Moonlight Sonata

(Compilation of biography of the finest composer of the three periods of music)

Project in Mapeh IV

Submitted by:

Francis Rojas

Submitted to:

Ms. Michelle Jane Labis

Johann Sebastian Bach

Born: March 21, 1685 - Eisenach

Died: July 28, 1750 - Leipzig

Bach's father, Johann Ambrosius, married Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt on April 8, 1668. They had eight children, five of which survived; Johann Sebastian (the youngest), his three brothers and his sister. Bach's father worked as a houseman and a musician in the ducal court of Saxe-Eisenach. Bach's mother died in 1694 and a few months later, Bach's father married Barbara Margaretha. Unfortunately, three months into his second marriage, he died of a serious illness.

When Bach was 9 years old, he attended his oldest brother's (Johann Christoph) wedding where he met Johann Pachelbel, composer of the famous Pachelbel Canon. When Bach's father died, he and his brother were adopted by Christoph. Christoph was an organist at St. Michaels church in Ohrdruf. Bach received his first lessons in organ from Christoph, but became "a pure and strong fuguist" by himself.

Bach attended Lyceum until 1700. While at Lyceum, he learned reading, writing, arithmetic, singing, history, natural science, and religion. He was forth in his class when he finished his schooling. He then left school and went to Lüneburg. Bach learned a bit about organ building while staying with his brother in Ohrdruf; due entirely to the frequent repairs of the church organs.

In 1707, Bach was hired to play for special services at a church in Mühlhausen; Bach composed the music in which he was to play. Shortly thereafter, his uncle died and left him 50 gulden. This provided him with enough money to marry Maria Barbara. In 1708, Bach received and accepted a job offering with a higher salary from the Duke of Weimar, Wilhelm Ernst, to play in his court.

While in Weimar, Bach was appointed court organist, and it is supposed that he wrote much of his organ music there. Much to the Dukes liking, along with Bach's salary increases, he earned the title of Konzertmeister (concert master). Six of Bach's children were born in Weimar. After seeking the more prestigious title of Kappelmeister

(chapel master), he accepted an offer from Prince Leopold of Cöthen in 1717.

After his days in Cöthen, Bach accepted the job as Kantor at the Thomasschule. He was in charge of arranging the music of the four main churches in the town. Bach became extremely involved and composed much of his music in Leipzig. Bach spent the rest of his days there and in 1750, he died of a stroke.

Selected works by Bachs:

Passions

St. Matthew Passion, BWV. 244 - perf. 1729

St. John Passion, BWV. 245 - perf. 1724

St. Mark Passion, BWV. 247 - perf. 1731

Brandenburg Concertos - 1731

No. 1, BWV. 1046 - F Major No. 2, BWV. 1047 - F Major No. 3, BWV. 1048 - G Major No. 4, BWV. 1049 - G Major No. 5, BWV. 1050 - D Major No. 6, BWV. 1051 - B flat Major

Orchestral Suites

BWV. 1066, C Major - 1725 BWV. 1067, b minor - 1739 BWV. 1068, D Major - 1731 Violen Sonata No. 1

in G minor BWV. 1069, D Major - 1725

George Frideric Handel

Born: February 23, 1685 – Halle

Died: April 14, 1759 – London

Handel was born to Georg Handel (1622-97) and Dorothea Taust (1651-1730). Handel’s father, Georg, was a barber-surgeon for the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels; his mother was the daughter of a pastor.

Because Handel’s father wanted him to become a lawyer, Georg prevented Handel from playing any musical instruments. However, Handel managed to sneak past his father’s command by playing the hidden clavichord in the attic. At the age of 9, the Duke heard Handel playing the organ and convinced Georg to let Handel study music under Friedrich Zachow. When Handel was just 12, his father died leaving Handel as the “man of the household.”

Perhaps just in case Handel’s musical career was not as successful as he hoped it would be, records show that Handel had, in fact, enrolled into Halle University in 1702. A month later, Handel was appointed organist at the Calvinist Cathedral, but after one year, his contract was not renewed. Handel decided that he would follow his musical dreams and shortly thereafter, he left Halle for Hamburg.

In Hamburg, Handel played violin and harpsichord for the only opera company in Germany that existed outside the royal courts, and also taught private lessons. Handel wrote his first opera, Almira in 1704. In 1706, Handel moved to Italy, where he gained a wealth of knowledge on setting Italian lyrics to voice. In 1710, he was appointed Kapellmeister at Hanover, but soon took leave to London. Then, in 1719, he became musical director of the Royal Academy of Music

Much of Handel’s time during the 1720’s and 30’s was spent composing operas. However, he still found time to compose many other works. During the last few years of the 1730’s, Handels operas were not as successful. Afraid of his future success, he responded by

focusing more on oratorio. In 1741, Handel composed the wildly successful Messiah which was originally sung by a choir of 16 and an orchestra of 40. He left to Dublin for the premiere of the piece.

During the last ten years of Handel’s life, he regularly performed his Messiah. Because of its success, he returned to London and with a new found confidence he composed Samson along with many others. Before his death, Handel had lost his vision due to cataracts. He died on April 14, 1759. He was buried at Westminster Ab bey, and it was said that over 3,000 people attended his funeral.

Selected works by Handel:

Oratorios

Messiah - HWV 56 - 1741 Samson - HWV 57 - 1741 Semele - HWV 58 - 1743 Joseph and his Brethren - HWV 59 - 1743 Hercules - HWV 60 - 1744 Belshazzar - HWV 61 - 1744 Judas Maccabaeus - HWV 63 - 1746 Joshua - HWV 64 - 1747 Alexander Balus - HWV 65 - 1747 Susanna - HWV 66 - 1748 Solomon - HWV 67 - 1748 Theodora - HWV 68 - 1749 The Choice of Hercules -HWV 69 - 1750 Jeptha - HWV 70 - 1751 The Triumph of Time and Truth - HWV 71 - 1752

Opera

Almira - HWV 1 - 1704 Nero - HWV 2 - 1705 Rodrigo - HWV 5 - 1707 Agrippina - HWV 6 - 1709 Tolomeo, re di Egitto - HWV 25 - 1728 Orlando - HWV 31 – 1732

Antonio Vivaldi

Born: March 4, 1678 - Venice

Died: July 28, 1741 – Vienna

Vivaldi's father, Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, was born in 1655. Eleven years later, after the death of his father, he moved to Venice with his mother. He worked as a barber before becoming a professional violinist. In 1676, he married Camilla Calicchio. Vivaldi was born in two years later. He was the oldest of nine children.

Vivaldi was taught how to play violin at a young age by his father. Together, they toured Venice playing the violin; similar to Mozart and his father. In 1693, Vivaldi entered into priesthood at the local churches of S Geminiano and S Giovanni in Oleo, while living with his parents in the parish of S Martino. In late 1706, Vivaldi withdrew from the priesthood, claiming that it was because of his asthma. Others suspect that his musical aspirations and interests lead him to withdrawal.

In 1703, Vivaldi became maestro di violino at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, a home for orphaned, abandoned, and indigent children. The Pietà specialized in the teaching of music to girls who showed aptitude; comparable to modern day musical therapy. Many concerts were held and many nobles attended them. Vivaldi was in charge of teaching the music, the upkeep of instruments, and acquiring new ones. In 1709, he was let go for economic reasons, but in 1711, he was offered the job again.

Vivaldi was promoted to maestro de’ concertiin 1716. It was during these years that Vivaldi wrote much of his music, including many operas and concertos. In 1718, Vivaldi began to travel. Despite his frequent travels, the Pietà paid him to write two concerto's a month for the orchestra and to rehearse with the at least four times when in Venice. The Pietà's records show that he was paid for 140 concertos between 1723 and 1729.

Vivaldi continued to lead a busy life. He traveled extensively, worked on again off again for the Pietà, and composed for many different people. Vivaldi died on July 28, 1741, while on a trip Vienna, and was given a pauper's burial.

Selected Works of Vivaldi:

Oratorio

Moyses Deus Pharaonis, RV 643 - 1714

Juditha triumphans devicta Holofernes barbarie, RV 644 - 1716

L'adorazione delli tre re magi al bambino Gesù nella capanna di Betlemme, RV 645 - 1722

La vittoria navale predetta dal S Pontefice Pio V Ghisilieri, RV 782 - 1713

Opera

Ottone in villa, RV 729 - 1713 Orlando finto pazzo, RV 727 -

1714 La verità in cimento, RV 739 - 1720 Siroe, re di Persia, RV 735 - 1727 Rosilena ed Oronta, RV 720 - 1728 La fida ninfa, RV 714 - 1732

Solo Concerto

"La Primavera" (The Four Seasons), op. 8 no. 1, RV 269 - E Major

"Il favorito", op. 11 no. 2, RV 277 - e minor "Il corneto da posta", RV 363 - B flat Major "L'autunno", op. 8 no. 3, RV 293 - F Major

Georg Philipp Telemann

Born: March 14, 1681 - Magdeburg, Germany

Died: June 25, 1767 - Hamburg, Germany

Telemann was born in Magdeburg, the capital of the Duchy of Magdeburg, Brandenburg-Prussia, into an upper middle class family. His parents were Heinrich Telemann, deacon at the Church of the Holy Spirit (Helig-Geist-Kirche) in Magdeburg, and Maria Haltmeier, daughter a clergyman from Regensburg. Many of the family members worked for the church and only a few distant relatives were musicians. The composer himself claimed that he inherited the talent for music from his mother, whose nephew Joachim Friedrich was Kantor at Verden (Telemann would later publish a treatise by Joachim Friedrich's son, who became an organist). On his father's side, only a single relative is known to have been a professional musician: Heinrich Thering, Telemann's great-grandfather, served as Kantor at Halberstadt in the late 16th century. Telemann's brother Heinrich Matthias (1672–1746) eventually became a clergyman.

Once he established himself as a professional musician in Leipzig, Telemann became increasingly active in organizing the city's musical life. From the start, he relied heavily on employing students: the very first ensemble he founded was a student collegium musicum that had some 40 members. They gave public concerts and also provided music for the Neukirche. In 1702 Telemann became director of the opera house Opernhaus auf dem Brühl, where too he employed student performers.

In late September or early October 1737 Telemann took an extended leave from Hamburg and went to Paris. There he countered various unauthorized publications of his music by obtaining his own publishing privilege. He immediately published several works, most importantly the Nouveaux quatuors which were enthusiastically received by the court and the city musicians.

After Telemann's eldest son Andreas died in 1755, he assumed the responsibility of raising Andreas' son Georg Michael Telemann, who eventually became a composer. In his later years, Telemann's eyesight began to deteriorate, and he was increasingly troubled by health problems. This led to a further decline in his output around 1762, however, he was still capable of composing music of highest quality, and continued to write until his death on the evening of 25 June 1767. The cause of death was a "chest ailment"; he was buried on 29 June in the Johannisfriedhof.

Selected Works of Telemann:

Cantatas

Cantata Cycle 1716-1717 Die Donner-Ode ("The Ode of Thunder") TWV 6:3a-b Du bleibest dennoch unser Gott (Erstausgabe 1730) Ihr Völker, hört Ino (1765) Der Schulmeister ("The Schoolmaster"), probably

spurious Sei tausendmal willkommen (Erstausgabe 1730) Die Tageszeiten ("The Times of the Day") (1764)

Oratorios

Hamburger Admiralitätsmusik TWV 24:1 Der Tag des Gerichts ("The Day of

Judgement")Hamburgische Kapitänsmusik (various) Der Tod Jesu ("The Death of Jesus") TWV 5:5-6

Horn

"Concerto for Two Horns in D Major TWV 52:D1" "Concerto for Two Horns in D Major TWV 52:D2" "Horn Concerto in B" "Concerto in D for Horn and Orchestra"

Arcangelo Corelli

Born: February 17, 1653 - Fusignano, near Bolgna, Romagna (in the current-day province of Ravenna), Italy

Died: January 8, 1713 - Rome, Italy

Arcangelo Corelli was born at Fusignano in 1653 into a family that had enjoyed considerable prosperity since the fifteenth century. Legend even suggested descent from the Roman general Coriolanus and further improbable anecdotes surround a childhood during which he seems to have taken music lessons from a priest at Faenza, continued at Lugo, before, in 1666, moving to the famous musical centre of Bologna, where he was able to study the violin under teachers of the greatest distinction, their precise identity subject to various conjectures.

By 1675 Corelli was in Rome, his presence recorded in various lists of violinists employed in the performance of oratorios and in the annual celebrations of the feast of St. Louis of France. Stories of a visit by Corelli to France before this, and of the jealousy of Lully, are generally considered apocryphal. In Rome, however, Corelli's career is well enough documented. He served as a chamber musician to Queen Christina of Sweden, at least intermittently, until her death in 1689, and in 1687 directed a large body of musicians, with 150 string players and 100 singers, in a concert in honour of the ambassador of King James II, Lord Castlemaine, entrusted with negotiations for the return of England to the Catholic faith. At the same time he received even more significant patronage from Benedetto Pamphili, great-nephew of Pope Innocent X, created Cardinal in 1681 and an exact contemporary of the composer. In 1687 Corelli became maestro di musica to the Cardinal and took up residence in his Palazzo on the Curso, with his pupil, the violinist Matteo Fornari and the Spanish cellist Lulier, his colleagues in many performances. While normally responsible for an orchestra of some ten players, there were occasions when very large groups of musicians were assembled.

In 1690 Cardinal Pamphili was appointed papal legate to Bologna and Corelli moved to the Palazzo della Cancelleria, of the newly created Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, the gifted young great-nephew of Pope Alexander VIII, who had acceded to the papacy in 1689. Cardinal Ottoboni remained Corelli's patron until the latter's death in 1713, thereafter behaving with generosity to his heirs. In Rome Corelli was held in great respect as a violinist and as a composer, although stories of less satisfactory performances during a visit to Naples, where he was defeated by the violin-writing of his colleague Alessandro Scarlatti, and of his inability to cope with the allegedly French style of the young Handel, suggest, at least, some technical limitations.

At his death Corelli left a large collection of pictures, bequeathing a painting of his own choice to Cardinal Ottoboni and a Brueghel to Cardinal Pamphili, with his musical instruments and manuscripts going to Matteo Fornad. By special papal indulgence he was buried in the Pantheon in Rome in a part of the church holding the remains of artists, sculptors and architects, his epitaph the work of his patron.

Selected Works of Corelli:

Six opuses are authentically ascribed to Corelli, together with a few other works.

Opus 1: 12 sonatas da chiesa (trio sonatas for 2 violins and continuo) (Rome 1681)

Opus 2: 12 sonatas da camera (trio sonatas for 2 violins and continuo) (Rome 1685)

Opus 3: 12 sonatas da chiesa (trio sonatas for 2 violins and continuo) (Rome 1689)

Opus 4: 12 sonatas da camera (trio sonatas for 2 violins and continuo) (Rome 1694)

Opus 5: 12 Suonati a violino e violone o cimbalo (6 sonatas da chiesa and 6 sonatas da camera for violin and continuo) (Rome 1700) The last sonata is a set of variations on La Folia.

Opus 6: 12 concerti grossi (8 concerti da chiesa and 4 concerti da camera for concertino of 2 violins and cello, string ripieno, and continuo) (Amsterdam 1714)

op. post.: Sinfonia in D minor, WoO 1 op. post.: Sonata a Quattro, WoO 2 op. post.: Sonata a Quattro for Trumpet, 2 Violins & B.C,

WoO 4

op. post.: 6 Sonate a tre, WoO 5–10 (Amsterdam 1714)

Franz Joseph Haydn

Born: March 31, 1732 – Rohrau, Austria

Died: May 31, 1809 – Vienna

Haydn was one of three boys born to Mathias Haydn and Anna Maria Koller. His father was a master wheelwright who loved music. He played the harp, while Haydn’s mother sang the melodies. Anna Maria was a cook for Count Karl Anton Harrach before she married Mathias. Haydn’s brother, Michael, also composed music and became relatively famous. His youngest brother, Johann Evangelist, sang tenor in the church choir of the Esterhazy Court.

Haydn had a spectacular voice and his musicality was precise. Johann Franc, impressed by Haydn’s voice, insisted that Haydn’s parents allow Haydn to live with him to study music. Franc was a school principal and the choir director of a church in Hainburg. Haydn’s parents allowed him to go in hopes that he would amount to something very special. Haydn studied mostly music, but also Latin, writing, arithmetic, and religion. Haydn spent most of his childhood singing in church choirs.

Haydn trained his younger brother Michael when he joined the choir school three years later; it was customary for the older choirboys to instruct the younger ones. Although great Haydn's voice was, he lost it when he went through puberty. Michael, who also had a beautiful voice, received the attention Haydn was used to getting. Haydn was dismissed from the school when he was 18.

Haydn earned a living by becoming a freelance musician, teaching music, and composing. His first steady job came in

1757, when he was hired as music director for Count Morzin. His name and compositions steadily became recognizable. During his time with Count Morzin, Haydn wrote 15 symphonies, concertos, piano sonatas, and possibly string quartets op.2, nos. 1-2. He married Maria Anna Keller on November 26, 1760.

Selected works of Haydn:

Symphony

Symphony No. 34, d minor - 1765 Symphony No. 35, B flat Major - 1767 Symphony No. 36, E flat Major - 1769 Symphony No. 37, C Major - 1758 Symphony No. 38, C Major - 1769 Symphony No. 39, G Major - 1770 Symphony No. 40, F Major - 1763 Symphony No. 94, "Surprise Symphony", G Major - 1791 Symphony No. 95, c minor - 1791 Symphony No. 96, D Major - 1791 Symphony No. 97, C Major - 1792 Symphony No. 98, B flat Major - 1792 Symphony No. 99, E flat Major - 1793 Symphony No. 100, "Military", G Major - 1793/4

Mass

Missa Sancti Bernardi von Offida (Heiligmesse), B flat Major - 1796

Missa in tempore belli (Kriegsmesse; Paukenmesse), C Major -1796

Missa (Nelsonmesse; Imperial Mass; Coronation Mass), d minor - 1798

Oratorio

Die Schöpfung (The Creation) - 1796-8

Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons) - 1799-1801

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born: January 27, 1756 - Salzburg

Died: December 5, 1791 - Vienna

On November 14, 1719, Mozart's father, Leopold, was born. Leopold attended Salzburg Benedictine University and studied philosophy, but later he was expelled due to poor attendance. Leopold, however, became proficient in violin and organ. He married Anna Maria Pertl on November 21, 1747. Of the seven children they had, only two survived, Maria Anna (1751) and Wolfgang Amadeus (1756).

When Wolfgang was four (as noted by his father in his sister's music book), he was playing the same pieces as his sister. At the age of five, he wrote a miniature andante and allegro (K. 1a and 1b). In 1762, Leopold took the young Mozart and Maria Anna on tour throughout Vienna performing for nobles and ambassadors. Later in 1763, they began a three-and-a-half year tour throughout Germany, France, England, Switzerland, and other countries.

Amid the many tours, Mozart wrote music for a number of occasions. In 1770, Mozart (only 14) was commissioned to write an opera (Mitridate, re di Ponto) by that December. He began

work on the opera in October, and by December 26, after eight rehearsals, the show was performed. The show, which included several ballets from other composers, lasted six hours. To much of Leopold's surprise, the opera was a huge success and was performed 22 more times.

In 1777, Mozart left Salzburg with his mother to search for a higher paying job. His travels lead him to Paris, where unfortunately, his mother became deathly ill. Mozart's efforts to find a better job were unfruitful. He returned home two years later and continued working in the court as an organist with accompanying duties rather than a violinist. Mozart was offered an increase in salary and generous leave.

After the successful premier of the opera Idomenée in Munich in 1781, Mozart returned to Salzburg. Wanting to be released from his job as court organist, Mozart met with the archbishop. In March of 1781, Mozart was finally released from his duties and began working freelance. A year later, Mozart gave his first public concert consisting entirely of his own compositions.

Mozart married Constanze Weber in July of 1782, despite his father's constant disapproval. As Mozart's compositions flourished, his debts did too; money always seemed a bit tight for him. In 1787, Mozart's father died. Mozart was deeply affected by the passing of his father, which can be seen in a lull in new compositions. Less than four years later, Mozart died of miliary fever in 1791.

Selected works of Mozart:

Symphonic Works

Symphony No. 25, K. 183 - g minor - 1773 Symphony No. 35 Haffner, K. 385 - D Major - 1782 Symphony No. 36 Linz, K. 425 - C Major - 1783 Symphony No. 38 Prague, K. 504 - D Major - 1786 Symphony No. 39, K. 543 - E flat Major - 1788 Symphony No. 40, K. 550 - g minor - 1788 Symphony No. 41 Jupiter, K. 551 - C Major - 1788

Opera

La finta semplice, K. 51 - 1768 Mitridate, re di Ponto , K. 87 - 1770

Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384 - 1782

Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492 - 1786 Così fan tutte, K. 588 - 1790 Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 – 1791

Ludwig van Beethoven

Born : December 17, 1770 - Bonn

Died: March 26, 1827 – Vienna

In 1740, Beethoven's father, Johann was born. Johann sang soprano in the electoral chapel where his father was Kapellmeister (chapel master). Johann grew up proficient enough to teach violin, piano, and voice to earn a living. Johann married Maria Magdalena in 1767 and gave birth to Ludwig Maria in 1769, who died 6 days later. On December 17, 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born. Maria later gave birth to five other children, but only two survived, Caspar Anton Carl and Nikolaus Johann.

At a very early age, Beethoven received violin and piano lessons from his father. At the age of 8, he studied theory and keyboard with van den Eeden (former chapel organist). He also studied with several local organists, received piano lessons from Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer, and Franz Rovantini gave him violin and viola lessons. Although Beethoven’s musical genius was compared to that of Mozart’s, his education never exceeded elementary level.

Beethoven was the assistant (and formal student) of Christian Gottlob Neefe. As a teen, he performed more than he composed. In 1787, Neefe sent him to Vienna for reasons unknown, but many agree that he met and briefly studied with Mozart. Two weeks later, he returned home because his mother had tuberculosis. She died in July. His father took to drink, and Beethoven, only 19, petitioned to be recognized as the head of the house; he received half of his father's salary to support his family.

In 1792, Beethoven moved to Vienna. His father died in December that same year. He studied with Haydn for less than a year; their personalities did not mix well. Beethoven then studied with Johann

Once establishing himself, he began composing more. In 1800, he performed his first symphony and a septet (op. 20). Publishers soon began to compete for his newest works. While still in his 20's, Beethoven became deaf. His attitude and social life changed dramatically - he wanted to hide his impairment from the world. How could a great composer be deaf? Determined to overcome his disability, he wrote symphonies 2, 3, and 4 before 1806. Symphony 3, Eroica , was originally titled Bonaparte as a tribute to Napoleon.

Beethoven’s fame began to pay off; he soon found himself prosperous. His symphonic works proved to be master pieces (evident in the test of time) along with his other works. Beethoven loved a woman named Fanny, but never married. He spoke of her in a letter saying, "I found only one whom I shall doubtless never possess." In 1827, he died of dropsy. In a will wrote several days before his death, he left his estate to his nephew Karl, of whom he was legal guardian after Caspar Carl's death.

Selected Works of Beethoven:

Symphonic Works

Symphony No. 1, op. 21 - C Major - 1799 Symphony No. 2, op. 36 - D Major - 1801 Symphony No. 3 Eroica, op. 55 - E flat Major - 1803 Symphony No. 4, op. 60 - B flat Major - 1806 Symphony No. 5, op. 67 - c minor - 1807 Symphony No. 6 Pastoral, op. 68 - F Major - 1808

Symphony No. 7, op. 92 - A Major - 1811

Symphony No. 8, op. 93 - F Major - 1812

Symphony No. 9, op. 125 - d minor - 1824

Choral Works with Orchestra

Mass in D Missa solemnis, op. 123 - 1819 to 1823

Piano Concertos

Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 15 - C Major - 1795

Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 19 - B flat Major - c.1788 to 1795

Piano Concerto No. 3, op. 37 - c minor - ?1800 Piano Concerto No. 4, op. 58 - G Major - 1804

Johannes Brahms

Born: May 7, 1833 - Hamburg

Died: April 3, 1897 - Vienna

Johannes was the second child born to Johanna Henrika Christiane Nissen and Johann Jakob Brahms. His father learned to play several instruments, and earned a living playing in local dance halls. His mother was a skilled seamstress. Brahms’ parents married in 1830. His father was 24 and his mother was 41. Besides the fact that their finances were extremely tight, their age difference greatly influenced Johannes’ father to leave his wife in 1864. Brahms had an older sister and a younger brother.

Much of Brahms’ time was devoted to reading, learning, and composing music. He developed a love for folklore including poems, tales, and music. In his early teens he started to compile a notebook of English folk songs. In 1852, Brahms, inspired by a genuine Minnelied poem by Count Kraft von Toggenburg, wrote the F sharp Piano Sonata op. 2. In 1848, Brahms became familiar with the mixing of Hungarian style and

Gypsy style of music, hongrios; later apparent in his Hungarian dances.

Brahms, along with his friend Reményi, toured northern Germany from April to June in 1853. While touring he met Joseph Joachim, who later became his lifelong friend, in Göttingen. He also met Liszt and other prominent musicians. After the tour, Brahms went back to Göttingen to stay with Joseph. Joseph encouraged him to go meet more prominent musicians, especially the Schumanns. Brahms met the Schumanns on September 30, and became very much a part of their family.

In the 1860’s, Brahms’ style of music, apparent throughout the rest of his career, became more mature and refined. While in Vienna, Brahms met with Wagner. They listened to each others music, and afterward Wagner was known to criticize Brahms’ works; although Brahms’ claimed to be a Wagner supporter. Brahms spent the latter portion of the 1860’s touring much of Europe to earn money. In 1865, after the death of his mother, he began writing the German Requiem and finished a year later.

As a result of his travels, Brahms was able to collect an abundance of music scores autographed by the composers that wrote them. Because of his large circle of musical friends, he was able to give concerts all over Europe. His music and fame spread from Europe to America. After the death of Clara Schumann, he wrote his final pieces. A year later, Brahms was diagnosed with liver cancer. A month before his death, he was able to attend a performance of his 4th Symphony by the Vienna Philharmonic.

Selected Works by Brahms:

Hungarian Dances

No. 1 - g minor - 1873 No. 3 - F Major - 1873 No. 10 - F Major - 1873

Symphonic Works

Symphony No. 1 - c minor - 1862-76 Symphony No. 2 - D Major - 1877

Symphony No. 3 - F Major - 1883 Symphony No. 4 - e minor -

1884-5

Solo Piano

Sonata No. 1 - C Major - 1852-3 Sonata No. 2 - f sharp mionr -

1852 Sonata No. 3 - f minor - 1853 Scherzo - e flat minor - 1851 Variations on a Theme by R.

Schumann - f minor - 1854 Variations on a Theme by

Paganini - a minor - 1862-3

Choral Works

Ein Deutches Requiem - 1865-8 Ave Maria - 1858

Gustav Mahler

Born: May 7, 1860 – Kaliste, Bohemia

Died: May 18, 1911 – Vienna

Mahler was the oldest of six out of fourteen surviving children. His father, Bernhard, was a tavern proprietor and his mother, Marie, was the daughter of a soap maker. Shortly after Mahler was born, he and his parents moved to Iglau, Moravia. His father was able to open a successful tavern and brewery which allowed him to support Mahler’s musical ambitions.

Because Mahler lived close to the town square where frequent concerts were given by the military band, he developed a taste

for music at a very early age. He learned various songs from Catholic school friends and received lessons from local musicians. It wasn't long after his father's purchase of the piano when Mahler became proficient at playing it.

As a result of Mahler's "not-so-good" grades in school, his father sent him to audition at the Vienna Conservatory. Mahler was accepted in 1875 under Julius Epstein with whom he studied piano. While in music school, Mahler quickly turned to composition as his primary study. In 1877, Mahler enrolled in Vienna University where he became interested in great literary works and philosophy.

At the young age of 21, Mahler received a conduction job in the Landestheater in Liabach. He conducted over 50 pieces including his first opera Il Trovatore. In 1883, Mahler moved to Kassel, signed a contract and worked several years as 'Royal Musical and Choral Director' - it may have been a fancy title, but he still had to report to the resident Kapellmeister. From 1885-91, Mahler worked in Liepzig, Prague, and Budapest.

In March of 1891, Mahler became chief conductor at the Hamburg Stadttheater. While in Hamburg, Mahler finally finished his second symphony in 1895. Also, in the same year, Mahler's younger brother shot himself. Since his parents had died several years before, Mahler became the head of the household. To protect his younger sisters, he moved them to Hamburg to live with him.

Mahler moved to Vienna and became the Kapellmeister to the acclaimed Vienna Philharmonic. Several months later he was promoted to director. As the new director at the Hofoper Theater, his daring, provocative, and controversial performances attracted great numbers to the theater and many press reviews. In 1907 and 1910, Mahler conducted the New York Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestra. A year later, after returning to Vienna, Mahler died from bacterial endocarditis.

Selected Works by Gustav Mahler:

Symphonic Works

Symphony no. 1 - D Major - 1884 Symphony no. 2 - c minor - 1885 Symphony no. 3 - d minor - 1893

Symphony no. 4 - G Major - 1899

Symphony no. 5 - c sharp minor - 1901

Symphony no. 6 - a minor - 1903

Symphony no. 7 - b minor - 1904

Symphony no. 8 - E flat Major - 1906

Symphony no. 9 - D Major - 1908

Symphony no. 10 (unfinished) - f sharp minor - 1910

Richard Wagner

Born: May 22, 1813 - Leipzig

Death: February 13, 1883 - Venice

Wagner's real father is somewhat a mystery. Some believe that his real father was a police actuary named Carl Friedrich

Wagner. Six months after Wagner was born, his legal father died. Later his mother, Johanna, married actor Ludwig Geyer, who also may have been his biological father.

Wagner's parents moved to Dresden, where Ludwig could begin work at the Hoftheater. On December 22, 1822 Wagner began schooling at the Kreuzschule. In 1828, Wagner moved back to Leipzig with his family and attended Nicolaischule. His interest in music was made evident by the low grades in his other studies. He studied harmony with a local musician, and in 1831 he studied music at Leipzig University. That October, he briefly studied with the Kantor of the Thomaskirche, Christian Theodor Weinlig.

Many of Wagner's talents were self-taught. At the age of 15 he decided to become a composer. Wagner's passion for Beethoven was made clear in his first compositions. Between 1830 and 1831, he transcribed Beethoven's 9th Symphony for the piano. Afterwards, he wrote keyboard and orchestral works in a Beethovenian style. Before turing 20, Wagner started to write Die Hochziet, but never finished it.

In 1834, Wagner became a musical director in a company in Magdeburg. There he met actress, Minna Planer, and in November of 1836, they married. During his time in Magdeburg, Wagner built up great debts. He relied on his opera Das Liebesverbot to bring him huge success and a large paycheck. The opera was a failure. Wagner and Minna moved to Königsberg. Wagner, again, built up his debts, and in a similar pattern, they moved to Riga, and then Paris to escape their creditors.

While in Paris, Wagner gave Meyerbeer his opera, Rienzi. One year later in 1840, Wagner recieved the good news that his opera was accepted by the Dresden Opera. On October 20, 1842, his opera was performed. It was a huge success. Wagner had skyrocketed into musical fame. The Dresden Opera secured the rights to his other opera Der fliegende Holländer, which wasn't as successful. However, they appointed Wagner as second Kapellmeister. He was very musically active while in Dresden until 1849.

Finally in 1854, Wagner reconciled his debts (10,000F). Wagner's later years house the creations of such masterful works such as the Ring Cycle and Tristan und Isolde. His musicality blossomed along with his fame and a steady cash

flow (although he never managed to stay out of debt). In 1883, Wagner died of a heart attack in Venice. A private burial was held in the grounds of Wahnfrie in the city of Bayreuth.

Selected Works by Wagner:

Operatic Works

Rienzi - 1838-40 Der fliegende Holländer - 1841 Tannhäuser - 1845 Lohengrin - 1848 Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) - 1854-78

o Das Rheingold - 1854 o Die Walküre - 1856 o Siegfried - 1869 o Götterdämmerung - 1878

Tristan und Isolde - 1859 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - 1868 Parsifal - 1882

Antonin Dvorak

Born: September 8, 1841 - Nelahozeves, nr Kralupy

Died: May 1, 1904 – Prague

Dvorak’s father, Frantisek was a butcher and an innkeeper. He played the zither for fun and entertainment, but later played it professionally. His mother, Anna, came from Uhy. Antonin Dvorak was the oldest of eight children.

In 1847, Dvorak began taking voice and violin lessons from Joseph Spitz. Dvorak took to the violin quickly and soon began playing in church and village bands. In 1853, Dvorak’s parents sent him to Zlonice to continue his education in learning German as well as music. Joseph Toman and Antonin Leihmann continued to teach Dvorak violin, voice, organ, piano, and music theory.

In 1857, Dvorak moved to the Prague Organ School where he continued to study music theory, harmonization, modulation, improvisation, and counterpoint and fugue. During this time, Dvorak played the viola in the Cecilia Society. He played works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Wagner. While in Prague, Dvorak was able to attend concerts playing works by Liszt conducted by Liszt himself. Dvorak left the school in 1859. He was second in his class.

In the later summer months of 1859, Dvorak was hired to play viola in a small band, which later became the building blocks of the Provisional Theater Orchestra. When the orchestra formed, Dvorak became the principal violinist. In 1865, Dvorak taught piano to the daughters of a goldsmith; one of whom later became his wife (Anna Cermakova). It wasn’t until 1871 when Dvorak left the theater. During these years, Dvorak was privately composing.

Mid Adult Years:

Because his early works were too demanding on the artists who performed them, Dvorak evaluated and revamped his work. He turned away from his heavy Germanic style to a more classic Slavonic, stream-line form. Besides teaching piano, Dvorak applied to the Austrian State Stipendium as a mean for income. In 1877, Brahms, very much impressed by Dvorak’s works, was on the panel of judges who awarded him 400 guldens. A letter written by Brahms about Dvorak’s music brought Dvorak much fame.

During the last 20 years of Dvorak’s life, his music and name became internationally known. Dvorak earned many honors, awards, and honorary doctorates. In 1892, Dvorak moved to America to work as the artistic director for the National Conservatory of Music in New York for $15,000 (nearly 25 times what he was earning in Prague). His first performance was given in Carnegie Hall (the premiere of Te Deum). Dvorak’s New World Symphony was written in America. On May 1, 1904, Dvorak died of illness.

Selected Works by Dvorak:

Symphony

Symphony No. 1, c minor - 1865 Symphony No. 2, B flat Major - 1865 Symphony No. 3, E flat Major - 1873 Symphony No. 4, d minor - 1874 Symphony No. 5, F Major - 1875 Symphony No. 6, D Major - 1880 Symphony No. 7, d minor - 1885 Symphony No. 8, G Major - 1889 Symphony No. 9, New World Symphony, e minor - 1893

Choral Works

Mass in D Major - 1887 Te Deum - 1892 Requiem - 1890

Claude Debussy

Born: August 22, 1862 - St. Germain-en-Laye

Death: March 25, 1918 - Paris

Debussy grew up near Paris in a modest household in the town of St. Germain-en-Laye. His parents made a living by owning and running a china shop. His father also worked as a traveling salesman, a clerk, and a printer's assistant.

Because Debussy didn't enjoy his childhood, he rarely talked about it. Unfortunately, his tight lips left historiographers little details into his early life. However, it is clear that he was quite the pianist during his childhood. He was admitted into the Paris Conservatory of Music at the age of eleven where he studied with Ernest Guiraud, César Franck, and others for the next twelve years. Although he entered the conservatory to "major" in piano, after several failed attempts at a piano "final" he switched his interests to composing.

In 1884, Debussy won the Grand Prix de Rome, a highly coveted prize upon which the receiver is required to study at Académie de France à Rome (The French Academy in Rome) for the following two years, for his work L'enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son). His later submissions to the Grand Prix committee proved unsuccessful. In 1888, after his two year stint at the Academy, Debussy traveled to Bayreuth where he heard the music of Wagner. Wagner's influence on Debussy is apparent in Debussy's works La damoiselle élue and the Cinq poèmes de Baudelaire.

During the 1890's, all of Debussy's acquired knowledge and experiences culminated into the most musically productive period of Debussy's life. Although Debussy very much liked Wagner, Debussy's style of composition had taken its - for lack of a better term - impressionistic course. In 1894, Debussy finished his first important orchestral work Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun). Largely composed from 1893-1895, Debussy's only opera, Pelléas et Mélisande, wasn't finished until 1902. Its modern, ethereal harmonies were met with harsh criticism and great joy.

During the latter years of Debussy's life, some of his most famous piano works were created. Debussy's piano preludes which include La Cathédrale Engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral) are often compared to those of Chopin. In 1910, Debussy developed rectal cancer, slowly weakening him one day at a time. It wasn't until 1918, while Paris was under German attack that the cancer finally claimed his life.

Selected Works by Claude Debussy:

Piano Works

Suite Bergamasque - 1890 First Book of Preludes -

1910 Second Book of Preludes -

1913 Etudes - 1915

Ochestral Works

Nocturnes - 1899 La Mer - 1905 Images - 1912 Jeux (a ballet) - 1913

Frederic Chopin

Born: March 1, 1810 - Zelazowa Wola (near Warsaw)

Died: October 17, 1849 - Paris

Chopin's father, Mikolaj, tutored the son of Countess Justyna Skarbek at the Countess's estate in Zelazowa Wola. Chopin's mother, Tekla Justyna Kryzanowska, had also been employed there, but at a much younger age. She was the Countess's companion and housekeeper. In 1806, Chopin's parents married. Frederic Chopin was only seven months old when they moved out of the estate to Warsaw. Mikolaj secured a post at the Lyceum and lived in the right wing of the Saxon Palace. Chopin had three siblings.

Given the current living circumstances, Chopin met and associated with three different classes of people: professors of academia, middle gentry (most of the students attending Lyceum), and the wealthy aristocrats. In 1817, the Lyceum, along with the Chopins, moved to the Kazimierzowski Palace next to the University of Warsaw. Chopin quickly gained several lasting friendships with the boys attending the school long before he enrolled in the university. He was home-schooled until 4th grade.

Chopin received several years of private lessons from Józef Elsner before attending the High School of Music in 1826. He also took organ lessons in 1823 from Wilhelm Würfel. However, these lessons did not contibute to Chopin's extradordinary keyboard ability; he taught himself. Chopin did learn rules of composition, though, while attending high school. After graduation, he traveled and performed. Back in Warsaw at the age of 20, he performed the F minor Concerto to a crowd of 900.

Chopin, depressed by the uncertainty of his future (should he be a public performer or not)and by his secret love of Konstancja Gadkowska, set off to Vienna in November of 1830. During his short stay in Vienna, Chopin managed to compose his first nine mazurkas. Chopin departed Vienna in 1831, and headed toward Paris. While in Paris, Chopin gave a concerts and earned the friendships of other great pianists such as Liszt and Berlioz. He became the "premiere" piano instructor.

In 1837, Chopin met a novelist by the name of George Sand. She came from a social class Chopin would consider "bohemian." He once said, "What an unattractive person La Sand is. Is she really a woman?" Nevertheless, a year later they met again and instantly fell in love. Chopin became very ill while staying in Majorca with Sand. However, he was still able

to write. He mailed several preludes to his friend, Pleyel. Upon his recovery, Chopin moved to Sand's manor in Nohant.

Many of Chopin's greatest works were composed during his summer stays in Nohant. Although Chopin's works were blossoming, his relationship with Sand was slowly deteriorating. Many family feuds broke out between Sand's children and Chopin. Tensions between Sand and Chopin also increased; apparent in her later writings, "...a strange conclusion to nine years of exclusive friendship." Chopin never fully recovered from the break up. Chopin died of consumption in 1849.

Selected Works by Chopin:

Piano

Mazurka

Op. 68/2 - a minor - 1827 Op. 68/3 - F Major - 1830 Op. 68/1 - C Major - 1830 Op. 67/1 - G Major - 1835 Op. 67/3 - C Major - 1835

Nocturne

Op. 72/1 - e minor - 1829 Op. 15/3 - g minor - 1832 Op. 27/1 - c sharp minor - 1835 Op. 27/2 - D Major - 1835

Polonaise

Op. 71/1 - d minor - 1828 Op. 71/2 - B flat Major - 1828 Op. 71/3 - f minor - 1828

Joseph Ermend Bonnal

Born: 1 July 1880 — Bordeaux — France

Died: 14 August 1944 — Bordeaux — France

A cultivated artist, a first class performer, a composer imbued with the love of poetry, Joseph Ermend-Bonnal created an abundant body of work in which he tackled all genres, from children’s piano pieces to the symphony. It is his music for the organ, however, which is most often played today, with such pieces as the Paysages Euskariens (1930) and his Symphony “Media Vita” in C-sharp minor (1932). His chamber music, less well known, is also worthy of esteem, including two string quartets, a string trio (1934) which the Pasquier Trio perfomed widely on tour and which brought them a Grand Prix du Disque, a Menuet Triste for flute and string quintet, Trois Portraits de Musiciens for three violins, and several works for two instruments (oboe and piano, cello and piano, violin and piano, violin and cello). His richly expressive music prompted Vierne to say: “Here is a highly personal composer, a poet inspired by nature, a being with a deep and moving sensibility.”

Born on July 1, 1880, in Bordeaux, where he died on August 14, 1944, Bonnal received his first lessons from his father, a violinist. He then entered the Paris Conservatory where he studied with Bériot (piano), Taudou (harmony),Guilmant and Vierne (organ) and Fauré (composition) and received first prizes in organ, composition, and fugue. A disciple also of Charles Tournemire, a “marvelous professor of improvisation” whom he would esteem highly his whole life, Ermend-Bonnal filled in for him at the organ of Sainte-Clotilde for many years before succeeding him in 1941. In the meantime he served as organist at Saint-Médard, Notre-Dame of Boulogne-sur-Seine (of the Dominicans), and substituted for Périlhou at Saint-Séverin as well as for Widor at Saint-Sulpice. His career as an organist, which had begun at Saint-Pierre in Bordeaux, would also lead him to Saint-André in Bayonne where he resided from 1920 until 1941, directing the Ecole Nationale de Musique and founding the Concerts Rameau. The Basque country, so near to his heart, inspired several of his compositions. A member of the

jury at the Paris Conservatory, Inspector General of musical instruction (1941), he was also active as a teacher from 1892. Maurice Ohana figures among his piano students. At Bonnal’s death, Norbert Dufourcq wrote: “In him French music has lost one of its most representative members and one of its greatest servants.” Joseph Ermend-Bonnal had that quality rarely encountered in a musician: to be at once a virtuoso, a composer, and an improviser. He was, in a word, an exceptionally gifted artist.

Selected Works of Bonnal:

> Soir Aux Abatilles - Menuet >Triste Noel Desuet (Pour Bercer Nicole 

>A La Manire De Noel Pyreneen 

>Monsieur Le Senechal -

>Complainte Pour L'enfant Reveur 

>Bonnal: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2