MusiLLection

An 18th-century sketch depicts Beethoven at work on a composition. He was already celebrated as a virtuoso pianist before gaining lasting fame as a composer. Ludwig van Beethoven  stands as one of the most influential figures in the history of Western music. His output spans nearly every major genre of his time and reshaped the expressive boundaries of Classical form, paving the way for Romanticism. Below is a selected overview of some of his most important and widely performed works , grouped by genre. Symphonies Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 – “Eroica” Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 – “Pastoral” Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 – “Choral” Concertos Piano Concertos Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 – “...

Schumann never forgot his debt to his old piano teacher and dedicated "Improptus" to him. Symphonies: Symphony No. 1 in B flat Major, “Spring”, op. 38 Symphony No. 2 in C Major, op.61 Symphony No. 3 in E flat Major, “Rhenish., op.97 Symphony No. 4 in D minor, op. 120 Orchestral works: Overture and incidental music, Manfred , op. 115 Julius Ceasar overture, op. 128 Herman und Dorothea overture, op. 136 Concerts: Piano   concert in A minor, op. 54 Violin concerto in A minor, op. 129 Chamber music: Piano Quintet in E flat Major, op. 44 String Quartets, op. 41, no. 1-3 Piano works: Papillons, op. 2 Carnival, op. 9 Grand Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, op. 11 Grand Sonata No. 3 in F minor Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor Scenes From Childhood, op. 15 Opera: Genoveva, op. 81

A painting of Oberon and Titania, characters from William Shakespeare's "Α Midsummer Night's Dream", from which Mendelssohn inspired the famous "Wedding March". Symphonies: No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11 No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52, "Lobgesang" No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, "The Scottish" No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 "Italian"  No. 5 in D major/minor, Op. 107 "Reformation" Overtures: A Midsummer Night's Dream, in E major for orchestra, Op. 21 The Hebrides or Fingal's Cave, in B minor for orchestra, Op. 26 The Beautiful Melusine), in F major for orchestra, Op. 32 Concertos: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D minor, for violin and strings Violin Concerto No. 2 in E minor, Op. 64  Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40  Chamber music: String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20  Cello Sonata No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 45 Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58 String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. ...

London in 1888, the city where Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 was first presented to English audiences and warmly embraced. From 1884 onward, Antonín Dvořák visited England no fewer than nine times. His music was met with great enthusiasm, and his concerts enjoyed remarkable popularity. During one of these visits, in 1890, he conducted the English premiere of Symphony No. 8 , a work he had composed between August and November of the previous year. At the time, Dvořák was engaged in a dispute with his publisher Fritz Simrock , who complained that the composer’s works were no longer commercially profitable. As a result, the symphony was first published in England in 1892 by Novello & Co. , under the direction of Henry Littleton , secretary of the London Philharmonic Society and the figure who had originally invited Dvořák to England. Dvořák conducted the symphony again with great success at Queen’s Hall in London on March 19, 1896, during his final English visit. The acclaim and financia...

Camille Saint-Saëns wrote this satirical and entertaining suite in 1886 for himself and his friends exclusively. It was played only once in a close private circle, and Saint-Saëns did not allow it to be performed in public while he was alive. Either he believed that the work was not of particular value or perhaps he considered it unworthy of a composer at the top of his career.  Whatever the reason, the score remained untouched for 30 years and was only published in 1922. I. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion The fibrillation of piano chords and the emerging string phrases of this "magnificent zoological imagination" define the Introduction and Royal March of the Lion . As the music grows, the excitement intensifies until everything stops abruptly with a final bow of the orchestra. The pianos play a rhythmic fanfare and a slow string melody finally announces the arrival of the Lion. Even his terrible roar is heard - low on the piano and later on strings. II. Hens and R...

The announcement of Anton Bruckner's death. 1824:  Josef Anton Bruckner  was born on September 4th in Ansfelden, Austria. 1834: Begins to replace his father in the organ. 1835:  C ompletes his school education  in Hörsching, where  Johann Baptist Weiß was schoolmaster. 1837: In June his father dies. He is sent to the Augustinian monastery in Sankt Florian to become a choirboy. 1841: Trained in Linz as a teacher. 1845: Assistant teacher in  Sankt Florian . He falls in love with Louise Bogner. 1851: Permanent organist in  Sankt Florian . His first visit to Vienna. 1855:  B ecomes a student of the famous Vienna music theorist Simon Sechter. 1863: Listens to Wagner 's Tannhäuser  opera. 1866: Completes Symphony No. 1 in C minor . 1868: Professor of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory. 1871: Visits England and  impresses audience  at Royal Albert Hall. 1872: The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra rejects Symphony No. 2 . 1893: ...

One only has to watch carefully the route of the Vltava River (Moldau), as it is described thoughtfully and spontaneously with the sounds of the homonymous symphonic poem by Bedřich Smetana , in order to understand the musical philosophy of the Bohemian composer, which was also a philosophy of life. Smetana proposes with his work a seductive model of programmatic music, a fair model of nationalist opinion and a bright model of coupling words and traditional music at the same time. Smetana's symphonic poem Vltava is certainly the most intimate example of the composer's musical writing, but it has condensed and concentrated all the structural characteristics that are detected in his works. The rhythmic energy that emerges from every breath of his works is assisted by music gentle, emotional, witty. Rhythm and melody, having deep roots in the tradition of bohemian land, creatively stimulate the imagination and provoke the immediate emotion of the listener. At a time when every inc...

  This dramatic and vivid work called Ravel's Boléro , by Arnold Shore, was painted to honor Ravel's most beloved and best-known composition. In 1927, dancer Ida Rubinstein ordered Ravel a ballet. The result was  Boléro, which was first composed and presented in 1928. The work consists of a tiered crescendo, where the musical variation is based solely on changes in orchestration. In the ballet, choreographed by the Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, a young gypsy woman begins a slow, sluggish dance. Ecstatic by her movements, the dancers enter the dance one after the other and finally dance together. Η χορεύτρια Ίντα Ρούμπινστάϊν  φωτογραφίζεται το έτος 1922. Boléro  caused a great sensation and within two weeks, the composer became world famous. Accompanied by the snare drum playing the boléro rhythm and the string's pizzicato, a solo flute appears, entering the first part of the dominant melody of the work. A clarinet repeats the music and follows a bassoon that ente...

This detailed painting by Johann Pletcher perfectly captures the atmosphere of the Baroque period. Handel - with his glorious festive works and great opera - was one of the most prominent musical representatives of this style. Orchestral: Water Music: Suite No.1, Suite No.2, Suite No3 Music for the Royal Fireworks Oratorios: Esther Athalia Alexander Balus Saul Israel in Egypt Messiah Samson Semele Belshazzar Judas Maccabaeus Solomon Jephtha Concertos: Organ Concerto No. 13 in F Major, HWV 295, "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale" Organ Concerto No. 14 in A Major Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor Chamber music: Two oboe sonatas Twelve flute sonatas Six Concerti Grossi for strings, woodwinds and continuo, Opus 3 Six organ sonatas, Opus 4 Seven Trio Sonatas, Opus 5 Operas: Almira Rodrigo Rinaldo Giulio Cesare Rodelinda Orlando Ariodante Alcina Serse (Xerxes)

The  Spring Symphony  is one of Schumann’s most joyful and carefree works, as is this depiction of a joyous tarantella by Pietro Fabris. The Spring Symphony was Schumann's first attempt to compose an extensive musical work. It was written in early 1841, just five months after his marriage to Clara Wieck. She encouraged him to expand beyond the safe area of short chamber music works - such as songs and piano works - into compositions better suited to concert halls and capable of securing him some income.           After just four days of feverish work, from 23 to 27 January, he had planned the entire symphony. He started the score the next day and wrote all the parts for a full orchestra in a month. He completed the deal on February 20th and named it "Spring" to commemorate the time he had just raised. A month later, on March 31, 1841, it premiered in Leipzig with Felix Mendelssohn as a conductor. The symphony is overflowing with a joyous alertne...

Franz Liszt composed four Valses Oublièes from 1881 to 1884, when he was seventy years old. Despite his age, his thinking was still very creative. This work, like many of his later works, shows a significant advance in harmony and style compared to his early compositions. Although it's written like a regular waltz, this pianistic work features a more vivid gait than Strauss's Viennese waltzes and is more closely related to Chopin 's waltzes. It combines bursts of technical intelligence with a keen interest in harmony - advanced and daring for their time. The work ends with exceptional originality, letting the music hover in the atmosphere.

Joseph Haydn composed this concerto in 1796 for the Viennese court trumpeter Anton Weidinger. Weidinger had at the time devised a key instrument that favored his interpretive potential, thereby increasing its ton range compared to the traditional "natural" trumpet. Haydn cleverly exploited this feature by creating one of the few popular trumpet concertos. Μovements : Ι. Allegro The first part, Allegro , begins in the usual way, namely with a "tutti" - a section for the entire orchestra that introduces the main material of the part. Then the solo trumpet enters and confidently suggests the themes. Here's a central "development" section where issues expand further. Then, after a return to the opening material, the orchestra stops playing leaving the trumpet to perform a cadenza. Here, the trills are clearly heard, which the new kind of key trumpet could produce much more easily. ΙΙ. Andante cantabile The second part, Andante cantabile , is in a calm, si...

Costumes for Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade  by Léon Bakst. Written in 1888 is perhaps the most popular work of the composer. It was inspired by Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights), a collection of stories from the East of the 9th century. In the sheet music headline, the composer describes the following program:  "Sultan Schariar, convinced of women's infidelity, vows to execute his wives after the first night. But Sultana Scheherazade is saved by entertaining him with stories that last a thousand and one nights. Sultana arouses the Sultan's curiosity with her stories, and he constantly postpones her execution. He finally withdraws his terrible oath. Scheherazade told the Sultan many wondrous stories, combining the lyrics of the poets with the words of the songs and the fairy tales with the adventures". Movements : I. The Sea and Sinbad's Ship:  Largo e maestoso – Lento – Allegro non troppo – Tranquillo The inaugural measures of The Sea...

In the case of Robert Schumann , the proximity of genius to madness is confirmed. From his father he had inherited a troubled psyche, which was extended by various unpleasant episodes of his life, culminating in his reckless act, after which he realized that he would never become the great virtuoso pianist he dreamed of. So he easily crossed the dividing line and dived into worlds where logic oscillated from existence to non-existence. His youthful love for the piano filtered by his inspiration, came to fruition with some pianist masterpieces. By the time he was 30, only the piano enjoyed the favor of his fertile imagination. When his love found a human bright object of desire, Clara Wieck wanted to sing his love for her. He composed beautiful song cycles, enriching with precious mosaics the art that Franz Schubert had brought out. With the encouragement and support of his life partner, he tested his creative skills in other aspects of music, such as symphonic and chamber music. He co...

The famous monument to Chopin, Parc Monceau, Paris. The ballades of the Polish poet Adam Bernard Mickiewicz inspired Chopin to compose the four Ballades, each telling a musical story. The first, Opus 23, took four years to complete (1831-1835) and coincided with Chopin's arrival in Paris and his acceptance by the city's good society. The poet Adam Bernard Mickiewicz. Unlike most of Chopin's pianistic compositions, which focus on unexpected changes in mood and contrasts, Ballade No.1 in G minor has a narrative, almost epic quality. In this respect it is consistent with literary ballades, such as the epic 17th century poem, Faery Queen (Fairy Queen) by Edmond Spencer. Many regard Chopin's four piano ballads as the most mature and refined part of his wide-ranging work. The introduction provides the backdrop, which is full of a sense of tragedy and premonition. This contrasts with the first melody that is both lyrical and simple. Observe the use of ceases and subtle qualms...

The first page of Symphony No. 9 "From the New World ", signed by the composer. The notes on the left show the oldest works with their dates, which Dvorak merged to create his masterpiece. For Orchestra: Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 & Op. 72 Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22 Concertos:  Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 Chamber Music: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 "American" Symphonies: No. 1 in C minor "The Bells of Zlonice" No. 2 in B♭ Major No. 3 in C Major, Op. 32 No. 4 in D minor No. 5 in F Major, Op. 76 No. 6 in D Major, Op. 60 No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 No. 9 in E minor "From the New World", Op. 95 Operas: The Devil and Kate, Op. 112 Rusalka, Op. 114 Armida, Op. 115 Choral Music: Stabat Mater, Op. 58

The Clarinet Sonata is one of three wooden wind sonatas written by the composer in 1921, the last year of his life. The other two are for oboe and bassoon. All three sonatas show Saint-Saëns's growing preference for more delicate, kinder texture and sound. Camille Saint-Saëns intended to write a second series of wooden wind sonatas on his holiday in Algiers in 1921, but died before they began their composition. Allegro Animato 's lively opening melody is indicative of the light and playful mood of the piece. The clarinet is clearly the soloist here, while the piano provides accompaniment with melodic harmonies and occasional counterphrase. Later, Saint-Saëns incorporates anoding and unusual leaps into the melody, but that doesn't bother the comfortable flow of music at all, where the previous themes are re-heard and the part ends with a politely up-and-coming harp of the clarinet.

Page from the manuscript of the composition of Bizet  L' Arlesienne . In 1872 Bizet wrote the stage music for a work of love and tragedy in rural Provence, written by Alphonse Daudet. Based on a true story, he refers to two brothers: Fréderi , who is in love with a girl from Arles, and L’Innocent , his mentally retarded brother, who miraculously regains his intelligence after his brother's death. The play was not very successful and a month after its first presentation, Bizet created this four-part suite for a concert. Music immediately became popular and is the form in which L’ Arlésienne is heard today. Movements : I. Prélude, Allegro deciso The Prelude to this tragic drama begins with an old Provenian march played by strings and woodwinds, first separately and then in unisono. Here are three variations of the theme, before the entire orchestra plays this lively march in its original form. The second part is slow, strangely excruciating and low-key serene. This is the musi...

Although the founder of the Czech national music school was Bedřich Smetana , it was Antonín Leopold Dvořák who tossed the inexhaustible wealth of the musical tradition of bohemian land throughout the Western world. His compositions are dominated by a happy combination of academic rules, instinctive technique and folk sound colors. An excellent recipient of every useful influence, the composer effectively assimilated and exploited creatively all the musical stimuli he received, either as a diligent student or as a nostalgic traveler. Following the orders of emotion rather than logic, Dvořák composed music that is sincere, spontaneous that often reflects the smile of ordinary people, without, however, disregarding the sensitivity and needs of genuine and demanding friend. A bridgemaker between folk and scholar, skillful in the application of the teachings of classical education, he completed work miraculous in variety, quality and purity. His peaceful life and emotionally balanced, all...

The "Revolutionary" etude was composed after Chopin was informed that the 1831 Polish uprising had been crushed by the Russian troops. It has been said about Chopin's Etudes that "they are as inaccessible to the musician without virtuosity as they are to the virtuoso without musicality". Certainly the "Revolutionary" Etude pushes the pianist to his limits. But the technical complexity doesn't overshadow the musical flood for a moment. Above the troubled part of the left hand, emotion and melody cross the storm like the unruly boat at the top of the wave. Chopin designed this piece as a piano exercise or an etude for the left hand. All the 12 Etudes of Opus 10 are influenced by violinist Nikolo Paganini and pianist Franz Liszt and are dedicated to the latter.