Maurice Ravel was a French composer of Swiss-Basque descent, who lived from 1875 to 1937. He is often associated with Impressionism, although he rejected the term. He was one of the most original and influential composers of the 20th century, known for his musical craftsmanship and perfection of form and style.
Ravel was born in Ciboure, a Basque town near the Spanish border, to a music-loving family. His father was an engineer and inventor, and his mother was of Basque origin. He showed his talent for music at an early age, and entered the Paris Conservatoire at 14. There he studied with Gabriel Fauré, who became his mentor and friend. He composed some of his best-known works during his student years, such as the Pavane for a Dead Princess, the Sonatine, and the String Quartet.
Dvorak - Short Biography
vořák was born in Nelahozeves, a Bohemian village on the Vltava River north of Prague. He came to know music early, in and about his father’s inn, and as a youngster became an accomplished violinist contributing to the amateur music-making that accompanied the dances of the local couples.
The Story Behind "Canon In D Major" by Pachelbel
Like his other works, Pachelbel's Canon went out of style, and remained in obscurity for centuries. A 1968 arrangement and recording of it by the Jean-François Paillard chamber orchestra gained popularity over the next decade, and in the 1970s the piece began to be recorded by many ensembles; by the early 1980s its presence as background music was deemed inescapable. From the 1970s onward, elements of the piece, especially its chord progression, were used in a variety of pop songs. Since the 1980s, it has also found increasingly common use in weddings and funeral ceremonies in the Western world.
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Verdi - Short Biography
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the help of a local patron. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini, whose works significantly influenced him.
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The Story Behind "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky
The story of The Nutcracker is loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann fantasy story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King. Hoffmann’s story is darker and more troubling than the version that reached the stage; the Imperial Russian Ballet choreographer Marius Petipa chose to follow a light adaptation of the story written by Alexandre Dumas père.
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The Story Behind the Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven
Beethoven was already growing deaf when he started his fifth symphony in 1804. He began working on it short after finishing his third symphony. Even so, he was working on so many other works at the time, it took him four years to complete it. It wasn’t just the other projects; he was also a notorious editor of his work.
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The Story Behind "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" by Mozart
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, or “A Little Night Music”, byname of Serenade No. 13 in G Major, serenade for two violins, viola, cello, and double bass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, admired for its lively, joyful quality and its memorable melodies. The piece was completed on August 10, 1787, but was published posthumously. In present-day practice, it is typically performed in orchestral arrangement.
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The Story Behind "Bagatelles" by Beethoven
By the end of 1803, Beethoven had already sketched bagatelles Nos. 1 to 5, along with several other short works for piano that he never published). In 1820, he composed the last five bagatelles of Op. 119, and published them as a set of five in 1821.
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Prokofiev - Short Biography
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (27 April 1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who later worked in the Soviet Union. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous music genres, he is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.
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The Story Behind "Moonlight" by Beethoven
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Giulietta Guicciardi.
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