Opera composers

Sonata in A minor, K. 110 Domenico Scarlatti Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples, Italy, on October 26, 1685. A brilliant musician at an early age, Scarlatti followed in the compositional footsteps of his father, Alessandro Scarlatti. In 1708, Scarlatti moved to Rome to become maestro di cappella to the exiled queen of Poland, Maria Casimira. He later became head of the Cappella Giulia, the choir of St. Peter’s Basilica that sings for all solemn functions of the Vatican. While in Rome, Scarlatti composed many of his operas and serenatas. During his tenure in Rome, Scarlatti developed a friendship with Portuguese ambassador Marquis de Fontes. In 1719, he was appointed to be the master of the royal chapel by João V of Portugal. A teacher…

There are very few artists or groups who get lucky enough to survive the ever changing-musical landscape and manage to carve a career for themselves in the music industry. If they do, it usual comes at a cost. Whether it being the reshuffling of band members, power struggles, the inevitable break up and reunion, Styx just like Journey, Foreigner, Kiss &Van Halen, were no exception to the trials and tribulations of the music business. After 13 years apart, the Chicago-based band's classic lineup…

In December of 1770, a man that was represented as the highest level of musical genius was born. Ludwig Van Beethoven was a very talented man but had several severe problems that harmed his music career. However, he did not let any of those problems stop him from doing things that he has an interest in. Beethoven was a German composer that created new worlds of music and influenced many other musicians. There were two conflicts that mainly interacted with his music career and those two conflicts…

One of the most important factors in the development of the trumpet was its acceptance as a key contributor to art music. This realization became fully accepted in the 17th century during the Baroque period. Prior to this time the trumpet was seen primarily as an instrument delegated to military functions and processional fanfares. Due to its construction the common practice of playing trumpet was limited to just notes within the harmonic series of the trumpet. This limitation hindered many…

Renaissance in every field. Orlando di Lasso 's ‘’Conditor alme siderum’’ had the excellence of harmony dissolving into a full choir, now and again making organ-like sounds. Antoine Busnois ' ‘’Gaude, caelestis domino’’ was the soonest piece and was loaded with vivacity and complex cross rhythms working to a euphoric completion, and the singers were seriously vigilant and aware of each other. Robert Parsons ' ‘’Ave Maria’ ’was captivating in its effortlessness and consonant excellence, the…

nations rose, schools of music expanded. (Hanning) Benjamin Britten was one of composers of its time during the influential experiences of the World War and modernist ideals. While most composers focused on music of contemplation Benjamin was mainly concerned about communication.…

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a composer of the Romantic period. In addition to his title as a composer, Wagner was also a theorist, author and librettist. He is most commonly associated with the operatic genre, in which he is known for his lengthy and dramatic works. Wagner was a revolutionist of his time and sought to reform the operatic genre by using theories he developed to write operas in such a way that they served the drama. In this essay, Wagner’s ideas of Gesamtkunstwerk and leitmotiv…

After the desire for a revival of Greek drama encouraged by Renaissance artists during the 1600’s, Opera as we know it was formed. Opera was continually developed as Renaissance artists discovered their beloved Greek tragedies could be restored through music. Opera evolved overtime as new contributions to the style were introduced by innovative and diverse musicians. These musicians knew what Opera embodied and continually developed the style to what would endure and resonate with future…

society meant that the middle class was being able to make decisions that affected their financial situation. In return, the middle class was able to afford to enjoy art and music such as Cosi fan tutte. Cosi fan tutte was one of three of Mozart’s masterpiece works. Mozart used this opera buffa to display his gifts as a composer. As well as the gift of his librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, the actors who played the characters in the story, and the instrumentalists mighty skills. Cosi fan tutte is an…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer whose mastery of the whole range of contemporary instrumental and vocal forms—including the symphony, concerto, chamber music, and especially the opera—was unchallenged in his own time and perhaps in any other. Although he did not even live to be forty (January 27, 1756 to December 5, 1791), Mozart still managed to not only be one of the greatest composers of the Classical period, but perhaps of all time. His musical pieces still remain quite…