Ludwig van Beethoven

“If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music.” ~Gustav Mahler. The romantic style period started during 1780 and ended in about 1910. It was one of the most influential time periods that ever was. The romantic period was dramatic and full of action, also involving contradictions between capitalism and socialism, freedom and oppression, emotion, and faith. Many passionate pieces were written during The result of this was creative artists…

Gustav Holst, born in Cheltenham in September 1847, is still today considered to be one of the greatest music composers of all time.He didn’t start out as the great composer that we know and love. His path to success wasn’t the smoothest. Holst was born to Adolph von Holst and Clara Cox Lediard. His father was a professional pianist who practiced many hours a day leaving very few to his wife Clara and their children. Clara was a student of Adolph when they first met. She was also a talented…

Yo Yo Ma is the picture of a modern day musician. Growing up in France and then America, he has always struggled to find his individuality. After years of rebellion he finally settled down career, he created the Silk Road Ensemble and went on to win many awards and recognitions. Ma has changed the face of music forever. Born in 1955, Paris, France, Yo Yo Ma changes classical music forever. His father, a professor of musicology and a composer, and his mother, an opera singer, both knew he was…

ou might say they pulled out the stops at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert on Friday. There were many engaging moments in the Cincinnati Symphony's unique program hailing the French organ tradition in Music Hall. But Louis Langrée’s direction of the famous “Poco adagio” in Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, “Organ,” was truly magical. At the Allen organ, Thierry Escaich’s tones provided a soft, rich carpet under the lustrous sounds of the Cincinnati strings. It was serene and moving, and…

The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid 19th-century, making it one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band. The tuba largely replaced the ophicleide. Tuba is Latin for 'trumpet'. A person who plays the tuba is known as a tubaist or tubist. In the United Kingdom a person who plays the tuba in an orchestra is known…

In the world of music, no piece quite received quite the same reception as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. As a paganistic approach to the rebirth and celebration of nature, the piece astonished audiences with its forceful and earth-like tones. However, the world premiere induced a massive riot throughout the audience, which rendered the orchestra inaudible. The chaos that ensued angered Stravinsky, who was displeased with humanity as a whole. In the Rite of Spring, Stravinsky expressed the…

If you’ve ever heard the Mozart requiem, chances are, you’ve heard the Süssmayr completion. What many people don’t know is that there are also other completions, the most famous ones being the versions by Franz Beyer, Robert Levin, Richard Maunder, Duncan Druce, and HC Robbins Landon. Today we are going to take a closer look at one section, the Lacrimosa. As many people already know, Mozart only wrote eight bars of the Lacrimosa before his death on December 5, 1791. When Joseph Eybler tried his…

n this assignment I'll be comparing both recordings, and explaining in details every special moment they have. Larghetto 2nd movt. - In the orchestra introduction Mullova's recording presents a much better phrase. It shows a lot of contrast in dynamic, articulation, and consequently mood. Creativity makes this recording special. They add dynamic that are not originally written, but the result is very good; it creates a totally different environment, suppress the lack of vibrato, and therefore…

The Renaissance period became one of the most influential and interesting periods of history. The North Renaissance primary statement conveyed a “religious change” (Fiero). Music, art, and literature began to gain notability and develop a uniqueness in its own right in the North Renaissance period. The ones who influenced music, art, and literature in this period established themselves as trail blazers for the North Renaissance era. Many musical composers joined the “civic, religious, and…

George Balanchine was born on January 22, 1904, in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was son of a composer, so he had a well understanding of music from a young age. In 1914, he enrolled at the Mariinsky Theatre's ballet school, also known as The Vagonova Academy. He graduated in 1921 and afterwards attended the Petrograd State Conservatory of Music, leaving the conservatory three years later. In 1922, George Balanchine married a 15-year-old ballet student named Tamara Gevergeyeva. This was the first…