Felix Mendelssohn

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was unlike most other composers of his time. “He wrote music for the glory of God, and to satisfy his own burning curiosity, not for future fame.” During the 1700s, people knew him as a talented musician, not as a composer, as we do today. He never left his country to pursue bigger and better things. Bach was content as long as he could play music. Traditions were very important to him. He wanted to carry on the musical tradition of his family, and never opted to change the traditional ways of composing, as did most composers. Bach’s work is vast and unique.

Sonatas composed from 1773 to 1784 were intended as “public” works from the very beginning, with a clear conception of the taste, preferences, and instruments available to the musical public of Vienna. The Sonata in F Major, Hob. XVI: 23; L38 written in 1773 for solo harpsichord is the best known and most virtuosic of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756, in Salzburg, Austria. Mozart quickly became “the most extraordinarily gifted child in the history of music” (Forney 169). Around the age of 3 Mozart became interested in playing the keyboard, “he could also recall prominent passages from the pieces that he heard” (Abert 19). At only reaching the age of four, Mozart’s father had already begun to teach him a number of minutes and other pieces on the keyboard, and not long before he was able to play them with total accuracy and in perfect time. “Soon he was moved to write music of his own and was still only four when he wrote his first short pieces, which he played to his father and which the latter duly notated” (Abert 19). Not only did Mozart begin to compose before he was five but by the age of thirteen, he had already written everything from sonatas to several operas. Leopold was the father of Mozart, which instantly gave him a strong foundation when it came to the musical background. Leopold Mozart was a well-respected court composer-violinist, he dedicated his life and energy to support his son’s talent. Not only was Mozart influenced by his father but also by Johann Christian Bach. At this time Mozart traveled to the courts of Paris, London, The Hague, and Zurich performing with all the other child prodigies, this is how Mozart met Bach following one of their performances. They quickly became friends and Mozart considered Bach as an instrumental influence in his work. During

Usually when people judge romance they assume of dating, but the Romantic Period was not about dating, it was a time of great emotion, creativity, imagination, adventure, and was a time of political revolution. Romanticism originated in Western Europe in the second half of the 18th century, and gained much strength during the Industrial Revolution. This era was a time of great change, and unlike the Classical era, the Romantic era allowed artistic creativity, freedom, and experimentation. The Romantic Period brought a flood of women who began writing and expressing themselves through literary works. Women increased recognition during the romantic era. They devolved into music teachers, composers, singers and performers. Although they were still in the opposition of music professions, the women in this era opened the doors for opportunities in the future. A few dominant impacts were Pauline Viardot, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and Clara Schumann. They even had some of their works published. (Young: 235-237)

Felsenfeld takes his readers on a journey from being an uninspired teenager, into the world of an adult “rebel” composer. Although Daniel was in piano lessons at a young age, he just couldn’t seem to spark an interest in the classical music that was being put in front of him. He continued the lessons through high school, and only had enough skill to make minimal money in piano bars and orchestra pits. Daniel regularly hung out with a friend, Mike, whose house he would go

19.  Franz Schubert. Born in 1797, died in 1828 from Vienna. Wrote well over 600 works. Was the Master of the Art Song. He wasn’t financially successful and his symphonies were performed after he died. 
20.  Robert Schumann. Born in 1810, died in 1856 from Germany. Wrote piano pieces and symphonies. Known for his gift of melody. Eventually was committed and later died. 
21.  Clara Schumann. Born in 1819, died in 1896 from Germany. First well known female composer. Married to Robert Schumann. Stop composing at age 36. Mainly wrote piano pieces. After husbands death she dedicated the rest of her career to promoting her husbands work. 
22.  Frederic Chopin. Born in 1811, died in 1849 from Poland. Came to Paris at age 21, wrote exclusively for piano. Wrote free form preludes, nocturnes etudes and impromptus. Composed mainly chamber music. Had and affair

When the general public thinks of Baroque music, they might think of the High Court sounding French concerto, or one of Bach’s many and well-known fugues. These highly structured pieces with their vigorous counterpoint and technical brilliance might be considered “tight” and “incredibly mechanical.” However, these pieces though full of well thought out lines, phrases, and ornamented passages are not driven by the writers will to keep the music enslaved in rules and restricting limits of harmony. The Baroque era contained the elements of the stile moderno, a

Now, if I consider one of his works such as Nixon in China which is an opera by the John Adams in connection with the Alice Goodman, it gained popularity in its time, especially it was inspired by

Mendelssohn was a famous German composer of the Romantic period. Although he was born into a Jewish family and grew up without a religion he soon became a reformed Christian. Mendelssohn was born with the talent to be able to play instruments and make music, but his parents never really supported his talent and didn’t help him to improve his talent. He went on to pursue what he loved to do and that was to compose and conduct music. Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, 1809.

Felix Mendelssohn; a well-known husband, father, son, composer, musician, and one of the most- celebrated figures in the early nineteenth century. Felix Mendelssohn also known as Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was born to a family of Jewish background on February 3, 1809 in Hamburg, Germany. Two years after the birth of Felix his family moved to berlin due to the French occupation of Hamburg. His parents Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn took on the name Bartholdy after being greatly influenced by liberal ideas in which was considered advantageous in conformity with the intention to mark their emancipation from the ghetto by being baptized into Christian faith which took place in 1816. After their new beginning in Berlin and having the

Edward MacDowell was a popular composer who favored the late romantic programmatic style over the classical German Romanticism that was popular among his American contemporaries (Crawford & Hamberlin, 2013). At the age of 16, MacDowell began studying piano and composition in Europe where he had some of his early compositions published. Upon returning to the United States he continued teaching, composing and performing in the Boston area. After becoming on of the nation’s leading musicians, he began teaching at Columbia University. Prior to his time at Columbia he wrote a few symphonic works, however his duties at the university only allowed him to write smaller pieces (Crawford & Hamberlin, 2013).

This German composer is a pianist, musical conductor, teacher, and of the most-celebrated figures of the early Romantic period. Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1826), Italian Symphony (1833), a violin concerto (1844), two piano concerti (1831, 1837), the oratorio Elijah (1846), and several pieces of chamber music are all this composer’s most famous works. Romanticism is this composer initiating key aspects and this composer largely observed Classical models and practices. Moses Mendelssohn is this composer’s grandfather. This German composer is Felix Mendelssohn.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy was one of the great composers in the early romantic era. He influenced by Baroque and Classical composers. He became the pioneer for reviving the music of Bach or Handel as well as one of the leading composers. The “Elijah” was the significant contribution to religious music in the 19th century.

Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg on February 3, 1809, in Germany. In 1819, he joined the Singakademie music academy and began composing non-stop. At age 9, he made his public debut in Berlin. At Singakademie, he also became a conductor, but continued to compose prolifically. Mendelssohn founded the Leipzig Conservatory of Music in 1843. He died on November 4, 1847, in Leipzig. He was a great composer and changed music for ever. In 1829 Mendelssohn also became a conductor. He conducted a performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. The performance's success led to other great opportunities which included a chance to conduct the London Singing Society that same year.

They say what’s old is new again. There is nothing new under the sun. What goes around comes around. History repeats itself. These may be just a few banal sayings, but they might hold true for classical music as well. Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin is one such example. Written during the neo-classical and neo-baroque movements of the early 1900s, this clever piece ties together French musical traditions, baroque styles, and World War I in just six short pieces. This essay will detail the origins of the suite form and the neo-classical neo-baroque movement, and compare Le Tombeau de Couperin with Bach’s French Suite no. 5 in G Major, BWV 816.