Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Franz Liszt, Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer. Among his, many notable compositions are his 12 symphonic poems, two (completed) piano concerti, several sacred choral works, and a great variety of solo piano pieces. Liszt’s father, Adam Liszt, was an official in the service of Prince Esterhazy, whose palace in Eisenstadt was frequented by many celebrated musicians. By the time, Franz was five years old; he was already attracted to the piano and was soon given lessons by his father. He began to show interest in both church and Gypsy music. He developed into a religious child, also because of the influence of his father. Franz began to compose at the age of eight. When only nine he made his first public appearance as a concert pianist. His playing so impressed the local Hungarian magnates that they put up the money to pay for his musical education for the next six years. Liszt’s father obtained leave of absence from his post and took Franz to Vienna. He gave several concerts in Vienna, with great success. …show more content…
Liszt’s Paris debut on March 7, 1824, was sensational. Other concerts quickly followed, as well as a visit to London in June. He toured England the following year, visiting Manchester, where his New Grand Overture was performed for the first time. In 1826, he toured France and Switzerland, returning to England again in the following year. Suffering from nervous exhaustion, Liszt expressed a desire to become a priest. For more than a year, he did not touch the piano and was dissuaded from joining the priesthood only through the efforts of his mother. He experienced much religious pessimism. During this period, Liszt took an active dislike to the career of a virtuoso. He made up for his previous lack of education by reading widely, and he came into contact with many of the leading artists of the
It was not only until the spring of that year that he for first time left Hamburg professionally. He undertook a tour with the Hungarian violinist Eduard Remenyi for the purpose of introducing himself and his works. At Gottingen they gave a concert in which the young pianist made a deep impression upon the musicians present. He and Remenyi were to play Beethoven?s Kreutzer sonata, but at the last moment it was discovered that the piano was half a tone too low.
Clara Schumann was born September 13, 1819 in Leipzig, Germany. Clara was born into a musical family in school her father Friedrich Weick studied theology but made his career in music. He later settled in Leipzig where he taught piano, opened a business selling instruments, and began a music lending library. He taught his wife Marianne and his future son-in-law Robert Schumann, he also received the reputation as a first-rate piano teacher. Wieck an and Marianne divorced after eight years of marriage when Clara was five years old, leaving Clara’s father to raise her and her four brother when her mother moved to Berlin. Unfortunately her father felt he neglected her general education but recognized her talents and saw that Clara had the finest musical education. In Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin Clara studied piano with her father and violin, theory, and different areas of composition with the best teachers. In Leipzig she attended all of the important performances and learned about business of music.
Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770 to Johann van Beethoven and his wife, Maria Magdalena. He took his first music lessons from his father, who was tenor in the choir of the archbishop-elector of Cologne. His father was an unstable, yet ambitious man whose excessive drinking, rough temper and anxiety surprisingly did not diminish Beethoven's love for music. He studied and performed with great success, despite becoming the breadwinner of his household by the time he was 18 years old. His father's increasingly serious alcohol problem and the earlier death of his grandfather in 1773 sent his family into deepening poverty. At first, Beethoven made little impact on the musical society, despite his father's hopes. When he turned 11, he left school and became an assistant organist to Christian Gottlob Neefe at the court of Bonn, learning from him and other musicians. In 1783 he became the continuo player for the Bonn opera and accompanied their rehearsals on keyboard. In 1787, he was sent to Vienna to take further lessons from Mozart. Two months later, however, he was called back to Bonn by the death of his mother. He started to play the viola in the Opera Orchestra in 1789, while also teaching in composing. He met Haydn in 1790, who agreed to teach him in Vienna, and Beethoven then moved to Vienna permanently. He received financial support from Prince Karl Lichnowsky, to whom he dedicated his Piano Sonata in C minor, better known as The Pathétique .
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will always be known as one of the best musicians of all time. Although his life lasted half the length of a normal human, he most likely did more with his time than people do today. His greatness will unfortunately never be fully understood due to confusion on how his life was lived and even how he died, but everyone knows he had a gift.
Many prominent musicians produced major works during the romantic period. Among these are Beethoven, Strause, and Bach. But the musician that I think had the most impact, was Franz Schubert. Franz Peter, born on 31 January 1797 was one of fourteen children born of Franz Theodore Schubert and Elisabeth Vietz, four of which survived. He grew up in an apartment that daily converted to a classroom in which his father taught several elementary school classes. He received a thorough basic education; his father being a good teacher, and son being a bright student. From his father Franz also learned to play the violin, and from his brother he learned the piano. The family, indeed, was a very musical one; family "String Quartet Parties" were well known in the part of Vienna in which they lived. But soon young Franz learned all that his family had to teach him. Later, any neighbors who could play any instruments were drawn in and the quartet became a little orchestra. At nine years old, this inquisitive little boy auditioned and was accepted for a position as a chorister in the Royal Court Chapel Choir (which would later become the 'Vienna Boys' Choir). The young chorister gained the attention of Antonio Saliere, who saw to the nurture the young boy's education. After leaving the choir, he continued as a student at the school for one unhappy year. Schubert returned to live at home where it was decided that he would help his father teach. This did not last long. A disastrous episode with an unruly pupil was the last straw and Schubert at age nineteen left teaching and his home to pursue what he loved, composing. He moved in to the...
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are very famous past composers that have created many pieces that have influenced not just people of their time, but people in modern times as well.
Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770 in Bann, Germany. From a young age Beethoven was involved with music because he came from three generations of musicians. He received instruction from his father on the piano and violin. One of his earliest concerts was in front of his father’s peers against his will. Beethoven had a fiery temper and was somewhat introverted in his school years. Beethoven went to school until the age of ten. At this time his family’s finances prevented his family from affording the education that he needed. In July of 1787, Beethoven’s life was further thrown into disarray with the death of his mother. Despite Beethoven’s misfortune he would still achieve monumental amounts of success while in Vienna. His success can be attributed to the fact that he crafted relatio...
After arriving in 1792 he studied composition and counterpoint under Haydn, Schenk, Salieri and Albrechtsberger. At the same time, he tried to establish himself as pianist and composer. His good relations with the towns aristocracy soon led to a secured income. In 1809, with the sole condition that he stayed in Vienna, Prince Kinsky, Prince Lobkowitz and Archduke Rudolp even guaranteed Beethoven a yearly income. B...
At age four he could learn a piece of music in half an hour, and by age six he was performing publicly and began writing his own symphonies. At around this time, the family began going on tour across Europe, performing in the courts of Munich, Paris and London. Mozart met many famous composers during his tours, including Johann Sebastian Bach, who would end up having a strong influence on him. By the time Mozart was thirteen, he and his sister had toured extensively across Europe.
Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Romantic Russian composer who lived from 1873 to 1943. He experienced many tragedies in his life and suffered with melancholia for many years, but as a musician he has written some of the most powerful pieces of the Romantic period and is known as one of the most legendary pianists of all time. Rachmaninoff was also one of the most focused and hard-working composers, and because of his disciplined ways he was able to travel and perform all over Europe and America in his lifetime, becoming very famous, though he was always doubtful of himself and his abilities. But how did he come to recognize his musical talent? What is his music like that it is so famous? Who influenced him and who in turn did he influence?
Mozart was talented in music from an early age at three he was picking out chords on the harpsichord, at four playing short pieces, at five composing. Before he was six, his father took him and his sister , to Munich to play at the Bavarian court, and a few months later they went to Vienna and were heard at the imperial court and in noble houses. At the age of seven, he picked up a violin at a musical gathering and sight-read the second part of a work with complete accuracy, despite his never having had a violin lesson.In the years 1763-1766 Leopold obtained a leave of absence from his position and the family set out on...
Franz Joseph Haydn is widely imitated because of his excellent technique that makes his music, so rich in quality and quantity by having one of the most fertile musical minds. Haydn is one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is also known as one of the pivotal figures in all western musical history. Here I will try to showcase and highlight some of Haydn’s brilliance by talking about the life he lead growing up, his work and career, a little introduction to his music, touching on some of his compositions, his contributions to music, and finally Haydn’s influence.
At the mere age of four, Amadeus was already able to learn complicated pieces in under a half hour, and play the clavier (keyboard) extremely well. As his musical and composing skills developed further and further, at the mere age of eight, he wrote his first couple symphonies. Now constantly traveling all over Europe with his father (starting in Munich in 1762), Amadeus started to make a name for himself as a young, musical prodigy. However, not only did Mozart make a name for himself on these tours, he also absorbed and learned various European musical playing and composing styles, which eventually had great effect on his mature playing and composing styles.
As an adult Mozart his career was not as successful as when he was younger. But he kept on composing anyway hoping one people would appreciate his work. He lived in poverty for the great majority of his life. In 1769 he became a concertmaster to the archbishop of Salzburg, which was another one of his jobs that afforded him little financial security. In 1777, he left on another concert tour. But, the courts of Europe ignored Mozart ‘s search for a more beneficial assignment. In 1782 he earned a living by selling compositions, giving public performances, and giving music lessons, which once again was a low paying job. The composer never did find a well paying job. The bizarre thing was is that even that he had ton of trouble finding jobs, he was still considered one of the leading composers of the late 1700s.
From a young age his father taught him to piano and violin. His father wanted him to be a child prodigy like Mozart and was said to be very strict on Beethoven. His father pushed Beethoven and it is said that neighbors would hear a small boy crying from their home. With the constant, over bearing pressure to become the best musician, young Ludwig showed great potential with his skill and creativity. He did not become known as a child prodigy has his father had hoped . For being so young Beethoven was still extremely talented and at only 7 years old he performed his first concert in