KOBI’s Classical Music Appreciation (version 4.3)

• A concise summary of classical music covering the 4 main periods of music: Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern.

• Understand and recognize the unique characteristics of each music era and their relationship to parallel architectural and art movements.

• Learn about the life and music of 55 famous composers and their signature works

• An essential collection of over 100 classical masterpieces to listen to via YouTube hyperlinks

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Clas

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Mod

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JS Bach Handel Vivaldi Haydn Mozart Beethoven

Chopin Strauss II Tchaikovsky Rachmaninoff

the Top 10Greatest Composers of all time

• Use the <LEFT> and <RIGHT> keys to navigate. The <SPACE> bar or a <mouse click> anywhere other than on a hyperlink will also advance the presentation by one page.

• Use the <ESCAPE> key to end the show.

• Clicking on a hyperlink (they are underlined) will launch an orphan internet browser window with the chosen YouTube video. On occasion there will be advertisements, which you can click ‘skip’ after four seconds.

• You can move or resize the browser window to continue reading the slide beneath. You should preferably close the browser window before moving on to the next piece of music.

• You can also click anywhere outside the browser window to hide the video but you will continue to hear it. The only way to prematurely end a video playing in the background is to first click another link to bring back video window.

• The links to some less recognizable music are followed by a ‘#’. For those of you who prefer to progress at a faster pace, you can skip these optional links.

HOW THIS SLIDESHOW WORKS

Year Acct Balance Key No. Freq Notes

1 $100.00 C 1 100.00

2 $105.95 C# 2 105.95

3 $112.25 D 3 112.25 D = (1+1/8)C

4 $118.92 D# 4 118.92

5 $125.99 E 5 125.99 E = (1+1/4)C

6 $133.48 F 6 133.48 F = (1+1/3)C

7 $141.42 F# 7 141.42

8 $149.83 G 8 149.83 G = (1+1/2)C

9 $158.74 Ab 9 158.74

10 $168.18 A 10 168.18 A = (1+2/3)C

11 $178.18 Bb 11 178.18

12 $188.78 B 12 188.78 B = (1+7/8)C

13 $200.00 C 13 200.00

What is Music?

Year Acct Balance Key No. Freq Notes

1 $100.00 C 1 100.00

2 $105.95 C# 2 105.95

3 $112.25 D 3 112.25 D = (1+1/8)C

4 $118.92 D# 4 118.92

5 $125.99 E 5 125.99 E = (1+1/4)C

6 $133.48 F 6 133.48 F = (1+1/3)C

7 $141.42 F# 7 141.42

8 $149.83 G 8 149.83 G = (1+1/2)C

9 $158.74 Ab 9 158.74

10 $168.18 A 10 168.18 A = (1+2/3)C

11 $178.18 Bb 11 178.18

12 $188.78 B 12 188.78 B = (1+7/8)C

13 $200.00 C 13 200.00

Sound is nothing but vibrations transmitted through the air, and its pitch is determined by the frequency of these vibrations. Long ago, it was determined through trial and error that musical instruments that incremented their frequencies by a factor of 1.0595x per interval resulted in the best sound.

In music, frequency intervals are determined similarly. Each doubling of the frequency is called an octave and has 12 intervals or semi-tones.

1 1/8

1 1/4

1

1 1/3

1 1/2

1 2/3

1 7/8

2

What is the difference between random noise and music?

6 semi-tones are (approximate) harmonic fractions of the base frequency. i.e. the sound nice with the first semi-tone or with each other in certain combinations.

When you put together only sound from the nice semi-tones and exclude the 5 ugly semi-tones, this constitutes the mathematical patterns which our brains naturally recognize and enjoy as music.

The nice semi-tones are called notes and are in position 3, 5, 6, 8, 10,12. If you include 1 and 13 (i.e. the next 1) you get 8 notes, hence the word ‘octave’.

$100 in a bank at an interest rate of 5.95% p.a. compounds into $200 after 12 years.

Why not just have equal intervals between semi-tones?

The compounding effect is a natural property of the vibrating strings used in instruments. Pitch doubles each time you halve a string’s length.

Year Acct Balance Key No. Freq Notes

1 $100.00 C 1 100.00

2 $105.95 C# 2 105.95

3 $112.25 D 3 112.25 D = (1+1/8)C

4 $118.92 D# 4 118.92

5 $125.99 E 5 125.99 E = (1+1/4)C

6 $133.48 F 6 133.48 F = (1+1/3)C

7 $141.42 F# 7 141.42

8 $149.83 G 8 149.83 G = (1+1/2)C

9 $158.74 Ab 9 158.74

10 $168.18 A 10 168.18 A = (1+2/3)C

11 $178.18 Bb 11 178.18

12 $188.78 B 12 188.78 B = (1+7/8)C

13 $200.00 C 13 200.00

Standard music notation is in the 5-stave format. It leaves no room for the black keys so they are just denoted through the adjoining white keys. The black key after C

is known as C-sharp (C#). It can also be

called D-flat (Db) as it is the black key before

D.

actually middle C has a frequency of 261.63 Hz, I just used 100 Hz to keep it simple.

What is a Musical Scale?

C D E F G A B C

This is called the C-major scale. You may recognize it as do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti.

Besides the note C , composers can and do choose any of the other keys as position 1, but this will result in some black keys being in the ‘nice’ 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 positions. For example, the D-Major scale is D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#.

There is a complimentary set of scales called the Minor scale using the 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 intervals. If we use A as first key, the notes of this Minor sequence all happen to be white keys.

It is said that the Major scales sound ‘happy’ while the Minor scales sound ‘sad’.

KEYBOARD

On a keyboard, the 7 nice semi-tones or notes are represented by white keys while the 5 ugly ones are wedged between the notes as smaller black keys. This is a design feature which allows one hand to just stretch across an entire octave. Only the notes have names, which are the letters A-G. C is arbitrarily chosen as position 1.

High Baroque Classical

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Early Baroque

Purcell 1695 1659

Pachelbel 1706 1653

D. Scarlatti 17571685

Corelli 17131653

Albinoni 17511671

Vivaldi 17411678

J.S. Bach 17501685

Handel 17591685

BaroqueART

MUSIC

the BAROQUE MUSIC PERIOD

Renaissance

Renaissance

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Although they may not overlap exactly, the practice is to co-name the eras of various disciplines of the arts as they were all were influenced by the same social changes

Baroque is a Portuguese term that loosely translates as ‘deformed’ and the term was first applied to the overly ornate architecture of the post-Renaissance era. Baroque music too was often characterized by embellishment.

Baroque architecture Baroque art

THE TOP TEN COMPOSERS of all time will be in blue

Charpentier 1704 1643

Mid Baroque

SOUTHERN EUROPE

The master makers of string instruments such as Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari were all Italian.

This resulted in the popularity of string instruments in the South, in particular the violin. This then led to famous violinists like Corelli, and later Vivaldi.

WESTERN EUROPE

The Kings of England and France often had to resort to grand musical pageantry and fanfare to woo the loyalty of the masses.

This resulted in horns being a major feature of the larger orchestral works of composers like Purcell and Handel.

NORTHERN EUROPE

The master organ builders such as Silbermann and Schnitger were all German. This made the Pipe Organ, and by association the Harpsichord, popular in the North.

Consequently, all the famous organists like Buxtehude, Pachelbel and later JS Bach were all from Northern Europe.

The Baroque period began with Keyboard instruments dominating in the North and String instruments popular in the South. Brass Instruments on the other hand were favoured in the West.

The Geography of Music I - the BAROQUE Period

CENTRAL EUROPE

No famous instrument makers, no notable composers or musicians… yet.

However, as the various music styles merged, the distinction between North and South came to an end. You will see in the next section that Austria (in the middle) emerges as the music capital of the world.

This map is drawn in modern terms. In actual fact, much of Germany and parts of Italy were really part of the Austria-based Habsburg empire in the 17th century.

(1653 – 1706)

Johan PACHELBEL

• Canon in D major

A German composer who brought organ music to new heights. He was the music teacher of the older brother of JS Bach, who then tutored his younger brother.

Canon - A piece of music where one or more underlying melodies are repeated throughout (like in row, row your boat) Appending the key in which the music is written (in

this case D major) is a common way of distinguishing music as they were mostly composed without names.

THE STYLE OF MIDDLE BAROQUE MUSIC

• New instruments introduced in the Baroque era include the harpsichord, violin, cello, harp, trumpet and oboe. As instruments became more sophisticated, they underwent a status transition from a supporting to a leading role.

• Present day’s classical repertoire begins with the Middle Baroque period as that was when musical instruments finally evolved to a level compatible with modern times.

• Middle Baroque Music is a slower style that is a carryover from the choral music of the Renaissance. This style utilized multiple melodies played on sustaining instruments such as the violin and organ, as if each melody is a person singing. This is called polyphony (or counterpoint).

• Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major is a prime example of polyphony. Listen as the voices are layered in gradually.

• As classical music was in its infancy, none of the top-10 classical composers are from the mid-baroque period.

Middle BAROQUE Composers

CLICK THIS LINK

(1659 – 1695)

Henry PURCELL

Middle BAROQUE Composers

• Abdelazer Suite Rondeau

The only native English composer of any international repute up until the 19th century. His works are representative of the grand brass-heavy style of English orchestral music.

Rondeau - music with a rhythmic and cyclical pattern, similar in concept to poetry.

• Concerto Grosso in D major

A famous Italian violinist and composer of the era. He is largely responsible for modern violin technique and the Concerto Grosso. Corelli’s was Vivaldi’s teacher.

(1653 – 1713)

Arcangelo CORELLI

Concerto Grosso - a concert where a small set of instruments is contrasted against a larger group of supporting ones.

Concerto - a piece of orchestral music with a dominant solo instrument standing out.

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER

• Prelude from Te Deum #

a.k.a. Marche pour les Trompettes. A segment of this serves as the theme music for the Eurovision Song Contest (btw it is also a Rondeau)

(1643 – 1704)

Charpentier studied music in Italy and brought baroque music home with him to France. He is not that well known as a composer outside of France today except perhaps for his religious choral works.

PURCELLCORELLIPACHELBEL

HANDELVIVALDIJS BACH

NORTH SOUTH WEST

MID BAROQUE

HIGH BAROQUE

The Transition to HIGH BAROQUE

As we enter the High Baroque period we see in each region of Europe the ‘passing of the torch’ to one of the 3 Great Baroque composers

HIGH BAROQUE MUSIC

• During the High Baroque period, a faster style evolved because of the limitations of then popular plucking instruments like the harpsichord and the mandolin. These did not have the ability to sustain a note.

• The result was ‘pure’ instrumental music totally divorced from the concept of human voice substitution.

• This more advanced style of music was characterized by a fast lively rhythmic pace of short notes.

• There was also an abundance of embellishment (alternating quickly between a note and the one next to it repeatedly to extend its duration)

High BAROQUE Composers

HARPSICHORD

• A major instrument of the Baroque period was the harpsichord, basically a harp laid on its side and plucked mechanically via a keyboard.

• Good: Unlike wind and to an extent string musical instruments, it allowed you to play multiple notes at the same time.

• Bad: Unlike some other musical instruments, the harpsichord is unable to sustain a note and every note on the harpsichord has the same duration and a similar volume.

• Sonata in D Minor K.1 #

A musician from Naples who composed mostly for the Spanish and Portuguese royal courts. He is known best today for his 555 keyboard sonatas, many of which contain Hispanic folk tunes.

He wrote many sonatas in the same key, so they are further distinguished by their Kirkpatrick Catalogue number.

(1685 – 1757)

Domenico SCARLATTI

Sonata - a musical piece for one instrument alone, usually in 3 movements. Each movement is further broken down into the exposition, development and recapitulation.

not to be confused with his father Alessandro Scarlatti

Johann Sebastian BACH

• Considered by most to be the greatest composer of the Baroque Period now, but in his day he was more famous as an organist.

• A pious Lutheran, Bach worked as musical director in various German churches throughout his life, never seeking to promote himself.

• JS Bach was a master of polyphony and is renowned for his numerous masterpieces written for organ and harpsichord.

• Cantata 147

• Harpsichord Concerto No.5

• Prelude No.6 in D minor

• Minuet & Badinerie

• Air on a G-String

• Brandenburg Concerto No.3

• Toccata and Fugue in D minor

(1685 – 1750)

Both French Dances. A Minuet is a dance with minute (i.e. small) steps. A Badinerie is a type of dance that is brief and lively. The Badinerie is the more famous part and starts at time index 1:56.

Cantata - a vocal composition accompanied by musical instruments

Toccata - Italian for touch, indicating the piece of music with quick fingering

Fugue - music where various melodies are replayed in different pitches, chasing each other. Less rigid in structure than a canon.

Prelude - a short introductory piece of music

• Minuet in G MajorA simple tune once attributed to Bach, but now believed to be a work of Petzold which Bach copied into his notebook

Originally part of Bach’s Orchestral Suite No.3. It was rearranged by the famous violinist Wilhelmj 150 years later such that the whole piece could be played on only 1 of the violin’s 4 strings.

Antonio Lucio VIVALDI

(1678 – 1741)

• An Italian composer and a violin virtuoso. Vivaldi is best known for his concertos for string instruments.

• He was also an ordained priest, earning him the nickname, the Red Priest (red refers to his hair).

• He worked for 3 decades as a music director in a Venetian orphanage that was also home to an orchestra and choir. Later in life he began travelling to various parts of the Habsburg Empire and composed works for nobility, including Emperor Charles VI.

• Concerto No.1 Spring

• Concerto No.2 Summer

• Concerto No.3 Autumn

• Concerto No.4 Winter

• Concerto for Mandolin in C Major

• Concerto for Lute in D Major, 2nd movement

The Four Seasons are a set of 4 violin concertos, each portraying seasonal scenes such hunting, singing birds, storms etc. They are without doubt Vivaldi’s most famous works.

These are the best early examples of programme music – music that tells a story without the use of lyrics. You can check what the storyline is for each season by looking at the accompanying sonnets see here #

The Four Seasons

These two are concertos for plucking instruments. The lute concerto is usually performed on the guitar nowadays since nobody really plays the lute anymore.

Gloria is Vivaldi’s most famous oratorios - sort of a combination of opera and concert.

•Gloria #

Movement - longer pieces of music are usually broken down into movements, like the chapters in a book. ‘mvt’ is the abbreviation

George Frideric HANDEL

• Water Music Suite No.1 - Allegro

• Water Music Suite No. 2

• Fireworks Music - La Rejouissance

(1685 – 1759)

• A German composer who composed in the English Baroque style. He lived in England for 50 years, totally eclipsing all local English composers, even for a century after his death.

• He is known for the majestic grandeur of his compositions, no doubt made possible by the generosity of the British monarchs and the prosperity of the British Empire.

• You may notice some similarity to Purcell’s style but they never met. Purcell died before Handel ever set foot in England. Handel simply adopted the English style after he arrived in London.

• Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

• Messiah – Hallelujah Chorus

• Concerto Grosso in A minor

• Zadok the Priest Anthem

A choral anthem that has been sung at the coronation of every British monarch since Handel wrote it.

Fireworks Music was commissioned by King George II to mark the end of the War of Austrian Succession. It was played in conjunction with a massive fireworks display, hence its name.

Part of Handel’s Solomon oratorio. Messiah was another of his famous oratorios

The Water Music Suites were composed when King George I decided to have a concert on the River Thames. The king enjoyed the music as he was leading a procession of hundreds of boats upriver while an orchestra performed from a barge.

Other High BAROQUE Composers

• Oboe Concerto in D Minor, 2nd mvt

A great Italian opera composer of his time. Albinoni’s name is particularly associated with the oboe for which he wrote several concertos. Much of his work was lost in the WWII fire bombing of Dresden.

(1671 – 1751)

Tomaso ALBINONI

• Réjouissance, Suite in A Minor for Flute #

(1681 – 1767)

Although every bit as famous as fellow Germans Bach and Handel in his day, the self-taught Telemann was largely forgotten by the 19th century because it was felt he was not innovative and favoured quantity (over 3000 works) over quality.

Georg TELEMANN

Suite - a single or set of shorter musical pieces, often extracted from a larger work like an opera or ballet.

Classical

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BaroqueART

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the ROCOCO movement

Rococo

Renaissance

Renaissance

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Rameau 17641683

CPE Bach 17881714

The Rococo style was an sub-style of the late Baroque period. It music is a lighter, more frivolous style that rebelled against the rigid formality of Baroque music. Unlike its better known art, architecture and furniture cousins, rococo music was a smaller phenomenon and is often left out of the musical era timeline.

In France it was called the Elegant style (in French, Style Galante) while in Germany it was called the Sensitive style (in German Empfindsamer Stil)

Rococo architecture

Rococo art

High Baroque Early Baroque Mid Baroque

The ROCOCO Composers

Jean-Philippe RAMEAU

(1683 – 1764)

• Suite in G minor #

A French composer during the reigns of Louis XIV and XV when Rococo was predominant. He was known as a master of harpsichord music in his younger days but turned to composing opera as he got older. Rameau also published works on musical theory.

When you hear it you will immediately know it is written for the harpsichord even though it is played on the piano in this link.

(1714 – 1788)

Carl Phillipe Emanuel BACH

CPE Bach was the harpsichordist of Frederick the Great and a leading composer of the sensitive style. Although his proto-romantic compositions were admired in his lifetime, they are less popular today, a victim of his father JS Bach’s reputation.

• Concerto for Cello in A Minor

Rameau‘s ‘Treatise On Harmony’ is a foundation of classical music instruction. In this sense he is better recognized for his contribution to music theory than his actual music.

THE ISSAC NEWTON OF MUSIC

Haydn 18091732

Mozart 17911756

18271770 Beethoven

Boccherini 18051743

Paganini 18401782

Brahms 18971833

the CLASSICAL PERIOD

Classical Romantic

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Baroque Neo-Classicism Impressionism

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Gluck 17871714

The Classical Period is a sister of the Neo-Classical art and architectural periods. The concept of Classical is based on the ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of elegance through symmetry and simplicity.

The Classical Period also marks the rise ofVienna, centred around the First Viennese School, as the music capital of Europe.

ART

MUSIC

Romanticism

Neo-Classical architecture

Neo-Classical art

Schubert 18281797

In art, the Classicism and Romantic periods are parallel, but in music they come one after the other

Clementi 18321752

High Baroque Early Baroque Mid Baroque

Rococo

Luigi BOCCHERINI

(1714 – 1787)

Christoph GLUCK

Early CLASSICAL PERIOD Composers

• Dance of the Blessed Spirits

Gluck was a Bavarian composer who focused on opera. He wrote about 40 of them. He is recognized for modernizing opera by doing away with performer improvisations and recitatives.

(1743 – 1805)

• Minuet in E Major (String Quintet)

An Italian cellist virtuoso and composer known for his chamber music. He was so good with the cello he could instantly transpose and play parts meant for the violin on the cello.

Recitative - the monotonous half talk-half sing style so common in Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals.

Music from all 4 music eras are all confusingly called Classical Music. So for music of this period, we have to use the clumsy term classical period / era music.

A solemn piece of music popular at wedding receptions. The polyphony is very apparent in this video I chose.

PIANO

• A major change of the Classical period was the replacement of the harpsichord with the piano. It was at first called the Pianoforte and was instrumental in bringing forth the classical period.

• As strings were hammered instead of plucked, it had the range versatility of the harpsichord but none of its mechanical limitations.

• With the piano, musicians could play loud or soft notes depending on how gently they hit the keys.

• They could play long or short notes depending on how long the keys were depressed.

• Sonatina No. 36

(1752 – 1832)

An Italian musician who moved to London. While he did not invent the piano, he built and promoted them all over Europe. Many of his compositions are popular with today’s piano students.

Muzio CLEMENTI

Played by a 4 year old prodigy. Note how Mozart-like it is, perhaps he should have moved to Vienna instead of London, but then he might have also died a young pauper instead of living to 80.

CLASSICAL PERIOD Composers

Forte has since been dropped from the name. Forte means loud.

Sonatina - a mini Sonata

FATHER OF THE PIANOFORTE

THE STYLE OF CLASSICAL PERIOD MUSIC

• While the harpsichord chained Baroque music to a consistent pace, the piano which now supplanted it liberated composers and allowed them to weave temperament into their music.

• Music in the Classical era becomes less predictable. Music could change pace and volume and became decidedly less ornate. It also gained depth with the introduction of the symphony.

• Emphasis also shifted from the multiple melodies of polyphony to the single melody of homophony.

Year Acct Balance Key No. Freq Notes

1 $100.00 C 1 100.00

2 $105.95 C# 2 105.95

3 $112.25 D 3 112.25 D = (1+1/8)C

4 $118.92 D# 4 118.92

5 $125.99 E 5 125.99 E = (1+1/4)C

6 $133.48 F 6 133.48 F = (1+1/3)C

7 $141.42 F# 7 141.42

8 $149.83 G 8 149.83 G = (1+1/2)C

9 $158.74 Ab 9 158.74

10 $168.18 A 10 168.18 A = (1+2/3)C

11 $178.18 Bb 11 178.18

12 $188.78 B 12 188.78 B = (1+7/8)C

13 $200.00 C 13 200.00

This is the most common chord, the C-Major triad. Note how the frequency values of C, E and G just happen to be approximately 100, 125 and 150.

HOMOPHONY THROUGH CHORDS

• With the switch to homophony, composers begin to enrich their melodies with harmony, through the use of chords. A chord is when you play 3 or even 4 harmonious notes simultaneously rather than one after another.

• You can only play one note at a time on a wind instrument and a maximum of two notes on a bow-string instrument like the violin. That is why orchestras have second-violins, to ‘complete violin chords’.

• The chord concept was not popular during the Baroque period as only a few instruments like the organ could play true chords. But as the piano gained popularity in the classical era, so did the use of chords.

The CLASSICAL PERIOD

Franz Joseph HAYDN

• Haydn spent his formative years quietly as musical director of the Esterhazy Estate and only achieved fame after he left the estate at the aged of 59.

• Although a prominent Austrian composer of his day, in modern times his music has been overshadowed by his student Beethoven and his contemporary Mozart.

• ‘Papa’ Haydn is better remembered for launching the classical period by popularizing the Symphony (he wrote 104) and Chamber Music formats such as the Piano Trio and String Quartet.

Piano + violin + cello 2 violins + viola + cello

(1732 – 1809)

• Symphony No.88, 4th mvt

• Trumpet Concerto, 3rd mvt

You might recognize the beginning of this as the German national anthem, Deutschland Uber Alles.

Bernstein conducts this without using his hands!

• Serenade for Strings

• Kaiser Quartet2nd mvt

This is universally acknowledged as Haydn’s most famous music. However, there are claims that it was actually written by an admirer named Hoffstetter.

This is a somewhat unique composition as works highlighting a brass instrument are not that common.

Developed so that people like kings could listen to more than one instrument at a time without having to go to a special performance venue.FATHER OF THE

SYMPHONY

THE FIRST VIENNESE SCHOOLHaydn, together with Mozart and Beethoven are often referred to as the First Viennese School of Music. Though they did not collaborate in the true sense of the word, they did collectively usher in the Classical era with their music innovations.

harp

Piano

trombone

french horn

trumpet

bassoon

clarinet

oboe

flute

violin

viola

cello

double bass

tuba

STRING Section

BRASS Section

WOODWIND Section

bass drum tenor drum snare drumPERCUSSION Section

In the Classical Period the Concerto expanded into the Symphony, requiring an enlarged orchestra. There were perhaps 60 musicians in a symphony orchestra in the classical era, and typically about 100 today.

The Symphony orchestra has 4 main sections of instruments: string, brass, wind and percussion. Each section is further subdivided into 4 groups by instrument which together cover most of the enjoyable human hearing range. There is a ‘fifth’ section consisting of more versatile solo instruments like the piano (its output spans an amazing 7 octaves), the harp and certain one-per-orchestra instruments like the xylophone.

The SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

low pitch high pitch

Drums, except for the kettle drums, have no pitch, only rhythm.

FIFTH Section

kettle drum

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART

• Piano Sonata no.16 in C major

• Rondo Alla Turca from Sonata No.11

• Piano Concerto No. 20, 2nd mvt

• Piano Concerto No. 21, 2nd mvt

• Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 1st movement 2nd movement

• A prodigy Austrian pianist-violinist who starting performing at age 6, Mozart would compose entire symphonies in his head instead of developing them on paper. He was a prolific composer, with over 600 works in all, many of them in his signature light and playful style.

• He tried to make a living as a free musician instead of seeking musical patronage but unfortunately the concept of the young independent musician had yet to come of age. He died a pauper at the early age of 35.

• Mozart’s popularity has been maintained through the generations and he probably has the largest number of instantly recognizable passages of music today, including ‘twinkle, twinkle little star’.(1756 – 1791)

Literally translates as "a little night music“ but means a short serenade. It was meant as a chamber string quintet but is now often performed by orchestras

•Symphony No.40, 1st mvt

•Requiem, 1st mvt

•Magic Flute, Queen of the Night Aria

•Marriage of Figaro Overture

Piano Solos and Concertos

Symphonies and Operas

Overture: the opening sequence of an opera or musical play, serving as a summary of the music to follow

Requiem: music associated with funerals and mourning

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN

• Minuet in G

• Symphony No.5, 1st mvt

• Symphony No.9, 4th mvt

• Beethoven was the most influential composer of the later Classical era. A student of Haydn, he was a popular performing pianist early in his career. Unlike Mozart, he only started performing at the age of 9.

• When Beethoven was approaching his 30s he began losing his hearing but his genius allowed him to hear music through his eyes. He was completely deaf by the time he composed the ninth symphony.

• Because of his dramatic passionate style, he is sometimes thought of as a bridge between the Classical and Romantic periods. Besides his symphonies, Beethoven is best know for his piano pieces, especially his sonatas.(1770 – 1827)

•Moonlight Sonata, 1st mvt

•Moonlight Sonata, 3rd mvt

•Für Elise

•Pathetique Sonata, 2nd mvt

Orchestral works

Piano Solos

Your typical grade 2 examination piece

This was an unusual symphony as it had a choral component. Are you familiar with the hymn ‘joyful joyful we adore thee’ ?

The 5th is Beethoven’s most iconic work

To Beethoven, this was simply Sonata No.14. The name Moonlight was only added by music publishers years after Beethoven died. Although the 1st movement is the popular one, it is the 3rd that is the work of genius.

(1833 – 1897)

Johannes BRAHMS

Other Notable CLASSICAL PERIOD Composers

Although he clearly lived in the Romantic era, Brahms chose to compose in the classical style throughout his life. He was also a virtuoso pianist.

(1782 – 1840)

Niccolo PAGANINI

Probably the greatest violinist who ever lived. He introduced new techniques that dramatically increased what a violin could technically do. It is speculated that he had a genetic abnormality which gave his hands the flexibility of a contortionist.

• Caprice No. 24 in A minor

• Hungarian Dance No.5

• Wiegenlied

You might recognize this as the Lullaby

Vanessa Mae’s modern rearrangement #

Franz SCHUBERT

(1797 – 1828)

• Ave Maria

• Impromptu in G Flat Major

An Austrian composer who spent most of his short life in bohemian semi-poverty. The genius of his works was only recognized and promoted by later composers.

Liszt 18861811

18491810 Chopin

18931840 Tchaikovsky

J. Strauss II 18991825

J. Strauss I 18491804

Wagner 18831813

Rossini 18681792

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1820

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Mendelssohn 18471809

the ROMANTIC MUSIC PERIOD

ART

MUSIC

Empire-style architectureRomantic art

Schumann 185618131880

Romanticism is the love child of the French and Industrial Revolutions. In tune with the times, musicians were free to fully express themselves through their music, which they did.

THE STYLE OF ROMANTIC MUSIC

• Above all, Romantic music placed a strong importance on expressing raw emotion and energy. Music was also increasingly used to portray locations, events and even mythological or fictional characters.

• The symmetry and elegance of the classical period was abandoned. Composers no longer stuck to the formats of old like the concertos and sonatas. In this era we see the birth of new formats like rhapsodies, symphonic poems, fantasies and etudes. There are also new dances like ballet and the waltz.

• Romantic music continued to move further away from the steady predictable music of the Baroque. This was done through the use of bold dramatic contrasts in pitch (hands jumping all over the keyboard), tempo (pace alternating between fast and slow) and dynamics (volume shifting between loud and soft).

• Many pieces became technically demanding, as many composers like Liszt were virtuosos and wrote performance music for themselves.

ROMANTIC Composers

Franz LISZT

(1811 – 1886)

The Elvis Presley of his time and possibly the greatest pianist who ever lived. He easily improvised the works of earlier composers in his performances. It was said that this Hungarian virtuoso was able to play the piano as if he had 3 hands. Liszt is also the inventor of the symphonic poem format.

• Hungarian Rhapsody No.2

• Liebestraum

Google the word Lisztomania

There is an orchestral version of this beautiful piece that is often bastardized as circus music, perhaps because it is Hungarian.

Frederic Francois CHOPIN

(1810 – 1849)

• An extremely talented Polish composer who moved to Paris in his youth to further his career. Through most of his adult life Chopin suffered from poor health, and died at the age of 39.

• Chopin (pronounced Show-parn) was a new type of musician. He preferred not to perform too much in public and did not seek sponsorship. Instead, he made a living by publishing his music.

• Thus he wrote mostly solo piano pieces which are practiced by practically all piano students today. His works are known for their technical difficulty.

• Etude in C minor “Revolutionary”

• Etude in E Major “Tristesse”

The sound quality of this isn’t quite as good but you can see how difficult it is

live performance

• The Minute Waltz

• Waltz in C sharp minor

Actually it lasts 2 minutes although it is possible play it at double speed.

• Nocturne in E flat major

• Polonaise in A major “Military”

• Fantasy Impromptu

Nocturne - Same idea as Nachtmusik, but less playful.

Etude – a difficult short piece of music, meant for the practice of skill

Polonaise - a dance from Poland.

Impromptu - a whimsical piece of music

THE ROMANTIC MUSICIANBeyond being an art form, music is now a hobby. Musicians had a new audience in the emerging middle class. Composers no longer required rich employers or sponsors. They could make a living by performing regularly, giving lessons, selling sheet music or even by critiquing other’s music.

ROMANTIC Composers

(1810 – 1856)

Robert SCHUMANN

• Piano Concerto in A Minor #

• Traumerei Kinderszenen

Schumann’s plans to be a great pianist were derailed by a hand injury, limiting him to composing and writing critiques. He also suffered from lifelong psychiatric disorders which hampered his composing but he still managed to produce many beautiful works of music.

(1809 – 1847)

Felix MENDELSSOHN

A Jewish composer. His popularity was affected by anti-Semitism after his early death, especially in his homeland Germany, but he is now recognized world-wide for his musical genius.

• Italian Symphony

1st movement 4th movement

• Hebrides Overture

a.k.a. the Fingal’s Cave , the place in Scotland was where Mendelssohn got the inspiration to write this piece of music

Schumann’s most iconic piece. Although a very romantic (with small r) piece, the meaning of ‘traumerei kinderszenen’ is ‘scenes from childhood’.

The wedding march is taken from music he wrote for A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

Johann STRAUSS II

(1825 – 1899)

• The name Johann Strauss II is synonymous with the Waltz, a dance in ¾ time (i.e. a 3 step dance). He composed hundreds of them and is sometimes also called the Waltz King. Many of his grand waltzes refer to his hometown Vienna in their names.

• His father (of the same name, see corner) had popularized the waltz by touring around Europe with his band, the Strauss Orchestra. However, it was Johann Strauss II that managed to elevate the waltz to an empire-wide ballroom sensation after inheriting his father’s band.

• Emperor Waltz

• Tales from the Vienna Woods

• The Blue Danube

• Voices of Spring

• Viennese Blood

The second national anthem of Austria. The Danube is a river which passes through Vienna.

(1804 – 1849)

Johann STRAUSS I

•Radetzky March

a.k.a. the Kaiser Walzer. It was composed for the occasion when the Austrian Emperor visited the German Kaiser in 1889, although it is not known who the ‘emperor’ in the title refers to.

This waltz uniquely features a soprano, and is sometimes sung in his opera Die Fledermaus.Strauss II also released a very successful solo-piano version.

• piano version #

THE WALTZ KING

Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY

(1840 – 1893)

• The first truly internationally successful Russian composer, he made several popular concert tours of Europe and America. His wrote music without reference to his Russian heritage, which left him open to criticism from nationalistic (and less successful) peers at home.

• Tchaikovsky’s works are known for their sweeping melodic content, which is a reason why his music is so easily appreciated by the common man.

• Ballet had been recently introduced from France when he came of age and it quickly became a mainstay of Russian musical culture. Thus several of Tchaikovsky’s best known works are ballets.

• Violin Concerto in D Major

• Piano Concerto No.1, 1st mvt

• 1812 Overture Finale

Written to commemorate the defence of Moscow against Napoleon. The original rendition included cannon fire.

Ballets

• Nutcracker, Waltz of Flowers

• Nutcracker, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

• Nutcracker, Dance of the Reed Pipes

• Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture

• Swan Lake Finale

Orchestral

Nutcracker is a ballet written for the enjoyment of children, which has made it extremely popular

His best work in my opinion, I picked a performance with all 3 movements

The Golden Age of OPERA

Richard WAGNER

• Opera Version #

• Rule Britannia Overture #

• Ride of the Valkyries

A German opera composer who saw opera as a multi-discipline work of art and not just a form of music. Unlike his predecessors, he wrote his own lyrics, designed his own sets and even built his own opera house. The Bridal Chorus is taken from one of his operas, Lohengrin.

(1813 – 1883)

The Bridal Chorus is played when the bride enters and the Wedding March (by Mendelsohn) is played when the married couple exit.

Check out the original

No, Wagner did not compose the tune. Like many other composers he merely borrowed from it.

Gioachino ROSSINI

(1792 – 1868)

Rossini’s fame and popularity as an opera composer exceeded all those before him. Because of his style of building a signature tune to a climax, he was nicknamed “Mr. Crescendo”. Rossini retired at the age of 38 after writing 38 operas, to pursue cooking (and eating, especially foie gras).

• Thieving Magpie Overture

• Barber of Seville, Figaro Aria

• William Tell Overture Finale

An extract of this has become the Lone Ranger theme because its time signature is similar to a galloping horse

Pronounced as Vag-ner

Without Rossini, the world would have no Tournedos Rossini or Scrambled Eggs Rossini either

The 4 Kings of the Love Tragedy

(1858 – 1924)

Giacomo PUCCINI

MADAME BUTTERFLY

The tragic love story of Cio-Cio San set in the early 1900s. Her husband, a U.S. Navy officer runs off shortly after they wed, intending never to return. But he does when he discovers she bore him a son….

• Un Bel Di Vedremo Aria

•Flower Duet

Leo DELIBES

• Intermezzo

• Habanera

• Toreador’s Song

Georges BIZET Giuseppe VERDI

•La Donna e Mobile

(1836 – 1891) (1838 – 1875) (1813 – 1901)

LAKME

The tragic love story of lakme (french misspelling of lakshmi) set in Brithish India in the late 1800s. She falls for a British officer whom her father stabs….

CARMEN

The tragic love story of Don Jose, who falls in love with a gypsy Carmen and even goes to jail for her. Carmen meanwhile turns her attention to a dashing bullfighter…..

RIGOLETTO

The tragic love story of Gilda based on a story by Victor Hugo. She falls in love with a promiscuous Duke and to save her, her father Rigoletto takes desperate measures.…

The most popular operas performed today are the romance tragedies from the Late Romantic Era

The ‘S’ in Delibes is silent

The ‘T’ in Bizet is silent

bonus: from Verdi’s il Trovatore

•the Anvil Chorus

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the MODERN MUSIC PERIOD (Early)

Saint-Saens 19211835

Mahler 19111860

19181862 Debussy

Massenet 19121842

1880

Dvorak 19041841

Grieg 19071843

Rimsky-Korsakov 19081844

With the decline of empires and the rise of democracy and meritocracy, tradition and conformity was displaced by creativity, individualism and nationalism. Composers who traditionally evolved harmoniously in a common direction now splintered into different schools.

Like the musicians, music itself too began to lose its harmony as tonality was diluted by the increasing use of musical dissonance.

The modern period also saw the emergence ofFrance as the new cultural capital and immigration of music talent to the USA.

Elgar 19341857

Ravel 19371875

Rachmaninoff 19431873

Art Nouveau architecture

Faure 19241845

CHROMATIC MUSIC

• If you recall, music that is composed using only the 7 consonant (nice) keys is called Tonal, meaning it sounds nice to humans. Including the 5 dissonant (ugly) keys on the other hand results in just noise.

• In the tonal system, the major scales give rise to happy music and the minor scales sad music. During the Romantic period some musicians resort to using the ugly keys in order to convey emotional states other than happiness and sadness with their music.

• In the modern era, some composers expand on the concept and begin to experiment with ways to incorporate more non-tonal scales and chords. Such dissonant music is termed chromatic as it adds ‘colour’.

• Real life analogy: to add more colour to your party, you expand your guest list to include distant relatives and extended acquaintances.

• In the extreme, chromatic music can become atonal and will sound eerie or chaotic. This is often used to depict evil, confusion or horror in movies.

• It can be said that chromatic music is the music equivalent of avant garde art of the early 20th century.

a New Alternative to Tonal Music

Avignon period Picasso

Futurism Art

Tonal

CLASSIFYING the MODERN Composers

Symbolism artImpressionist art

Academism art

Dissonant

Bauhaus art

THE STYLES OF THE MODERN ERA

Broadly speaking, modern era composers can be classified according to their tonality:

• neo-Classical - those who preferred the symmetry and elegance of the classical era and chose to adhere to the established system of musical scales.

• post-Romantic - those who continued with the concept of romantic music, incorporating some dissonance into the melody or harmony of their works.

• Impressionists - an experimental group of composers who utilised musical dissonance to structure surreal compositions.

• Atonal - an even more extreme group called the Second Viennese School led by Arnold Schoenberg. They eschewed tonality altogether, resulting in some very chaotic non-music.

Atonal Impressionist post-Romantic neo-ClassicalMUSIC

ART

Edward ELGAR

A self-taught composer who rose up through the ranks in class-conscious Victorian England till he was appointed Master of the King’s Music. He is said to be the first musician to record his works.

• Pomp and Circumstance March No.1

(1857 – 1934)

A march dedicated to the coronation of King Edward VII. Strangely it is always played at American school graduation ceremonies.

The chorusLand of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free,How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set;God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet

Jules MASSENET

A French neo-classic composer whose works were pushed aside after his death by ‘more modern’ music. He may have been forgotten had he not composed a wonderfully melancholic piece of music…

(1842 – 1912)

• Meditation, from Thais

The ‘T’ in Massenet is silent

the Early Neo-CLASSICAL Composers

Perhaps you will recognize this as a iconic piece from the silent movies.

Camille SAINT-SAENS

(1835 – 1921)

A modern renaissance man from France who besides composing also wrote about science, mathematics, history and philosophy. He and his student Faure led the emergence of Paris as the musical world’s new capital.

• The Aquarium

• The Swan

Both of these are famous segments are from his Carnival of the Animals. The Aquarium elicits a sense of mysterious wonder while the Swan gives a sense of sadness and closure.

the French post-ROMANTICS

All the ‘S’ are pronounced

Gabriel FAURE

(1845 – 1924)

Faure is noted for his refined and sensitive music compositions although he is less known than his student Ravel. He advanced the tonal theories of Rameau which had stood for 200 years by introducing new forms of harmony.

• Sicilienne from Pelleas et Melisande #

• Dolly Suite

A famous one piano duet that is a favourite of twins. To the casual listener, it will seem as the pianist has more than 2 hands.

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

PachelbelJS BachCPE BachTelemann

HABSBURG PRUSSIANAUSTRIA GERMANY

Haydn GluckMozart BeethovenSchubert Brahms

Listz MendelsohnStraus I SchumannStrauss II Wagner

ITALY

Corelli BoccheriniVivaldi Albinoni Paganini RossiniVerdi Puccini

FRANCE

CharpentierRameauChopin (Polish)BizetDilibes

GREAT BRITAIN

PurcellHandel (German)Clementi (Italian)

RUSSIA

Tchaikovsky

Prussia and Austria were only formally separated in the mid 19th Century

IBERIA

Scarlatti (Italian)

The Geography of Music II - the Rise of the NATIONALISM

Up to the Romantic era, everyone who was anyone in the music world (except Purcell, Chopin and Tchaikovsky) was either German, Austrian, Italian or occasionally French. If an exceptionally talented musician was unfortunate enough to be born of another nationality, he would have to immigrate to one of the big 5 countries or be condemned to obscurity.

MAP OF PRE-1900 COMPOSERS

This was set to change as empires crumbled and nationalist fervour swept across Europe. Many musicians began to incorporate the musical heritage of their homeland instead of composing in the dominant pan-European style.

Early Nationalist Composers

Both these two famous segments are from his Peer Gynt Suite No. 1

Edvard GRIEG

• Piano Concerto in A minor

• In the Hall of the Mountain King

• Morning Mood

(1843 – 1907)

A brilliant neo-classic composer and pianist whose works are often performed today. He often collaborated with his Norwegian literary contemporaries. Grieg is the only famous composer that Norway ever produced.

• Flight of the Bumble Bee

Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

(1844 – 1908)

The most famous of the Tsarist Russian nationalist composers (a.k.a. the Five) but he was not well known outside of Russia. He worked on folk songs and wrote operas based on Russian myths and stories.

• Violin Version

A wonderful performance by Ji-Hae Park, in a medley including other fast pieces.

Sergei Vasilievich RACHMANINOFF

(1873 – 1943)

• The most well known of the post-romantic composers. He is often also classified as the last romantic composer but his fiery and complex compositions clearly put him in the modern era.

• One of the trademarks of Rachmaninoff’s compositions is that his instruments talk to each other, i.e. take turns carrying the main melody.

• Rachmaninoff was already a budding composer in Russia but had to leave Russia because of the communist revolution at the age of 44. This might have been the luckiest thing to happen to him for he eventually made his way to the U.S. and achieved world fame.

• Italian Polka

• Prelude in G Minor

• Vocalise• Piano Concerto No.2, 1st mvt

• Piano Concerto No.2, 3rd mvt

• Symphony No.2, end of 3rd mvt

• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, variation 18

I picked a version of Rachmaninoff playing the concerto itself. Its old, so the fidelity is only so so.

Vocalise was originally written as a song. It is unusual as it has no lyrics and is to be sung with any single vowel of the singer’s choosing.

• Soprano Version #

• All 24 variations #

This longer performance will show the link to Paganini’s Caprice No.24 clearly.Rhapsody: an irregular and

improvised piece of music

Gustav MAHLER

A leading post-romantic German composer conductor. While talented, he was constrained by anti-Semitic forces and he had to move to America. His works only became popular after a post WWII revival.

• Symphony No.5, Adagietto

(1860 – 1911)

Adagio is a slow piece of music while an Adagietto is an Adagio that is to be played light-heartedly.

Antonin DVORAK

• Songs My Mother Taught me

• Humoresque

• New World Symphony

2nd movement 4th movement

Dvorak was a Nationalist neo-Classical composer who would draw inspiration from Czech and Slavic folk music. When he was in his 50s he lived in America where he championed the idea of developing African American & Native Indian music.

(1841 – 1904)

Pronounced as Vo-sjak.

Other Composers that went to America

The IMPRESSIONISTS

Maurice RAVEL

• Bolero

(1862 – 1918)

Claude DEBUSSY

A French composer who made heavy use of non-traditional scales and chords. He disliked the term impressionist music although his music is often paired with Monet paintings today. He simply said his music was different.

• Arabesque

• Clair de Lune

A meticulous composer and orchestrator who had to live in Debussy’s shadow until the latter’s death. Ravel was a more flexible composer and he did not compose all his works in the impressionist style.

(1875 – 1937)

This means moonlight: Unlike in the case with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, it was Debussy’s intention to portray the moonlight, shining over a body of water.

THE STYLE OF IMPRESSIONIST MUSIC

• Surreal – in contrast to Romantic Music which was about raw emotion, Impressionist Music imparted more of an abstract sense of mood.

• Static – their music does not seem to have a beginning or an end, and it does not appear to move forward.

• In many cases impressionist use of musical dissonance goes way over the top and is simply too chaotic for novices to appreciate. Try [Ravel’s Scarbo] or [Debussy’s Preludes Book 1] and you’ll see what I mean.

the MODERN Composers (Late)

Sibelius 19571865

Vaughan Williams 19581872

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Prokofiev 19531891

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R Strauss 19491865

Khachaturian 19781903

Shostakovich 19751905

Stravinsky 19711881

Gershwin 19371898

Rodrigo 19991901

Barber 19811910

After WWII, we see the final end of centuries of Germanic domination of the musical world. We also see the rise of the Russian communist composers as the advent of the radio, TV and vinyl records directed the focus of Western musicians to vocalist music.

Art Deco

(1864 – 1949)

Richard STRAUSS

• Also Sprach Zarathustra

The start of this piece based on Nietzsche’s book of the same name is the theme music for 2001 A Space Odyssey.

The last of the illustrious German/Austrian musicians. Some still condemn him for his supposed Nazi ties, but truth be told he was already 75 when WWII started.

(1898 – 1937)

George GERSHWIN

• Rhapsody in Blue

A bit jazzy and reminiscent of the big band Swing Era as the ‘Blue’ implies, but a classic nonetheless.

The first in a long lineage of Jewish musicians that would come to dominate American classical music. He can be said to be the first composer of music with an American flavour.

the Late MODERN Composers

Igor STRAVINSKY

• The Firebird #

(1882 – 1971)

A student of Rimsky-Korsakov who lived in exile in France. He was the only non-communist Russian composer of the Cold War era. Stravinsky started out as a neo-classicist but moved on to atonal music in the 1950s.

Jean SIBELIUS

• Finlandia

Finlandia is what is known as a symphonic poem, a single movement symphony intended to invoke images and moods to the listener. The popular segment starts at time index 3:34.

The hymn Be Still My Soul is based on the segment starting at time index 6:10

(1865 – 1957)

One of the most popular composers of the 20th century. He was found of basing his music on the Finnish landscape and seasons. Sibelius’ birthday is a national holiday in Finland.

• Fantasia on Greensleeves

Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Greensleeves is a beautiful Elizabethan era folk ballad

(1872 – 1958)

A British composer who often used English folk tunes into his works. Unlike most composers of the time he also composed religious music and many of his songs are part of the English Hymnal.

Vaughan is part of his surname, and is

not his first name.

the Late Nationalists

Aram KHACHATURIAN

(1903 – 1978)

A post-romantic Armenian conductor and composer best known for his ballet music. He toed the Communist party line and was well rewarded.

• Gayane Sabre Dance

Gayane is one of his famous ballets, the other is Spartacus.

Dimitri SHOSTAKOVICH

(1906 – 1975)

• Romance, from the Gadfly Suite #

A complex neo-classicist Soviet pianist and composer who ran afoul of the communist party and was denounced twice. Fortunately, he lived long enough to be rehabilitated by the party.

Composed for a Soviet-era movie of the same name. It is supposedly inspired by Massenet’s Meditation.

the Cold War Soviets

Sergei PROKOVIEF

(1891 – 1953)

• Romeo and Juliet,Dance of the Knights

• Peter and the Wolf March

A masterpiece for Children. Each animal is portrayed by a different instrument.

The most famous of the Soviet Titans. He enigmatically decided to return to communist Russia after enjoying life in the West. He was subject to a Stalinist purge which put an end to his musical career.

Samuel BARBER Joaquin RODRIGO

• Adagio for Strings

• Agnus Dei

• Concierto de Aranjuez,2nd movement #

(1910 – 1981) (1901 – 1999)

Two versions of his magnum opus. Agnus Dei is the choral version and is so touching that it is known to brings its audience to tears during live performances.

The most celebrated American classical composers of the 20th century. He was arguably the world’s last true classical composer.

A Spanish composer who was blind and composed in Braille. Because of his Hispanic heritage, he often composed works for the guitar.

the Last of the Classical Composers

Aranjuez is a town south of Madrid. It is also when Rodrigo is buried. Rodrigo was actually knighted Marquis of Aranjuez because of this music he wrote.

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Bonus Section: CONTEMPORARY Orchestral Music

Contemporary

Contemporary

One day in the future, historians will give this period we live in its proper name, but for now we refer to its as Contemporary. Perhaps it will be called the Film era.

Today, instrumental music has been on the decline for close to a century but it is far from dead. New compositions are mostly commissioned as the scores of epic movie projects. Surprisingly, the most memorable of these are not written for artistic films; the best contemporary orchestral music is typically associated with science fiction or fantasy movies.

Contemporary Art The Gherkin

The MOVIE Scoring Vanguard

Nino ROTA

• Romeo and Juliet Suite

• The Godfather Love Theme #

(1911 – 1979)

Jerry GOLDSMITH

• First Contact

(1929 – 2004 )

• The Voyage Home

Leonard ROSENMAN

(1924 – 2008)

Ennio MORRICONE

• Cinema Paradiso

• The Mission, inc Gabriel’s Oboe #

(1928 – )

In the post-war days as far as movie-making was concerned, there was Hollywood, and then there was Cinecitta; so the popular post-war composers were either Italian or American.

If I had room I would have included Elmer Bernstein

John Towner WILLIAMS

• The most popular composer of film scores in our time and conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra for 13 years.

• Over six decades of composing, he has won 6 academy awards and was nominated for an additional 44.

• 4 of his albums actually got into the U.S. Billboard 100 in a time dominated by pop and rock & roll.

• Williams wrote the music for every Spielberg movie except the Colour Purple. Besides those linked below, his hits include: Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Memoirs of a Geisha, Saving Private Ryan, Tintin, War Horse, Book Thief.

• Star Wars, Throne Room Medley #

• Star Wars, Leia’s Theme and Imperial March #

• Schindler’s List

• Superman Overture #

• Jurassic Park #

• Hedwig’s Theme #

(1932 – )

There is a more formal composition called the Harry Potter Symphonic Suite but I prefer this version.

This is definitely the most traditionally classical of all his compositions

• Wrath of Kahn

James HORNERHoward SHORE

• Rohan and Gondor #

• The Shire

Stu PHILLIPS

• Battlestar Galactica (1978)

CONTEMPORARY Composers of Today

• Titanic Suite

• Cocoon #

(1929 – ) (1953 – )(1946 – )

• Classical Destinations

Paul TERRACINI

(1957 – )

My favourite contemporary work. A romantic composition which conjures up images of the Age of Sail, adventure and exploration on the high seas.

With the decline of European film industry, popular classical composers today are primarily North American.

Odd man out, he’s Australian

Played by the Golden Flute himself, James Galway

If I had room I would have included Bill Conti

Itzhak PERLMAN Vladimir ASHKENAZY

Arthur RUBENSTEIN Vladimir HOROWITZLeonard BERNSTEIN

Zubin MEHTA

Eugene ORMANDYHerbert von KARAJAN

Carlos KLEIBER Wilhelm KLEMPFF

10 NAMES you can’t go wrong with when buying classical music

B/W photo = deceased