Composers
Born: January 27, 1756. Salzburg, Austria
Died: December 5, 1791. Vienna, Austria
Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Serenade in G Major "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" 1. Allegro Page 143 in your binder...
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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"Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius."
From Classics for Kids
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, where his father Leopold was a violinist and composer. Wolfgang (or Wolferl, as his family called him) was a child prodigy. He composed his first piece of music at age five; he had his first piece published when he was seven; and he wrote his first opera when he was twelve. By the time Wolfgang was 6, he was an excellent pianist and violinist. He and his sister Maria Anna (known as Nannerl) traveled all over Europe performing for royalty.
When he grew up, Mozart moved to Vienna, and tried to earn a living as a pianist and composer. But he had a lot of trouble handling the fact that he was no longer a child prodigy. Mozart was still a musical genius, but after he stopped being a cute kid, people stopped making a big fuss over him. Back then, musicians were treated like servants, but Mozart did not, and could not think of himself as a servant.
Mozart was only 35 when he died. During his short life, he composed in all different musical forms, including operas, symphonies, concertos, masses, and chamber music. Today, he is still considered a genius!
You can start learning about this composer right here!!
Just follow some of the links below. You can read about his life and listen to some of his works.
Whether you have a fast or slow Internet connection, the Classics for Kids web site has informative radio shows that you can listen to right from you home computer. The shows range in topic from The Magic Flute to About Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to What is a Rondo.
The Mozart Project site has everything you could hope for. You can read a very detailed biography of the composer. There is also a complete list of compositions, and if you have Real Audio Player installed you can listen to short example. There is even bibliography for continued learning.
The W.A. Mozart site from Classical Music Pages has more limited biographical information, but also contains musical examples in mp3 format with will play from most any browser.
The Essentials of Music site also has a Mozart page with biographical information along with a limited selection of music streams that you will need Real Audio Player to hear.
To learn more about the orchestra and live performances of classical music, check out these sites...
San Francisco Symphony for Kids
The New York Philharmonic for Kids
NPR Performance Today
Technorati Tags: Composers
Born: March 31, 1732. Rohrao, Austria
Died: May 31, 1809. Vienna, Austria
Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Symphony No. 6 "Le Martin"; 4th Movement
Composer Podcast
From the Classics for Kids website...
Franz Joseph Haydn was the most famous composer of his time. He helped develop new musical forms, like the string quartet and the symphony. In fact, even though he didn't invent it, Haydn is known as the "Father of the Symphony."
Haydn was born in the tiny Austrian town of Rohrau, where his father made huge wooden carts and wagonwheels. His mother was a cook. When he was 8, Joseph (he didn't go by Franz) went to Vienna to sing in the choir at St. Stephen's Cathedral, and to attend the choir school. His younger brother Michael joined him a short time later. Joseph could never resist a playing a joke, which got him in trouble at school. Since Michael Haydn was much better behaved than his brother, everyone thought he would be the more successful musician. Wrong!
At first, Haydn struggled to earn a living as a composer. Then, he got a job with a rich, powerful family named Esterhazy. It was Haydn's job to write music for the Esterhazy princes, and to conduct their orchestra. Haydn composed symphonies, operas, string quartets, and all kinds of other music for performance at the Esterhazy court.
Haydn was also a good businessman. Music publishing made him and his music famous all over Europe. After he retired from working for the Esterhazy family, Haydn made two very successful trips to England, where audiences at concerts of his music treated him like a superstar.
Born: November 22, 1913 Lowestoft, Suffolk England
Died: December 4, 1976 Aldeburgh, Suffolk England
Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Four Sea Interludes No. 2 Sunday Morning on page 89 in your binder.
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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Born: March 4, 1678. Venice, Italy
Died: July 28, 1741. Vienna, Austria
Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Spring from The Four Seasons, ;page 168 in your binder
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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Born: March 21, 1685. Eisenach, Germany
Died: July 28, 1750. Leipzig, Germany
Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Fragments from Anna Magdalena's Notebook Page 71 in your binder...
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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From Classics for Kids Bach Page:
Born: March 21, 1685. Eisenach, Germany
Died: July 28, 1750. Leipzig, Germany
Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major; 3. Allegro Page 68 in your binder...
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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From Classics for Kids Bach Page:
Born: March 21, 1685. Eisenach, Germany
Died: July 28, 1750. Leipzig, Germany
Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major; 3. Allegro assai Page 67 in your binder...
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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From Classics for Kids Bach Page:
Born: March 21, 1685. Eisenach, Germany
Died: July 28, 1750. Leipzig, Germany
Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Suite No. 3 in D Major; 2. Air Page 77 in your binder...
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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From Classics for Kids Bach Page:
Born: March 21, 1685. Eisenach, Germany
Died: July 28, 1750. Leipzig, Germany
Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Invention No. 14 in B Flat Major Page 74 in your binder...
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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From Classics for Kids Bach Page:
Born: November 22, 1913 Lowestoft, Suffolk England
Died: December 4, 1976 Aldeburgh, Suffolk England
Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, No. 5 Aria on page 93 in your binder.
Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...
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