Oratorio

Classical music has always displayed a vast variety of unique tones. Theses tones give each piece its own distinctive quality that represents the overall feeling the song is trying to portray. Classical music can be categorized according to its tone: heart-gripping, fast-paced rhythms, bold, passionate ballads, and soothingly tranquil melodies. There are some pieces of music that seem to be able to mirror its tempo unto the heart of their listener. The tempo of this type of music…

structural and stylistic elements in his music. The Baroque period extended from 1600 to 1750 and was predominantly focused on Italian culture. Many forms of music during the period were originated in Italy such as the cantata, concerto, sonata, oratorio, and opera. Though, other European nations also had a great deal of influence on music such as France and Germany. There are certain characteristics that are associated with the music from the baroque era that are unique to the period and the…

Early Life George Handel was born in the same year and country as Johann Sebastian Bach. His father, Georg Händel 63 when he was born, was a famous barber-surgeon who served for the court of Saxe-Weissenfels (A state of the Holy Roman Empire) and Margraviate of Brandenburg (Another state of the Holy Roman Empire). Georg Händel was initially intended Handel for the study of Civic law, yet Händel discovered he has outstanding musical talent and enthusiastic on studying music. Therefore, his father…

including the “Surprise”, “Military”, “Drumroll”, and “London” symphonies, the 'Rider' quartet, and the “Gypsy Rondo” piano trio. He returned to Vienna and composed a large amount of religious works for chorus and orchestra; including: his two great oratorios “The Creation” and The Seasons and six masses for the Eszterházy family. Haydn composed the last nine in his long series of string quartets, including the “Emperor”, “Sunrise”, and “Fifths”…

Bach’s most well known and most enjoyed pieces. Normally Bach primarily used violins in his pieces; however, the harpsichord was main instrument of this piece. (1) Bach was influenced by many Italian composers. The concerto form, ritornello, sonata, oratorio, opera, cantata, recitative,…

Nicknamed the “Bull fiddle”, the bass is one of a handful of instruments that played a significant role in the development of music during the 20th century. The bass gained much of its momentum as the popularity of the New Orleans brass and jazz bands was spreading throughout the US, and it eventually took on such an essential role that it was forced to evolve. The new bass players were slowly transitioning the bass from accompaniment to a solo instrument. As it moved from the background to the…

Sir Edward Elgar was an English composer born in Broadheath, Worcestershire to “a Worcester piano tuner and music-shopkeeper and his Roman Catholic wife” in 1857 (Kennedy). He learned the violin, piano, and organ at a young age (Kennedy). Beyond his violin lessons he had no formal training. However, he received much “praise as a child for piano improvisations” (McVeagh). After the age of 16, he left his father’s business and was freelance musician for the rest of his life (McVeagh). He took on…

In the Classical era an amazing composer was born in Salzburg, Austria; His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was brought into the world on January 27, 1756. Most people just know him as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but he was also known as Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart has been classified as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. The story and history behind the composer is just fantastic and interesting, He had a rough time as he grew older but…

or exuberant (Sartorius). Exuberant describes this music period well; composers added many ornamentations such as trills, turns, tremolos, and more. In this way, music became more elaborate than that of the Renaissance. People wrote more operas, oratorios, and cantatas for voice and fugues, suites, and sonatas for instrumental performances (Kahanda). Aristocrats hired composers to create custom pieces. For example, Handel wrote ‘‘Water Music’’ for King George, and it was played on a boat as they…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Born to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Mozart on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, Wolfang Amadeus Mozart was only the 2nd of seven children born to survive infancy. His older sister Maria Anna Mozart (Nannerl) born July 30, 1751 preceded him in birth. As children, both Mozart and Maria Anna were considered gifted musical prodigies in the eye of the Classical Era of music. Although both had the full benefit of the musical education bestowed upon them by their father,…