1728–1804 German composer Hiller worked for most of his life in Leipzig, where he directed concerts, had charge of the music for various churches, founded choirs, a music school and a musical society, wrote criticism for an influential music periodical, published musical treatises and eventually became Kantor of St Thomas’s Church (the post once held ...
1728–1804, German The German composer and writer Johann Adam Hiller was a keen admirer of Hasse. Although already an established songwriter, Hiller wanted to move into more operatic mode, with Hasse’s style as his yardstick. Hiller joined forces with the librettist Daniel Schiebeler (1741–71) and together they produced a romantic comedy-opera Lisuart und Dariolette (‘Lisart and Darioletta’, 1766). ...
(Eng’-el-bârt Hoom’-per-dink) 1854–1921 German composer Humperdinck studied in Cologne with Ferdinand Hiller and joined Wagner’s circle in Bayreuth. He assisted in the publication of Parsifal and was music tutor to Wagner’s son Siegfried, who later praised Hänsel und Gretel (1893) as ‘the most important opera since Parsifal’. Based on a tale by the brothers Grimm, the opera was composed while ...
It later caught on in Germany, where it was given new words and adopted as the German national anthem. Introduction | Classical Era | Classical Personalities | Johann Adam Hiller | Classical Era | Classical ...
in Haydn’s final opera for the Esterhazy court. Introduction | Classical Era | Opera Major Operas | La fedeltà premiata by Joseph Haydn | Classical Era Personalities | Johann Adam Hiller | Classical Era | Opera Techniques | Singspiel | Classical Era | Opera Techniques | The Sonata Principle | Classical Era | Opera ...
(Maks Brookh) 1838–1920 German composer Bruch studied first with his mother, a soprano, and then with Ferdinand Hiller (1811–85) in Cologne. He held conducting posts across Germany, as well as with the Liverpool Philharmonic Society (1880–83), and a professorship at the Berlin Academy from 1891. Late in his career he received honorary doctorates from the universities of Cambridge and ...
included Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck (1886–1957) and conductor George Szell (1897–1970). His notable works include the lyrical Psalm 100 (1908–09), ingenious and elaborate orchestral variations on themes by Mozart and Hiller, and much chamber and organ music. Recommended Recording: Serenade, Suite im alten Stil, Bamberg SO (cond) Horst Stein (Koch-Schwann) Introduction | Late Romantic | Classical Personalities | ...
opera – exerted their influence on Singspiel so that it developed into a type of comic opera with spoken words. One of the most eminent Singspiel composers was Johann Adam Hiller (1728–1804), who helped establish the German national form of the genre, and another was the Czech Georg Benda (1722–95), who was based in Berlin. Opéra comique provided Singspiel with ...
In 1905, and probably for several decades before that, there were more pianos in the United States than there were bathtubs. In Europe, throughout the nineteenth century, piano sales increased at a greater rate than the population. English, French and German makers dispatched veritable armies of pianos to every corner of the Earth. It was the ...
Verdi’s five-act opera Don Carlos was taken from a drama written in 1787 by the German playwright Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1805). Written for the Paris Opéra, Don Carlos was first performed there on 11 March 1867. Schiller’s play was translated and the libretto written by Joseph Méry, who unfortunately died before it was completed, and Camille du Locle ...
‘William Tell’ Rossini called the first performance of his grand opéra Guillaume Tell a ‘quasi-fiasco’. The overture, he said, was fine, the first act had some interesting effects, and the second was a triumph, but the third and fourth were disappointing. However, the theatre director was more concerned with audience reaction at the Théâtre de ...
‘The Force of Destiny’ La forza del destino was commissioned by the Imperial Theatre, St Petersburg where it premiered in 1862. Verdi considered the opera an ‘excellent success’ with ‘opulent’ settings and costumes, although critics thought the tragic, lugubrious love story had a depressing effect on the audience. It was first performed in New York in 1865 and ...
1759–1805, German Friedrich von Schiller, the great German poet, playwright and historian, trained for the Church, the army, the law and military medicine before he finally found his niche. It happened when, at his own expense, Schiller published his revolutionary drama Die Raüber (‘The Robbers’, 1781). When the play was staged in Mannheim ...
1794–1854, Italian The Italian tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini was said to ‘enchant’ listeners with his powerful yet sweet and subtle voice. He was also able to move his audiences to tears with his famous musical ‘sob’. Bellini created several roles for Rubini, including Gualtieri in Il pirata, Elvino in La sonnambula and Arturo in I puritani. The qualities ...
(Joo’-sep-pa Ver’-de) 1813–1901 Italian composer Verdi composed 28 operas over a period of 54 years. In his native Italy he became immensely popular early in his career, and by the time he died he was idolized as the greatest Italian composer of the nineteenth century. In other musical centres of Europe it took a little longer for Verdi’s genius to be ...
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