Essays on Classical Music

Franz Josef Haydn wrote quite a few concerti for piano, which have neverreally enjoyed the popularity of such pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Whilesome accuse Haydn’s piano concerti of being too ‘light’ or having ‘no meaning’,I find those to be inaccurate surface impressions. I have found a great deal ofenjoyment from these pieces of Haydn,…

Introduction The development of seventeenth-century music is famous for an increase of instrumental music which was unimaginable in a former time. Composers of violin music such as Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi were active at the century’s end. To play the violin, to teach violin playing, and to compose music all formed part of theirs…

A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band. Kinds of Concerts Chamber Music is generally a small group of musicians performing without…

     The author of hundreds of energetic, effusive instrumental works, Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi is highly distinguished as the master of the Baroque instrumental concerto, which he meticulously perfected and popularized more than any of his contemporaries.      Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in March 4, 1678. His father, Giovanni Battista, a professional violinist…

Antonio Salieri, born on August 18, 1750, in Legnano, Italy, near the Austrian dukedom of Mantua, was a renowned composer and conductor of his time. He gained significant public recognition for his talent. Salieri’s musical education involved studying violin and harpsichord under his brother Francesco, who learned from Giuseppe Tartini. Following the death of his…

Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg to a Lutheran family, and spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is grouped with J. S Bach and Beethoven to be one of the ‘three Bs’. Brahms was a virtuoso pianist, and premiered many of his own works – many of the pieces that he composed…

Puccini’s “Un Bel Di” vs. Adele’s “One and Only” “Un Bel Di” of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is perhaps the most well-known aria of all time. In this particular piece Butterfly, the main character of the play, is painting a picture of her lover’s return. What Butterfly fails to realize is that her husband is no…

Johann Sebastian Bach, a member of a family of musicians, is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. He left behind over 1,000 compositions, including the Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concerti, Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord, Mass in B-Minor, motets, Easter and Christmas oratorios, Toccata in F Major, French Suite No…

Symphony number 7 is very important work that was premiered in Vienna on December 8, 1813 at a charity concert for soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau, with Beethoven himself conducting and double featured with the patriotic Wellington’s Victory symphony. The orchestra was led by Beethoven’s friend, Ignaz Schuppanzigh, and included some of the…

Friedrich Kuhlau Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau (11 September 1786 – 12 March 1832) was a German-Danish composer during the Classical and Romantic periods. He was a central figure of the Danish Golden Age. During his lifetime, he was known primarily as a concert pianist and composer of Danish opera, but was responsible for introducing many…