Essay on Leonard Bernstien: A Legendary Composer

At this time, Gershwin's career skyrocketed. He was hired by George White to compose for the Scandals series. He continued doing this for four years. During this time, Gershwin composed his first operetta, Blue Monday. It impressed Paul Whiteman, a famous bandleader, so much that he asked Gershwin to compose a symphonic jazz piece. At this time, however, Gershwin was still busy composing for White and forgot to compose for Whiteman until only one month before the scheduled performance. During this rushed creation, Gershwin found inspiration to create his most famous individual piece, Rhapsody in Blue. At its first performance, the piece was loved by the audience so much that they gave it a standing ovation.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are two of the greatest composers ever to write music. Both men lived in the early 18th and 19th century, but their music and influences are still felt today. The men faced similar experiences, yet they both lead very different lives. All together the pieces that these men composed amounts to over 300 published, and unpublished works of art. The people of their time period often had mixed feelings about these men, some “complained that Mozart’s music presented them with too many ideas and that his melodies moved from one to the next faster than audiences could follow, yet the ideas themselves seem effortless and natural, clear and

Over the course of history, the arts have played an important role in aspects of people’s lives. More specifically, music is something that has been around for centuries and will continue to play a part in shaping people into who they are. There have been numerous talented composers in America, but some worth mentioning are Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin.

Weiss, who took him in and instructed him further. Weiss taught him more of the

There are many great composers throughout the centuries. Each composer has a story to tell that is very interesting, when you dig deep for the information. Every composer has their own way of making, composing and producing music. Irving Berlin is no exception. Berlin is an extraordinary composer, and when examining his story amazing facts are found. Berlin is not just a musician and composer, he is a man of many hats. Berlin’s life is extremely compelling.

After going to college for only two years, he left to go to Manhattan, NY to pursue his musical career. When he got there, he met another soon to be famous composer. John Green worked hand in hand with Bernstein to

Once the summer concluded and his time at Tanglewood ended, Leonard was unable to find a job. That was until he was recommended to be a assistant conductor for the New York Philharmonic. He would become the main conductor after the primary one was called in for world war two. Becoming a famous conductor, Leonard conducted many other orchestras in the years to come. In those years, he would compose ballets, operas, orchestral pieces, chamber music, film scores, and musicals.

Upon his graduation from Harvard, Bernstein continued to study at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied orchestration. As written by the New World Encyclopedia, Bernstein received the only ‘A’ that Fritz Reiner ever gave out in his conducting class. While at Curtis, Bernstein studied with and was influenced by great musicians and pianists like Heinrich Gebhard and Isabella Vengerova. The summer after Curtis Bernstein attended the Berkshire Music Festival, where he met Serge Koussevitzzky and became his

When most people think of people that have had the most impact on musical theater a few names come to mind like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerome Kern, and of course, Rodgers and Hammerstein. This duo put on some of the greatest and most memorable musical theater pieces of all time. Their techniques and composition skills are still taken seriously to this day and used on a regular basis by composers. When Mark Lubbock speaks of Rodgers and Hammerstein in American Musical Theatre: An Introduction, he says “The examples they set in creating vital plats, often rich with social thought, provided the necessary encouragement for other gifted writes to create musical plays their own.” Through the individual influences and techniques of Rodgers and Hammerstein, this legendary duo paved the foundation of musical theater that is still prominent today.

“Without Craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.” Johannes Brahms was an extraordinarily talented composer of his time, and, as said in one of his famous quotes, he truly crafted each piece of music he wrote with much care and delicacy. Ever since the early age of six years old, Brahms was infatuated with playing the piano, composing music, as well as conducting choral groups as well as symphonies throughout the entirety of his life. He was tremendously popular amongst friends, fellow composers, and other notable people of his time. His fame not only stood in the barriers of his lifetime, but also stood the test of time. His works are often compared to the likes of people such as the famous Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. This impeccable trio

Many composers have impacted music since the beginning of time. Out of all composers we have studied Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Armstrong all stand out to me. They have all contributed to the history of music in amazing ways. Out of those that stand out to me, I think Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Armstrong are the most influential composers. Each in their own way have affected the course of music and how it is composed and also appreciated.

Similarly to Beethoven and Mozart, Brahms displayed musical prowess at an early age and received encouragement and tutoring from his father. Fortunately, his father did not beat him as Beethoven's did. Unlike the two previous composers, Johannes' first employment came in the form of playing piano in bars and inns. When in his late teen to early adult years, Brahms moved out to a quaint country village where he education the

Richard Strauss, one of the most iconic classical composer during the 1900s, has been known by his music such as Don Juan and Thus Spake Zarathustra. His music style plays a major role in the mid 1900s, creating new music elements while looking back, and have even influenced modern film music. He himself is also a successful conductor, with successful recordings especially in Mozart and his own pieces.

(1) Franz Schubert composed Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel) in 1814, when he was only seventeen years old. The song is sung by a soprano, and the only accompaniment to the voice is a piano playing a constant rhythmic pattern (“OnMusic”).

In the course of the development of music, many great composers have contributed their brilliance towards the revolution of music. To be a great composer does not necessarily mean that they have reached a vast amount of fame. However, it means that their compositions have ingenuity and value. The melodies they have cleverly created have reached a point of worthiness in the world of music. For it is the sweet harmonies a composer creates that defines who he is. One of these gifted composers was Frederic Chopin, born on February 22, 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, Poland. Young Chopin was already composing by the age of eight and as his musical career developed he became known as a master of piano composition. Although he was often misunderstood