four-part, 18-hour Ring Cycle, as well as for his anti-semitic writings, which, posthumously, made him a favorite of Adolf Hitler. There is evidence that Wagner's music was played at the Dachau concentration camp to "re-educate" the prisoners. As a young boy, Wagner attended school in Dresden, Germany. He did not show aptitude in music and, in fact, his teacher said he would "torture the piano in a most abominable fashion." But he was ambitious from a young age. When he was 11 years old, he…
Thomas Jefferson “Every human being must be viewed according to what it’s good for, for no person is perfect, no not one. And were we to love none who had imperfections, this world would be a desert for our love.” Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, near Shadwell on April 13 1743. His earliest memory was being carried on a soft, fluffy pillow, by one of his father’s slaves, at the early age of two. His mom, Jane Randolph Jefferson, was known as an…
Stevie Wonder, one musician that sees the world through music, not eyes. Stevie went through many hard times with his disability. He overcame his disabilities by doing what he loves most. From Singing to Harmonica to Piano, Stevie showed how much he loved the vocal and instrumental arts. Stevie was blind his entire life. The young super star was born May 13,1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. By the age of 13 he began to sing to his hearts content. He attended Detroit, Public Schools. Growing up was…
September 23, 2016 Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most influential composers of history. He has inspired many musical pieces even since his death and continues to do so. One of the most important feats he accomplished was to continue to compose music even through difficult setbacks. The exact day of Beethoven’s birth is not known. However, in the customs of his time a baby was baptized the day after its birth. There are formal records showing he was baptized on December 17, 1770. Due to…
Ages Music has been utilized for much longer than many have thought. Research has found musical instruments dating all the way back to the Paleolithic era (ca. 50.000 to 10.000 BC). Although anything performed at this time was lost to time. Upon the creation of writing methods were devised for the recording of musical pieces. The Greek civilization invented all of the major instruments families, including strings, flutes, reeds, brass, and drums.(1) Greeks philosophers interpreted music as a…
Germany during the eras of Classical and Romantic (Ludwig). As a young boy he dealt with his alcoholic father, Johann Beethoven, in which demanded him to practice the piano hourly, disregarding the circumstances. That being the case, Ludwig develops a passion for music, not to mention originating from a family who were all musicians. Granted that he was nearly deaf , his passion for music in which required an individual to hear, did not interfere with his love for music. Ultimately, without…
He even ends up being late for his own performance and only realizes this when he hears his music being played without him! One of my favorite parts of the movie is in the first few scenes. It is funny to hear an older Salieri tell the story of when he first saw Mozart. In the movie he had asked the question “Does talent like that show on the face…
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, on December 16, 1770. He was the eldest of three children of Johann and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven. At an early age, van Beethoven took an interest in music and his father taught him day and night, on returning to the house from music practice or the tavern. Without a doubt, the child was gifted and his father Johann envisioned creating a new Mozart, a child prodigy. On March 26th 1778, at the age of 7 ½, Ludwig Van Beethoven gave his first…
Ludwig van Beethoven was an amazing composer in the late 1700s to early 1800s composing 9 symphonies in his lifetime. Beethoven was only a small child when his father introduced him to music. In the time in between the birth of his two little brothers, his father introduced him to music. Beethoven’s First Symphony was composed in the year 1799-1800 and was released later that year in 1800. In the next few years Beethoven created his 2nd Symphony in the years 1801-1802. At the time he was…
Beethoven was an interesting character. He has gone through much in his lifetime that it is understandable that his character is an interesting and complex one. In Chapter 27 of Downs’s Classical Music, Downs gives his interpretation of Beethoven and what kind of person he was. From what was gathered in this chapter, Downs is not just stating the facts, but gives Beethoven a variety of personalities. In my sense of the composer from Downs’s text, Beethoven was an infant prodigy turned to a…