1908–89 Austrian conductor Appointed music director at Aachen in 1934, he conducted Tristan und Isolde three years later in Berlin. From 1948 to 1960 he had a close association with the Philharmonia Orchestra. He succeeded his rival Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886–1954) as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1955, was artistic director of the Salzburg Festival 1956–60, ...
The name ‘player piano’ is a misnomer, indeed the precise opposite of the truth. In fact, this is a playerless piano – a piano that plays itself. Origins of the Player Piano Though almost exclusively associated with the early-twentieth century, the idea of a self-playing piano had been around for centuries. Henry VIII’s self-playing virginals and Clementi’s studded-cylinder ...
From the 1950s, several composers began to discover the compositional possibilities in the technology of radio stations and specialized studios. Important centres were: Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, New York, founded in 1951 by Vladimir Ussachevsky and Otto Luening; Studio für Elektronische Musik, Cologne, established by Herbert Eimert in 1951; Studio di Fonologia, Milan, established ...
No instrument has had a more dramatic impact on contemporary music than the synthesizer. Its development opened up a whole new world of seemingly endless sonic possibilities and ushered in completely new forms of music. History The birth of the synthesizer dates back to the mid-1940s when Canadian physicist, composer and instrument builder, Hugh le Caine (1914–77) built the ...
‘The Bohemian Life’ Puccini’s first work following the overwhelming triumph of Manon Lescaut was immediately beset by problems. Leoncavallo had already begun preparations on the same scenario and, on hearing of Puccini’s choice of subject, publicly berated his rival and friend and claimed priority over the project. Puccini responded calmly by declaring that both composers should go to work ...
European culture lay in ruins after the end of World War II. There were many who, in company with the philosopher Theodor Adorno, felt that Nazi atrocities such as Auschwitz rendered art impossible, at least temporarily. Others, though, felt that humanity could only establish itself anew by rediscovering the potency of art, including opera. On ...
b. 1924, German An outstanding mezzo-soprano recitalist and concert singer, Ludwig was the daughter of two singers: tenor Anton Ludwig, and contralto Eugenie Besalla-Ludwig, who sang under Herbert von Karajan. Forced into early retirement, Eugenie became her daughter’s voice coach. Making her debut at 18 as Prince Orlovsky in Frankfurt, Ludwig remained there until 1952 ...
1921–57 British horn-player The son and grandson of horn-players, Brain was principal in Beecham’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and in the Philharmonia Orchestra. He played with brilliance and delicacy, recording the Mozart concertos under Herbert von Karajan (1908–89). He can be heard anonymously in many Philharmonia recordings of the 1950s. Introduction | Modern Era | Classical Personalities | Pablo Casals ...
1911–86, German Possessing a pure, ringing voice that could sing anything from Mozart to Wagner, this German soprano carved out a special place for herself in the operatic world. After starting out as an actress, she married violinist Detlev Grümmer, who became concert master at Aachen opera house, under Herbert von Karajan. The maestro heard ...
(Frants fun Zoo-pa’) 1819–95 Austrian composer Suppé’s full name was Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo Cavaliere Suppé-Demelli. He came from Dalmatia, but received his musical education with Ignaz Xaver Seyfried (a pupil of Haydn) in Vienna, in whose famous theatres (an der Wien, Carl and Leopoldstadt) he conducted operetta. He composed over 150 operettas, including Boccaccio (1879), highly popular in ...
(El-da-bran’-do Pid-zet’-te) 1880–1968 Italian composer Like many Italian composers of his generation, Pizzetti was more influenced by older music than by the recent Italian past; he was little affected by trends post-Debussy. He wrote in most musical forms, but is best known for his operas. With dignified solo writing rooted in Monteverdi and sonorously effective choral scenes, they ...
b. 1943 Latvian conductor Jansons studied at the Leningrad Conservatory and in Austria with Karajan before becoming associate (later associate principal) conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic 1973–97 and music director of the Oslo Philharmonic 1979–2000 (an orchestra whose international reputation he consolidated through tours and recordings) and the Pittsburgh Symphony 1997–2004, succeeding Maazel. He was then chief conductor of both ...
(Poul Hin’-de-mit) 1895–1963 German composer and violist Hindemith began his career as an enfant terrible, shocking conservative audiences with a ragtime based on a theme by J. S. Bach and a trilogy of one-act operas – Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen (‘Murder, Hope of Women’), Das Nusch-Nuschi, Sancta Susanna (‘Saint Susannah’) – that mingled themes of sexual obsession ...
(Pe-a’-tro Mas-kan’-ye) 1863–1945 Italian composer The son of a baker, Mascagni studied law before becoming a conductor and piano teacher. In 1890, while a conductor in Cerignola, he shot into the limelight with his prize-winning one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana which, at its legendary premiere at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, received an unprecedented 60 curtain calls. Based ...
(Rood-jâ’-ro La-on-ka-val’-lo) 1858–1919 Italian composer Leoncavallo’s masterpiece was the one-act opera Pagliacci (‘Clowns’, 1892), for which he wrote the libretto, based on an incident in the Italian town where his father was a judge. In its realistic subject and passionately expressive style, it embodies the verismo movement pioneered by Mascagni, with whose Cavalleria rusticana (‘Rustic Chivalry’, 1890) it is ...
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