20 Easy Listening Piano Classics

HAENDEL Georg Friedrich .

(1685 - 1759) .
A naturalized English composer of In 1712, Haendel returned temporarily to Hanover and then
German origin, Haendel was adept at left the city permanently for London where his Utrecht Te
drawing on all the influences of his Deum and Jubilate, in the tradition of Purcell, were
time for the types of repertoire he performed at Saint Paul's Cathedral during the following
worked in. As a result, he would year. In 1714, the Elector of Hanover succeeded to the
mark the end of the Baroque era British throne as George the First of England, an incident
with his own unique musical style. that coincided with the doubling of Haendel's stipend. The
Haendel composed more than forty composer later wrote the music for a nautical party hosted
opera seria in the Italian style, by the king, a group of works that we now refer to simply
twenty-two oratorios, two passions as Water Music (1717). Under the patronage of the Duke of
and various instrumental works. His Chandos between 1717 and 1720, Haendel also composed
elegant music was also powerfully several harpsichord suites, a collection of psalm settings
dramatic, less rigorous than the called the Chandos Anthems, the sacred oratorio Esther
contemporary Bach's, and was well- (1718), the secular oratorio Acis and Galatea (1718) and
known throughout all of Europe. grand motets for choir, soli and orchestra (1717-20).

Georg Friedrich Haendel was born on the 23rd of In 1719, Haendel became the Director of the Royal
February, 1685 in Halle, Germany. He was the second- Academy of Music and devoted much of his attention at this
born child of a barber-surgeon and the young daughter time to recruiting musicians. In the following year, the
of a minister. His father did not intend him to pursue Academy opened its doors, and enjoyed considerable
music as a career, but saw to it that he received success. However, financial problems began to emerge
training on the organ and harpsichord because his fairly quickly and the Academy eventually crumbled in
talents were so obvious. As a result, Handel was placed bankruptcy in 1728. But during this period, Haendel wrote
under the tutelage of the most celebrated organist of some of his most important operas, Radamisto (1720),
his city, Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau. Julius Cesar (1724), Tamerlano (1724), and Rodelinda
(1725). He also complete the four Coronation Anthems for
In 1702, after proving his talent for composition by the coronation of George the Second in 1727.
completing a few sonatas, he was engaged as the In 1728, the year in which he became a naturalized English
organist for the cathedral at Halle. At the same time, he citizen, Haendel put together his own theatrical company.
enrolled at the university in order to study law. It was But problems of competition and rivalry lead him once
here that he encountered Telemann. But the discovery again into financial straits and he was obliged to give up the
of opera drew him away from his career as a church company in 1734. In addition, an attack of paralysis
musician. Motivated by an ambition to work in this suffered in 1736 prevented him from further forays into the
genre, Handel, Handel left Halle in 1704 to move to business of operatic production even though he had already
Hamburg, one of the great musical capitals of Europe recruited a new troupe. He left England to recover in the
and a place where the operatic genre dominated. At the more temperate climes of Aix-la-Chapelle. During this
opera, he worked as a second violin player, and later as period, from 1728 to 1740, Haendel composed between one
a harpsichordist. He composed his first two operas at and two Italian operas per year, and oratorios including
this time, including Almira, which afforded him some Deborah (1733), Athalia (1733) and Saul (1739). He also
relative success. Later in 1706, he undertook a journey completed works for the concert stage, such as the Solo
to Italy, from Florence to Rome, where encountered the Concertos (1736), the twelve Concerti grossi (1739), and
works of Domenico Scarlatti as well as opera seria. he the Ode to Saint Cecilia (1739)
wrote several oratorios including The Resurrection
(1708) and Il triomfo del tempo that was later After 1741 and his fortieth and final opera Deidamia,
conducted by Arcangelo Corelli. Haendel turned entirely towards English oratorio and in the
space of twenty-four days produced Messiah, a work that
conquered its Dublin audience of 1742 no less than its
London counterpart of the following year. Until 1751,
Haendel turned out about twenty oratorios including
Samson (1743) and Solomon (1749), but he also wrote six
organ concerti as well as the Dettingen Te Deum and the
Fireworks Music as part of the celebrations for the victory of
George the Second in France and the peace of Aix la
Chapelle respectively.
In 1750, Haendel's health was further compromised by a
carriage accident. In the following year, he underwent a
failed cataract operation and he suffered progressive
blindness as a result. Nonetheless, he continued to perform
as an organ improviser and to conduct from memory. In
1759, he slipped into unconsciousness during a
performance of Messiah and died shortly afterwards on April
14th in London.
He also wrote the serenade Aci Galatea e Polifemo for the
wedding of Duke Alvito and several operas of which Haendel was one of the first figures of music history to
Agrippina enjoyed a triumphant premiere in Venice on the have his biography (1760), as well as his entire works
26th of December, 1709. In 1710, Haendel left Italy for published. His operas and oratorios were written for an
the court of Hanover in Germany where he was appointed enlightened bourgeois society. His dramatic oratorios,
Kappelmeister. But no sooner had he arrived than he took which he created by drawing on the traditions of opera,
advantage of a first leave to travel to London. There he served as models for composers of the Classic and
wrote the opera Rinaldo for the Queen's Theatre in Romantic eras (of Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn),
Haymarket. He also wrote specifically for the Queen, who while his operas languished in obscurity until their revivals
endowed him with a stipend. during the twentieth century, an era in which he would be
most well-known for the Water Music and Messiah.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Johann Sebastian Bach was born on the 21st of March, 1685
(1686 - 1750) in Eisenach, Germany. He was descended from a long line of
musicians, and from a tender age, his father, uncle and elder
brother undertook to teach him string instruments, organ,
harpsichord, and voice respectively. The young Bach showed
his talents early. By the age of ten, he lost both of his
Organist, multiple
parents and was taken under the care of his elder brother at
instrumentalist and composer,
Ohrdruf where he became a choir boy. At the same time, he
Johann Sebastian Bach figures
progressively assimilated the art of composition in an auto
amongst the greatest geniuses
didactical study of the works of composers of his era and
in the history of Western music.
through attempts to imitate them. At the age of fifteen, he
left for Lunenburg, where he became a violinist and chorister,
His work, particularly prolific,
studied composition and discovered the works of French
testifies to his mastery of the
composers, Louis Marchand and Franois Couperin the Great
arts of counterpoint and chorale
in particular.
and to the influence of more
than two centuries of music.
In 1703, Bach was engaged as organist at the church of
Arnstadt. There he composed his first cantatas and acquired
a solid reputation as a virtuoso and improviser. in 1707, he
married a distant cousin, Maria Barbara Bach and left
Arnstadt in order to take up the position of organist at
Mlhausen. One year later, Bach became part of the
entourage at the court of the Duke of Weimar, where he
worked for nine years as organist, solo violinist and
composer. It was during this period that he composed the
majority of his works for organ, as well as works and
concerts for harpsichord and cantatas. Bach was gifted with
virtuosic skill on the organ, capable of monumental
improvisations for which he earned a considerable reputation.
His work for organ was tremendously influenced by organists
from the North of Germany, such as Dietrich Buxtehude with
whom he studied in 1707, as well as great Italian composers
such as Antonio Vivaldi, Tomaso Albinoni and Arcangelo
Corelli whom he discovered in Weimar.

Between 1717 and 1723, Bach lived in Kthen, where he

became Kappelmeister at the court of Prince Leopold. Here
Bach enjoyed truly excellent working conditions as well as
ties of friendship with the Prince. This allowed him to
compose some of his most impressive instrumental works.

In 1720, his wife, Maria Barabara died after giving him

seven children. Bach remaried in the following year with
Anna Magdalena Wilcken, a soprano and daughter of a
trumpet player. Together the couple had thirteen children.
Bach was Lutheran by faith and possessed an unshakable
faith in God. It was this faith that let him to compose for the
church. In 1723, on the outs with Prince Leopold, he
decided to take up a position at Leipzig where he succeeded
Georg Philipp Telemann as cantor of the Lutheran Church of
Saint Thomas.

After 1723, his work forced him to produce a cantata for

each Sunday and feast of the year. In total, he composed
enough cantatas for five annual cycles, but unfortunately
only about two hundred have come down to us. During this
period Bach also composed some of his most beautiful
sacred works, the Magnificat (1723), The Saint John Passion
(1723), The Saint Matthew Passion (1729), the Mass in B
Minor (1733), the Christmas Oratorio (1734), the second
book of the Well-Tempered Clavier (1740-43), and the
Goldberg Variations (1742)
 .
MOZART Wolfgang Amadeus .
(1756 - 1791)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on the 27th of January, 1756 in
A child prodigy, and Salzburg (Austria). His father, Leopold Mozart was a well-known and
prolific and gifted highly regarded musician and took his son's musical education upon him
composer, Mozart is from an early age. Between 1762 and 1769, Leopold put his son on display
considered as one of the for the courts of Europe--audiences that were quick to recognize his
most outstanding virtuoso talent at the harpsichord, organ, and violin. At this time, Mozart
geniuses in Western wrote his first works: a minuet (1762), a sonata for harpsichord and violin
music. He work in all (1763), a symphony (1764), an opera buffa La Finta Semplice (1768) and
musical genres with the Singspiel Bastien et Bastienne (1769).
equal talent and an
apparent ease. His style
is one of high
"Classicism" marked by
balance, clarity and
concision.

In 1769, after having performed for the greater part of

Europe, notably before Louis the 16th, he was appointed
concert master for the Archbishop of Salzburg, and
decorated by the Pope with the Order of the Golden Spur.

Between 1769 and 1772, Wolfgang continued his tours .

with his family, mainly in Italy, in order to nurture artistic
contacts. In 1770, he wrote his first opera seria of .
classical inspiration, Mitridate Re di Ponte, a work that
afforded him international success. Two years later, his After 1786, Mozart collaborated with
opera Lucio Silla was premiered in Milan. the celebrated librettist Lorenzo Da
In 1773, he worked as first violin at the court of the Ponte and experience rather qualified
Prince Archbishop in Salzburg, and wrote more than two successes, mainly in Prague (but still
hundred opus numbers. He began to realize the somewhat in Vienna) with the opera
expressive power of music and discovered Antonio Salieri The Marriage of Figaro (1786), the
and Joseph Haydn, who would have a certain amount of Symphony no. 38 in D major,
influence over his style. He experienced several difficult "Prague" (1787), the opera Don
years until 1779 after the failure of his romance with Giovanni (1787) and the opera Cosi
Aloysia Weber, to whom he was greatly attached but who fan tutte (1790).
preferred another to him. Financial grief, the death of his who had come to study in Vienna. During this period and in
mother and the hypocrisy of the aristocracy were all spite of numerous successes, Mozart experienced continual
sources of stress to Mozart. He composed a great deal financial difficulties and was literally crushed by his work
and gradually found his style with Symphony no. 29 in A load.
major and the first five piano sonatas in 1774; the opera
Il Re Pastor, the Piano Sonata no. 6 (Durmitz), the In 1791, the last year of his life, Mozart wrote a number of
Srnade in D major and five violin concerti in 1775. In masterworks: the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (K.
1779, he returned to Salzburg at the height of his artistic 595), the String Quintet in B-flat Major, the opera La
development with the composition of masses, sonatas, Clemenza di Tito. While working at a furious pace on The
concerti, and symphonies. In 1782, Mozart married Magic Flute, a new Singspiel on a magical theme which
Constanza Weber, the sister of Aloysia, who subsequently would enjoy great success, Mozart received a commission
gave birth to two daughters and four sons of whom only for a requiem mass. He attacked the work but his general
Carl Thomas and Franz Xavier Wolfgang survived. In the state of health was rapidly deteriorating. He became
same year, he wrote The Abduction from the Seraglio, a depressed and persuaded of a plot to poison him. Deprived
Singspiel commissioned by the Emperor of Austria, of all physical energy, he dictated the Requiem to his
followed by the Symphony no. 35, "Haffner" (1782) and student Sssmayer but would not have time to complete
Symphony no. 36, "Linz" (1783). The Mozart family the work before his death on the 5th of December, 1791 of
experienced a number of pecuniary difficulties, and renal failure. After a pauper's funeral, his few faithful
Wolfgang regressed several times back into the admirers could not find the courage to confront the rain
tuberculosis that he had contracted as an child and storm to witness his burial in the common grave of the
In 1784, he discovered and integrated himself in the Saint Marx cemetery.
society of Free Masons by a spiritual undertaking. There
he found a certain ideal of values. In the following year, This was the death of a genius, a master of every genre
he dedicated six string quartets to Joseph Haydn, who who became the chief representative of the "Classic" period
affirmed that he considered Mozart to be one of the of music history.
greatest composers known to him.
 Beethoven's earliest works, such as the Cantata on the Death
of Emperor Joseph the Second (1790), were written under
BEETHOVEN Ludwig Van the guidance of his mentor Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the
(1770 - 1827) same time, Beethoven worked as a viola player with the
Bonn opera, and this experience afforded him an introduction
to the operas of Mozart, including The Marriage of Figaro and
Widely known and recognized as Don Giovanni. In 1808, Beethoven heard the premiere of
a genius without equal, to Joseph Haydn's Creation, the most famous composer of the
Beethoven is the sole time. Moved by Haydn's work, he introduced himself to the
incarnation of an important era composer. In November of 1792, eleven months after the
placed between the nineteenth death of Mozart, Beethoven traveled again to Vienna to study
and twentieth centuries. From with Haydn. He would never again leave the Austrian capital,
the Classic to the Romantic era, where he also studied with the composer Antonio Salieri. This
he was the first to exalt is also the time in which he embarked on the dual career of
individual sentiments in his piano virtuoso-improviser and composer.
music, and came to personify a
Romantic ideal through his own
In 1795, at the age of twenty-five, Beethoven played one of
extraverted and idealist
his concerti for the first time, in the presence of Haydn. The
character. Imbued with
next year he undertook a series of tours (Prague and Berlin).
immense personal tragedy,
Although possessing a naturally blithe temperament, he was
scarred by sentimental trials,
on the brink of personal tragedy that would progressively
rejecting the path society had
envelop him in deafness and silence, and would elicit a split
taken in his lifetime, Beethoven
in his outward personality that oscillated between depression
sought in his works an ideal that
and feigned joviality.
his existence had denied him.
This search spawned one of the
most significant body of works in
the history of music.

In works composed after this, he further developed the

Viennese Classical style that he had earlier assimilated. The
During this period, Beethoven's previous assimilation of period between 1802 and 1812, often referred to as the
Mozart's style, combined with his gleanings from the "heroic period," witnessed a remarkable flowering of
lessons he had learned from both Mozart and Haydn were Beethoven's personality, manifested in a wealth of
united in a style at once individual and innovative. He wrote production. This period was also heightened by love interests
numerous works for the piano (sonatas and concertos) (Theresa and Josephine von Brunswick and Bettina Brentano)
including the Piano Sonata no. 8, "Pathetic" (1799), and even as cruel emotional disappointments depressed it, and
Piano Sonata no. 14, "Moonlight" (1802). In 1800, his finally brought to life a number of major works such as
Symphony no. 1 in C major was premiered and he also Symphony no. 3, "Eroica" (1802-04), Piano Sonata,
completed the Opus 18 string quartets, a reputed difficult "Appassionata" (1804), his only opera, Fidelio (1805),
genre in which to compose. His success was growing, and Symphony no. 5 in C minor (1808), Symphony no. 6,
his reputation would soon spread all over Europe. "Pastoral" (1808) and Piano Concerto no. 5, "Emperor"
(1809). Throughout this period of emotional highs and lows
But his worsening deafness resulted in a continually and staggering compositional achievement, Beethoven
increasing sense of social isolation, and in the fall of 1802, occupied a privileged place in the musical life of the time.
he wrote his famous Heiligenstadt Testament to his two
brothers, a document he never sent to them (it was found
among his personal effects after his death). This act marks
the near conclusion of his own existence as a hearing
person, and his music would later come to us, gradually, as
a direct expression of his soul, an expression the composer
could only imagine.
 .
.
CHOPIN Frdric
Between 1828 and 1829, Chopin undertook journeys to
(1810 - 1849) Berlin and later Prague, and also succeeded in having his
This Polish composer and Variations on La ci darem la mano by Mozart (op. 2). This
pianist, "poet of the piano" work drew the admiration of Robert Schumann who
exuding originality and responded with a now-famous quotation, "Hats off, Sirs!
refinement of style, is the This is a genius!" Upon his return to Poland in 1830, Chopin
BRAHMS Johannes archetype of the Romantic After 1849, Brahms made several important contacts
premiered his two piano concerti. And after three
composer. He wrote mainly including the Hungarian violinist Eduard Remenyi, who
(1833 - 1897) triumphant concerts, he took his leave to study further
for the piano and produced asked him to be his accompanist during a concert tour.
afield, stopping in Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Munich and
his best works in both In the course of this tour, Brahms would form a lasting
Stuttgart.
A composer
Romantic and pianist
genres of German
(Nocturnes, alliance with the soon-to-be acclaimed violin virtuoso
descent, Brahms
Impromptus, combined
Ballades, etc.)Romantic Joachim. This individual eventually cajoled the
inspiration with
and traditional forms, classical tradition, composer into a meeting with Franz Liszt in Weimar,
the latter
infused withaesthetic
new life. having been but this meeting proved somewhat uncomfortable for
shunned by the majority of Brahms. (Liszt sight read his E-flat minor piano
composers since Beethoven. Little Scherzo.) Joachim also brought him to Dusseldorf
inclined to gratuitous use of novel where he presented him to Robert Schumann, who
effects in terms of harmony and was impressed by his early works (e.g., sonatas and
Frdric Chopin was born on orchestration,March 1st, 1810 he inchampioned
Zelazowa a type Lieder) and extolled them in his New Journal for Music
Wola near Warsaw, to a French of music
fatherthatandran counter
Polish to the
mother. (Neue Zeitschrift fr Musik) in 1853. Brahms
A child prodigy, he began composing artistic currentat the of his
agetime. His
of five developed a profound respect for Schumann, and
and undertook musical studies profoundly
very personal
early with compositional
the remained a faithful servant to his wife Clara,
unassuming Czech piano output teacher makes him oneZywny.
Adalbert of the most celebrated pianist, when his mentor was committed in
Impassioned by both contemporary significantandcomposers
popular music of theas 1854 following a new psychological crisis that
well as literature, he pursuednineteenth studies in both century.music as well accompanied an attempted suicide. On Schumann's
as traditional
Johannes scholarly
Brahms topics.
was born intoIna 1825,
modest the Tzar on
family attended
the 7th of May death in 1856, his love for Clara transformed into an
two
1833 of his concerts,
in Hamburg. and in
His father, the same
bassist, introduced year,him Chopin
to music and epic love story. This tragic period is reflected in his
published
specifically his first composition,
the violin the First attracted
and cello. Instinctively Rondo in C piano,
to the music, notably in his Piano Concerto in D minor (1854-
minor.
young Brahms began to study the instrument with Otto Cossel, 58). He also composed the opus 5 piano sonata
From 1826 to 1829,
and appeared he for
in public studied counterpoint
the first time at the andageharmony
of ten. At the (1853), the four ballades (1854) and his first chamber
at the time,
same Warsaw Conservatory
music professor with Eduardthe institution's
Marxen initiated director,
him to the work, Trio for Piano and Strings, op. 8 (1854).
Joseph
world of Elsner. At this time,
composition, he wrote the
including several early works,
technique of classical
including
counterpoint. the Waltz
Brahms in A-flat
respondedmajor, a Mazurka
with in A minor,
the composition of his first In 1854, Brahms returned to his native city of
a
twoPolonaise in D minor,
piano sonatas. a Nocturne
As early as the age in Eofminor and he
thirteen, twobegan to Hamburg where he served for two years as a piano
piano
earn aconcerti (one in
living playing in Elocal
minor and another
orchestras, whichineasedF minor)
the families teacher and choirmaster at the court of Detmold, a
composed in 1830 which
pecuniary burdens, all thearewhilemodel Romantic
pursuing works. training.
his musical position that he made his own by founding his own
women's choir in 1859. During this time, his Piano
In 1830, Chopin left Warsaw for Vienna, one month . Concerto in D minor (no. 1) failed to please when
before the onset of the Polish insurrection of 29 performed in Liepzig in 1859. At the same time,
November. In July, while en route to Paris, he learned of Brahms composed, amongst other works, the String
the crushing of the revolution and the pillaging of Warsaw Sextet (1858-60), and the Variations and Fugue on a
by Russian troops--news that affected him deeply. In Theme by Handel for piano (1861).
Paris, where he would spend the majority of his time, his
After several
milieu
himself
includedsojourns
Mendelssohn,in Vienna
such notable
Hectorsometime
in different
figures as
Berlioz, afterand 1863,
cities,
FranzBrahms
Niccoloa Paganini,
Liszt, Felix
place where
After 1888, Brahms turned to
established
but he met
Johann
also Strauss.
Honore de Brahms's
Balzac et reputation
Eugene as a conservative
Delacroix. He was smaller-scale
composer, works, and
acquired by
intensely his as
active reluctant
a pianist positioning
within the at intimate
the headsalons of a movement
of
opposed
the day and to the
gave "New
much Germans"
sought after and instruction
Richard Wagner undertook a concert tour in
in particular,
to patrons
earned himtoanthe appointment as the of director of the choralInacademy
belonging
(Singakademie).
1832,
upper echelons
He judged
the warm reception the choir
accorded
Parisian society.
to hisinsufficient
Variations on and 1895 to showcase his most
a turned
himself of
Theme overDonentirely to composition
Juan prompted during himself
him to devote the summer recent works, the clarinet
once months
and
moreconducting and performing
to composition. He developed during athe winters.personal
strongly At this stage in
his career,
style, informed Brahmsby thebecame
studybest knownand
of Bach as Mozart,
a composer trio and quintet (1891) as
and for his
chamber works,
influenced by Fieldinand which
Hummel. he often produced works in genres .
perceived as challenging: two quartets for piano with strings well as the Sonata for
(1861-62)1832 and
Between and 1834,the he completed
piano quintet
the Twelve of Clarinet and Piano (1894).
Between 1838 and 1847, Chopin embarked on a
Etudes1862-64.
tumultuous liaison with George Sand. In the winter of
(op. 10), dedicated to Liszt, in which he expressed the
true essence of the piano by exploiting its different 1838, the two journeyed to the Baleares Islands to improve
registers, sonorities and harmonic possibilities, and in the the composer-pianist's health. This journey also saw the
doing brought the pianistic revolution begun by Beethoven Clara Schumann's death in
completion of the Twenty four Preludes (op. 28, 1836 and
to full fruition. In this period, he also composed six
nocturnes, and several rondos and mazurkas. Liszt, Clara
1896 dealt him a severe
1839). Around the same time he produced the second
Ballade, the third Scherzo, some new Polonaises and a
Wieck and Hiller also contributed in a significant way to an blow, and he increasingly
variety of Nocturnes...
increased knowledge of his work. In 1835, Chopin became
engaged to Maria Wodzinski even as Liszt introduced him retreated into his own world.
The "mature" years of 1840 to 1847 were filled with
to his future lover, George Sand. In 1837, he published
his second volume of Twelve Etudes (op. 25, 1832-36).
His death in Vienna on April
teaching, giving concerts and composing, summers at the
home of George Sand in the pastoral setting of Nohant,
3rd, 1897 of liver cancer was
and winters in Paris. he wrote a great deal, including the
In 1868, moved by the death of his mother, Brahms produced A and fourth Ballades, new Nocturnes, two piano
third
German Requiem, the triumphal success of which contributed marked by great funeral
sonatas and the Sonata for Cello and Piano (1846).
greatly to his renown, along with the reception of the Hungarian
Dances (1854-68). Brahms subsequently composed choral works pomp. His final is amongst
In 1847 he was plunged into solitude after ending his
that have some affinity with the requiem, including the Song of
relationship with George Sand. In 1849, after returning
exhausted from his last tour of England and Scotland, he
gave himself up to the tuberculosis which had plagued him
for most of his life on the 17th October in the city of Paris.
Fate (Schickssalslied, 1871) and much later the Gesang der
Parzen of 1882. In 1872, Brahms accepted the directorship of the
his most well-known works,
Society of the Friends of Music (Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde), the Four Serious Songs
but resigned from his post three years later to devote himself once
again to composition. Until 1873, he wrote mainly for the piano, (1896).dn (1873) for
his preferred instrument.
orchestra, a work that

predates h is
immanent mastery of inked
with the historical classical
tradiagneriase.

DEBUSSY Claude Achille From 1888 to 1889, Debussy traveled to Bayreuth

and discovered the music of Richard Wagner. He
(1862 - 1918) wrote the Ariette Oublie (1888), two Arabesques
(1888), a cycle of melodies on texts by Baudelaire
Claude Debussy, a product of the (1888-89), the Suites Bergamasque (1890, revised
French musical environment of his in 1905). At the Universal Exhibition of 1889, he
time, is considered to be the most discovered a new source of inspiration in the works
significant artist of the early of Mussorgski, as well as the exotic sounds of the
twentieth century, and a precursor Javanese gamelan and oriental music.
of the modern style. His emphasis of
harmonic spheres and colour over During the 1890s, Debussy attended a performance
clarity of line and musical form, of Maeterlinck's Pellas et Mlisande and decided to
often prompts comparisons with the compose an opera with the same title (1892-02).
"impressionist" visual artists (Claude During this period, Debussy also wrote his first
Monet, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, orchestral score Prlude l'aprs-midi d'un faune
etc.), even if Debussy himself felt (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,1892-94),
much closer to the "symbolism" in inspired by a poem by Stphane Mallarm, and the
his literary affinities as well as String Quartet in G minor (1893). Drawing on the
friends such as Charles Baudelaire, pentatonic collection, as well as exploiting the
Paul Verlaine, and Stphane whole-tone scale and chords chosen for their colour
Mallarm. instead of their function, Debussy infuses his work
with a dream-like quality, which invited comparison
Claude Achille Debussy was born in Saint Germain en Lay on the with the "impressionists," referring to an effect
22nd of August 1862. His parents were relatively poor, non obtained by painters of this aesthetic persuasion.
musicians. A family friend and former student of Frdric Chopin These works endowed Debussy with a fair share of
advised his parents to allow their young child of only three years of public attention. in 1894, the premiere of the
age to study the piano with him. In 1873, he entered the Paris Prlude l'aprs-midi d'un faune sealed the public's
Conservatory and studied, among other topics, the piano, organ and opinion of Debussy as an original artist and marked
compositions with such professors as Marmontel, Franck and de the end of his material difficulties. In 1902, the
Guiraud. He was relatively undisciplined as a student but very gifted. opening of the opera Pellas et Mlisande projected
Eventually, he decided to put the piano aside in favour of Debussy into the center of both polemic and glory.
composition, even though he appeared to possess the potential to be Incidental music that Debussy had accepted to write
a virtuoso. for financial reasons were actually orchestrated by
other hands. This is how Andr Caplet became
In 1879, he accompanied, as a personal musician, Nadejda von involved with the completion of La Bote joujoux
Meck, patron of the Russian composer Tchaikovsky. In Moscow, the et Le Martyre de saint Sbastien, while Charles
music of composers such as Tchaikovsky, Borodine, Balakirev, and Kchlin finished Khamma.
above all Mussorgski made a great impression on Debussy. He wrote
here a the well-known Three Nocturnes for orchestra (1879).
In 1904, Debussy met Emma Bardac-Moyse and
each left their respective spouse in order to move in
In 1884, Debussy won the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome with the together. They had a daughter in 1905, and married
cantata l'Enfant Prodigue, which allowed him to study in Italy for two in 1908. From 1896 to 1914, Debussy wrote mainly
years. There he wrote several works, including the symphonic suite for the piano, Estampes (1903), Images, books I
Printemps and the cantata La Demoiselle Elue, based on a work by and II (1905 and 1907), two books of Prludes
the British poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti. (1909-10 and 1911-13). His orchestral works of this
Back in Paris in 1887, Debussy set up house with a young woman period represent the summit of musical
and began to frequent the Tuesday gatherings of Stephane Mallarme. impressionism, La Mer (1905), as well three
There he met, among others, Paul Verlaine and Marcel Proust, arrangements of Images for orchestra, Gigues,
painters and musicians. He broadened his cultural references both Ibria, and Rondes de printemps (1908-1912).
here and at the house of Madame Vasnier, where he rubbed
shoulders with numerous artists.
JOPLIN Scott In 1901, he moved to St. Louis with his new wife,
Belle. In St. Louis, he played often with Tom Turpin
(1867 - 1917) and other ratimers, but Joplin was more of a
solitary nature and preferred to devote himself
mainly to composition. His publisher, John Stark,
was also establish in St. Louis and Joplin spent a
great deal of time at the publishing house where he
Scott Joplin a black American musician, courted Eleanor, Stark's daughter and chief editor,
pianist and composer occupies an important and whose influence would lead him to meet Alfred
place in the history of American music and Ernst, the orchestral conductor of the highly
more particularly in that of Ragtime, a respected St. Louis Choral Symphony Society. Ernst
characteristic style from with which its name recognized Joplin's interest in classical music, but
is inevitably associated. told him that he found in him more a congenial
writer of ragtime and encouraged him to continue in
Scott Joplin was likely born between June this area. Some of the most significant rags
1867 and July 1868 North of Texas but he composed in St. Louis include: Peacherine Rag, The
does not appear in civil record until the Easy Winners, The Ragtime Dance, The Entertainer.
census of 1870 where he appears to have
been already two years old. In 1903, an extensive tour for an opera was
compromised very early on by the theft of the
While he was still a young child, the Joplin family left the farm where proceeds, which also placed Joplin in financial
his father had been a slave to establish themselves in a new city at difficulties. As well, his publisher refused to print
on the border between Texas and Arkansas. Legend has it that Joplin the opera and this created a rift between the two
discovered piano in the house of white persons where his mother for some time. Joplin's works of the moment were,
worked as a domestic employee, and that his apprenticeship was however, printed by other publishers.
entirely autodidactic. His innate talent was noticed by a local music
teacher who helped him perfect his art, and taught him classical Following this failure, he returned often to
forms, including opera. The influence of this professor is certainly at Arkansas, where he made the acquaintance of the
the root of the need that Joplin always felt to be recognized as a young Freddie Alexander, whom he married in the
composer of classical music. in 1911, he wrote his first opera, month of July 1904, after having divorced Belle. The
Treemonisha, a work that recounts the history of a black mother who marriage was unfortunately brief, since Freddie died
receives from the white family for which she works, the musical of pneumonia several weeks later.
education of her son. Without a doubt, this work is an expression of
Joplin's gratitude to his mother The years that followed were rather dark, between
personal loss and financial difficulty, he turned out
The first true trace of the beginnings of Joplin's musical career are small, minor works. In 1907, Joplin renewed his
passed down in a journal article dating from 1891: he directed a jazz business relationship with Starck, his publisher,
group and played the trumpet. Once established in Sedalia, he led during a trip to new York, where he encountered
the life of an itinerant musician and traveled a great deal, from Joseph Lamb, the dedicatee of "Lamb's Sensation"
Syracuse to New York, mainly with his Texas Medley Quartet. of 1908. Joseph Lamb would also become one of
Business men from Syracuse who were impressed with his talent the great composers of ragtime.
contributed to the publication of his first two songs, "Please Say You
Will" and "A Picture of Your Face". Joplin had rediscovered his inspiration and
published several other rags of prime order:
When he was not travelling, he worked in Sedalia as a pianist and "Heliotrope Bouquet," "Nonpareil" and his manual
played in various black nightclubs, with a repertoire consisting of School of Ragtime.
works such as the now-famous "Maple Leaf Rag." He was often
surrounded by local young musicians, some of which would also Between 1911 and 1913, he undertook the
become famous, such as Scott Haydn, with whom he composed production of his opera Treemonisha and attempted
several rags. to have it published, without success. Repeated
failure became a motif in his work, the greater part
A fire of 1925 having destroyed the George R. Smith College where of which was never publish, the manuscripts now
he studied during the 1890s, we do not know the precise extent of lost.
Joplin's musical studies. We can simply assume that he never
completely mastered musical composition since it was necessary for Joplin died on the 1st of April, 1917, after a long
him to obtain the services of "arrangers" in order to publish his first and painful illness related to syphilis, which he had
rags, some of which were actually signed by these individuals. likely contracted twenty years earlier.

Joplin subsequently retained the services of a young lawyer in order Following his death, he fell quickly into obscurity, as
to publish what has since become one of his most famous rags, the the genre of ragtime itself, brushed aside by the
"Maple Leaf Rag." Sales were weak at first but increased significantly new style of jazz. It would not be until 1940 that
after 1909 for a total of half a million copies per year, and this for a ragtime would be revisited by jazz musicians.
period of twenty years. Treemonisha would finally be staged and performed
with success on Broadway in 1970. Ragtime and
Scott Joplin together form an integral part of the
American musical landscape and of the history of
music in general.
KHATCHATURIAN ARAM
(1903 - 1978)

A relatively unknown composer, Khatchaturian nonetheless composed several

works and songs that have been performed the world over, certain of which
have been co-opted and arranged by other musicians.

Aram Khatchaturian was born in Kodjori near Tbilissi on the 6th of June, 1903. The son of a modest book binder, he failed to
display an early gift for music and did not undertake musical studies until the age of nineteen. At this time, he studied the
cello at the Gnessine Institut, followed by composition and orchestration at the Moscow conservatory. He completed his
studies in 1934, with several piano works already to his credit.

He was well-acquainted with Caucasian folklore since his early childhood and was also influenced by French music, the
cultural traditions of Oriental and Christian Russia as well as those of Armenia with which he had regular contact. One might
say that Khatchaturian was more of an orchestrator than a composer-pianist. He produced numerous arrangements of
popular dances, pieces for the balalaka, marches, and patriotic songs.

His catalogue of works for the piano is not very significant, but includes some magnificent works, since, like many Soviet
composers (e.g., Prokofiev, Shostakovitch, and Kabalevsky), he had a strong interest in music "for children," expressed
mainly in his two albums (1947 and 1965). He also composed one Sonatina (1958) and one Sonata (1961).

Khatchaturian quickly became very popular in the Soviet Union and experienced his first big success with his Symphony,
written in 1934. He won the Stalin Prize twice and was decorated with the Order of Lenin.

After the last war, his reputation spread throughout Europe, thanks to the success of his piano and violin concerti and
moreover with his famous Dance of the Saber, excerpted from his ballet Gayaneh.

At the same time, other musicians undertook transcriptions of some of his orchestral compositions to be used as film or stage
music.

He died in Moscow on the 1st of May, 1978.

KULHAU Friedrich Daniel Rudolf .
(1786 - 1832) .
Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau was a In the years that followed, Kulhau became a court musician
Danish composer, contemporary of and composer as well as an honorary professor in 1828.
Beethoven, little known by the Under his influence, the National Danish Opera enjoyed
public at large, but whose works are considerable success and Kulhau quickly earned the
often played by debutante pianists reputation of being the greatest Danish composer. He
thanks to numerous short works frequently used Danish folk song in his compositions, which
that he wrote for the instrument. lent his music a unique colour that was highly regarded by
These works were written in parallel the Danes.
with his more significant works in
the operatic and concerto genre, He profited from his comfortable position in order to take up
and which have unfortunately not residence at a house near Copenhagen, where his parents
weathered the ages as well. later joined him. He then composed several operas, Lulu, The
Magic Harp, Hugo and Adelaide, with continued public
success in his country since their strong sense of nationalism
Kuhlau was born in Uelzen, near Hannover on the 11th of excluded influence from beyond their own borders, even if
September, 1786. At the age of seven, an accident resulted German, French and Italian elements were equally as present
in the loss of vision of his right eye. Several members of in his works. In the rest of Europe, Kulhau was known mainly
his family, were members of the military and oboe players, for his talent as a pianist and the works he composed for this
including his father. As such, even though the family was instrument.
of modest means, his parents arranged for him to study
the piano, an instrument for which he would rapidly prove In 1825, during a visit to Vienna, he met Beethoven, with
his talent. whom he spend an inebriated evening, improvising canons
and contrapuntal passages to the great pleasure of his
Following his parents, he traveled in Europe, from friends.
Lunenburg to Brunswick before settling in Hamburg at the
age of 14, where, all the while pursuing piano studies, he In 1830, Kulhau's house burned to the ground, along with all
began to study composition with Schwenke, Kappelmeister of his unpublished manuscripts including the second piano
of the Chapel of Saint Catherine. His first compositions for concerto. His father also died during the incident, an event
flute and piano were published while he was still a student. that would affect him greatly, spurring a protracted and
After 1804, he began to give regular piano recitals. serious illness that lasted more than one year. He died on the
12th of March, 1832, and his burial was a national event
In 1810, Hamburg was annexed by France, and Kulhau including the performance of one of his own funeral marches.
took refuge in Copenhagen to avoid military service in
Napoleon's army. In 1811, he conducted his Piano concerto A number of sonatas and sonatinas as well as short easy
in C major. This work had be significantly inspired by works for the piano, stemming from his work as a teacher,
similar works by Beethoven, a composer Kulhau took as his survived him. These works are still studied today, since they
model. help students acquire fundamental principals and techniques
of the piano, in the same manner as works by Clementi,
Diabelli, and Beethoven.
 ROSSINI GIOACCHINO
(1792-1868)
An Italian composer, he was also the most celebrated
musical author of his era. He reformed Italian opera, and
was also one of the greatest exponents of the bel canto
style during the nineteenth century-a style that
emphasizes beauty of melodic line over intrigue and
feeling.

Born the 29th of February, 1792 in Pesaro, he was trained

at the conservatory in Bologna. Rossini wrote thirty-seven
operas, from Demetrio e Polibio (1806) to Guillaume Tell
(1829). His first marriage was to the Spanish soprano,
Isabelle Colbrand.

In 1823, he was received in Paris with great enthusiasm, and took up the directorship of the Thtre-
Italien. In 1825, he was named principal composer to the king and inspector general of singing in
France. The most famous opera by Rossini is the Barbier de Sville, written in thirteen days and
premiered in Rome in 1816. Amongst his other operas, those most often performed and well-liked in
our time include L'Italiana in Algeri (An Italian in Algiers, 1813), Il Turco in Italia (A Turck in Italy,
1814), La Cenerentola (Cinderella, 1817), Semiramide (1823) and Le Compte Ory (1828).

At the age of thirty-seven, Rossini decided that he would no longer write for the theatre, and for the rest of his life wrote only
two major works, the Stabat Mater in 1842, and the Missa Brevis (1864). In spite of his extended retreat from composition,
he remains one of the most important individuals in the world of music.

He died in Passy, France, on the 13th of November, 1868. His operas were last and the best of Italian opera buffa. Their light
and lively music expressed light heartedness and vivacity. Rossini adopted a bel canto style for his brilliant melodies, that
singers could perform with striking effects as well as a great deal of expression.
TCHAKOVSKY Piotr Ilyitch .
(1840 - 1893) .
A profoundly Russian
composer, who also looked to
music of the West,
Tchaikovsky was one of the
foremost figures of the post-
Romantic musical era.

Piotr Illich Tchaikovsky was born on the 7th of May in 1840

in Voltkinsk (Oural). His parents had decided that he would
pursue a career in law. At the same time, they saw to it that
he received training in piano from a very early age. From
1850 to 1859, he studied law at the Saint Petersburg
school, and held the post of first class clerk for the minister
of justice until 1863. All the while, Tchaikovsky continued to
receive training in music at the Russian Music Society and
later at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory after 1862. he
took courses in singing, piano, composition, and
orchestration with such notable teachers as the composer
and pianist Anton Rubinstein. During the period he wrote
The Storm, a symphonic poem.

From 1866 to 1878, Tchaikovsky settled in Moscow where the brother of Anton Rubinstein secured him the post of harmony
professor at the conservatory. Tchaikovksy was already an anguished man, subject ot nervous depression, suppressing his
homosexual orientation. At this time in his life he wrote his first opera, Vovode (1868) on a libretto by the dramaturgist
Aleksandr Nikolaevitch Ostrovski, and later his operas Ondine (1869) and Opritchnik (1872) as well as the overture for
Romeo and Juliet (1869-70, revised in 1880). He also wrote his first three symphonies, no. 1 "Winter Dreams," no. 2 "The
Little Prussian" (1872) and no. 3 "Polonaise" (1875) as well as the B-flat piano concerto (1875). This last work was initially
dedicated to Nikola Rubinstein, who pronounced it unplayable although in the end it became part of his repertoire thanks to
numerous changes made by the composer. The concerto was later dedicated to Hans von Blow, who premiered it as part of
his U.S. tour (1875-76). Through a skillful use of popular melodies, this concerto became one of the most commonly
performed works of the piano repertoire.

As early as 1868, Tchaikovsky met the musicians of the Group of Five (or Russian Five), but his music was radically different
from theirs, that is, it was greatly influenced by the West. He sympathized with Balakirev, but kept his distance from Rimski-
Korsakov and was openly hostile to Mussorgski. In 1876, he attended performances of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle in the role
of music critic and reacted with some indifference to the German composer's style.
After 1876, Tchaikovsky was freed of his financial burdens by Nadejda von Meck, a wealthy widow and great enthusiast of his
music, who corresponded with him in an epistolary manner, maintaining written communication for a period of fourteen years
without ever meeting him. This was the beginning of a fruitful era for Tchaikovsky. he wrote operas: Eugene Onegin (1878),
Mazeppa (1883), The Sorceress (1887), ballets: Swan Lake (1876), Sleeping Beauty (1889), and The Nutcracker (1892) ; the
E-flat minor string quartet (1876), the Variations on a rococo theme for cello and orchestra (1876), Marche Slave (1876),
Francesca da Rimini (1876), Symphony no. 4 in F minor (1877), the Concerto for violin in D Major (1878), the 1812 Overture
(1880), the Piano Concerto no. 2 in G Major (1880), the Serenade for strings (1880), the Trio in A minor for violin, cello and
piano (1882).

In 1876, he married Antonina Milioukova, a student at the Moscow conservatory and effectively ended rumours of his
homosexuality. He hoped to resolve his internal dilemma by throwing himself into the serenity of family life, but this marriage
ended in failure and reinforced in him the idea of unchangeable destiny, an idea that appears in his "Manfred" symphony, as
well as in Symphony no. 5 in E minor (1888) and the opera, The Queen of Spades.

From 1887 onward, Tchaikovsky launched himself into a career as an orchestral conductor, and directed works throughout
Europe. He knew success across major European and American cities until 1891. During this period, however, Tchaikovsky's
life was clouded by persistent melancholy. In 1893, he undertook the composition of the Symphony no. 6 in B minor, later
renamed "The Pathetic Symphony" by his brother. The premiere of this work on the 28th of October 1893 under the
composer's direction failed to impress the public, and Tchaikovsky died later that year on the 6th of November in Saint
Petersburg, officially of cholera. The hypothesis that he had committed suicide began to spread, and it is perhaps possible
that he was ordered to poison himself after engaging in a liaison with a prince of the imperial family. This does not seem to
have harmed his reputation: the eminent Russian composer Igor Stravinsky would later see in his person a dignified
representative of his country's music.
SCHUMANN Robert In 1834, Schumann created and
later directed for a period of ten
(1810 - 1856) years the serial Neue Zeitschrift fr
Musik (The New Journal For Music) in
which demonstrated his critical
A German composer with
talents through the voice of several
a Romantic personality
pseudonyms including the volatile
that favoured isolation
Florestan and the dreamy Eusebius,
and a tragic destiny,
respectively inspired by Beethoven
Robert Schumann
and Jean Paul and behind which he
worked periodically in
preferred to hide the conflicting
every genre of music and
aspects of his personality.
is responsible for an
impressive oeuvre Behind the mask of his pseudonym's personalities,
greatly indebted to Schumann aired his musical ideas, for example, the music of
literature. He is one of Johann Sebastian Bach. He also encouraged young Romantic
the most significant composers, encouraged "a new poetic era" in music and
composers of the entered the polemic on the subject of grand opera (very
German Romantic much in fashion at the time) denouncing excesses of
generation, in particular, virtuosity that he believed to be a crippling force to musical
thanks to his works for expression. At the same time, Schumann succumbed to
the piano. nervous depression following the death of one of his brothers
as well as his sister-in-law and also fell hopelessly in love
with Clara. But Wieck, faced with the young age of his
Robert Alexander Schumann was born the 8th of June 1810
daughter (eighteen years) and being rather afraid that such
in Zwickau (Saxony). he learned to play the piano at a very
a union would compromise her budding career as a concert
young age and his father, a bookseller by profession,
pianist, refused to sanction the union that would take place,
introduced him simultaneously to German poetry. The
regardless of Wieck's disapproval, three years later
young Schumann was thus as much at ease with writing
(Schumann having resorted to legal action). The young
poems as Lieder. In 1826, however, his artistically fulfilling
composer's passion for Clara, the only true happiness in his
life was shattered by the death of his father, followed by his
life, led him to write a number of works. This was his "Song
sister's suicide.
Year," a time in which he would produce half of his one
hundred and thirty-eight Lieder, including among others the
Liederkreis (after poems by Heine and von Eichendorff), the
Dichterliebe cycle (with poetry by Heine), and the
Frauenliebe und Leben cycle which set the texts of von
Chamisso.
In 1842, Clara's health was compromised by the birth of their
second daughter, and she began to suffer nervous
depression. For his part, Schumann was ill-equipped to tend
to the needs of his family and found it difficult to accept his
wife's fame, which was greater
than his. He later became a
composition professor at the
conservatory in Leipzig, which
had been founded by his friend
In 1828, he obtained the equivalent of a baccalaureate and
Felix Mendelssohn, but he had
left on foot for Bayreuth. He later journeyed to Leipzig
little talent for teaching. At the
where he studied law. Ever impassioned by literature as
same time, he dedicated the
well as music, he met Friedrich Wieck who became his piano
opus 41 quartets to his
teacher. It was in this way that he met Wieck's daughter of
benefactor and friend and
only nine years of age, Clara, who became a virtuoso
produced other chamber works
performer as a result of her father's tyrannical teaching
such as the Piano Quartet (op.
methods. in 1830, following a trip to Italy where was able to
47) and the Piano Quintet (op.
hear the virtuoso Niccolo Paganini and, upon the advice of
44). The next year he completed
his law professor, Schumann decided to give himself over
the secular oratorio Paradise and
exclusively to the study of piano. During these years, he
Peri.
wrote a number of works for the instrument including the
In 1844, the Schumann family settled in Dresden. There the
Toccata (op. 7, 1829-32), Six Etudes After the Paganini
composer finished his piano concerto (op. 54) and also the
Caprices (1832) and his set of intimate miniatures Papillons
opera Genoveva (1847-49), and the stage music for Manfred
(1831), inspired by a novel by the poet Jean Paul.
(1848-49). In 1850, the year of the premiere of his opera in
Leipzig, which quickly fell into oblivion, Schumann was
In 1832, anxious to improve the independence of his
appointed Music Director for the city of Dsseldorf and also
fingers, he constructed a device intended to achieve this
worked as the orchestral and choir conductor. A fruitful
and which certainly resulted in the definitive paralysis of his
period of composition began with the Symphony no. 3,
ring finger and put an end to his career as a pianist. He
"Rhenish" (1850), his mass The Pilgrimage of the Rose
then devoted himself entirely to composition and wrote
(1851), his Requiem (1852-53), and his violin concerto of
works for the piano including the Symphonic Etudes (1834-
1853
37), Carnaval (1835), Fantasy in C major (1836), Scenes
In 1854, Schumann and Clara together enjoyed real success
from Childhood (1838), Kreisleriana (1838) and three
in Holland where they met Johannes Brahms (then a mere
sonatas.
twenty years of age), and in whom Schumann saw the future
of music. It was Brahms who would watch over him and later
Clara when, in this same year, Schumann was incarcerated
in an asylum in Bonn, following several depressive episodes,
crises of dementia and moreover an attempt to drown
himself. Confined for the remainder of his life, Schumann
died on the 29th of July, 1856.
SCHUBERT Franz .
(1779 - 1828) .
In spite of a short life, Franz Franz Schubert was born in Vienna on the 31st of January
Schubert left behind him an 1797 to a domestic worker and a cello teacher. His
enormous output in which every childhood unfolded in a modest but harmonious
genre is tested. However, it is the environment, and thanks to his father and three elder
Lied that occupies pride of place brothers he learned to play the violin, piano, and viola.
and his work in this genre in
particular contributes to his In 1808 his talent was recognized by Michael Holzer who
reputation as one of the foremost oversaw his entry into the Stactkonvikt which trained
composers of the Romantic period. singers for the court. There he pursued studies that
Schubert is a symbol, like Mozart, presented him with few difficulties, for he was talented in
of overwhelming musical genius. many fields. He was the principal violin of his school
orchestra and singer in the choir of the Imperial Chapel. he
wrote his first Lieder in 1811, "The Lamentations of Hagar"
and "The Paracide" which impressed his teachers
tremendously, including Antonio Salieri.

In 1813, he discontinued his musical studies and entered

teacher's college in Vienna, so that he would be able to
teach at his father's school the next year. He continued,
however, to compose at a prolific rate, his first opera
completed in 1814, his first mass (in F major) as well as
seventeen Lieder including "The Diver" and "Gretchen at
the Spinning Wheel." In the years following, he wrote
works in the form and style of Viennese Classical models,
including the second and third symphonies, two masses (in
G and B-flat major) and one hundred and forty six Lieder
including "The Erl King," five operas, various religious
works and chamber pieces (in 1815), the fourth or "Tragic"
symphony (in C minor) as well as the fifth (in B-flat
major), an opera, one hundred Lieder and several sacred
pieces in 1816, a set of Beethovenian piano sonatas in
1817, and his Symphony no. 6 in C major in 1818.

In 1818, he abandoned teaching in order to devote himself

completely to composition. He had enjoyed little public
success, however, it may also be said that he composed
mainly for his circle of friends: the painters von Schwind,
Kupelwierer, the poet Grillparzer, the musician
Httenbrenner and the singer Vogl. These latter persons
could usually be found on a regular basis at the intimate
and artistic soires known today as "Schubertiades."
Schubert was able to make a living giving lessons and
selling works to publishers.

Between 1818 and 1820, he wrote the piano quintet known

as "The Trout" (1819) as well as the Lied "Die
Zwillingbrder" (1820). Between 1820 and 1823, Schubert
experienced a period of crisis during which a number of his
During the final year of his life a fruitful outcropping of
projects failed to materialize. For instance, the
masterworks appeared, the Mass no. 6 in E-flat major, the C orchestration of the seventh (E major) symphony (1821)
major string quintet, three piano sonatas and the assorted was pushed aside like the eighth or "Unfinished"
Lieder entitled Schwanengesang. On the 19th of November, symphony, likely as a result of the syphilis he had
1828, he died in Vienna of typhoid fever. He had rarely contracted in 1822.
known the joy of hearing his works played during his lifetime.
The majority of these were rediscovered and performed only In 1823, Schubert was encouraged by a new wave of
energy and devoted all of his time to the composition of
after his death.
sonatas, quartets, symphonies and the song cycle Die
schne Mllerin (The Beautiful Maid of the Mill) in 1823,
His compositional principals remaining steadfastly Classical, more Lieder, an octet in F major, and piano works for four
he nonetheless infused his works with the musical aesthetic hands in 1824, three string quartets between 1824 and
of his time, incorporating new sounds that heralded mature 1826, two piano trios in 1826 and 1827, the Symphony no.
Romanticism. Above all, he lent his noble touch to the Lied, 9 in C major or "Great Symphony" in1825, and a song
which had become his principal mode of musical expression. cycle known to many, the Winterreise (A Winter's Journey)
in 1827.