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Showing posts with label German Composers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label German Composers. Show all posts
Carl Orff (b. July 10, 1895, Munich - d. March 29, 1982, Munich), German composer, is best remembered for his popular cantata Carmina Burana. He was also known for his influential teaching method.
Early Life
German composer and teacher Carl Orff was born in Munich on July 10, 1895. Although his father was a soldier, his family was musical. As a boy he studied piano, organ and cello. His first works were all vocal and published when he was 16 years old.
Formal Academic Training
He enrolled at the local Munich Academy of Music and graduated in 1914, aged 19. Three years later, however, he was called by the German army to fight in the First World War.
Johannes Brahms, German Romantic composer, pianist and conductor, was born May 7, 1833. He is known for his great symphonies. Brahms is considered one of the greatest composers of symphonic music and songs. Initially intended by his parents for a career in the orchestra, he was most brilliant on the piano that eventually his parents decided to pursue his piano at the age of 11. Of significance, was his meeting with the Schumanns, Robert and Clara, and a close friendship developed. He is most famous for his vocal work, A German Requiem, and of course, as a child, no one can miss his Brahms' Lullaby.
Born into a Lutheran
family, Brahms spent much of his life in Vienna. His reputation and status as a composer are such that he is sometimes
grouped with JS Bach and Beethoven as one of the "Three Bs" of music, a comment originally made by the 19th century conductor Hans von Bülow.
Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. A virtuoso pianist, he premiered many of his own works. He worked with leading performers of his time, including the pianist Clara Schumann and the violinist Joseph Joachim. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished.
Brahms has been considered, by his contemporaries and by later writers, as both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters. While many contemporaries found his music too academic, his contribution and craftsmanship have been admired by subsequent prominent composers as diverse as Arnold Schoenberg and Edward Elgar. The diligent, highly constructed nature of his works was an inspiration for a generation of composers. Embedded within his meticulous structures, however, are deeply romantic motifs. (Brahms: String Sextet, Op.18 - Janine Jansen & Friends - International Chamber Music Festival HD. Uploaded by AVROTROS Klassiek. Brahms powerful German Requiem / Ein deutsches Requiem, superbly performed by both orchestra and choir. Frankfurt Radio Symphony, David Zinman conducting. Brahms Symphony No. 3 F Dur op 90. Leonard Bernstein conducting, Wiener Philharmoniker. Youtube, uploaded by Ahmed Barod. Accessed May 8, 2016. Brahms Piano Trio No.1 in B minor, Op.8. Uploaded by ChamberFest Cleveland. Accessed May 7, 2020.))
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer of the Romantic period, regarded as his country's all-time greatest, was born May 7, 1840, seven years after Brahms. Pyotr (or Piotr) Tchaikovsky is famous for his three famous ballet music: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. He is also known for his symphonies, piano concerti, chamber and vocal music. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is one of the the most popular concertos ever written and his Symphony No. 6, the ‘Pathétique’, is one of the great symphonic masterpieces of all time. He turned to
literary and dramatic sources, including Shakespeare, for a number of orchestral compositions. Tchaikovsky’s music combines tuneful melodies, impressive harmonies and colourful orchestrations. As a young man, he became involved with the nationalist movement, the Mighty Handful or "The Five" when he met Mily Balakirev, one of its founders. Pyotr Tchaikovsky, known for his beautiful melody with such poignant and romantic expression was the first Russian composer to establish a reputation with Western audiences.
Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor in Europe and the United States. He was honored in 1884 by Tsar Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension.
Although musically precocious, Tchaikovsky was educated for a career as a civil servant. At the time there was scant opportunity for a musical career in Russia. When an opportunity arose, he entered the nascent Saint Petersburg Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1865. The formal Western-oriented teaching he received there set him apart from composers of the contemporary nationalist movement embodied by the Russian composers of 'The Five' led my Mily Balakirev, with whom his professional relationship was mixed. Tchaikovsky's training set him on a path to reconcile what he learned with the native musical practices was exposed from childhood. From this reconciliation he forged a personal Russian style—a task that did not prove easy.
On his creativity, Pyotr Tchaikovsky displayed a wide stylistic and emotional range, from light salon works to grand symphonies. Some of his works, such as the Variations on a Rococo Theme, employ a "Classical" form reminiscent of 18th-century composers most especially that of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, his musical god, and evidently his favourite composer. Other compositions, such as his Little Russian symphony and his opera Vakula the Smith, flirt with musical practices more akin to those of the Russian " Mighty Five", especially in their use of folk song. Other works, such as Tchaikovsky's last three symphonies, employ a personal musical idiom that facilitated intense emotional expression. (Here are two of my all-time favourite symphonies: (1) Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 - Russian State Symphony Orchestra/Petrenko (2015). State Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation 'Evgeny Svetlanov' VASILY PETRENKO, conductor. Recording: Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow, 21 December 2015. (2) "Pathetique" Symphony No. 6, with Barenboim conducting Berliner Philharmoniker. YouTube, Accessed May 7, 2017. Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 (Richter, Kagan, Gutman). Uploaded by Max Lima. Accessed May 7, 2020.)
(Jakob Ludwig) Felix Mendelssohn (Bartholdy), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. His music has the charm of classical music. Among his best-known works: (I try hard not to be biased when profiling a loved composer) A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Fingal's Cave overture, the song "On Wings of Song" (German: "Auf Flügeln des Gesanges"), five symphonies, which include the Reformation, the Italian, and the Scottish, choral symphony Lobgesang, motets, and his greatest oratorio, Elijah.
A grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn was born into a prominent Jewish family. He was close to his older sister Fanny Mendelssohn, also a composer, five years his senior. Until the age of seven, he was brought up without religion, then baptised as a Reformed Christian. Early on, he was recognised as a musical prodigy but his parents did not seek to capitalise on his talent.
There have been numerous articles written about Felix Mendelssohn. This post is a remembrance to celebrate his birthday, complimenting his life, music and musical style, and his influence in the Romantic Era.
Famous for his engaging romantic music, Mendelssohn's compositions have the beauty of classical music applied to romantic themes. Unlike many of his contemporaries or predecessors, he based most of his works on personal experiences rather than from inspired literature or drawn out imagination.
Mendelssohn's Song without Words, Op. 19,1, (Lieder ohne Worte) performed by Richter. The quality of recording may not do justice to Richter's playing but it's still beautiful.
Johann Joachim Quantz was born on January 30, 1697 in Oberscheden, Germany. A professional flutist, composer to and teacher of Frederick the Great, his compositional media were in chamber music, choral and books. He was a writer on music.
In 1718, he joined the Polish chapel of Augustus III as an oboist, and working mainly in Dresden. He later turned to the transverse flute.
In 1724-1727, he went on a European tour, and settled as a member of the Dresden court Chapel after the tour. A year later, he became the flute teacher of the young Prince Frederick, whom he served from 1740, by then as Frederick the Great.
Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (Nov 20, 1765 - June 8, 1814), German composer and conductor, was born at Treuenbrietzen in Brandenburg, Prussia, and originally studied theology at Halle.
During a temporary stay at Potsdam, he had an opportunity of showing his self-acquired skill as a pianist before King Frederick William II, who made him a yearly allowance to enable him to complete his musical studies. He did this under Johann Gottlieb Naumann, a German composer of the Italian school, the style of that school Himmel himself adopted in his serious operas. The first of these, a pastoral opera, Il Primo Navigatore, was produced at Venice in 1794 with great success.
His Italian operas were all received with great favor in their day. Of much greater importance than these is an operetta to German words by Kotzebue, called Fanchon, an admirable specimen of the primitive form of the musical drama known in Germany as the Singspiel. Himmel's gift of writing genuine simple melody is also observable in his songs. He died in Berlin.
German Composer, Organist and Conductor
Heinrich Schütz (8 or 9 October 1585 in Koetritz or Loetriz - November 16, 1672 in Dresden) was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, and one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi.
At the age of five he moved with his family to Weissenfels. Landgrave Moritz was impressed by Schütz's musical talents that he took him to Kassel where he served as a choirboy; he also studied music with the court Kapellmeister, George Otto.
Hans Werner Henze is born on July 1, 1926, in Gütersloh, Westphalia. His output is marked by literary sensibility and use of orchestral colouration, as in the opera Elegy for Young Lovers(1959-1961), and later The Sea Betrayed (1992). He music is influenced by Schoenberg, however, he is not strictly a 12-note composer.
In recent years, Hans Werner Henze returned to his musical past becoming more lyrical and elaborate, as shown in his reconstruction of Monteverdi's Il ritorno di Ulisse (The Return of Ulysses), staged in Salzburg, Austria in 1985.
Some of Henze's works include nine symphonies, many ballets, and concerti.
Resources:
The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, London: Macmillan New updated Edition, 1994.
Known
for his musical ability, Telemann was one of the most prolific composers in
history, a contemporary and good friend of Johann Sebastian Bach and George F.
Handel.
Georg Philipp Telemann (March 14, 1681 – June 25, 1767), was a German composer, organist and
conductor. He was a contemporary and good friend of Johann Sebastian Bach and George
Frideric Handel. JS Bach's son, C.P.E. Bach, was Telemann's godson. Telemann's style was an exemplar of German Baroque during its height
and he was the best-known German Baroque composer and organist of his time.
He was born in Magdeburg, Germany
into a family with strong links with the clerical people. As a child, he
received no specific musical education and taught himself by studying stores
especially those of Lully and Campra. At ten, he had learned to play
the keyboard, flute and violin. By the time he was twelve, he had written an
opera.
Sadly, his mother, still
not impressed, confiscated his instruments and sent him away to school.
Fortunately, the schoolmaster was a music theorist. For the next four years
Telemann continued his formal studies while also developing his understanding
of musical composition.
Classical Music / Composers Datebook: December 16 (or 17)
Considered greatest of German classical composers, Beethoven was baptized in Bonn. His exact birth date is unknown. Biographers generally quote December 16.
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 16 (17), 1770 – March 26, 1827), was a German composer and pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of music, a predominant figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music.
Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, to Johann van Beethoven and Magdalena Keverich van Beethoven. He was baptized on December 17, but his family and later teacher Johann Albrechtsberger celebrated his birthday on December 16. Beethoven's first music teacher was his father, a musician in the Electoral court at Bonn who was apparently a harsh and unpredictable instructor. Johann would often come home from a bar in the middle of the night and pull young Ludwig out of bed to play for him and his friend.
Beethoven's talent was recognised at a very early age. His first notable teacher was Christian Gottlob Neefe. In 1787 young Beethoven traveled to Vienna for the first time.
Mozart had a powerful influence on the early works of Beethoven. They are said to have met in Vienna this year, however, there is no evidence of this. Planned to study under Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, this did not materialise when he was summoned to his mother's deathbed who was dying of tubercolosis. She died when he was 16, shortly followed by his sister, and for several years he was responsible for raising his two younger brothers because of his father's worsening alcoholism.
Later, when he moved to Vienna in 1792, Mozart had died the previous year. He studied for a time with Joseph Haydn and quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. From the beginning to the end of his creative life, Beethoven constantly expanded his style and ideals, and his work forms a bridge between the Classical and Romantic periods.
In his late twenties he began to lose his hearing and this came as a terrible blow, and yet he continued to produce notable masterpieces throughout his life in the face of this personal disaster. His reputation and genius have inspired generations of composers, musicians, and audiences after him.
Mozart's Influence on Beethoven
From Beethoven's childhood, it appeared that everybody wanted him to be a Mozart! How did this expectation influence his life? Here's an interesting article from 'Popular Beethoven'. Read on, here.
Composers who most influenced Beethoven
Here's another interesting post of composers likely to have influenced Beethoven. Thanks to Alex Rosas Navarro (from Beethoven's Facebook Community Group) who kindly shared this for public posting. 7 June 2025.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a revolutionary figure, but his innovations did not arise in isolation. He was deeply influenced by earlier composers, whose techniques, structures, and emotional range he studied and reworked into his own style. His journey from Classical clarity to Romantic depth was built on the legacy of these musical ancestors.
1. Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Role: Beethoven’s teacher in Vienna (1792–1794) Influence: Structural discipline, thematic economy, and development techniques
“I did not learn anything from Haydn,” Beethoven once said—yet this was more rebellion than truth.
Key Influences:
Haydn’s use of motivic development strongly shaped Beethoven’s symphonic writing.
The “surprise” techniques, rhythmic wit, and economy of materials in Haydn's works informed Beethoven's own innovative musical architecture.
Beethoven's early symphonies and piano sonatas clearly reflect Haydn’s clarity and formal elegance.
Example:
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 — echoes Haydn’s late symphonies in structure and tone.
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Influence: Melodic elegance, dramatic flair, operatic phrasing, and harmonic color
Though Beethoven never studied with Mozart formally (a brief meeting may have occurred in 1787), Mozart’s music was a central pillar in Beethoven’s early development.
Key Influences:
The Classical concerto model in Beethoven’s early piano concertos was based on Mozart’s concertos.
Mozart’s sense of proportion, contrast, and melodic grace helped Beethoven refine lyrical expression in his chamber and vocal works.
Examples:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 — reminiscent of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491 in its key and emotional weight.
Influence: Emotional expression, sudden contrasts, and improvisatory style
C.P.E. Bach, son of J.S. Bach, was a pioneer of the Empfindsamer Stil (sensitive style), emphasizing sudden dynamic changes and emotional turbulence—elements that Beethoven would develop into Romantic expressivity.
Key Influences:
C.P.E.’s keyboard sonatas, with their dramatic irregularities and expressive intensity, foreshadow Beethoven’s bold piano writing.
His ornamentation and flexible phrasing influenced Beethoven’s solo improvisations and fantasia-like slow movements.
Example:
Beethoven’s Fantasia in G minor, Op. 77 carries clear traces of C.P.E. Bach’s free-form, expressive spirit.
Beethoven’s reverence for J.S. Bach grew especially in his late period, as he began integrating complex polyphony and fugal techniques into his compositions.
“Not Bach, but the sea should be his name!” — Beethoven (a pun: “Bach” means “brook” in German)
Key Influences:
Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier was essential study for Beethoven’s keyboard technique and contrapuntal thinking.
Beethoven’s
Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
Hammerklavier Sonata, Op. 106 — the final fugue is one of the most complex ever written for piano.
Beethoven admired Handel's oratorios and dramatic architecture, and saw him as the greatest master of musical massiveness and clarity.
Key Influences:
Handel’s ability to build large-scale musical drama from simple themes inspired Beethoven’s treatment of symphonic finales and choral works.
“He is the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb.” — Beethoven on Handel
Examples:
The finale of Symphony No. 5 shows Handelian power in its driving simplicity.
The “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9 is structurally influenced by Handel’s choral oratorios, especially Messiah.
Key works
Beethoven's key works include piano concertos, Piano Sonatas, Mass in D (Missa Solemnis), the nine symphonies, and some strings, and Fidelio, his only opera. One famous piece of music is his "Fur Elise". one of his last String Quartets, Op. 131 in C sharp minor has the largest number of movements, which is 7.
Below video: Featuring Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" live at the Sydney Opera House. Performed by our Sydney Philharmonia Choir's ChorusOz, hosted by the ABC Classic with presenters Vanessa Hughes and Damien Beaumont. The concert is part of ChorusOz, run annually by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Performed by Sharon Zhai (soprano), Bronwyn Douglass (mezzo-soprano), Brad Cooper (tenor), Simon Meadows (bass-baritone), ChorusOz 2019, Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra, Brett Weymark (conductor). ChorusOz 2019. (The performance was a part of ChorusOz, run annually by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs to let people who can't commit to a regular choir have the opportunity to sing at the Sydney Opera House. Other singers across Australia and visiting singers are also invited to join.)
Most famous work: Symphony 9 "Choral"
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral", is a choral symphony considered Beethoven's most famous work, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and musicologists as a masterpiece of Western classical music and one of the supreme achievements in the history of music. One of the best-known works in common practice music, it stands as one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world. This is the crowning glory of his "Immortal Nine" symphonies. The fourth movement (Finale), its concluding magnificent chorus, Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy), is the official anthem of the European Union. about peace and triumph of universal brotherhood against war and desperation, and the prelude to the fourth – and final – movement of Ludwig van
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
Christoph W. Gluck was an older contemporary of Mozart. In August 1782 a special performance of Mozart's Entfuhrung, which Gluck, an older contemporary of Mozart was anxious to hear, was arranged for. It delighted Gluck immensely and he invited Mozart to dinner. The following year (1783), Gluck went to Mozart's concert (March 23) and Mozart improvised variations on a theme from La Rencontre imprevue.
My primary source about Gluck is one by Alfred Einstein simply titled Gluck published by McGraw-Hill. I like this paragraph from the backcover: "It is not easy to say whether Gluck was international or German, Italian, or French, for he was an opera composer," writes Einstein of this study of the life and music of C. W. Gluck (1714-1787); yet the career of Gluck does epitomize the internationalism prevailing in the arts of his time.
Romantic Composer Robert Schumann, Master in Piano Music and Voice
Robert Schumann's life and works revisited on his birthday anniversary. A poetic musician, his works relate to literature - poems, novels and plays; especially his piano music Carnaval and Scenes from Childhood's Kinderscenen are most popular.
Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810, in Zwickau, Saxony - July 29, 1856, in Endenich, Germany) was a German composer of the Romantic period. His parents were not musical but they encouraged his interest in music with Piano lessons from the age of 10.
His family was later beset by tragedy. When Schumann was in his teens, his father died and his sister committed suicide in quick succession, events that were to have a deep impact on the young musician. Initially music was to take a back seat in his life. For his main subject he studied law at Leipzig while simultaneously continuing his music studies. One of his music teachers was Friedrich Wieck whose daughter Clara (eventually becoming his wife) showed a great talent at the piano while she was only 9 years old.
A tragedy hit Schumann when a mishap damaged one of his hands spoiling his chances as a pianist. After the accident, Schumann concentrated more on composing. However, he kept his association with the Wiecks. When Clara was of the right age, he sought to marry her but her father forbade it.
Following a legal action, Schumann was able to marry her shortly before her 21st birthday.
Classical Music: Composer's Datebook: March 21 (O.S.) and March 31 (N.S.)
"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of
God and the refreshment of the soul." ~ Johann Sebastian Bach
Brief biography of Baroque German composer JS Bach - his life, works and influence on classical music. A master of counterpoint or contrapuntal technique, his Baroque music is one of the world's most famous.
Johann Sebastian Bach or simply JS Bach (31 March (O.S. 21 March, and N.S. 31 March, 1685), a Baroque German Protestant composer, organist, choirmaster, singer and violinist, the most popular of the musical Bach family. He was born on March 21, 1685, in Eisenach, North Germany. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a court musician.
Richard Strauss, German composer and conductor Born in Munich on June 11, 1865.
He has no relation to the "Waltz" Strauss family of Vienna. A composer and conductor of the Romantic era, Richard Strauss is best known for his symphonic poems, eg., Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Also sprach zarathustra, Op.30 (Thus Spoke Zarathustra or Thus Spake Zarathustra), a tone poem by Richard Strauss, was composed in 1896, inspired by the philosophical novel of Friedrich Nietzsche. It was first performed in Frankfurt on November 27, 1896, conducted by the composer himself.
Clara Schumann, nee Wieck, was a composer whose work has only recently become appreciated by audiences the world over. She was a dutiful daughter, a mother of eight children, a loyal friend and a loving wife. But first and foremost she was a concert pianist - 1,299 programs are preserved in the Robert Schumann house in Zwickau which encompass the years from the time of her debut at the age of nine to her last concert in Frankfurt when she was 71 years old.
Born on September 13th, 1819, to Friedrich Wieck and his wife Marianne, she was destined at birth by her father’s will to become a “Wunderkind.” By the age of five she could already perform ‘dances’ and spent hours practicing exercises. At about this time, Clara’s mother, tired of Wieck’s relentless daily sarcastic criticism, chose to leave Wieck and return to her own parent’s home thereby leaving Clara and her three brothers in the care of their father. The trauma resulting from this abandonment by her mother caused Clara to quite literally lose her faculty of speech, which she did not regain until she was reunited with her mother during the summer of 1825.
German Composer, Critic, Teacher, 19th-century Orchestra Master
Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb 13, 1883), born in Leipzig, was an influential German composer, famous for such compositions as Lohengrin, The Ring of the Nibelungs, The Twilight of the Gods, The Flying Dutchman, and The Valkyrie. Self-taught for several years, he eventually found a tutor in Theodor Weinlig.
Wagner revolutionized 19th-century opera concept as a new art form in which musical, poetic, and scenic elements were unified through a theme known as 'leitmotif' (leading motive.) Allthough grossly arrogant, his genius has adoring fans as well as harsch critics. He founded the Festival Theatre in Bayreuth in 1872, and four years later, in 1876, his masterpiece, The Ring of the Nibelungs, which is a sequence of four operas, was first performed.
Wagner wrote the libretto and music over the course of about twenty-six years, from 1848 to 1874. The four parts that constitute the Ring cycle are, in sequence:
Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold)
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
Although individual works of the sequence have occasionally been performed separately, Wagner intended them to be performed in series. A great visionary, his insights and inventiveness in music left a legacy of ideas how music should be performed, including provision of comprehensive and stage directions. In particular, opera to him was a complete work of art, the orchestra and singing should have variety of colours and textures.
Richard Wagner's The 'Ring' Without Words (A Symphonic Synthesis by Lorin Maazel). Uploaded by EuroArtsChannel. Accessed May 22, 2020. Lorin Maazel conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker. Strongly influenced by the comments of Richard Wagner's grandson, Wieland, about the importance of the orchestra in the Ring, Lorin Maazel eventually agreed to produce a symphonic synthesis of the tetralogy, which he called The Ring Without Words, a seventy-five-minute orchestral distillation designed with the express purpose of bringing the magic of these monumental music dramas to a new audience of musically sensitive listeners. Recorded live at Philharmonie Berlin, 2000.
WATCH in YouTube. (Video no longer allowed in websites / Tel. 22 May 2021.)
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Nov 22, 1710 – July 1, 1784), German composer and organist, was the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian (JS) Bach. He is considered the most gifted son by common reputation.
Early Life of Wilhelm F. Bach
Born in Weimar and educated at Leipzig, he was appointed in 1733 organist of St. Sophia's Church at Dresden. In 1746, he became organist of the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle. His father's influence was enough to secure him the latter position without the usual trial performance.
His father, JS Bach, was the stabilizing factor in his life, and when his father died in 1750, he lived an unhappy life in Halle, from which he frequently traveled to seek other employment.
German Composer, Master in Opera. Classical and Romantic era
Carl Maria von Weber's brief biography – his life and major works. He is best known for founding the Romantic school of opera after producing his famous Der Freischütz.
Born: Eutin,
18 November 1786
Died: London, 5 June 1826
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1844), German composer of the Romantic era, is best remembered for establishing the Romantic school of opera with his Der Freischütz, his famous opera produced in Berlin, and recognized throughout Germany as instrumental in helping found a truly German national opera style, already challenged earlier by Mozart.
Carl Maria (Friedrich Ernst) von Weber, born on 18 November 1786, was a son of a musician. His was cousin of Constanze Weber, wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From childhood, he received a strong musical education from his family-operated traveling Weber Theatre Company, his own mother performing so that by age 13, he successfully produced his opera Das Waldmadchen (The Forest Maiden.)
Weber - Overture to the Opera "Oberon" (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra). Barenboim, conducting. YouTube, uploaded by EuroArtsChannel. Accessed November 18, 2022.
Below is a performance of Weber's opera Overture From “Der Freischütz” with Südfunk-Sinfonieorchester
1970.
Carlos Kleiber, conducting. Video credit: YouTube, uploaded by RayChuan. Accessed November 18, 2022.
Classical Music / Composer's Datebook: September 5
Brief biography of German Classical
composer and performer, Johann Christian Bach, popularly called 'London Bach' or 'English Bach.'
Johann
Christian Bach's Early Years
Johann Christian Bach, German composer of the
Classical Era, was the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach by his second wife
Anna Magdalena Bach. JC Bach, as he was commonly called, was born on September 5, 1735, in Leipzig. JC Bach studied with his father until aged 15, then in Berlin with his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel, considered the best musician in the Bach family that time.
In
1754 he went to Italy, abandoned Protestantism for Roman Catholicism, and became organist in Milan
Cathedral. He left for Italy
in 1754, became an organist at Milan Cathedral and converted from Protestantism
to Roman Catholicism.
JC
Bach's Move to London
Johann Christian Bach went to London in 1762 and was appointed music master to Queen Charlotte Sophia, wife of George III. Since then he has been called
the 'English Bach' or 'London Bach.'
In London, he became friends with the boy genius Mozart who was on his first European tour with family. He introduced Mozart to English musical society. Mozart wrote his first three symphonies under the influence of Johann Christian Bach.
JC Bach's Significant Milestones:
1762 - He was invited to London to write Italian operas.
1763 – On Feb 19, his opera Orione was performed at the King's Theatre in London. It was so successful that it continued on for three months, and was followed in May by the equally successful Zanaida.
Early 1770s was the height of his career as a performer and composer. Many of his works were published.
JC
Bach's Career and Health Decline
JC Bach made London his permanent home. Sadly, his
popularity faded in the late 1770s, and his health declined following financial troubles. He was soon forgotten after he died in London, 1 Jan 1782, aged 46. He was buried in St Pancras'
Churchyard.
Johann Christian Bach's Musical Legacy
His music appealed to Mozart as it provided a blend
of the Italian fluency and grace along with well founded German techniques.
Johann Christian Bach, sometimes regarded as
hedonistic compared to his half-brother CPE Bach, produced elegant music simply
suited to its social purpose.
G.F. Handel is one of the
greatest composers in the Baroque Era
Handel excelled in oratorios and
operas. He received wide acclaim during his lifetime. To this day, he is best known for his oratorio Messiah,the summation of his life’s
work composed in a single burst of inspiration but including some elements from
earlier works.
"What a wonderful thing it is to be sure of one's faith!" - G.F. Handel
George Frideric Handel
(February 23, 1685
– April 14, 1759) was an English composer and violinist of German origin.He was born in Halle, the son of a barber-surgeon. At first his
father wanted him to pursue law instead of music; eventually, his father
relented and allowed him to study under Zachau, the local organist at St Michael's
Church.
When his father died in 1703, he abandoned the
study of law and became a violinist at Keiser's Opera House in Hamburg. He completed
the opera Almira (started by Keiser
in 1705) and Nero.
From 1706
to 1710, he visited Italy.
He was inspired by these travels through meetings with Archangelo Corelli and Alessandro
Scarlattithat he was able to write a number of oratorios and operas to
Italian styles of composition. His first opera Almira was performed in Hamburg
in 1705.In 1710,
Handel was appointed Kapellmesiter to the Elector of Hanover Court
(the future George I of England). The following year, he performed the opera Rinaldo in London. It was a huge
success that Handel decided to move to England, at the same time he composed
the operas Il pastor fido, Sila and Amadigi.
Handel established his popularity in England with such works as the Water Music Suitewritten for George I. The king
gave him a life pension of six hundred pounds.The following year, he became musical director to the Duke of
Chandos, as well as director of the Royal Academy of Music at the King's. He
wrote some operas, anthems, solo sonatas, and suites for the harpsichord specifically
for the Royal Academy of Music until the theatre closed in 1728.
Carl Orff (b. July 10, 1895, Munich - d. March 29, 1982, Munich), German composer, is best remembered for his popular cantata Carmina Burana. He was also known for his influential teaching method.
