Composer Essay

John Duke was one of America’s foremost composers of art song. He was born in Cumberland, Maryland, in the late 1800’s. Due to his musically and literarily inclined parents, Duke had learned to read music from his mother who was a singer. He did great things with music, beginning piano lessons at the age of 11, and entering the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of sixteen, where he studied piano with a pupil of some very famous composers. His musical journey came to a halt when

Throughout this course, the composers we studied all had different approached to creating music, and that is why many of them are well known today. The three most notable composers who combine unusual elements in their music were Frank Zappa, John Cage, and Pamela Z. Frank Zappa was an American artist who had no desire to fit into a single style of music, and he had no interest in creating music for cultural conventions. He created music in the manners he saw fit. His music has influence from rock

Sample project: Composer of the Month: Groups of 2 or 3 students will choose a composer to research. The following items must be presented: Birth and death years, birth and death locations, or where they live if still living; 3 music facts about them; 3 life facts about them; name at least 3 songs that they wrote; what style the music is; major awards they have earned. Also include at least one close­up and one fuller length photo of this composer. Cite all sources on a separate write­up page, or

Considered as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and the most important Soviet composer, Dmitri Shostakovich created some of the most richly complex and experimental pieces of his time. His musical education and career took place entirely in the Soviet Union, where he created his greatest masterpieces including 15 symphonies and 15 string quartets. He forayed into several different mediums including compositions of concertos, ballets, motion-picture scores, and opera. In addition,

Ray Charles Robinson and Steveland Hardaway Judkins are two of the most prolific composers of all times. Born and raised in the United States of America, they became legendary composers, singers, producers, and musicians of the 19th century. Their compositions were soulful in nature, and their styles ranged from rock and pop to blues and jazz. Ray Charles Robinson was known as The Pioneer of Rock Music. He influenced the lives of people worldwide, and he paved the way for various artists such

Igor Stravinsky is known as one of the most important and influential composers of the twentieth century. Igor was born in Lomonosow, Russia on June 17, 1882 to Anna Kholodovsky and Fyodor Stravinsky. When Stravinsky was only three he witnessed a musician at a Russian fair singing, clicking his tongue, and making armpit noises. Igor was so excited to go try it at home. This was one of Stravinsky's first memory of music. Igor's childhood was not a good memory for him. He felt hated and neglected.

passing, Dmitri Shostakovich is one of the most widely discussed and fiercely debated composers in Western Music. His compositions are known throughout the world, and his life and morals are a discussed passionately amongst musicologists with his catalogue consisting of 15 symphonies, 15 string quartets, 37 film scores, and a number of pieces in other genres. For someone that is considered one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century, there lacks a consensus on the meaning of this major works;

incredible ability to change the course of musical history with his ideas. Iannis Xenakis changed how people view and listen to classical music by applying the principles of architecture, calculus, and engineering to his music. (bois pg3) While other composers were struggling to create new music, Xenakis revolutionized classical music by using architecture fundamentals in a way to visualize music, and reinvent its structure by creating contrast between movement and standstill. (harley 10) His unique educational

Music development occurs due to many reasons and when looking at composers in Vienna we can see a vast change from the development of music in a short amount of time. By looking at some of the most influential composers in Vienna at the time, such as Mozart and Beethoven, we can derive the development of music in Vienna between 1775-1825. When we analyse some of the composer’s music we can identify certain factors to understand the way music was developed, these are due to historical events that

scholars and artists back to Grecian classics which came to be part of their classics. Music was one of the last art forms touched by the neoclassicism idea, and even then it only occurred several decades into the 19th century. Of all the neoclassical composers, Igor Fyodorvich Stravinsky is the one that is the most well known in the music world for his contributions to the creation of the style. Stravinsky’s