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 »
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 »
