Composers Flashcards
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Composer of the Classical era, integrated the essences of Galant Style, Rococo, and Empfindsamkeit
Born in Austria
Had notable singing ability
Father of the Symphony
In 1781, he and Mozart became friends
Composed more than 100 symphonies, 84 string quartets, 25 concertos, 52 piano sonatas, 24 operas, 10 oratorios
Music style: describe a scene, of what’s happening
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
-Composer of the Classical era, integrated the essences of Galant Style, Rococo, and Empfindsamkeit
-Born in Austria, Salzburg
-A child prodigy
-His father was a great violinist
-Composed his first opera “Apollo et Hyacinthus” at 11
-In 1776, he went to Vienna
-Affected by Bach’s Counterpoint, composed Mass in C Minor
-Composed lots of operas, the last one is “Die Zauberflöte”
-Composed his Requiem to the first 8 measures of Lacrimosa, then died
-Music style: more descriptive, more emotional-wise
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
- Composer of the Classical and Romantic era
- In 1787, visited Mozart
- Affected by the Enlightenment and the French Evolution
- Symphony, No. 3, “Eroica”, was dedicated to Napoleon
- After college, he became a disciple of Haydn in Vienna
- Heiligenstädter Testament 海利根施塔特遺書
- In 1802, he entered a state of total deafness
- Musical output: 9 symphonies, overtures, incidental music, string quartets, 10 violin sonatas, cello sonatas, piano trios and quartets, chamber music for winds, extensive piano pieces (sonatas, concertos,etc.), large-scale religious work for voice and choir, 1 complete opera, 1 oratorio, songs
- His impact on music post-Beethoven
- emphasizing expression of individual emotions and perspectives
- freer harmonic structure, using forms in new ways, preceding the rise of Romanticism
- the aesthetics of heroism
- his symphony nos. 3, 9 show strong spirit of heroism
- more complicated harmonic language
- the shift of the social and cultural role of composers
- he was renowned as an individual artist, not a musician in courts or churches, allowing later composers greater creative autonomy and intellectual freedom in their work
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
- German composer of the early Romantic era
- grew up in a wealthy Jewish family
- his father was a banker, letting him receive the best education
- his parents often held salons in their home in Berlin
- at age 6, he began taking piano classes from his mother
- his sister Fanny was also a composer
- In 1829, he organized and conducted Bach’s St Matthew Passion and started its “Bach revival”
- Later, he travelled widely throughout Europe
- In 1837, he married his wife
- Musical Output
- 40 chamber works
- 5 string quartets
- 3 piano quartets
- 1 octet
- Choral works
- Psalm settings
- motets
- sacred cantatas
- secular works
- 3 Oratorios
- 5 symphonies
- 2 piano concertos
- 1 violin concerto
- incidental music “Midsummer Night’s Dream”
- 40 chamber works
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Biography
- Born in Ansfelden, Austria, an area of strict and conservative Catholicism influencing his entire life
- At 13, a chorister at Augustinian monastery of St Florian.
- Sang masses heard oratorios there
- At 16, left St Florian and enrolled a teacher;s training college in Linz
- At 17, first composition - a mass for alto solo, 2 horns, and organ, and several motets (including Pange lingua)
- At 24, his first large-scale work - Requiem (for Franz Sailer)
- At 31, returned to Linz as principal organist at the cathedral and directed a local male chorus called Frohsinn. He wrote lots of secular works for them (e.g. Germanenzug)
- In 1867, his desire of achievement, mixed with his self-doubt, led to a nervous breakdown (numeromania)
- His numeromania causes his focus on details - he was constantly revising his works (minor changes in orchestration or addition or excision of a few measures of music)
- After he recovered, he composed many of his artistically accredited works
- Messe in F-Moll
- Te Deum
- Psalm 150
- Christus factus est
- Os justi
- Locus iste
- Experienced acclaim of his improvisations of organ performances in major venues
- Died of natural causes while working on his ninth symphony
Choral Output
- 8 masses (including 2 Requiems)
- 1 Te Deum
- 5 large-scale Psalm settings
- 32 motets
- 19 large-scale secular works
- 26 shorter secular pieces
His Masses
- 2 type of masses
- neo-Renaissance works that are acappella in spirit
- Other 5 masses
- Romantic works that are expansive and fully orchestrated
- Only three
- Mass in B-flat minor
- Mass in D minor
- Mass in F minor
- Scoring and structural elements of the late Classical-era works by Haydn and Beethoven and expressive and textural elements of Romantic-era orchestral works by Liszt.
- Scored for a quartet of soloists
- Gloria and Credo are divided into sections by varying tempos
- Music of the opening Kyrie returns in the Agnus Dei
Te Deum and Psalm 150
- most symphonic choral works
His Motets
- Were mostly composed during his employment at St Florian and Linz
- For actual liturgical use
- All Renaissance style
- Latin text
- Acappella
- Some are colla parte with trombones
- Point-of-imitation manner
His secular works
- Almost half of his choral output but not so popular except for “Helgoland”
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Biography
- Born in northern Italy
- At 9, began playing the organ at the church of S Michele in Busseto
- At 18, being denied admission to the Milan conservatory
- In 1839-1893, he composed and supervised productions of operas for cities throughout Europe
- Admired Rossini
- During final years, he devoted himself to the building of a hospital and a retirement home for musicians
- mouners sang the chorus of Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco “Va pensiero” in a memorial service concert of his
Choral Output
- 11 operas
- 2 masses (including 1 Requiem)
- 2 motets
- 1 set of the Lord’s Prayer
- 4 sacred pieces “Quattro pezzi sacri”
His Masses
- Messa di Gloria (1832-34)
- Messa da Requiem (1869)
His Operas
- Choral movements from operas frequently extracted and performed separately
- Va pensiero, from “Nabucco”
- Reflects the yearnings of the slaves for their liberation and for their homeland
A symbol of Italian nationalism
