Born with the impressive name, Ferruccio Dante Michelangelo Benvenuto Busoni, this brilliant Italian composer was certainly destined to live up to the expectations that his remarkable title demanded of him. He took the music arena by storm on account of his original and colorful arrangements as a composer and his astounding, flamboyant piano skills.
Ferruccio Busoni was born near Florence in Italy, in April 1866. Both of his parents were accomplished musicians; his mother was a pianist and his father had trained in the clarinet. Classical music was literally in his veins and he was privileged to travel with his parents, as they toured during the early part of his childhood. He became his mother’s protégé at the age of eight and was a swift and able learner. He made his first public appearance as a pianist in Vienna, before his ninth birthday. Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
The acclaimed Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich , was born in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) in 1906. He was born into a musical family and was taught to play the piano by his mother – herself a well reputed piano teacher – from a very early age. He was sent to music school at the age of thirteen to continue his tuition. It wasn’t long before he started composing his own music. He was regularly performing his work in public by the time he was fourteen years old. The news of his talent spread quickly and his reputation began to precede him. Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Paul Hindemith, who is among one of the greatest neoclassical music composers, was born in Germany in 1895. As an early child Hindemith was taught the violin. He later entered the Hochsche Konservatorium in Frankfurt am Main. At the Hochsche Konservatorium he studied violin with Adolf Rebner. He also studied composition and conducting with Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles. In 1914 Hindemith became deputy leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra and three years later he became leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra. Hindemith founded the Amar Quartet in 1921. At the International Society for Contemporary Music festival at Salzburg, Germany in 1922, some of his pieces were showcased. This provided Paul Hindemith with an international audience. Following this, Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Perhaps the most famous Neoclassical musician and composer was Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky’s best known compositions were The Firebird, Pulcinella, The Soldier’s Tale, Apollon Musagete, The Rite of Spring, his Symphony of Salms, Orpheus and L’Histoire du oldate, and Symphony in Three Movements. In these works Stravinsky changed things up by using mostly the piano, wind instruments and choral works instead of the typical grand orchestra style of ballet of the time. Especially Pulcinella is an important work in his career asit was Pulcinella that led him to neoclassical style. First performance of Pulcinella was a big success with costumes produced by Picasso and simple, modern music of Igor Stravinsky. Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Baroque, Romantic and Neoclassical music were styles of music during the time between the 18th century and the 20th century. Baroque music was a style of European classical music which was respected and inspirational between 1600 and 1750. Well-known and respected composers from the Baroque era were Arcangelo Corelli, Johann Sebastian Bach, Tomaso Albinoni, Antonio Vivaldi, Claudio Monteverdi and George Frideric Handel. “Baroque” comes from the Portuguese word barroco. Barrocco means ‘misshapen pearl’. The term Baroque originally described the era of time and later was used to refer to the style of music during that time. Baroque music developed just after the Renaissance which in turn was formed after Medieval music. Baroque music is known for its functional tonality which Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Master composer lives on through his beautiful interpretations of
Spanish folk-lore music. A tribute to a unique and inspired musician whose contributions to classical music are second to none.
Arguably the best Spanish composer that the 20th century has experienced, Manuel de Falla, was born in Cadiz, Andalucía, in the south west of Spain, in November 1876. From a tender age, he was tutored in the foundations of music theory by his mother, before progressing to piano lessons at the age of nine.
His creativity and passion for the music industry, led Manuel de Falla, with the help of some friends, to produce his first musical editorial in 1889. This literary work was entitled El Burlon, and was the first of a number of magazines that he collaborated on in the early years of his career. Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Inspired by the music of the 18th century, Neoclassical music brought about very talented composers and gave people a way to channel their emotions acquired from the Second World War.
Neoclassical music in the USA began right around the time of the Second World War. Neoclassical music was a 20th century development. It was inspired from the music of the 18th century as well as the Classical Period and the Baroque Period. For this reason, Neoclassical music can also be referred to as Neo-Baroque music.
Some of the heavy hitters in the Neoclassical music genre who also brought the popularity of Neoclassical Music in the USA were Bela Bartok, Leonard Bernstein, Nadia Boulanger, Benjamin Britten, Aaron Copland, Irving Fine, Paul Hindemith, Ernst Krenek, Carl Nielsen, Francis Poulenc, Dmitri Shostakovich, Erik Satie and Heitor Villa-Lobos. These were just a few of the many brilliant musicians involved Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Sergei Prokofiev was one of the greatest neoclassical music composers of the 20th century. He mastered several musical genres as a Russian pianist, conductor and composer and well known for his neoclassical style. Important works of Sergei Prokofiev include but are not limited to: Toccata in D minor, Piano Sonata no. 2 in D minor, Piano Concert No. 2 in D minor, Sarcasms, Op. 17 for piano, Chout, Op. 21 ballet in six scenes, Visions Fugitives Op. 22 set of twenty piano pieces, The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33 opera in four acts, includes the famous Martch from the Love for Three Oranges, Symphony No. 1 in D Major Classical, The Fiery Angel, Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, The Prodigal Son, Four Portraits from “The Gambler”, String Quartet No. 1 in B Minor, Symphonic Song, Romeo and Juliet ballet, Peter and the Wolf, Alexander Nevsky, Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, and three so-called War Sonatas; Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Major; Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major; and Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major. His Symphony No. 1 has been one of the major works of Neoclassical music. When he wrote Romeo and Juliet ballet as an experienced composer, Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Igor Stravinsky is one of the most well-known musical icons of the Neoclassical music. Stravinsky was the first who used motivic development. Motivic development is using musical figures which are repeated in variations throughout a composition. Stravinsky was also well-known for his unique use of rhythm. An example of Stravinsky’s distinct use of rhythm is in his composition “The Rite of Spring”, “Le Sacre du Printemps” in French. The premier of “The Rite of Spring” actually provoked a riot. Igor Stravinsky’s distinct uses of motivic development and rhythm were the inspiration for many other composers. One of these composers inspired by Igor Stravinsky was Aaron Copland.
Born on June 17, 1882 in Oranienbaum Russia (which has since been renamed Lomonosov), Igor Stravinsky is considered to be one of the 100 most influential people of the century by Time magazine. His parents expected him to become a lawyer, and yet Igor Stravinsky became one of the most influential Neoclassical music composers. Stravinsky was raised in Saint Petersburg and had a troubled childhood. Stravinsky felt unloved and never seemed to attach or connect to anyone. His father was a singer at the Mariinsky Theatre. This inspired Stravinsky to begin Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
