Irving Baline's A Pretty Girl Is Like A Song

Mothers nag us with chores and tell us to straighten up when we mess up, but mothers always know best and do everything out of love for their children. The short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid demonstrates this in a list of instructions a mother gives to her daughter to help her live a successful life. Directions that are listed involve food, clothes, social skills, health, and protection of public image. Together these tasks assist in characterizing the mother and daughter. In “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid employs characterization through the characters’ actions, conflict, and dialogue to reveal the mother’s tough love and the daughter’s immaturity.

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

Wolfgang’s life was profoundly impacted by the history of his time, it allowed him to compose, play and direct music and eventually live freely, ultimately setting the stage for him to create some of the best music pieces to date.

With goals of becoming a pianist, he ended up settling as a composer and musical writer due to his paralysis. Although he felt he failed at many things, he “was one of the great composers of the nineteenth century” and “was the quintessential artist whose life and work embody the idea of romanticism in music. His brilliant collections of short piano pieces have attained the elusive union of music and poetry which romantic poets and musicians defined as the ultimate goal of art”

Dvorak would grow up to become one of the best composers of his time. Dvorak wrote many famous musical works. He traveled the world teaching and preforming in various different places. What made Dvorak stand out as a composer however and what is probably his most well remembered trait is that he was able to incorporate different cultures into his music. This is what made Dvorak so great and allowed him to stand out from the crowd.

Known as the most influential musician of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770. Beethoven’s talent was noticed at a young age and he soon became a pioneer in the world of music for breaking the traditional bounds of style and form. Over the course of his life, Beethoven produced nine symphonies, seven concertos, and a total of forty-two sonatas. Although these numbers are few when compared to other composers such as Joseph Haydn, his work was very substantial. Ludwig van Beethoven’s compositions were greatly influenced by the changes in the world around him. His ability to stray away from the practices that restrained other composers inspired musicians around him and changed the practices of music forever.

“A symphony is like the world. It must contain everything.” (Gustav Mahler). This quote accurately describes Mahler’s outlook and perspective on not just his music, but the way he views life. Mahler’s artistic interpretation served as a stepping stone future musicians would be influenced by for generations to come. Because of this, Mahler has cemented himself in history by pushing the limits of the universal language that is music.

One of my favorite composers to learn about this semester was Franz Schubert. What attracted me most to his story was that his genius was not realized until after his death, breathing more life into the saying “your words are worth so much more when you’re gone”. While he was a great composer, he never held any titles or obtained any great claim to fame, while still living. But this might have been fine with him, for he once told a friend “I have come into the world for no other purpose but to compose”. He came from a modest family, whom gave him his earlier instrumental lessons. Schubert musical talents were recognized by his father while he was a boy, he composed many songs, symphonies, string quartets and other chamber music including:

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist and one the most significant composers of the 19th century. Brahms showed great talent as a youth starting piano lessons at age 7 and giving his first performance by age 10 (Tyle). In 1853, Brahms was introduced to Robert Schumann, and an immediate friendship ensued. Schumann thoroughly impressed with Brahms, wrote about him praising his work. The article brought notoriety to Brahms and was a turning point in his career (“Johannes Brahms”).

Ludwig Van Beethoven was a legendary composer that created many famous pieces such as Symphony 9., despite his disability of being deaf. Beethoven’s exploration of the boundaries of music created a darker sense of emotions to Romantic Period music and influenced composers like Stravinsky. Beethoven’s

My composer’s name is Edvard Grieg. He was born on June 15, 1843 and he died on September 4, 1907 at the age of 64. He was born in Bergen, Norway and died in Bergen, Norway. He was homeschooled at Tanks School when he was young. He then went to the school of Leipzig Conservatory when he got older. He later went to college at Oxford University. His mom started to give him piano lessons when he was 6. He played the piano and the organ his whole life.

In the words of the German musician, Ludwig Van Beethoven (December, 1770 - March, 1827), “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.” The beautiful music composed by Beethoven allowed listeners of his day to experience their spiritual side in conjunction with their physical state of being. Beethoven’s ability to compose music that moved the spirits of his listeners likely came at the expense of the child abuse his father imposed on him. Beethoven produced numerous quartets, symphonies, concertos and many other popular styles of music. Beethoven’s splendid ability, acquired by the age of six, to produce hundreds of wonderful, undying musical compositions, even after becoming deaf has separated him from the composers of his time and today’s composers.

Creativity can sometimes be the result of torment. Ludwig van Beethoven was a famous classical composer with a hard life. Throughout his entire life, he suffered from various diseases, hearing difficulties, mental disorders and social problems, (Russell and Nibley 25 ). Yet despite all of these terrible ailments, he was able to compose music that is considered some of the best ever composed, and that is still appreciated today.

As a composer, Mahler acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. Mahler is well known for his lengthy, deep, and painfully emotional works. He adored nature and all life within it, but due to his early exposure to the darkness life brings, a suicide and a brutal rape he witnessed, Mahler feared death. This duality is evident in just about all his

Hector Berlioz, my favorite composer, (born December 11, 1803ㅡdied March 8, 1869) is deemed one of the greatest who, “...[contributed] to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Information.” His mental state and life shaped a composer who had such a raw, creative sound that is reflected prominently in his works, such as Symphonie fantastique and La Damnation de Faust.