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Who is Johann Sebastian Bach?
Bach was a German Baroque composer who essentially started composing and bringing counterpoint music to life. Counterpoint is when two or more musical lines or melodies are being overlaid on top of each other. This is the main reason why Bach's music is so hard to play, because it is essential to make both lines distinct, and not have one overpowering the other. He was also a very talented organist and harpsichordist at his church, and wrote great religious works. He even wrote a book of pieces in all 24 keys for the keyboard! All in all, Bach is one of the most prolific and celebrated Baroque composers, and his music is being studied intensively to this day.
Five Famous Works
- The Well-Tempered Clavier
- Cello Suite No. 1 in G major
- Tocatta and Fugue in D minor
- Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
- Goldberg Variations
Bach playing the organ
Who is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Mozart was an Austrian composer and a child prodigy, who started composing complicated works at the age of 5. He was trained by his father, who would take Mozart and his sister on tours and "exploit" his talent for profit. To Mozart, composition was extremely easy, and he even composed a piece mocking all the composers who were less talented than him, with disjointed harmonic structures and rhythm. Playing Mozart is extremely difficult, as his music is very exposed, and it is crucial to make your playing sound effortless. All in all, Mozart is an extremely talented composer who wrote the most beautiful melodies in the classical period. There's a reason why people who don't study music would think of Mozart when they are asked about classical music.
Five Famous Works
- Rondo Alla Turca "Turkish March"
- Queen of the Night Aria
- Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
- Symphony No. 40 in G minor
- Requiem - Lacrimosa
Young Mozart
Who is Ludwig Van Beethoven?
Beethoven is a German composer and a pianist. He is one of the most popular classical composers, and is famous in the musical world for being the bridge between the classical and romantic era in classical music. Over the course of his life, he grew increasingly deaf, and that impacted him as a composer, because hearing is an extremely important part of music. From looking at the original manuscripts, compared to Mozart, who's papers were clean without scribbles or any signs of struggle, Beethoven's papers were covered with tears, scribbles, and signs of extreme frustration. It shows how passionate and determined Beethoven was when he wrote his music, even as he became completely deaf. These emotions should be expressed when playing his music. In the beginning of his Ninth Symphony, it was quite evident of the depression he was going through, with his deafness. Slowly through the symphony, he portrays how he has found solace with his his place as a deaf musician. Beethoven is a prime example of passion and dedication, and how that is shown through music. He remains one of the most famous composers who's music is famous to this day.
Five Famous Works
- Ode To Joy - Symphony No. 9 in D minor
- Für Elise
- Symphony No. 5 in C minor
- Moonlight Sonata in C# Minor
- Pathétique Piano Sonata in C minor
Beethoven composing with piano
Who is Frédéric François Chopin?
Chopin is a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist and wrote primarily for solo piano. He is personally my favorite composer, because I play the piano, and he wrote a lot of beautiful melodies for the piano. He is known for being the melodic master alongside Mozart. However, he did not write a lot of works for other instruments and orchestra, he is not as well known as some of the other composers. He took piano playing and composition to the next level, with different techniques and styles of writing. For example, he was one of the first composer to write Ballades, meaning stories, for solo piano. He was a compositional and piano prodigy, and wrote his two first polonaises at the age of 7. Chopin wrote many different types of works, from Ballades, to Etudes, and to Polish pieces such as Polonaises and Mazurkas. I love to play and listen to his music a lot, and I hope you will enjoy the selections I give below!
Five Famous Works
- Ballades 1-4
- Etudes Op. 10 and Op. 25
- Nocturnes in C# Minor, Bb Minor, G minor, Eb Major, and E minor
- Waltz in C# minor
- Waltz in Ab Major (I've played this)
Chopin next to piano
Who is Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovksy?
Tchaikovsky is a Russian composer known for writing beautiful melodies and writing three of the most famous ballets of all time: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and the Sleeping Beauty. All his life he had been oppressed by society for his homosexuality, which at the time was illegal in Russia. There are some speculations that Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony was dedicated to a man he loved. However, 8 days after it premiered, he passed away. Even though his death was supposedly cause by cholera, people think it could have been intentional on Tchaikovsky’s part, because it is the only Symphony of his that ends on an extremely sad last movement. It just shows how important it is to be extremely expressive and make sure that the music speaks love when you play it, because that was the theme of most of Tchaikovsky’s music. Tchaikovsky remains one of the most celebrated composers of the romantic era, and wrote beautiful music that is studied by classical musicians all around the world.
Five Famous Works
- Swan Lake
- Waltz of the Flowers
- Symphony No. 6 in B minor
- Nocturne in D minor (piano)
- Tchaikovksy Piano Concerto No. 1
- Watch all the Ballets!
Tchaikovksy sitting on a chair
Who is Dmitri Shostakovich?
Shostakovich is a Russian composer who was constantly fighting back against the Stalin Government and their policies. In Shostakovich's time, musician's work was being censored to fit the polocies and beliefs of the Stalin government, however, Shostakovich found this to be unfair, and didn't want the government to control what type of music he wrote. He wrote many works against the Stalin government, and was in danger almost all of his life. Much of his music shows or talks about the troubled times that he went through, and different events that happened throughout the world. For example, his 13th Symphony, called Babi Yar, talks about the massacre that was carried out by the Nazis during WWII in Babi Yar, and speaks about how wrong anti-semitism is. Many of this works, while they got censored and critiqued in the past by the government, are extremely powerful and moving, and played and studied to this day.
Five Famous Works
- String Quartet No. 8 in C minor
- Symphony No. 13 in Bb Minor
- Symphony No. 5 in D minor
- Jazz Suite No. 2
- Cello Concerto No. 1 in Eb Major
Shostakovich composing with piano