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Composer Biographies
Because he showed precocious musical talents at an early age, Isaac's father arranged for his son to take piano lessons. Turns out that talent ran in the family because Isaac's sister, Clementine, was astoudingly facile with the piano; the two of them gave tandom recitals. At the tender age of 7, he enrolled in Paris Conservatory. A few years later, he was to attend Madrid Conservatory. However, his restlessness led him to stowaway on a passenger ship headed to Puerto Rico; after debarkation, he made his way to the United States and there made a nice living playing wherever he could find work. The experience he gained turned out to be invaluable. By the time he was 19, he was back in school (Brussels this time) and began to win prizes for his performances. Liszt became an ardent fan - but then again, Liszt was ardent about a good many people. After studying under Paul Dukas and Vincent d'Indy, Albeniz decided to abandon his career as a concert pianist and concentrate on discovering, cataloguing and composing Spanish folk music.
CPE Bach was the third son of JS Bach, who served as his first music teacher. CPE decided to study law and was a good student at Leipzig University. However, he couldn't resist the siren song of his musical legacy and soon devoted himself to a career in his father's footsteps. His heritage no doubt helped him secure the post of Chamber Musician to the musical Emperor, Frederick the Great of Prussia. He simulataneously served as music director for five major churches in the city of Hamburg. The success he enjoyed during his two decades there, and that he is associated so closely with that city, is why he is known as the Hamburg Bach.
When you're one of twenty children born to a musical genius, you've got pretty good odds of inheriting maybe a little bit of that talent, don't you think? He also received his first musical instruction from dear old Dad. After 1750, JC hooked up with his older brother CPE (see above) for further studies. Later, he traveled to Italy and, in an effort to find work, converted from the Lutheran faith to Roman Catholicism. In 1762, he traveled to England and there acquired a reputation as a significant opera composer. He was appointed as the Queen's music master. He met the child prodigy Mozart and became sort of a big brother/mentor to him. The affection was reciprocated as Mozart used three of JC Bach's melodies in later piano concerti. Although best known for his operas, he wrote more than 90 symphonies, few of which survive today.
Johann Sebastian Bach composed music as part of his job as church organist. He served in several posts in that capacity and it was his duty to write new works for church services. And write them he did - more than 200 cantatas, from which we have received such lovely and familiar tunes as "Sheep May Safely Graze", "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and "Sleepers Awake". He also composed hundreds of works for solo harpsichord, organ and piano. Of all of his organ pieces, perhaps the best known is Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565. His Mass in B Minor is considered to be one of the greatest works of sacred choral music ever written. Of his 20 children, a few went on to be prominent composers: C.P.E. Bach, J.C. Bach and Wilhelm Friedmann Bach. The year of his death (1750) was later deemed by musicologists to officially end the Baroque period.
Encouraged to study music by his mother, young Mily eventually became a student of composer Mikhail Glinka in St. Petersburg. This city would serve as his public springboard for his success as a composer in 1855. A few years later, Balakirev took a boat ride down the Volga River from his hometown (Nizhny- Novgorod) to the Caspian Sea. This was more than a pleasure cruise: he catalogued a large number of songs that he heard on the trip. He harmonized these tunes and published them under the title "Songs of the Volga Boatmen." It was a smashing success. He organized a series of concerts designed to highlight Russian music. One of these concerts featured compositions by Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Balakirev himself. Music critic Vladimir Stasov was in the audience and was so impressed that he dubbed them the "Mighty Handful" or "Mighty Five." Late in his life, Balakirev embarked on several different job paths including a stint with the railroad service and teaching positions at schools for women. The relationship between Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov went from close friendship to estrangement during this time; indeed, they did not speak to each other when meeting in public!
"Pay attention to this young man - he will one day make a noise in the world!" This was Mozart's assessment of a young Beethoven after hearing him play. The prophecy would prove true and Beethoven would leave behind a legacy that is at once breath-taking and intimidating (at least to other composers). In spite of the increasing deafness which began in his late twenties, family problems, money worries and the frustration of his own personal love life, Beethoven managed to compose 5 piano concerti, a world-famous violin concerto, an opera (Fidelio), 32 piano sonatas (including the "Moonlight"), a wide assortment of chamber music and 9 symphonies. Of the symphonies, at least 4 are considered to be among the greatest ever written: the Third (known as the "Eroica" symphony and originally dedicated to Napoleon), the Fifth with it's famous opening, the Sixth (subtitled "Pastoral") and the Ninth.
It can be argued that Berlioz was the first great French composer and the first French symphonist. What is undisputed is that he is considered the architect of the structure of the modern-day symphony orchestra. One must remember that the Baroque orchestra barely consisted of a dozen instruments. In Mozart's day, that was expanded to perhaps 20-24 instruments. The ideal orchestra size, per Berlioz' own statement, is about 400 players! His chief claim to fame, composition-wise, is the Symphonie Fantastique, a work which broke a lot of rules at the time. Beethoven had provided a brief description for each movement of his Sixth Symphony (known as the "Pastoral"). Berlioz went one step further and provided descriptions which were autobiographical in nature, detailing the unrequited love he had and, in a true Romantic fit of despair, the hallucinations that resulted from an overdose of opium! The hallucinations included a gay waltz, a scene in the countryside (complete with thunderstorm a la Beethoven), his own march to the guillotine (for killing his beloved!) and then his awakening in Hell to discover that his beloved was a witch after all. The lady that inspired this work was actress Harriet Smithson with whom Berlioz had fallen in love. It took him a long time to convince her but she eventually married. Both parties discovered the difference between a wish and reality - the marriage was extremely unhappy and they separated.
He came from a musical family: his father was a professional singer and his mother was an accomplished pianist. He enrolled in the Paris Conservatory at the age of 9. He married the daughter of one of his Conservatory Teachers. He excelled in his studies and won the coveted Grand Prix de Rome in 1857. In 1863, he produced "The Pearl Fishers," his first attempt at grand opera. The public didn't receive it well. The same fate awaited his next opera "La Jolie Fille de Perth" and his incidental music to the play "L'Arlesienne." He is best known for his opera "Carmen." Believe it or not, it was only a ho-hum success upon first production. The initial run was 37 performances. Bizet died, presumably from a heart attack, on the evening of the 31st performance. The three operas mentioned hereinabove have all become popular, especially "Carmen," a work which transcends musical boundaries.
Brahms loved the piano. He wrote many works intended for solo piano as well as hundreds of songs for voice and piano. Through the influence of Robert Schumann, Brahms became known in musical circles across Europe. Beethoven's shadow hounded him, however; he wouldn't begin writing his first symphony until he was 43 years old. Europe's most famous conductor, Hans von Bulow, was so impressed that he dubbed it "the Tenth", meaning that it was worthy to be the successor of Beethoven's Ninth. Three more symphonies would follow. He would never forget Schumann's kindness - becoming good friends with both Robert and Clara Schumann. He never married but it is speculated that he was in love with Clara.
Robert Schumann wrote this in his Music Review Newspaper about Chopin: "Hats off, gentlemen! A genius!" In spite of the fact that he composed nothing on such broad a scope as a symphony, opera or large scale orchestral work, Chopin is acknowledged as a master of the miniature. Aside from his two piano concerti, virtually all of his work was dedicated to short pieces such as waltzes, mazurkas, nocturnes and polonaises. Although the compositions may be short in length, they are full of the passion and feeling which typifies the Romantic era. They can also be fervently patriotic as evidenced by his Polonaise in A Flat Major, Op. 53 which is more commonly known as "Heroic". Chopin was the child of a French father and Polish mother and his loyalties were split between the two countries. Indeed, much of his adult life would be spent in Paris. His concerts were the events at which to be seen in Parisian society. Unlike Liszt, however, Chopin did not cultivate an image of a ladies' man. His only long-term liaison was with Aurore Dudevant who wrote under the pseudonym of George Sand. His success as a performer did not keep him from financial concerns and he was ill-treated by the publishers of his music. He was also a frail, sickly man for the majority of his life, suffering from bouts of bronchitis, pneumonia and, eventually, tuberculosis. Poland went into mourning at his untimely death at the age of 39. Here is one measure of his lasting influence: when Prague was liberated near the end of World War II, Chopin's "Heroic" polonaise was played on loudspeakers throughout the city!
Aaron Copland followed his artistic Muse wherever She led - bravely and always with his sense of humor intact. His first published piece was a piano work called "The Cat and the Mouse." The playful title was indicative of Copland's determination to be different and, yet, innovative. His early score "Music for the Theatre" gained the attention of influential conductors Serge Koussevitzky and Walter Damrosch. Their inclusion of his music in concert programs gave Copland the kind of exposure that launched his career. Some of his most popular works are "Appalachian Spring," "Fanfare for the Common Man" and "Rodeo." He set part of Abraham Lincoln's speeches into a piece called "Lincoln Portrait." It was revolutionary at the time because it set spoken word in the context of orchestral music. Poet Carl Sandburg was the narrator at the premiere of the work! He received numerous honorary doctorates and awards during this lifetime. In 1982, Queens College of the City University of New York established the Aaron Copland School of Music. Did you know he also wrote music for the films "Our Town," "Of Mice and Men" and "The Red Pony"?
Cesar's father was a soldier who served under Napoleon and who left the French army after the disastrous Waterloo campaign; his mother was a Lithuanian noblewoman. Drawn to music in his childhood, he nonetheless studied engineering diligently in St. Petersburg and became an expert in fortifications. His expertise in this field was so well-respected that he became a professor at the Engineering School and taught Czar Nicholas II a thing or two about the subject. He composed on the side and found time to write music reviews for a newspaper. He liked Schumann but couldn't stand Wagner. He favored Glinka but was lukewarm about Tchaikovsky. His book Music in Russia established him as a major force in his country and he quickly became associated with a group of composers known as the Mighty Five - or Mighty Handful. The other 'fingers' were Balakirev, Borodin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Claude Achilles Debussy rebelled early on against the application of labels. As a young boy, his rather large head (in particular, his forehead) drew the scathing jests of his school-mates. Their cruelty left its mark on him: he developed a rather prickly personality and quick temper. He competed several times for the Grand Prix de Rome, finally winning it on his third attempt. Paradoxically, he decided he didn't want the Roman villa that came with the prize, leaving it after only a short stay. His style of performing and composing usually put him at odds with his Conservatory teachers. One of them said, "He has a love/hate relationship with the piano - mostly hate." This wasn't really true, of course. Debussy often found the piano was the perfect instrument for him to explore tonal colors. He rejected the constraints of traditional rules of composition and sought to expand the boundaries. Bucking tradition, he refused to put titles at the beginnings of his preludes. He insisted on putting them in parentheses at the END of the work, as if to say, "This is what the music made me think of. What did it make YOU think of?" He insisted that the music wasn't Impressionistic in the way that paintings were being described at the time but was really more symbolic than anything else. Be that as it may, he's still considered the first and greatest of the composers of the Impressionist period in music history. His personal life had a number of ups and downs - he was no stranger to scandal. He may not have been a great husband but he was a doting father to his only child, a girl he named Claude-Emma but whom he referred to as "Chou Chou." He died near the end of the First World War from colon cancer.
Delibes' mother was his first music teacher. He studied at the Paris Conservatory and won a prize for his vocal writing. He scored early success with operas Deus Sous de Charbon and Deux Vieilles Gardes and was named chorus master at the Paris Opera. In 1870, he had a significant breakthrough with the fantastically popular ballet Coppelia, the heroine of which was a mechanical doll. His follow-up, Sylvia, was also greeted by an enthusiastic public. He returned to opera and produced what is regarded as his masterpiece, Lakme. Late in his career, he returned to the Paris Conservatory as a teacher. His final opera, Kassya, was orchestrated by Jules Massenet.
Delius' father thought his son would follow into the family business (which changed, over time, from owner of a wool company to orange grove plantation owner). It didn't work out that way, although Frederick did his share of work in the store/orchards. In fact, he memorialized his time in the orange groves with his "Florida Suite." He taught school for a year in Danville, Virginia before going to further his musical studies at the Leipzig Conservatory. Although he traveled extensively and lived a great deal of his adult life away from England, the beauty of his homeland was often depicted musically in works such as "Brigg Fair," "North Country Sketches" and "An English Rhapsody." Influential conductor Sir Thomas Beecham became a champion of Delius' music, including it frequently in concert programs. By the time Delius was 40, he was already developing severe health problems brought about by a long-dormant case of syphillis. Eventually, he would lose his sight and his body would stiffen into paralysis. His final years were spent in agony, relieved briefly only upon attending the first ever Delius Festival in London (1929), a special series of concerts put together by Beecham.
This French musician had a career of diversity. He was an excellent student at the Paris Conservatory and won a Prix de Rome while there. After graduation, he also began writing music reviews for Paris publications. Claude Debussy died in 1918 and Dukas was selected to fill the late composer's seat on the Conseil de L'enseignement Superieur. He also taught at the Paris Conservatory for a total of ten years. His most famous work is unquestionably The Sorceror's Apprentice, a tone poem that Walt Disney personally selected to be the centerpiece of his animated film Fantasia. Dukas, though not a prolific composer, was more than a one-hit wonder: his opera Ariane et Barbe-Bleue is considered one of the finest long-form works of the Impressionist period.
He was a devoted family man. He loved trains. He was utterly Czech and symbiotically attached to his homeland. He loved folk music, whether from his native land or other places. He was so fond of these rustic tunes that he often composed original works in the style of these folk melodies and did them so well that they caught the public's fancy: listen to Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 and Op. 72. He wrote eight symphonies which were rich in melody and plainly evocative of Bohemia. It was his ninth, however, which has become a listener favorite. Composed after being invited to teach at a music conservatory in America, and homesick, Dvorak gave this work a subtitle: From the New World - this title has since been shortened to New World. The second movement has the haunting folk tune which goes by many names including "Coming Home" and is thought to be based on a Negro spiritual.
At the age of 22, Elgar was conductor of the Worcester Glee Club and was in charge of the concert band at the local insane asylum. After he married in 1889, he conducted orchestras and taught at the University of Birmingham. His "Imperial March" was written for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. His most famous orchestral work is what amounts to a riddle - the Enigma Variations. Each variation on the theme has initials or nicknames indicating Elgar's friends. The "Enigma" theme, per Elgar's own words, is supposed to be a counterpoint to a "familiar tune." In spite of thousands of guesses from the public, Elgar himself never identified the "familiar tune" in question, so the 'enigma' remains! Nearly ever high school or college graduate has this Elgar piece in common: Pomp & Circumstance March #1. The marches (there were five in all) were not written for that kind of occasion, though: they were composed for military reviews/parades. Elgar achieved an incredible degree of recognition and respect for his work, even though he had had no formal training. He would later receive honorary degrees from: Cambridge, Oxford, Aberdeen, Yale and the University of Pittsburgh.
This Romanian-born violinist's first teacher was Nicolas Chioru, a rather famous Gypsy. The boy's talent was so pronounced that he began taking formal composition lessons when he was only five. At seven, he was already enrolled in advance classes at the Vienna Conservatory. He graduated from Vienna at 13 and promptly enrolled at the Paris Conservatory; among his teachers were Gabriel Faure and Jules Massenet. The man acquired a mastery of several instruments: violin, cello, organ and piano. In a genius bit of self-promotion, he gave a concert of his works to the Parisian public in June of 1897. The resulting publicity brought about significant commissions and revenue. Not long afterwards, the Queen of Romania appointed him her court violinist. His stature as a concert violinist was enhanced by a series of tours. He also made a triumphal debut with the Philadelphia orchestra in the roles of soloist, composer and conductor. He collected awards and accolades throughout his illustrious career. Strangely, he lived out his final years in Paris in ill health and all but broke. His most famous work is the Romanian Rhapsody #1.
Manuel de Falla fell in love with his Spanish heritage early on, acquiring a passion for folk music from his mother. He studied at the Madrid Conservatory and began to show skill at composing. La Vida Breve, his first opera, won some local renown but it took nearly a decade to get it produced. A trip to Paris in 1907 proved to be especially beneficial for it was there that he met and was befriended by Paul Dukas, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. This trio's influence was evident in de Falla's next work, El Amor Brujo and the subsequent Nights in the Gardens of Spain. His peak was reached (perhaps) in his evocative ballet El Sombrero de Tres Picos (The Three-Cornered Hat). In an effort to provide he could compose in other styles, he produced a Baroque-sounding harpsichord concerto that many thought compared favorably to Scarlatti. Disgusted with Spain's president General Franco relying on help from Hitler and Mussolini, de Falla left his homeland and settled in Argentina, where he died.
His countrymen Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens enjoy more widespread popularity but those in the know hold Faure in high esteem for his melodies that sing out the praises of the Romantic period. It is to Saint-Saens that Faure owed a large debt since the former trained the latter in composition. It was as an organist that he made his principal living and he was regarded as one of the best in his day - an assessment with which he would have agreed. For nearly 25 years, he taught at or presided over the Paris Conservatory. Some of his more noteworthy students included Georges Enesco, Nadia Boulanger and Maurice Ravel. Only an increasing loss of hearing forced him to leave his beloved Conservatory. He wrote a significant number of works for organ, not surprisingly, but it is his Elegie for Cello & Piano and his lushly scored Requiem that have remained popular throughout the years.
His father was a violinist and his grandfather was an organist. They were his first musical influences. In his early adulthood, Field took lessons from Muzio Clementi, a pianist of significant stature and, by this time, an owner of a piano-selling business. Field obtained employment from Clementi. A short time later, Field's proficiency as a pianist was so good that his employer and teacher, Clementi, suggested they form a concert team. Together, they toured several European cities. Field became enamored of St. Petersburg, Russia, after a concert stop there and decided to remain. He settled in as a composer and teacher. He developed colon cancer and was forced to return to London to seek medical treatment. Although he was able to tour and perform for the next several years, his health continued to decline. Perhaps his biggest contribution to music was his invention of the nocturne, a form which Chopin would later perfect.
He came from a wealthy family. At the age of 15, he became a student of Rimsky-Korsakov. During his 16th year, Glazunov completed his Symphony No. 1, the premiere of which was conducted by Balakirev. It was a successful debut and music critic Vladimir Stasov, who had coined the term "Mighty Five", declared that Glazunov was the rightful heir to the masters of the Russian nationalist movement. In his mid-30's, Glazunov was hired to teach composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He tendered his resignation when his friend and mentor Rimsky-Korsakov was fired from the faculty due to government interference, returning only when the Conservatory was given full autonomy. He was a prolific composer; however, he avoided the arena of opera (unlike his fellow Russians).
He studied in Barcelona and Paris. After graduation, he faced the same dilemma as other music majors - what to do for a living? He played piano in restaurants and gave private concerts. By carefully managing his money, he was able to found the Granados School of Music in Barcelona. It quickly became one of the premiere centers for musical learning in Spain. Granados relished the folk tunes from the Catalan region of his country and they would often serve as inspiration for his own compositions. He could also be inspired by art, such as the paintings of Goya: these served as the foundation for one of his masterpieces, "Goyescas." "Goyescas" achieved such fame that a libretto was written and, with Granados' music, "Goyescas" became an opera which debuted on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Among his other works are twelve lively and imaginative Spanish Dances. You've probably heard one or more of them performed by a guitarist but they were written for piano! Granados died a heroic but tragic death: in March of 1916, he and his wife were aboard the S.S. Sussex on holiday. As the ship was navigating the English Channel, a German U-boat launched a torpedo. The ship began to sink. In the panic and confusion, Granados watched his wife fall overboard and go underneath the water. He jumped in, pulled her to the surface and to a waiting lifeboat. His effort exhausted him and his prolonged exposure to the frigid water temperatures induced hypothermia. Enrique Granados drowned in saving his wife.
By the age of 23, this talented young musician had founded the Norwegian School of Music and had already composed works using Norwegian motifs, based on Norse legends. Within the next two years, he would marry his cousin, Nina Hagerup (an accomplished singer in her own right), and compose his world-beating Piano Concerto in A Minor. In 1874, he wrote incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play "Peer Gynt." The result would be some of the loveliest and most popular music ever written by a Norwegian composer. He became so well-known and loved by the public that the government granted him an annual stipend so generous that he didn't have to concentrate on anything other than composing. One of his most popular piano miniatures is called "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen." (Note: Troldhaugen was where he lived, so it's probable that "Wedding Day" was composed as a gift for a relative getting married there!)
Born in Germany, Handel emigrated to England while sill a relatively young man. He soon established his fame as an opera composer. When not writing for and producing stage works, he was employed as a church organist. He was known to move in circles of high society and royalty. He was also something of a fashion plate, preferring to be seen in public only in fancy clothes and with a rather elaborate powdered wig. His personality ran toward the prickly side but it should be remembered that he was not alone in this: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms also had a reputation for being irritable. He composed the Water Music and Fireworks to accompany royal festivals - both became hits with the general public. It was with an oratorio, however, that Handel's legacy would be passed down through generations. He wrote "Messiah" to be performed at a holiday benefit where the proceeds would go towards several institutions, including a hospital and an orphanage. Christians the world over celebrate Christmas and remember Easter to the strains of this magnificent work. (The tradition of standing during the Hallelujah chorus began when King George stood in awe and reverence upon hearing it. When the King stands, everyone stands!)
He's called "Papa" because he perfected the symphonic form and became known as the Father of the Symphony. He wrote at least 104 of them, some acquiring rather colorful nicknames such as "Miracle", "Surprise", "Fire", "the Hen" and "the Bear". He could also be considered the Father of the String Quartet for it was his development and compositional technique which served as a major influence for both Mozart and Beethoven in this area. Haydn and Mozart were very close friends in spite of their age difference. In fact, it was Haydn who said to Leopold Mozart: "I tell you before God and as an honest man - your son is the greatest composer known to me." This statement was made long after Haydn had gained a reputation as a composer of the first order!
If that line made you think of the beginning of "Age of Aquarius" as recorded by the Fifth Dimension (and you know who you are), there's a reason for that: Englishman Gustav Holst was big on astrology. He was also heavily into Hindu sacred texts as evidenced by his opting to set to music passages (in Sanskrit) from the Rig Veda. Originally, his last name was "von Holst" but accusations of being a pro-German sympathizer in World War I caused him to change it. He served during WWI as a YMCA musical organizer. Perhaps it was his experiences in that context that inspired him to write suites for military bands. His most famous work, The Planets, was influenced by his astrological interests.
Liszt and Mozart had something in common at an early age: they were both pianistic prodigies. Whereas Mozart's touring days ended during his teen years, Liszt's fame began to grow to huge proportions. His magnetic stage presence, flowing long hair, fiery eyes and phenomenal playing drew large audiences everywhere he went. Women were a significant portion of these audiences and Liszt was not naive about his charms. He had a number of scandalous affairs with several women, many of them married! In fact, he fathered children with a married Countess. He is credited with inventing the symphonic poem, although his chief public fame lies with his Hungarian Rhapsodies, especially number 2, and his piano concerti. Did you know that he also transcribed each Beethoven symphony for piano? He was also Richard Wagner's father in law - a development with which he was not entirely pleased! He spent his last years as a librarian in a monastery, certainly an unforeseen turn of events back when he was giving the women in his audiences a thrill or two!
Have you ever seen a picture of Mahler smiling? They were few and far between. As a broad statement, it's probably fair to say that Gustav Mahler was one of the saddest successes in music history. He is credited with refining the art of conducting - his style has often been emulated and has served as an influence on succeeding generations of conductors. Possessed of a morose and morbid personality, Mahler's autocratic attitude toward his musicians earned him a volatile mixture of respect and contempt. Among the jobs he held was conductor of the Vienna Philaharmonic, conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and of the New York Philharmonic. He also composed gigantic works for orchestra. He blamed himself for composing "Kindertotenlieder" just prior to the death of his infant daughter. This guilt drove him to seek help from noted psychotherapist Sigmund Freud in 1910. The therapy didn't help. If you get a chance, listen to "Das Lied von Der Erde" (The Song of the Earth) and pay attention to the final movement. It is a rare person indeed who isn't moved by that work.
She was Felix's big sister but the two of them acted like twins. They often performed piano duets or she would play the piano and young Felix the violin. Like her brother, Fanny had the gift of composition. Unfortunately, she lived at a time and in a society that viewed such endeavors by women as unladylike. Felix liked some of her Songs Without Words so much that he had them published under his name. Music wasn't Fanny's only love, though - she also took great interest in subjects such as physics. She married a painter in 1829. Felix's constant on-the-go schedule made it difficult for them to spend much time together but they remained very close. When Fanny died from illness at the tragically early age of 41, the news rocked Felix to his core. He would die a few weeks later, not yet having seen his 40th birthday.
Felix Mendelssohn was born to an aristocratic family in Hamburg, Germany. He showed an exceptional gift for playing the piano while still a very young boy and gave his first public recital at the age of 9. The freedom from worrying about money allowed Mendelssohn to devote himself to composition and discovering what other musical gifts he might have. Before his 18th birthday, he composed the famous Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream. By that time, he had also established a reputation as a virtuoso pianist and a conductor superstar-in-the-making. At the age of 26, he became conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (then one of the world's most celebrated symphonic bodies). His most famous music compositions are Symphonies 3 (Scottish), 4 (Italian) and 5 (Reformation) as well as the aforementioned Overture and Fingal's Cave. Felix died from the effects of exhaustion on his poor health at 38, only a few weeks after the untimely passing of his sister, Fanny, to whom he was exceedingly close.
Giacomo Meyerbeer started life as Jakob Liebmann Beer, the son of prosperous Jewish parents. He changed his name strictly so that his Jewish heritage wouldn't preclude him from commissions. His earliest attempts at opera were critical failures but he did find a warmer reception for his abilities as a pianist. He couldn't resist the opera bug, however, and relocation to Italy in 1816 provided him with inspiration; with inspiration came the successes of Il Crociato in Egitto, Margherita d'Anjou and Robert le Diable. Greater success and honors were to follow with Le Prophete, Les Huguenots and L'Africaine. He is also believed to have brought to public attention the lovely qualities of the Swedish Songbird Jenny Lind.
By the tender age of 4, this boy had begun composing. He acquired an international reputation as a prodigy for both harpsichord and violin, able to perform astounding musical feats. He had a musically talented older sister who often accompanied him on the early musical tours. The guiding force in his childhood was his father, Leopold, who was also a composer. During his short life of 35 years, he wrote a staggering number of works including at least 18 operas, 41 symphonies, 27 piano concerti, 5 violin concerti, more than a dozen string quartets and a wide assortment of pieces for solo piano. He died while composing the Requiem. He was never a wealthy man although he occasionally earned handsome sums for his work. At the time of his death, his wife had so little money that she had little choice but to have him buried in a common mass grave outside Vienna. No tombstone or marker was ever set up.
It's hard to read about the short life of Mussorgsky without shaking your head in frustration at the promising career that was wasted because of an alcohol problem. Mussorgsky was an adequate student in his music studies. His fervor for Russian music and the emotionalism of his music brought him into the public eye. That stature was further raised when he became a member of the Mighty Five. His day job was a clerical one in the departments of communications and, later, forestry. While a young adult, he discovered alcohol and became addicted to it. His alcoholism only made his latent epilepsy worse. Never a proficiently technical composer, Mussorgsky often shied away from orchestral scoring, preferring to write mainly for the piano. One of these works, his best known, was "Pictures At An Exhibition," a series of ten pieces representing ten paintings by his friend Viktor Hartmann. Each movement's title corresponds to its painting, e.g., "Hut on Fowl's Leg," "The Gnome" and "Great Gate of Kiev." French composer Maurice Ravel would later orchestrate "Pictures" and it is this version which has become wildly popular. Mussorgsky passed away from alcoholism-related complications a week after his 42nd birthday.
A lot of people think that Wagner, because of his strong anti-Semitic leanings, was Hitler's favorite composer. The truth is that Hitler most enjoyed an operetta by Otto von Nicolai based on the Shakespearean play The Merry Wives of Windsor. In fact, a recording of this work was one of the items in the famed Bunker at the end of World War II. Nicolai, who died nearly 100 years before the start of that great conflict, had three careers during his lifetime: composer, conductor and voice teacher. He is also credited with co-founding the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1842; the first work played was Beethoven's Seventh.
The son of a Jewish cantor, Offenbach loved the human voice. It was no surprise then that he was gifted to compose beautiful arias to explore the richness of the voice. Although he started his musical career as a cellist, and retained a lifelong affinity for the instrument, he turned his attention toward opera in his mid-30's and opened the Bouffes- Parisiens house. There, he would stage productions of his works like Orpheus in the Underworld and La Belle Helene. He died before finishing his grand opera The Tales of Hoffmann. Did you know that the lovely, lilting Barcarolle in Tales actually came from his earlier operetta Rhinnixen? Offenbach also bested the Waltz King (Johann Strauss, Jr. - see below) in a celebrated waltz writing contest.
What Paganini was to the violin, Paderewski was to the piano. Ignace Jan came from humble beginnings. A public concert he gave at the age of 11 attracted the financing of certain individuals who wanted to spur the young child towards a promising career. He studied, and later taught at, the Warsaw Conservatory. At 28, he gave the first of many successful concerts in Paris as a solo pianist. By then, he had gained a reputation as a pianist of the first order. Apparently he had also taken a cue from Paganini's legacy and used his appearance and sparkling wit to gain entry into the social elite of Europe and America. A patriot of his beloved Poland his whole life, he held two high government positions: Prime Minister (after World War I) and President of French Parliament in Exile (during World War II).
Those who saw him in concert were transfixed. There was something other-wordly about the way he played and his eyes seemed to blaze. Nicolo Paganini played the violin like no other concert performer had ever done - with a passion and zeal that left women swooning and men jealous. Of course, Paganini made sure that his physical appearance enhanced the overall effect; he kept his hair long so that every passionate gesture shook his mane. Women besieged him for locks of his hair...and more. It would not be uncommon for him to intentionally sever three strings on his violin and proceed to play an incredibly difficult work using the one remaining string.
Sergei Prokofiev spent most of his life in a no-win situation. The Bolshevik Revolution took place when he was in his mid-20's and just trying to establish his music career. His love of Mother Russia made it impossible for him to join many of his fellow musicians as they fled to more politically friendly climates. Early on, his love of dissonance made him the target of critics who derided his efforts. In response to the charge that he couldn't compose in a truly classical vein, he wrote his First Symphony (later nicknamed "Classical") in which he adroitly impersonated the techniques of Haydn. Several years later, the official press of the Soviet Government charged him with writing decadent music, a serious offense. Prokofiev attempted to mollify the critics with follow-up works but the move backfired. Still, we have been left with some wonderful music and his Peter and the Wolf is a perennial favorite with children and adults.
He is recognized as the operatic heir of Verdi. He described his interests in the following order: wild fowl, opera libretti and attractive women. This was Giacomo Puccini, whose place in the pantheon of great opera composers is secure with such audience favorites as "La Boheme," "Tosca," "Madame Butterfly" and "Turandot." Puccini credited attending a performance of Verdi's "Aida" with fueling his desire to composer opera. He is recognized as a leader of the verismo movement - choosing real-life problems for his subject rather than the figures of myth and legend, as evidenced by the starving artists in "Boheme" and the cruel treatment by her American husband of the Japanese heroine in "Butterfly." One of his most famous arias didn't come from the operas above: "O Mio Babbino Caro" is from "Gianni Schicci," part of three one-act operas which form "Il Trittico."
By the time he was in his mid-20's, Sergei Rachmaninov had already established a reputation as a composer of merit, a knowledgeable conductor and a virtuoso pianist. For the rest of his life, he would express regrets that he decided to devote most of his time to composition rather than seeing where conducting or performance piano would take him. His problem was that he had gifts in all three areas but was faced with the same dilemma as the rest of us: so much to do, so little time. He gained early fame for one of his piano miniatures: the Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2. It's dark, foreboding character would become a trademark of many of his later compositions. He wrote three piano concerti, the second of which is by far a public favorite with the third not lagging far behind. One of his most beloved works is the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a set of variations on a single theme Nicolo Paganini wrote for solo violin. Variation 18 is regarded as one of the most romantic of all works. Although a Russian in heart and spirit, he did not approve of the Bolshevik Revolution; he lived for a time in Switzerland and then settled in California.
Rameau was fortunate in that he was able to be successful as an organist, a composer and a music theorist. He published a ground-breaking treatise on the mechanics of harmony with Nouveau Systeme de Musicque Theorique (New System of Music Theory), which advanced the ideas of (a) chord-building by thirds, (b) the use of a fundamental bass and (c) chord designations, regardless of inversion. The book caused quite a stir. Even more successful were his operas - for almost three decades, Rameau was the king of French opera.
When asked for his opinion of fellow composer Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky replied that Ravel's music was like that written "by a Swiss watchmaker." In other words: cold, precise, technically correct but without heart. Ravel did have a Swiss father and he was rather precise when it came to composition, but fans of "Pavane for a Dead Princess" or "Bolero" would disagree about the lack of heart. He didn't like having his music compared to Debussy's but there was one interest they had in common: a passion for cats. Ravel considered himself a failure as a composer. The prominent use of "Bolero" in the 1980's film "10" brought him a posthumous resurgence of fame.
He started out as a violist and switched to violin when he realized he could make money as a concert performer. After studying under Rimksy-Korsakov, he went on the road giving concerts as a soloist and occasionally playing with the Mugellini Quartet of Bologna. Respighi entered the field of academics in 1913 as professor of Compsition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory. He succeeded there and eventually secured the post of Director before leaving in 1926 to focus solely on composing and conducting.
Rimsky-Korsakov was an officer in the Russian Navy who 'moonlighted' as a composer. His friendships with Cesar Cui and Alexander Borodin, and the advice they supplied, prompted him to take a leap of faith and leave the navy after a decade of service. He set his sights on making a successful career in music. When not composing, he earned his daily bread by conducting and teaching. Among his students were Ottorino Respighi (see above) and Igor Stravinsky (see below). His passion for Russian music and his long-standing friendship with Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky and Balakirev are why he is known as one of the Mighty Five. He was responsible for orchestrating many of Mussorgsky's works after the latter's early death. Known for works of broad scope and grand operas, his most famous piece might be the short "Flight of the Bumblebee."
If your only exposure to music was through Bugs Bunny cartoons, you have heard the work of Rossini. He was the son of a municipal trumpter in the small town of Pesaro, Italy. In his childhood, Rossini possessed a soprano voice that was described as "angelic." At 16, he wrote his first opera "The Marriage Contract." Its success fueled his desire to write more. Among his best-known operas are "The Italian Girl in Algiers," "The Barber of Seville" and "William Tell." Rossini's music has been featured in the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Rabbit of Seville" and the stirring finale to the "William Tell" Overture served as the theme to the "Lone Ranger" television series. In a curious twist of fate, Rossini produced 38 operas by his 37th birthday and then stopped . . . even though he went on to live another 39 years. No one knows why except Rossini - and he's not talking.
He was considered the world's greatest organists and, certainly, there was no more highly acclaimed organist in Europe in his day than Camille Saint-Saens. Yet, it was in the realm of piano concerti and symphonies that Saint-Saens made his greatest contribution to music. He also founded the National Music Society of Paris and, through it, sought to revitalize the composition of French orchestral music. The most famous of his works: Piano Concerto No. 2, Danse Macabre, Carnival of the Animals and the opera "Samson and Delilah." Did you know that Saint-Saens forbade the performance of "Carnival of the Animals" during his lifetime?
Antonio Salieri is owed a mammoth apology by Russian playwright Pushkin. Pushkin's play Mozart and Salieri incorporated wildly speculative rumors as well as whole fabrications strictly for dramatic effect - all of which cast aspersions on the character of Salieri. He was a colleague of Mozart and the two did know each other. Mozart's own letters reference pleasant dinners between the Mozarts and Salieris. He was also a highly decorated and honored composer in the service of Emperor Josef II and he took an active role in securing work or financial assistance for struggling musicians. He was also in great demand as a music teacher. Some of his students included Franz Schubert and Beethoven as well as Mozart's son, Franz Xaver. In his final years, in the grip of senility and madness, Salieri is rumored to have confessed that he poisoned Mozart, a rumor that had been swirling for thirty years in spite of the attendant physician listing the cause of death of "acute miliary (rheumatic) fever."
In the span of 31 years, Schubert wrote 9 symphonies, many works for solo piano, a lot of chamber music and more than 500 songs including "Ave Maria". Of his symphonies, the Eighth is known as "Unfinished" because it consists of two movements rather than the more traditional four. While there is evidence that Schubert began writing a third movement, he put it aside and never went back to it. His songs proved very popular with the public during his lifetime. In spite of the public demand for the songs, the music publishers of Vienna routinely paid Schubert only paltry sums. As a consequence, it was not uncommon for him to live hand-to-mouth. When Beethoven died in 1827, Schubert served as a torchbearer in the funeral procession. At a tavern later that evening, he raised a glass in toast and said, "To him whom we have just buried." Then he said "To him who is to follow." Schubert died less than a year later.
Through his influential publication, Robert Schumann was responsible for promoting the careers of such notable composers as Johannes Brahms and Frederic Chopin. He was also a notable composer who enjoyed success and respect in his own lifetime. He married Clara Wieck, a well-known pianist. She was his inspiration, sounding-board and the champion of his work. His music embodied the passions and noble sentiment that characterized the Romantic period. Unfortunately, he was not to live very long. The mental instability which surfaced in his 30's grew very serious. Today, he might have been diagnosed as manic-depressive, but in the 19th century virtually all mental illnesses were dealt with in the same way: heavy medication and/or placement in an insane asylum. His widow saw to it that Schumann's legacy was remembered and celebrated.
Sibelius found inspiration in Finnish legends. By the time he took a faculty position at Helsingfors Conservatory, he had already composed Kalevala, Kullervo and En Saga - works which gained him national prominence. The Finnish Senate granted him a perpetual annual stipend when he was 32 in recognition of his talents and in hopes of encourage further composition. He wrote seven symphonies but his most popular work was a short tone poem called Finlandia. It inspired such patriotic fervor that, four decades after it first premiered in 1900, Nazi occupation forces forbade its playing.
After a rocky start, Smetana's music career began in earnest after he struck up a relationship with Franz Liszt, who found a publisher for Smetana's Six Characteristic Pieces for piano. He established a successful piano school and gained a position as a court pianist for Emperor Ferdinand. Smetana developed a reputation for his interpretation of Chopin's works but found there was little public appetite for his own music. His big break came after the Austrian Empire granted autonomy to Bohemia in 1860. Smetana found regular employment and an avenue for his nationalistic music. Although regarded as popular now, his opera The Bartered Bride was a miserable failure at its debut. Smetana also composed a cycle about his native Bohemia called Ma Vlast; a part of that cycle is the world-renowned Die Moldau. Late in his life, Smetana lost his hearing and suffered other great physical infirmities.
His father was a famous bandleader who didn't want the son to go into the family business. However, Junior was not to be deterred and managed to study violin secretly. In his late teens, Junior formed his own band and became a direct competitor against his father. The younger Strauss' composing abilities far outshone his dad's and it wasn't long before Junior's band was getting considerably more gigs. His ability to write lively and sparkling waltzes captured the feverish imagination of the Viennese, who dubbed him "The Waltz King." It seems an appropriate title given the staggering number of waltzes and other dances he composed over his lifetime. The most successful of his short compositions is "On the Beautiful Blue Danube." He also wrote an operetta which has become a New Year's staple - "Die Fledermaus."
No relation to the waltzing Strauss family, Richard had an early tie to Wagner. One of Strauss' first bosses was Hans von Bulow, a renowned conductor, whose wife would eventually give birth to several of Wagner's children - out of wedlock. This would be the first of several Wagnerian links. His early symphonic works utilized Wagner's technique of leitmotif. Influential music critics begin calling him Wagner's successor. Strauss eventually succeeded von Bulow as conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. He also began producing operas of astonishing breadth that also provoked big reactions from audiences and critics. Salome, with its subjects of incest, nudity and necrophilia, caused such an uproar that the Metropolian Opera of New York only allowed two performances during its premiere run in 1907. Elektra, dealing with matricide, fared little better. Strauss' late career suffered due to his unflinching support of the Nazi Regime.
It might seem odd to read, but Igor Stravinsky never attended a music conservatory of any type as a youngster. He enrolled in the law school of St. Petersburg University. There, he met the son of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This meeting had deep influence on Stravinsky's life and career as he changed his focus to music studies with his principal teacher being Rimsky-Korsakov himself. Ballet Russes director Sergei Diaghilev commissioned The Firebird from Stravinsky in 1910. It was a critical and public success as was their second collaboration Petrouchka. The year 1913 saw his third production for the Ballet Russes, choreographed by the immortal Nijinsky - The Rite of Spring. Almost from the beginning, there were hisses and cries of "Madman!" from detractors, interspersed with applause and shouts of "Genius!" from supporters. Fistfights erupted amongst concertgoers in their evening finery.
His Nutcracker music is a holiday favorite with kids and adults and his Swan Lake is the very epitome of the grace of Romantic music. Tchaikovsky did not start out his adult life as a composer. He studied law and actually worked in the Ministry of Justice before deciding to pursue a career in music and enrolling at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. A moody, melancholy man - given to great swings of highs and lows - Tchaikovsky was rarely satisfied with his finished works. He wrote his famous First Piano Concerto for his friend and fellow pianist Nicholas Rubinstein who, after hearing it, was very harsh in his criticism of it. The public, however, has been much more accepting and it stands as a favorite of classical music repertoire. He was subsidized for a large part of his composing career by Nadja von Meck. The two never met by mutual agreement. Without her benevolence, however, we almost certainly wouldn't have had such wonderful pieces as his six symphonies, the aforementioned Nutcracker and Swan Lake or many of his operas. He died from cholera under mysterious circumstances.
During his lifetime, Telemann was the best-known composer in Europe. That this was true when considering that one of his contemporaries was Johann Sebastian Bach is all the more interesting. Telemann studied law as well as music; he quickly chose the latter as his career and established a reputation as a rising star. He wrote a significant number of sacred and secular works in his various jobs, which included Music Director for the city of Frankfurt. His personal life wasn't quite so sunny. His first wife died at an early age and his second one left him, after giving birth to 10 children, most of whom didn't survive infancy. For nearly 16 years, Telemann was director of the Hamburg Opera and contributed a number of his own compositions for production. After his death, Telemann faded rather quickly from memory. Ironically, Bach became the standard bearer of the Baroque Era only after his own death.
He is considered the quintessential English composer of the 20th century. Vaughan Williams was steeped in the traditions of the Anglican church - his father was a clergyman and young Ralph was said to have possessed a sweet singing voice. After completing his formal music education with a doctorate at Cambridge, he was unsatisfied with certain of his deficiencies so he sought help from Maurice Ravel. He was also an avid collector of English folk melodies and was not averse to incorporating them in his own compositions. Two of his best known works are based on themes not his: the "Thomas Tallis Fantasia" and "Greensleeves Fantasia." If you have the chance, listen to his "Serenade to Music" - it will be worth your while.
Can you believe that one of the greatest of all opera composers was judged to be "privo di talento musicale" (translation: lacking in musical talent)? It just goes to show you that critics can often be wrong. Verdi wore many hats during his lifetime: gun-runner, politician, composer. You read correctly - gun-runner. Verdi was part of an underground resistance movement to the Austrian occupation and lent his assistance in providing revolutionaries with what they needed; sometimes, that included guns. For his unwavering support, Verdi held a high government position when Italy gained its independence. He found governmental politics and intrigues distasteful, however, and resigned his post within a year. His most famous operas are "Aida," "Rigaletto," "La Traviata" and "Il Trovatore." When he died, all of Italy went into mourning.
Perhaps you've heard Vivaldi referred to as the "Red Priest." There's a good reason for this: he was a priest and he had flaming red hair. Vivaldi worked at the Conservatory of the Pieta, an orphanage for girls. He used his prodigious talents to frequently compose new music to be performed by an all-girl orchestra. He also printed out the scores and maintained the instruments. This, by the way, was in addition to his priestly duties! One wonders how he found the time. He is acknowledge to have written about 500 concerti. His most famous work is a group of four violin concerti known as "The Four Seasons." If you get a chance, listen to his Lute Concerto in D (RV 93) - the second movement is one of the most gorgeous slow pieces in the Baroque repertoire.
Richard Wagner inspires polarity among music lovers: plenty of folks love him, plenty detest him and there are just a few in the middle. Wagner had a skin condition which made it painful for him to wear any inner fabric coarser than silk. He also had an imperious, some would describe it as 'condescending', manner towards others. His life was filled with operatic successes, scandalous love affairs and constant debt. For an excellent article about Wagner's personality, read "Wagner the Monster" by noted musicologist Deems Taylor. A production of the famed Ring Cycle consists of four operas, staged on successive evenings. Wagner personally selected the German town of Bayreuth to be the site of a theatre dedicated to the production of his operas and it is there that you will see most inventive stages of the Cycle. |
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ALBENIZ, ISAAC
BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL (CPE)
BACH, JOHANN CHRISTIAN (JC)
BACH, JOHANN SEBASTIAN
BALAKIREV, MILY
BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG VAN
BERLIOZ, HECTOR
BIZET, GEORGES
BRAHMS, JOHANNES
CHOPIN, FREDERIC
COPLAND, AARON
CUI, CESAR
DEBUSSY, CLAUDE
DELIBES, LEO
DELIUS, FREDERICK
DUKAS, PAUL
DVORAK, ANTONIN
ELGAR, EDWARD
ENESCO, GEORGES
FALLA, MANUEL DE
FAURE, GABRIEL
FIELD, JOHN
GLAZUNOV, ALEXANDER
GRANADOS, ENRIQUE
GRIEG, EDVARD
HANDEL, GEORGE FREDERICK
HAYDN, FRANZ JOSEF
HOLST, GUSTAV
LISZT, FRANZ
MAHLER, GUSTAV
MENDELSSOHN-HENSEL, FANNY
MENDELSSOHN, FELIX
MEYERBEER, GIACOMO
MOZART, WOLFGANG AMADEUS
MUSSORGSKY, MODEST
NICOLAI, OTTO VON
OFFENBACH, JACQUES
PADEREWSKI, IGNACE JAN
PAGANINI, NICOLO
PROKOFIEV, SERGEI
PUCCINI, GIACOMO
RACHMANINOV, SERGEI
RAMEAU, JEAN-PHILIPPE
RAVEL, MAURICE
RESPIGHI, OTTORINO
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, NIKOLAI
ROSSINI, GIOACCHINO
SAINT-SAENS, CAMILLE
SALIERI, ANTONIO
SCHUBERT, FRANZ
SCHUMANN, ROBERT
SIBELIUS, JEAN
SMETANA, BEDRICH
STRAUSS JR., JOHANN
STRAUSS, RICHARD
STRAVINSKY, IGOR
TCHAIKOVSKY, PYOTR ILYICH
TELEMANN, GEORG PHILIP
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, RALPH
VERDI, GIUSEPPE
VIVALDI, ANTONIO
WAGNER, RICHARD
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