Part 1
1710-1736, a part of the early classical period. Early master of the comic intermezzo and he composed La serva padrona.
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Haydn's longtime employer. Made Haydn the Vice Capellmeister of their home. His main duties here included appearing in the antechamber to see if the Highness would like an orchestra performance that day, managing the orchestra, and composing pieces for the orchestra to play.
Esterhazy family
1770-1827. Moved to Vienna and took lessons with Haydn. Wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament when he realized he was going deaf. Composing music did not come as easily to him as it did to Mozart.
Ludwig van Beethoven
1813-1901. An Italian composer from the Romantic era. Known for becoming affiliated with Italian nationalism and the Risorgimento. Strived to create entertaining, deeply emotional, and intellectually stimulating operas.
Giuseppe Verdi
1862-1918. French composer and pianist. Combined both 19th and 20th century elements into his writing. Has a far reach of 20th century composers. Often associated with impressionism and his piece "Claire de Lune".
Claude Debussy
1883-1945. Austrian composer and conductor of the 20th century. Studied underneath Schoenberg. Had an extremely concentrated style and believed music must always evolve and move forward. Used twelve-tone serialism.
Anton Webern
1908-1992. French composer, organist, and teacher of the 20th century. Was Catholic and all of his works were written from a Catholic perspective. Had a highly personal and richly textured style. Known for his piece "Quartet for the End of Time".
Olivier Messiaen
1714-1787. Achieved a synthesis of French and Italian opera that made him the "man of the hour". He wrote music of "a beautiful simplicity" and believed singers should think of themselves as actors. Believed the overture (introduces plot) was an integral part of the opera.
Christoph Willibald Gluck
1756-1791, was a part of the classical period. Was a child prodigy and grew up to work in Vienna. Wrote many major works such as Mozart's requiem and The Magic Flute. Died early of an unknown illness.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1803-1869. He was a French composer from the Romantic period. Known most for his piece "Symphonie Fantastique" where he utilizes an Idee Fixe represented by an Eb clarinet.
Hector Berlioz
1813-1883. German composer from the romantic era. Known for composing The Ring Cycle and Tristan und Isolde. He also created the Tristan chord and really like Beethoven.
Richard Wagner
1866-1925. French composer and pianist of the early 20th century. Rejected musical romanticism and embraced his minimalist and unconventional style. Heavily influenced a younger generation of French composers and the American avant-garde.
Erik Satie
1882-1971. Russian composer and conductor of the 20th century. Studied composition and orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov. Renowned for his revolutionary ballets and modernists compositions, including "The Firebird", "Petrushka", and "The Rite of Spring".
Igor Stravinsky
Bonus: What were Gluck's goals in reforming opera? How are these goals reflected in his music?
He wanted music of a "beautiful simplicity" and felt as though the composer should not be constricted by the music or performers. He shows this by prioritizing drama over virtuosity while also pacing his music simplifying his structures.
1746-1800. Self-taught composer and singer who created the first distinctly American choral style and popularized the fuging tune. He wrote over 340 compositions and influenced later American traditions.
William Billings
1756-1791, was a part of the classical period. Was a child prodigy and grew up to work in Vienna. Wrote many major works such as Mozart's requiem and The Magic Flute. Died early of an unknown illness.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1810-1849. Polish composer and pianist from the Romantic era. Composed primarily etudes, nocturnes, and preludes. Most known for his solo piano works.
Fryderyk Chopin
1811-1886. Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist. Credited with inventing the symphonic poem. Composed over 1,000 works, many of which are for piano, and his pieces changed the way piano technique could be looked at.
Franz Liszt
1854-1932. American composer of the early 20th century. Composed march style pieces and conducted the US Marine Band. Known for his piece The Stars and Stripes Forever.
John Phillip Sousa
1874-1954. American composer of the 20th century. Wrote experimental pieces using polytonality, polyrhythms, and tone clusters. Made significant contributions to modern American classical music.
Charles Ives
Bonus: What was the Mannheim orchestra famous for throughout Europe?
Shaped the classical symphony with their high level of virtuosity. Famous for the Mannheim crescendo for it's great dramatic and musical contrast.
1685-1757. Served the Spanish court (1729-1757) and composed 555 sonatas.
Domenico Scarlatti
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father. Was a violinist and composer employed at Salzburg cathedral. Wrote the "Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing".
Leopold Mozart
1797-1828. An Austrian composer who acted as a transitional composer between the classic and romantic era. Most known for his Lieder and Symphonies.
Franz Schubert
1833-1897. German composer and pianist from the romantic era. Most known for his 4 symphonies alongside multiple concertos, chamber music pieces, and choral works.
Johannes Brahms
1867-1917. American composer and pianist. Known as the "Kind of Ragtime" for having composed over 40 piano rags. Traveled widely as a touring musician and known for his pieces "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer".
Scott Joplin
1900-1990. American composer, conductor, and teacher of the 20th century. Developed a distinctive American populist style that has been widely imitated in film and television music. Known for his piece "Appalachian Spring".
Aaron Copland
What are characteristics of the Empfindsam style, and which composer is most closely identified with it?
Known for its elements of expressive and personal emotion, most closely identified with C. P. E. Bach.
1714-1788. German composer who acted as a transitional figure between the Baroque and Classical eras. Renowned for his expressive keyboard works and influential teaching. Leader of the Empfindsam style.
C. P. E Bach
1733-1803. Was one of the most important musical patrons of the Classical era, known for shaping the musical lives of Haydn, Mozart, and the young Beethoven.
Baron Gottfried van Swieten
1810-1856. A German composer and pianist from the romantic era. Known for his character piece Carnaval where each movement depicts a different character at a Carnaval ball.
Robert Schumann
1841-1904. Czech composer from the romantic era. Known for combining Czech and Slavic folk music with romantic era western traditions. Used large and grandiose orchestras.
Antonin Dvorak
1898-1937. American composer from the early 20th century. Composed classical music, popular songs, and musical comedies. Combined a blend of classical and jazz styles. Known for pieces such as "Rhapsody in Blue", "I Got Rhythm", and his opera "Porgy and Bess".
George Gershwin
1887-1979. French composer and conductor of the 20th century. Had an influence on other 20th century composers including Copland.
Nadia Boulanger
Bonus: What capabilities made the pianoforte (or fortepiano) different from earlier keyboard instruments?
It had a hammer action mechanism that allowed for more dynamic contrast and touch control. Also had more expressive articulation.
From Vienna, he grew up as a choir boy. Taught, composed, and played violin. Father of the string quartet.
Joseph Haydn
1749-1838. Italian poet and librettist; served as court librettist to Joseph II in Vienna. Best known for writing the librettos to Mozart's three major Italian operas.
Lorenzo da Ponte
1819-1896. A German composer, pianist, and educator from the romantic era. Toured with her father as a child and supported her husband by continuing to edit and perform his music after his death.
Clara Schumann
1867-1944. American composer and pianist. Was hindered by societal expectations of the Victorian era. However, she had natural talent and financial support from her husband, allowing her to focus on composition.
Amy Beach
1874-1951. Austrian American composer of the 20th century. Known for atonality, serialism, and for creating twelve-tone compositions.
Arnold Schoenberg
1895-1978. African American composer and conductor of the 20th century. First African American to conduct a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. and have an opera produced by a major company in the U.S.
William Grant Still
Bonus: How is sonata form related to binary form?
Both forms use a two-reprise pattern — A-B-A'-B' — but sonata form adds complexity through thematic development and harmonic exploration.