Wolfgang Iser

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, pedagogue, and virtuoso pianist. He was born on October 22, 1811 and died July 31, 1886. For many years, up through the 19th century, he was regarded as the world’s best pianist. Liszt was renowned for his unparalleled piano technique. Liszt extensively toured Europe, celebrated as the world’s best pianist. Liszt saw both fame and fortune in his career. He died in Germany due to complications from pneumonia. Liszt was born in Raiding, Austria on…

There are no shortcuts in the quest for perfection. In Peter Goldsworthy's 1989 bildungsroman novel Maestro, Paul learns this the hard way, through his piano studies. He is motivated by his father, Eduard Keller, his piano teacher, and he himself strives for perfection. He trains intensely with Keller and decides to persist in his quest for perfection even though he is consistently told that "he is talented" "he will become a great musician". For a short period of time he puts popularity over…

Ludwig Van Beethoven was a great German composer and musical figure during the period between the Classical and Romantic eras. He was born on or about December 16, 1770 in the city of Bonn in the Electorate of Cologne, to mother Maria Magdalena van Beethoven and father Johann van Beethoven. His real birth date in unknown but he was baptized on December 17, 1770 and by law and custom babies were baptized within 24 hours of birth so it was assumed that he was born on December 16. He himself…

The Mass in D major, Opus 86, for chorus, soloists and organ —also known as “Lužany Mass”—was originally composed in 1887 for the consecration of the chapel in the stately home of the prominent architect and philanthropist Josef Hlávka in Lužany. Hlávka had built a chapel at his residence in the southwest Bohemian village of Lužany, and he wanted music by Dvořák for its consecration. Hlávka and Dvořák corresponded personally, and Dvořák was glad to seize upon this opportunity to write to…

At the age of six Mozart was proficient in the use of numerous instruments and could draw in large audiences. When I was six, my biggest accomplishment was being the first kid in my class to finish a chapter book. Child prodigies like Mozart show their artistic or intellectual potential at a young age and are propelled into adulthood with an exceptional competency, knowing their abilities and how to use them. Unlike the Mozarts of the world, my early proficiency in reading the tales of Junie B.…

Words cannot describe my feelings this moment as we are approaching to the end of this semester, both bitter and sweet. Never thought I would say this, but I really did enjoy this course. Learned things I did not give second thoughts on before, and appreciated music more than ever. One of my favorite piece is Bach’s Little Fugue in G Minor, his music speaks to one’s soul. The Fugues are well known for using counterpoint and this piece stays true to their reputation. The same melodic motif is…

Piano Trio in D Major, Joseph Haydn The concert started with a piece by Haydn that began with the piano playing the melody and then developed into a conversation between the piano and violin. The piece was in a four movement form, like the pieces by Haydn that we listened to during class. The second movement changes from D major into D minor and with the cello and violin playing the melody together and the piano in the background. In the middle of Andantino piu tosto allegretto, the second…

In the video “The Transformative Power of Classical Music” Benjamin Zanders demonstrates how powerful and connecting classical music can be. While not everyone is a fan of the classical genre, Benjamin Zanders attempts to prove that everyone can enjoy it and connect to it. He tries to prove this by asking his audience to think of someone they loved that was no longer with them as he played a piece by Chopin. By doing this, Benjamin Zanders was seeking to pull the audience in and let them feel…

On April 26th of this year I attended a faculty recital in the Walker Recital Hall. The recital featured the Presque Isle Saxophone Quartet with Allen Zurcher, Bethany Dressler, Rebecca Wunch, and Scott Meier. The hall was not fully filled with spectators, however, attendees were very supportive and enthusiastic about the artists. The performance consisted of the 20th and 21st century music pieces, which was something I did not expect. To surprise this performance did not take long time…

Composers have been coming up with new and inventive ways to expand the realm of choral music for centuries. New instruments and techniques are constantly being developed, but many of these techniques fail to secure a lasting foothold and gain traction. Many techniques of the twentieth and twenty-first century incorporate additional dissonances to compose chord resolutions, chord successions, and chord progressions that are atypical of classical music before 1910. Composers continue to push the…