 1900. In that year he also revealed his most patriotic work: Finlandia. The piece became so identified with the Finnish nationalist movement that its performance was barred by the Czarist government. He settled in Jarvenpaa in 1904. He traveled in 1914 to America where he received an honorary degree from Yale University. Just before World War I, Sibelius arrived back in Finland. He was only seen once again in public performance on March 24, 1924, when he conducted his 7th Symphony. He continued to write in seclusion until 1927, but ceased at that point. Although he was willing to give interviews to interested journalists, he wouldn't answer questions about his music. However, it was his music that brought him his fame and fortune. The Finnish government issued a Sibelius postage stamp, and numerous annual musical festivals were held in his name. Despite all the attention showered upon him, Sibelius preferred his privacy. He lived secluded at his home in Jarvenpaa until September 20, 1957, when he died at the age of 91. Sibelius' music was the last of the 19th Century's Romanticism. Although he was quite willing to listen to the contributions of the newer, more modern composers, he kept his style traditional, as he was taught by his German mentors. However, his music was spoke powerfully of Finland and its folk culture. It is at once somber, tragic, and powerful.

JACOB LUDWIG FELIX MENDELSSOHN

Jacob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was born in Hamburg, Germany on February 3, 1809. His early piano education was given to him by his mother, who then sent him to Ludwig Berger. He also studied violin with Carl Wilhelm Henning and Euard Rietz. At an early age, Mendelssohn also displayed a talent for foreign languages and drawing with pastels. Around 1820, Mendelssohn began study with his greatest teacher, Carl Friedrich Zelter. Zelter, who realized what enormous talent the boy had, took him to Weimar, and introduced him to Goethe, who was impressed by Mendelssohn's playing. Zelter also helped Mendelssohn get into the Berlin Singakademie as an alto. The Akademie even performed one Mendelssohn's works in 1819. Mendelssohn was proving himself to be a prodigious young musician. His first public performance was held when he was nine, in 1818. He wrote an octet at the age of 16, and composed an overture for the performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" when he was 17. The perfection of his early works remained throughout his entire career. As an adult, Mendelssohn traveled widely in Europe. He visited England on numerous occasions, as well as Austria, Italy, Switzerland and his native Germany. He was well known not only for his composition and playing, but also for his conducting. He conducted the Berlin Singakademie in 1829 in a performance that revived interest in Bach's choral works. He also conducted the Lower-Rhine Music Festival in 1833, and in Cologne in 1835. He elevated the already prestigious Gewandhaus Orchestra to an all time high when he led it in 1835. In 1837, Mendelssohn married the daughter of a French Protestant clergyman, and they had five children. In 1841, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV offered the post of Generalmusikdirektor to Mendelssohn. This job put gave him responsibility over music of the court and of the Cathedral. Mendelssohn established the Conservatorium in Leipzig in 1842. The illustrius teaching staff of the institution included Mendelssohn himself, Schumann, Hauptmann, David, Becker, Plaidy, and Wenzel. Sadly, Mendelssohn became sick in 1847. At the age of only 38, Mendelssohn passed away. The exact cause of his death is unknown, though through the last days of his life he suffered severe headaches and chills. Mendelssohn's pieces have become favorites in the hearts of those in Germany, England, America, and Russia. One particularly well known piece is the "Wedding March" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

GRABRIEL URBAIN FAURE

Gabriel Urbain Faure was born in Pamiers, a town in France, on May 12, 1845. He was the son of a provincial primary school inspector. At an early age, his father, who had noticed his musical talents, took him to Paris to study with Louis Niedermeyer. When Niedermeyer died in 1861, the young Faure commenced studies with Saint-Saens, who was able to instruct him in the art of composition. Upon completing his lessons in 1866, Faure traveled to Rennes, where he was hired as an organist at the church of Saint-Sauveur. In 1870, Faure returned to Paris. The Franco-Prussian war had just begun, and the musician volunteered for service in a light infantry division. In 1896, he was given a post as chief organist at Madeleine. He was also hired by the Paris Conservatory as a professor. He became a successful teacher, whose students included the famous composer Maurice Ravel. His achievements led the Conservatory to appoint him director in 1905. He held this position until 1920, when his failing health and approaching deafness forced his resignation. From 1903 to 1921, Faure further occupied himself by writing musical reviews in Le Figaro. Faure had an illustrius career. The Academie des Beaux Arts made him a member in 1909. He was also given the status of Commander of the Legion d'Honneur, in 1910. Faure's unique style gives his art an immortal stature. Unresolved dischords and coloristic effects make his music anticipatory of the coming Impressionistic period. He died in Paris on November 4, 1924.

FRANZ LISZT

Franz Liszt was born in Hungary in 1811. He first performed in public at the age of nine. In 1823, after briefly studying piano playing and composition in Vienna, Liszt moved to Paris, where he hoped he would be admitted to the famous Conservatoire. However, because he was a foreigner, he was refused admission. Undaunted, Liszt took up private lessons and was soon performing as a professional concert pianist. For the next twenty years, he impressed audiences all over Europe with his virtuoso talents. At home in France, Liszt was influenced by the intellectuals and artists he met, like Victor Hugo, George Sand, Frederic Chopin, and Hector Berlioz. Saturated by French thinking and French lifestyle, Liszt became a great libertine and freethinker, and had several well-publicized affairs with socially prominent ladies. He fathered three illigitimate children with Countess Marie d'Agoult. In an attempt to escape the world's many temptations, the Romantically spirited Liszt turned to the Church. In 1879, he devoted himself to the Catholic Church, performing minor holy orders, and worked to improve church music. In 1886, he died. Liszt's piano music was largely inspired by literary and artistic sources. Liszt was a musical poet. According to Liszt, "The musician who is inspired by nature exhales in tones nature's most tender secrets without copying it. He thinks, he feels, he speaks through nature." His works were descriptively titled pieces, consisting mainly of short lyrical and sentimental songs. They tested the abilities of not only the pianist, but also of the keyboard itself. Liszt, in his day, was known as the "legendary destroyer of pianos," driving the limits of keyboards and keyboard technique far beyond previous boundries. However, contemporary musicians are often critical of Liszt's work, accusing him of producing music of uneven quality and lacking in substance. Because he wrote music primarily to show off his own talents, they tend to be technically brilliant, but sometimes musically weak. However, of the over 700 pieces he wrote, there are many examples which show the artistic talents of one of the greatest Romantic pianists. More ...

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN

Franz Joseph "Papa" Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, on March 31, 1732. He was surrounded at an early age by music, as his family gathered on Sunday nights to sing, accompanied by Bach's father, who was an amateur harpist. He received his first real education from cousin Johann Mathias Franck, who taught him reading, writing, and arithmetic. In addition to the three "R"'s, Franck instructed Haydn in instrumental playing. He practiced the harpsichord in a rented attic room above the home of famous Italian librettist Pietro Metastasio. Metastasio recognized Haydn's talents and recommended that he tutor a local Spanish family. Haydn also worked as an accompanist to the students of Nicolo Porpora. In exchange for these services rendered, Porpora gave Haydn lessons in composition. In 1760, Haydn married Maria Anna Keller, which turned out to be a disaster. Haydn tried for most of his life to avoid her company, and supporting her by sending her money. In 1761 Haydn met Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy of Eisenstadt, who, upon hearing one of Haydn's symphonies, hired him as second Kapellmeister. When the Prince died in 1762, his successor Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy hired Haydn. Haydn's new employer was very demanding, requiring two operatic and two formal performances per week. Haydn's period of employment with Prince Esterhazy was an important segment of Haydn's career. During this time, Haydn produced keyboard pieces, operas, 83 string quartets, and about 80 symphonies. He also wrote pieces featuring the viola da gamba, an instrument played by the Prince. An interesting anecdote concerning the Prince explains the composition of one of Haydn's symphonies. Upon hearing that the Prince wished to disband his orchestra, Haydn wrote the "Farewell Symphony". During the slow final movement of this symphony, the musicians would walk off the stage one by one, leaving a sole violinst with the conductor. The symbolism of the piece convinced the Prince to keep his orchestra intact. Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy died in 1790. Haydn remained in the employ of the Esterhazy estate under Niklaus' son and heir Paul Anton. Though Haydn was paid an annuity of 1000 florins, and retained the duties of Kapellmeister, he made his new home in Vienna. He also spent much time in London, where he was admired by many musical patrons, including the King of England. Haydn had many influential acquaintances in the music world. One of his closest friends while in Vienna was Mozart. Mozart and Haydn held each other in great mutual esteem. Mozart admired the elder Haydn, and Haydn remarked to Mozart's father that Mozart was "the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name." Haydn also met Beethoven in 1792 and took him as a student. Prince Paul Anton died in in 1794, and was replaced by yet another Nikolaus. Nikolaus resestablished the Haydn orchestra in Eisenstadt, with Haydn as Kapellmeister. In 1802, Haydn was forced by illness to end his association with the Esterhazy family. When Haydn died in 1809, he was buried in Hundsturm Cemetery. A gruesome aside: in 1820, while his remains were being moved for reinterment in a cemetery in Eisenstadt, his skull became seperated from the body. The skull was exhibited under glass in Vienna until 1954, when it was returned to Haydn's grave. More...

Franz Schubert Biographies

Schubert, Franz born Vienna Jan 31, 1797 died Vienna Nov 19, 1828 Schubert is widely regarded as one of the world's finest songwriters and classical composers. He was the only Viennese master native to the city. Schubert was one of fourteen children born (of which only four survived infancy) into the family of a Lichtenthal music teachers family. His childhood was music filled with his father being his first teacher and young Franz composing songs and short instrumental pieces by the age of ten. He also excelled at singing (Vienna Court choir and Konvict choir) and playing violin. By age sixteen he had composed his first symphony as well as much else. At age eighteen he composed more than a hundred songs including his masterpiece Der Erlkonig. For most of his adult life Schubert was strongly attracted by the theater and wrote many operas which have not received any lasting popularity. Tragically, Schuberts life was severely incapacitated in the year 1822 when he was diagnosed with syphilis. He made a partial recovery the following year and was able to complete many sonatas and his greatest string quartets, the C-major symphony, as well as many other works before his death at the age of thirty-one. He is buried in the Wahring cemetery two graves away from where Beethoven had been laid to rest twenty months earlier. The great admiration Schubert having felt for Beethoven as evidenced by his remark "...but who can ever do anything after Beethoven?..."

Francis Poulenc

Francis Poulenc was born in Paris, on January 7, 1899. He took music lessons from his mother until he was 16. At this point he enlisted piano teacher Ricardo Vines. Influenced by the eccentric modern style of Erik Satie, Poulenc joined a group of young French musicians called the "Nouveaux Jeunes". Besides Poulenc, the group included composers Auric, Durey, Honegger, Milhaud, and Tailleferre. French critic Henri Collet called them "Le Groupe de Six", after the famous Russian Five. The name was later shortened to just "Le Six". Poulenc served in the French army from 1918 to 1921, before taking lessons from Koechlin, who taught him composition. Poulenc stayed with Koechlin until 1924. In 1935, Poulenc began to work for baritone Pierre Bernac as accompanist. He also wrote pieces for Bernac to sing. Poulenc also wrote ballet music. He was hired by Diaghilev to write for his Ballet Russes. Poulenc died in Paris on January 30, 1963. Poulenc's style was different than that of the rest of "Le Six". While they experimented wildly with wild new rhythms and harmonies, Poulenc preferred to follow the neo-Classicist strain. Poulenc best showed his skills when composing religious pieces, as well as those for the piano and the organ.

Eric Satie

Critics of Satie see him as either an important trailblazer to the Impressionistic Era, or an eccentric amateur composer. His many compositional styles were undoubtably influenced by his acquaintance with the artistic stars of his time, including Debussy, Cocteau, and Picasso. Eric Satie was born in Honfleur, France in 1866. He studied for a year a the Paris Conservatory , and made a living playing in caf_s, and writing music for the songwriter Hypsa, and singer Paulette Darty. He befriended Debussy in 1890, and, at the age of 40, went to the Schola Cantorum to study under d'Indy and Roussel. Later, he established his own school of music in Arcueil, where he was able to influence younger composers. Satie died in Paris in 1925.

ENRIQUE GRANADOS

Enrique Granados was born in Lerida, Spain on July 27, 1867. He took his formal musical education at the Barcelona Conservatory, where he won First Prize in piano in 1883. He continued his studies from 1884 to 1887, learning composition. In 1887, Granados traveled to Paris to further his education, then returned to Barcelona for his first recital in 1890. This launched his performance career. He made a living by playing private concerts and entertaining in restaurants. He wrote several operas, but none of them gained him the fame that he would have liked. His most effective works were contained in a series of piano pieces called "Goyescas", inspired by the paintings and etchings of Goya. Also of note were his "Danzas espanolas". The music of "Goyescas" was later used by Granados in an opera of the same name. On March 24, 1916, while returning to Europe after the New York Metropolitan Opera premiere of "Goyescas", Granados' ship was sunk by a German submarine in the English Channel. He lost his life in the attack.

EDWARD WILLIAM ELGAR

Edward William Elgar was born in the English town of Broadheath, near Worcester on June 2, 1857. He was musically educated by his father, an organist at St. George's Roman Catholic Church in Worcester. Part of his early education included helping his father at the organ, and participating in rehearsals of the Worcester Glee Club. In 1879, he went to London, where he received a few violin lessons from Adolf Pollitzer. He also took up employment at the Worcester County Lunatic Asylum as bandmaster. He was appointed conductor of the Worcester Amateur Instrumental Society in 1882. He left that job in 1885 to take over from his father as organist at St. George's. He married the daughter of Sir Henry Roberts in 1889, then moved first to London, then to Malvern, which became his home for 13 years. In 1904, he moved to Hereford, then London, until his wife died in 1920, at which point he returned to Worcester. Elgar died in 1934. Although Elgar's academic musical training was far from formal, he managed to establish himself as a major composer of the early Twentieth Century. His musical technique was remarkable. His pieces were most often written in traditional Romantic style, tempered by strong formal elements. Elgar was honored on many occasions by various awards. In 1904, he was knighted. Honorary degress in Mus.Doc were given to him by Aberdeen and Cambridge Universities in 1906, and Oxford University in 1905. Leeds gave him a LL.D in 1904. While in the United States in 1905, Elgar was awarded a D.Mus. from Yale University. The University of Western Pennsylvania (Univ. of Pittsburgh) followed suit, granting the same degree to Elgar in 1907. In 1911, he received the Order of Merit, was appointed as the Master of the King's Musick in 1924, was made K.C.V.O. in 1928, and a baronet in 1931.

EDWARD ALEXANDER MACDOWELL

Edward Alexander MacDowell was an American composer born on December 18, 1860 in New York. In 1877, while visiting Europe with his mother, MacDowell enrolled at the Paris Conservatory under Augustin Savard. However, he withdrew from the Conservatory after only a year because of slow progress and went to Germany. There he studied with a pupil of Mendelssohn, Louis Ehlert. In 1879 he enrolled at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, a well respected institution. At Hoch Conservatory, Carl Heymann taught MacDowell piano and director Joachim Raff taught him composition. While studying with Heymann, MacDowell encountered famous pianist Franz Liszt, who visited the class twice, and took the opportunity to impress Liszt with his talents. Two years later, MacDowell played his First Piano Concerto for Liszt, and sent him a copy of his Modern Suite. Liszt recommended that the piece be played at a meeting of German music notables held in 1882. Liszt also helped get MacDowell's works printed by publishers Breitkopf & Hartel. MacDowell's growing stature landed him a job at the Darmstadt Conservatory. He married one of his students, Marian Nevins, in 1884. MacDowell, after his marriage, suffered financial problems. He refused a job at the National Conservatory of New York, and also at an American Consulate in Germany. In 1896, MacDowell was hired by Columbia University to head their newly established music department. However, he had disagreements with the school, and resigned in 1904. Soon after, MacDowell's mental health began to deteriorate. On January 23, 1908, Edward Alexander MacDowell died locked in a pathetic childlike condition at the age of only 47. The unused money raised for MacDowell's care was put toward the establishment of a sanctuary for American writers and composers.

EDVARD HAGERUP GRIEG

Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway, on June 15, 1843. He was educated in music first at home by his mother, then at the Leipzig Conservatory where he learned piano and musical theory. His music, steeped in German Romanticism, reflects this training. He was a master of miniature musical forms. His music also speaks of the emergence of Norwegian nationalism, capturing the melodic and rhythmic flavour of the proud nordic country. His nationalistic style earned him the nickname "Chopin of the North". Grieg was a Scandinavian nationalist. He, along with fellow Norwegian composer Rikard Nordraak, organized the Euterpe Society, which promoted Scandinavian music. In 1867, a year after the premature death of Nordraak (he was 23), Grieg started the Norwegian Academy of Music. In that year he also married his cousin Nina Hagerup, to whom he dedicated his ensuing works. Because of his nationalistic style, the Norwegian government granted him an annual salary of 1600 crowns to fuel his compositional efforts. His popularity throughout Europe increased, and he was admired by such greats as Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Grieg's success, however, did not affect his reclusive nature. He spent his later years in seclusion from public attention, though he continued to regularly compose music. He lived the remainder of his life in his house in Troldhaugen, near his hometown of Bergen. The day of his death, September 4, 1907, was a day of national mourning in Norway, and he was given a state funeral. His cremated remains rest on the side of a cliff over the fjords of Troldhaugen.

Dominico Scarlatti

Scarlatti, Dominico born Naples Oct 26, 1685 died Madrid July 23, 1757 Scarlatti came from a large musical family being the sixth of ten children. He was an accomplished composer, keyboard teacher and performer. At age sixteen he was appointed organist and composer of the Naples Royal Chapel of which his father Alessandro Scarlatti was maestro. By age eighteen Dominico was writing operas. From 1709 until 1714 Scarlatti lived in Rome under the patronage of Maria Casimira the Queen of Poland. He later worked for the Portuguese Embassy and then for the Julian Chapel at the Vatican in 1715. After some travel, the last years of his life were spent in Madrid where the Queen of Spain (his former student) Maria Barbara employed him. She also generously paid his debts and provided for his impoverished family at the time of his death. Scarlatti left behind over 555 sonatas, many stage works and much church music. His music explored new musical ends, such devices as hand- crossing, rapid repetition of notes and arpeggios traversing the length of the keyboard. The most characteristic of his harmonic mannerisms being the acciaccatura (a lower auxiliary note struck together with its resolution).

CLAUDE DEBUSSY

Claude Debussy (b. St Germain-en-Laye, 1862; d. Paris, 1918) was one of the greatest composers of all time, but also one who knew the piano intimately. His piano music exploits the beauty and potential of the instrument in a way that only a pianist could. Indeed, Debussy's first music instruction was in the form of piano lessons from, of all people, the mother-in-law of the renowned French poet Paul Verlaine. This connection led to his entry into the Paris Conservatoire in 1873. While in his twenties, he spent a couple of years in Rome where he met Liszt, Verdi and Boito, and heard Wagner's Lohengrin. In 1988 and 1989, he even attended the Bayreuth Festival where Wagner's mammoth four opera "Ring" cycle is performed each year to this day. Another influence on his future style was that of hearing the Javanese gamelan (orchestra), with its assortment of gongs, chimes, marimbas and drums, at the Paris Exposition of 1889. Debussy also became associated with the group of painters, writers and poets who were later to be called "impressionists". In many ways, the term impressionism suited the art. In painting, the blurred images of Mon_t suggested the subject rather than trying to portray it realistically. In Debussy's music, there are many examples of the impressionist tendency to portray nature in an almost dream-like manner. La cath_dral engloutie is a good example. It paints a picture in sound of the legendary ruins of a French cathedral now submerged beneath water, and the fleeting glimpses of its outlines seen from the surface of the lake. Debussy's music sounds even more mysterious and exotic by his use of the whole tone scale (rather than major or minor) and chord intervals of fifths and octaves.

Christian Sinding

Christian Sinding was born in Kongsberg, Norway, on January 11, 1856. His first music lessons were from Lindeman in Norway. Sinding then went to Leipzig, Germany, where he studied theory, orchestration and violin at the conservatory. Returning to Norway in 1881, Sinding had one of his works performed in Oslo. This performance earned him a gratuity, which paid for his further education in Munich, Berlin, and Dresden. In 1915, the Norwegian government granted him a pension of 4,000 crowns, and in 1916, he was given a further gift of 30,000 crowns, for his contribution to Norwegian nationalism. He taught at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York for the 1921-22 season, then returned to Oslo. Sinding died in Oslo on December 3, 1941. Although celebrated by Norwegians as a great national composer, his music shows the Germanic influence of Schumann and Liszt.

CHOPIN FREDERIC

According to Louis Aguittant, Chopin was "a personal poet and singer of his race." He was no doubt one of the most revolutionary of piano composers. Many feel that Chopin's style of piano composition and playing are the apotheosis of the Romantic era. Sometimes violent and heroic, at other times meloncholy and full of despair, Chopin's music is the source of a full spectrum of dramatic human emotion. Chopin was born in Poland in 1810, at the outset of the tumultuous Romantic period. Musically inclined at an early age, Frederic took piano lessons at the age of six. The prodigious boy published a polonaise the following year, and by the time he was eight, he was giving public performances. At the age of 12, Chopin began taking composing lessons from Polish musician Ksawery Elsner at the Warsaw Conservatory, which further developed his already impressive talents in both composition and improvisation. In 1827, he left the Conservatory to explore the world. He performed in Vienna in 1829, then returned to Poland. After the Russians captured his homeland in 1830, Chopin chose to make his musical home in Paris, where he befriended fellow Polish nationals Franz Liszt, Vicenzo Bellini, Honor_ de Balzac, and Heinrich Heine. He also met George Sand, a writer whose pen name was Madame Aurore Dudevant. His relationship with her, though initially platonic, turned intimate, and lasted seven years. During this time he lived with her at her in Paris, at her country home in Nohant, and in Majorca, where she took him to recover from illness. Chopin was a sickly man, continuously enduring a wide variety of afflictions. It was John Field who aptly said of Chopin, "He was dying all his life." In January 1849, Chopin succumbed to tuburculosis of the throat. During his lifetime, Chopin wrote many works, almost exclusively for the solo piano. Among other forms, these included Mazurkas, Studies, Preludes, Nocturnes and Waltzes.

CECILE CHAMINADE

Chaminade, Cecile born Aug 8, 1857 Paris died April 18,1944 Monte Carlo This French pianist and composer is best known for her performances of her own light salon piano pieces. At the age of eight Chiminade began writing church music. She studied under Godard as well as other well known teachers of that time. Her numerous works of all kinds attracted the attention of the public and she performed them during many concert tours in France and in particular England. Notwithstanding the charm and clever writing of her pieces (over two-hundred piano works in all), many in the music world believe that they do not rise above drawing room music quality. Her more serious musical attempts were not considered successful.

MILY BALAKIREV

Balakirev, Mily born Jan2, 1837 died May 29, 1910 Balikirev was a leading Russian nationalist composer known for setting the course for Russian lyrical song during the second half of the nineteenth century. Balikirev received his first musical training from his mother and proved to be a precocious student, being able to reproduce tunes at the piano by the age of four. By the age of fourteen he was made conductor of an orchestra of the nobleman Aleksandr Oulibishev who became his patron. He was encouraged by Mikhail Glimka when Balakirev moved to St. Petersburg in 1855. He later formed a famous group of musicians known as the "five" which included Aleksander Borodin, Cesar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He was also one of the founders of the Free Music School in St. Petersburg and was director of the Court Chapel. Balikirev wrote many works based on Russian folk themes and collected and arranged many Russian folk songs. Among his most famous works is the incredibly difficult piano fantasy Islamy, the overture Russia and the symphonic poem Tamara. Unfortunately Balikirev's life was troubled by fits of depression, extreme poverty, encephalitis, headaches and constant disorders of the stomach and nerves. Known to be a strong advocate for musical nationalism , and having a somewhat fierce and tactless character, he gained many enemies particularly in German academic circles. Eventually he received some triumph in 1867 when he succeeded Anton Rubinstein as the conductor of the Russian Musical Society symphony concerts and director of the Free School.

Anton Rubinstein

Rubinstein, Anton born Nov 28, 1829 died Nov 20, 1894 Rubinstein was one of the greatest pianists of the nineteenth century, often said to be second only to Liszt. He was also an exceptional composer and teacher, and an influential though somewhat controversial figure in Russian musical circles. In his early years he was considered a child virtuoso and gave many performances in an extended tour of Europe. There he was exposed to many influential people such as Chopin, Liszt, members of the Russian Imperial Family and Queen Victoria. In 1846 he returned to Russia and the Tsars' sister-in-law the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna took him under her wing. In Nice in 1856 he and the Duchess made sweeping plans to improve musical education in Russia, founding in 1859 the Russian Musical Society and in 1862 the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1872 he toured the USA and for the next fifteen years was one of the most sought after pianists in the world. Rubinstein managed to alienate many of his Russian contemporaries (ie; Balakirev) by publicly stating that "...it was not possible to create nationalistic operas, and that even the greatest of Russian composers ( Glinka ) in his operas 'suffered disaster' ". He softened his views after the liberation of the serfs several years later. Aside from his many piano works he also left behind many illegitimate children as he is alleged to have said "...if I had to educate and provide for all my children, the fortune of two Rothchilds would scarcely suffice....". Rubinstein's most lasting piano effort is frequently said to be Melody in F op. 3 no. 1 for solo piano.

Alexander Scriabin

Alexander Scriabin was born in Moscow, on January 6, 1872. He was taught music at an early age from his aunt. When he was 12, he began lessons with two prominent Moscovite piano teachers: Conus and Zverev. He commenced his studies of composition in 1885. In 1888, he enrolled at the Moscow Conservatory. He never showed much promise as a performing pianist, but he graduated with a gold medal nonetheless. He remained at the conservatory after his graduation to study fugue, but did not meet the requirements for the course when he failed the examination. Scriabin was offered a contract by a publisher who also offered to pay for his planned European tour. Scriabin performed some of his music in Paris in 1896 before returning to Russia where he completed his Piano Concerto. In 1897, Scriabin married Vera Isakovic, a fellow musician with whom he began to give joint recitals of his works. He began to teach piano at the Moscow Conservatory in 1898, and remained part of the faculty until 1903. In 1904, Scriabin earned an annuity of 2,400 rubles from a successful Moscow merchant, Morosov. He seperated from his wife in 1905, and moved in with Tatiana Schloezer, the sister of a music critic. In 1906, Scriabin appeared as a guest soloist with the Russian Symphony Society in New York. He left America for Paris in 1907 for fear of moral charges being brought against him and his common-law wife; he had never been legally divorced from his first wife. In 1908, Scriabin signed a five- year contract with publisher Serge Koussevitsky worth 5,000 rubles annually. He signed in 1912 with another publisher, Jurgenson, for an annual salary of 6,000 rubles. Scriabin died on April 27, 1915 in Moscow.
He had developed blood poisoning from an abscess in his lip. It was once said that Alexander Scriabin's solitary genius had no predecessors and left no disciples. His incredible inventiveness in harmony remains unmatched. He had an unusual conception of tones, which led to some interesting performances. For example, Scriabin saw certain keys as being associated with certain colors: C Major was red, F-sharp Major was bright blue. This led some performers to accompany their playing of Scriabin's works with displays of laser light.

ALBERT WILLIAM KATELBY

Albert Ketelby was the composer who wrote such exotically titled pieces as "In a Persian Market", and "In a Monestery Garden". The composer of Danish origin was born in Aston, England, on August 9, 1875. At the age of 11, he wrote his first piano sonata, which was praised by elder composer Sir Edward Elgar. When he was 13, he won a Queen Victoria scholarship at Trinity College. At the age of only 16, he was employed by St. John Church at Wimbledon as organist. He conducted a musical comedy troupe when he was 20, before being hired by Columbia Gramophone Co. as musical director, and by Chappell's Music Publishing as music editor. Much of Ketelby's music was written under assorted pseudonyms. Ketelby died at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, on November 26, 1959.

ISAAC ALBENIZ

Albeniz, Isaac born May 29, 1860 died May 18, 1909 Albeniz was a Spanish composer and piano virtuoso known as one of Spain's most important musical figures vital in creating a national idiom and indigenous school of piano music. Albeniz gave one of his first performances at the age of four and so startled the audience with his brilliance that some kind of trickery was suspected. At the tender age of thirteen he left home, traveling to far away placed such as South America, Cuba and the USA, occasionally stowing- away. He managed to support himself by giving concerts. His travels eventually brought him back to Europe where in 1880 he had the opportunity to study and learn from Liszt. In 1883 he settled in Barcelona and married and subsequently had three children. Ten years later he moved to Paris and was influenced by the French composers Paul Dukas and Vincent d'Indy. His most important work is considered to be Iberia, a set of twelve piano pieced inspired by the music and dance rhythms of Spain. He also composed several operas, most notably Pepita Jimenez. After his death from Bright's Disease, the French government awarded Albeniz the Grand Cross of the Legion d'honneur.

MUSIC CORNER