Frédéric François Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era, one whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation." Chopin was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin in the Duchy of Warsaw and grew up in Warsaw, which in 1815 became part of Congress Poland. A child prodigy, he completed his musical education and composed his earlier works in Warsaw before leaving Poland at the age of 20, less than a month before the outbreak of the November 1830 Uprising. At 21, he settled in Paris. Thereafter—in the last 18 years of his life—he gave only 30 public performances, preferring the more intimate atmosphere of the salon. He supported himself by selling his compositions and by giving piano lessons, for which he was in high demand. Chopin formed a friendship with Franz Liszt and was admired by many of his other musical contemporaries (including Robert Schumann). In 1835, Chopin obtained French citizenship. After a failed engagement to Maria Wodzińska from 1836 to 1837, he maintained an often troubled relationship with the French writer Amantine Dupin (known by her pen name, George Sand). A brief and unhappy visit to Majorca with Sand in 1838–39 would prove one of his most productive periods of composition. In his final years, he was supported financially by his admirer Jane Stirling, who also arranged for him to visit Scotland in 1848. For most of his life, Chopin was in poor health. He died in Paris in 1849 at the age of 39, probably of pericarditis aggravated by tuberculosis. All of Chopin's compositions include the piano. Most are for solo piano, though he also wrote two piano concertos, a few chamber pieces, and some 19 songs set to Polish lyrics. His piano writing was technically demanding and expanded the limits of the instrument: his own performances were noted for their nuance and sensitivity. Chopin invented the concept of the instrumental ballade. His major piano works also include mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, études, impromptus, scherzos, preludes and sonatas, some published only posthumously. Among the influences on his style of composition were Polish folk music, the classical tradition of J.S. Bach, Mozart, and Schubert, and the atmosphere of the Paris salons of which he was a frequent guest. His innovations in style, harmony, and musical form, and his association of music with nationalism, were influential throughout and after the late Romantic period. Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest superstars, his (indirect) association with political insurrection, his high-profile love-life, and his early death have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era. His works remain popular, and he has been the subject of numerous films and biographies of varying historical fidelity. Frédéric Chopin Tracklist: Concerto para piano n. 1 em mi menor op. 11 1. Allegro Maestoso 2. Romanza: Larghetto 3. Rondó: Vivace Concerto para piano n. 2 em fá maior op. 21 4. Maestoso 5. Largheto 6. Allegro Vivace Áudio 7. POLONAISE EM FÁ# MENOR OP.44 8. NOTURNO EM SI BEMOL MENOR OP.9 Nº1 9. NOTURNO EM MI BEMOL MENOR OP.9 Nº2 10. VALSA EM MI MENOR 11. MAZURCA EM SI BEMOL MAIOR OP.7 Nº1 12. POLONAISE EM LÁ MAIOR OP.40 Nº1 13. NOTURNO EM DÓ MENOR OP.48 Nº1 14. VALSA EM MI BEMOL MAIOR OP.18 15. MAZURCA EM RÉ MAIOR OP.33 Nº 2 16. FANTASIA IMPROVISO EM DÓ# MENOR OP.66 17. BALADA Nº1 SOL MENOR OP.23 For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Chopin
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian[6] Baroque musical composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, and priest. Born in Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic, he is regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe. He composed many instrumental concertos, for the violin and a variety of other instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than forty operas. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons. Many of his compositions were written for the all-female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children. Vivaldi had worked there as a Catholic priest for 1 1/2 years and was employed there from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. Vivaldi also had some success with expensive stagings of his operas in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. After meeting the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna, hoping for royal support. However, the Emperor died soon after Vivaldi's arrival, and Vivaldi himself died, in poverty, less than a year later. Antonio Vivaldi Tracklist: 1 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-a Primavera-allegro 2 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-a Primavera-largo 3 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-a Primavera-allegro 4 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Verão-allegro Nom Molto 5 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Verão-adagio-presto 6 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Verão-presto 7 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Outono-allegro 8 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Outono-adagio 9 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Outono-allegro 10 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Inverno-allegro Nom Molto 11 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Inverno-largo 12 - As Quatro Estações, Opus 8-o Inverno-allegro 13 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-gloria Em Excelsis Deo 14 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-et In Terra Pax 15 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-laudamus Te 16 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-gratias Agimus Tibi 17 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-domine Deus, Rex Caelestis 18 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-domine Fili Unigenite 19 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-domine Deus, Agnus Dei 20 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-qui Tollis Peccata Mundi 21 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-qui Sedes Ad Dexteram Patr... 22 - Glória, Em Ré Maior (Rv589)-quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus 23 - Cum Sancto Spirito 24 - La Tempesta Di Mare (Opus 8, Nº5)-presto 25 - La Tempesta Di Mare (Opus 8, Nº5)-largo 26 - La Tempesta Di Mare (Opus 8, Nº5)-presto For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Vivaldi
Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770[1] – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the classical and romantic eras in classical music, he remains one of the most recognized and influential musicians of this period, and is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time. Beethoven was born in Bonn, the capital of the Electorate of Cologne, and part of the Holy Roman Empire. He displayed his musical talents at an early age and was vigorously taught by his father Johann van Beethoven, and was later taught by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe. At age 21, he moved to Vienna and studied composition with Joseph Haydn. Beethoven then gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist, and was soon courted by Prince Lichnowsky for compositions, which resulted in Opus 1 in 1795. The piece was a great critical and commercial success, and was followed by Symphony No. 1 in 1800. This composition was distinguished for its frequent use of sforzandi, as well as sudden shifts in tonal centers that were uncommon for traditional symphonic form, and the prominent, more independent use of wind instruments.[2] In 1801, he also gained notoriety for his six String Quartets and for the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. During this period, his hearing began to deteriorate, but he continued to conduct, premiering his third and fifth symphonies in 1804 and 1808, respectively. His condition worsened to almost complete deafness by 1811, and he then gave up performing and appearing in public. During this period of self exile, Beethoven composed many of his most admired works; his seventh symphony premiered in 1813, with its second movement, Allegretto, achieving widespread critical acclaim.[3] He composed the piece Missa Solemnis for a number of years until it premiered 1824, which preceded his ninth symphony, with the latter gaining fame for being among the first examples of a choral symphony.[4] In 1826, his fourteenth String Quartet was noted for having seven linked movements played without a break, and is considered the final major piece performed before his death a year later. His career is conventionally divided into early, middle, and late periods; the "early" period is typically seen to last until 1802, the "middle" period from 1802 to 1812, and the "late" period from 1812 to his death in 1827. During his life, he composed nine symphonies; five piano concertos; one violin concerto; thirty-two piano sonatas; sixteen string quartets; two masses; and the opera, Fidelio. Other works, like Für Elise, were discovered after his death, and are also considered historical musical achievements. Beethoven's legacy is characterized for his innovative compositions, namely through the combinations of vocals and instruments, and also for widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto, and quartet,[5] while he is also noted for his troublesome relationship with his contemporaries. Ludwig van Beethoven Tracklist: 1. Abertura "Egmont" op. 84 Sinfonia n. 6 em fá maior op. 68 "Pastoral" 2. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande 3. Szene am Bach (Andante molto mosso) 4. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute (Allegro) 5. Gewitter, Sturm (Allegro) 6. Hirtengesang: Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm (Allegretto) SINFONIA Nº 9 EM RÉ MENOR "CORAL", OP.125 7. Allegro Ma Non Troppo-Un Poco Maestoso 8. Molto Vivace-Presto-Molto Vivace 9. Adagio Molto e Cantabile- Andante Moderato 10. Presto 11. Allegro Assai.Allegro Assai Vivace-Alla Marcia.Andante Maestoso-Allegro Energico-Prestissimo For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Beethoven
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart(27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart,[b] was a prolific and influential composer of the classical era. Born in Salzburg, Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17, Mozart was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his early death at the age of 35. The circumstances of his death have been much mythologized. He composed more than 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers, and his influence is profound on subsequent Western art music. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his own early works in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Haydn wrote: "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years" Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Tracklist: 1. Ato I- Abertura 2. Ato I- Dies Bildnis Ist Bezaubernd Schön (Tamin o) 3. Ato I- Bei Männern, Welche Liebe Fühlen (Pamina , Papageno) 4. Ato I- Wie Stark ist Nicht Dein Zauberton! (Tam ino) 5. Ato I: Schnelle Füsse, Rascher Mut (Pamina, Papageno, Monostatos, escravos) 6. Ato II- O Isis und Osiris (Sarastro, coro) 7. Ato II- Der Hölle Rache Kocht in Meinen Herzen ( A Rainha da Noite) 8. Ato II- Ach, Ich Fuhl's (Pamina) 9. Ato II- Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Papageno (Papageno, P apagena) 10. Abertura.mp3 11. Ato I Cena 1: Introduzione: Notte e Giorno Faticar (Leporello, Donna Anna, Con Giovanni, Il Commenda 12. Ato I Cena 5- Aria- Madamina, il Catalogo e Que sto (Leporello) 13. Ato I Cena 9- Duettino- La ci Darem la Mano (Ze rlina, Don Giovanni) 14. Ato I Cena 16- Aria- Batti, batti, o Bel Masett o (Zerlina) 15..Ato II Cena 3- Canzonetta- Deh, Vieni Alla Fine stra (Don Giovanni) 16. Ato II Cena 10- Aria- Il Mio Tesoro Intanto (Do n Ottavio) 17. Ato II Cena 15: Don Giovanni, A Cenar Teco (Il Commendatore, Don Giovanni, Leporello, coro) 18. Ato II Cena 16: Questo e il Fin (Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Zerlina, Don Ottavio, Masetto, Leporello) For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart,[b] was a prolific and influential composer of the classical era. Born in Salzburg, Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17, Mozart was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his early death at the age of 35. The circumstances of his death have been much mythologized. He composed more than 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers, and his influence is profound on subsequent Western art music. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his own early works in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Haydn wrote: "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years" Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Tracklist: 1. "Abertura" de As Bodas de Fígaro Sinfonia n. 40 2. Molto Allegro 3. Andante 4. Menuetto: Allegreto Áudio 5. Allegro Assai Sinfonia n. 41 6. Allegro Vivace 7. Andante Cantabile 8. Menuetto Allegreto 9. Finale: Molto Allegro 10. A Flauta Mágica: "Abertura" SINFONIA Nº36 EM DÓ MAIOR K 425 "Linz" 11. Adagio -- Allegro Spiritoso 12. Poco Adagio 13. Menuetto 14. Presto SINFONIA infonía Nº39 EM MI BEMOL MAIOR K 543 15. Adagio - Allegro 16. Andante con moto 17. Menuetto: Allegro 18. Finale: Allegro For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Mozart
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (21 March [O.S. 9 March] 1839 – 28 March [O.S. 16 March] 1881) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five". He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music. Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other national themes. Such works include the opera Boris Godunov, the orchestral tone poem Night on Bald Mountain and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition. For many years Mussorgsky's works were mainly known in versions revised or completed by other composers. Many of his most important compositions have posthumously come into their own in their original forms, and some of the original scores are now also available. Modest Mussorgsky Tracklist: Quadros de uma exposição 1. Promenade 2. Gnomo 3. Promenade 4. O Velho Castelho 5. Promenade 6. Tulherias 7. Bydlo 8. Promenade 9. Balé dos Pintinhos n as Cascas de Ovos 10. Samuel Goldenberg e Schumyle 11. O Mercado Limoges 12. Catacumbas 13. Cum Mortius in Lingu a Morta 14. A Cabana Sobre Patas de Galinha, "Baba Yaga" 15. O Grande Portal de Kiev 16. Uma Noite no Monte Calvo 17. Síntese Sinfônica Sobre Boris Godunov For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Mussorgsky
Niccolò (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices for Solo Violin Op. 1 are among the best known of his compositions, and have served as an inspiration for many prominent composers. Paganini composed his own works to play exclusively in his concerts, all of which profoundly influenced the evolution of violin technique. His 24 Caprices were likely composed in the period between 1805 and 1809, while he was in the service of the Baciocchi court. Also during this period, he composed the majority of the solo pieces, duo-sonatas, trios and quartets for the guitar, either as a solo instrument or with strings. These chamber works may have been inspired by the publication, in Lucca, of the guitar quintets of Boccherini. Many of his variations, including Le Streghe, The Carnival of Venice, and Nel cor più non mi sento, were composed, or at least first performed, before his European concert tour. Generally speaking, Paganini's compositions were technically imaginative, and the timbre of the instrument was greatly expanded as a result of these works. Sounds of different musical instruments and animals were often imitated. One such composition was titled Il Fandango Spanolo (The Spanish Dance), which featured a series of humorous imitations of farm animals. Even more outrageous was a solo piece Duetto Amoroso, in which the sighs and groans of lovers were intimately depicted on the violin. There survives a manuscript of the Duetto, which has been recorded. The existence of the Fandango is known only through concert posters. However, his works were criticized for lacking characteristics of true polyphonism, as pointed out by Eugène Ysaÿe. Yehudi Menuhin, on the other hand, suggested that this might have been the result of his reliance on the guitar (in lieu of the piano) as an aid in composition. The orchestral parts for his concertos were often polite, unadventurous, and clearly supportive of the soloist. In this, his style is consistent with that of other Italian composers such as Giovanni Paisiello, Gioachino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti, who were influenced by the guitar-song milieu of Naples during this period. Niccolò Paganini Tracklist: 1. Allegro Maestoso 2. Adagio Espressivo 3. Rondo - Allegro Spiritoso 4. Allegro Maestoso 5. Adagio 6. Rondo à La Clochette 7. Capricho Nº 1 8. Capricho Nº 9 9. Capricho Nº 13 For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Paganini
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 1786 – 5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist[3] and critic, and was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school. Weber's operas Der Freischütz, Euryanthe and Oberon greatly influenced the development of the Romantische Oper (Romantic opera) in Germany. Der Freischütz came to be regarded as the first German "nationalist" opera, Euryanthe developed the Leitmotif technique to an unprecedented degree, while Oberon may have influenced Mendelssohn's music for A Midsummer Night's Dream and, at the same time, revealed Weber's lifelong interest in the music of non-Western cultures. This interest was first manifested in Weber's incidental music for Schiller's translation of Gozzi's Turandot, for which he used a Chinese melody, making him the first Western composer to use an Asian tune that was not of the pseudo-Turkish kind popularized by Mozart and others. A brilliant pianist himself, Weber composed four sonatas, two concertos and the Konzertstück in F minor (concert piece), which influenced composers such as Chopin, Liszt and Mendelssohn. The Konzertstück provided a new model for the one-movement concerto in several contrasting sections (such as Liszt's, who often played the work), and was acknowledged by Stravinsky as the model for his Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra. Weber's shorter piano pieces, such as the Invitation to the Dance, were later orchestrated by Berlioz, while his Polacca Brillante was later set for piano and orchestra by Liszt. Weber's compositions for clarinet, bassoon, and horn occupy an important place in the musical repertoire. His compositions for the clarinet, which include two concertos, a concertino, a quintet, a duo concertante, and variations on a theme from his opera Silvana, are regularly performed today. His Concertino for Horn and Orchestra requires the performer to simultaneously produce two notes by humming while playing—a technique known as "multiphonics". His bassoon concerto and the Andante e Rondo ungarese (a reworking of a piece originally for viola and orchestra) are also popular with bassoonists. Weber's contribution to vocal and choral music is also significant. His body of Catholic religious music was highly popular in 19th-century Germany, and he composed one of the earliest song cycles, Die Temperamente beim Verluste der Geliebten ([Four] Temperaments on the Loss of a Lover). Weber was also notable as one of the first conductors to conduct without a piano or violin. Weber's orchestration has also been highly praised and emulated by later generations of composers – Berlioz referred to him several times in his Treatise on Instrumentation while Debussy remarked that the sound of the Weber orchestra was obtained through the scrutiny of the soul of each instrument. His operas influenced the work of later opera composers, especially in Germany, such as Marschner, Meyerbeer and Wagner, as well as several nationalist 19th-century composers such as Glinka. Homage has been paid to Weber by 20th-century composers such as Debussy, Stravinsky, Mahler (who completed Weber's unfinished comic opera Die drei Pintos and made revisions of Euryanthe and Oberon) and Hindemith (composer of the popular Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber). Weber also wrote music journalism and was interested in folksong, and learned lithography to engrave his own works. Carl Maria von Weber Tracklist: 1. Concerto 1 Opus 73 - Alegro 2. Concerto 1 Opus 73 - Adagio 3. Concerto 1 Opus 73 - Rondo 4. Opus 79 Fá Menor 5. Oberon 6. Der Freischutz 7. Convite a Dança For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Weber
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM GCVO (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius, chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924. Although Elgar is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe. He felt himself to be an outsider, not only musically, but socially. In musical circles dominated by academics, he was a self-taught composer; in Protestant Britain, his Roman Catholicism was regarded with suspicion in some quarters; and in the class-conscious society of Victorian and Edwardian Britain, he was acutely sensitive about his humble origins even after he achieved recognition. He nevertheless married the daughter of a senior British army officer. She inspired him both musically and socially, but he struggled to achieve success until his forties, when after a series of moderately successful works his Enigma Variations (1899) became immediately popular in Britain and overseas. He followed the Variations with a choral work, The Dream of Gerontius (1900), based on a Roman Catholic text that caused some disquiet in the Anglican establishment in Britain, but it became, and has remained, a core repertory work in Britain and elsewhere. His later full-length religious choral works were well received but have not entered the regular repertory. In his fifties, Elgar composed a symphony and a violin concerto that were immensely successful. His second symphony and his cello concerto did not gain immediate public popularity and took many years to achieve a regular place in the concert repertory of British orchestras. Elgar's music came, in his later years, to be seen as appealing chiefly to British audiences. His stock remained low for a generation after his death. It began to revive significantly in the 1960s, helped by new recordings of his works. Some of his works have, in recent years, been taken up again internationally, but the music continues to be played more in Britain than elsewhere. Elgar has been described as the first composer to take the gramophone seriously. Between 1914 and 1925, he conducted a series of acoustic recordings of his works. The introduction of the moving-coil microphone in 1923 made far more accurate sound reproduction possible, and Elgar made new recordings of most of his major orchestral works and excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius. Edward Elgar Tracklist: Tema e Variações Para Orquestra, enigma, Opus 36 1. Introdução de Variação 1: C.A.E. 2. Variação 2- H.D.S.-P 3. Variação 3- R.B.T 4. Variação 4- W.M.B 5. Variação 5- R.P.A 6. Variação 6- Ysobel 7. Variação 7- Troyte 8. Variação 8- W.N 9. Variação 9- Nimrod 10. Variação 10: Intermezo: Dorabella 11. Variação 11- G.R.S 12. Variação 12- B.G.N 13. Variação 13- Romanza 14. Variação 14: Finale: E.D.U Concerto Para Violoncelo e Orquestra em Mi Menor, Opus 85 15. Adagio - Moderato 16. Lento - Allegro Molto 17. Adagio 18. Allegro, Ma Non Troppo 19. Marcha Militar #1 Em Ré Maior, Opus 39, Pompa e Circunstância For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Elgar
Bedřich Smetana (2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He has been regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music. Internationally he is best known for his opera The Bartered Bride and for the symphonic cycle Má vlast ("My Homeland"), which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer's native Bohemia. It contains the famous symphonic poem "Vltava", also known by its English name "The Moldau". Smetana was naturally gifted as a composer, and gave his first public performance at the age of 6. After conventional schooling, he studied music under Josef Proksch in Prague. His first nationalistic music was written during the 1848 Prague uprising, in which he briefly participated. After failing to establish his career in Prague, he left for Sweden, where he set up as a teacher and choirmaster in Gothenburg, and began to write large-scale orchestral works. During this period of his life Smetana was twice married; of six daughters, three died in infancy. In the early 1860s, a more liberal political climate in Bohemia encouraged Smetana to return permanently to Prague. He threw himself into the musical life of the city, primarily as a champion of the new genre of Czech opera. In 1866 his first two operas, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia and The Bartered Bride, were premiered at Prague's new Provisional Theatre, the latter achieving great popularity. In that same year, Smetana became the theatre's principal conductor, but the years of his conductorship were marked by controversy. Factions within the city's musical establishment considered his identification with the progressive ideas of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner inimical to the development of a distinctively Czech opera style. This opposition interfered with his creative work, and might have hastened a decline in health that precipitated his resignation from the theatre in 1874. By the end of 1874, Smetana had become completely deaf but, freed from his theatre duties and the related controversies, he began a period of sustained composition that continued for almost the rest of his life. His contributions to Czech music were increasingly recognised and honoured, but a mental collapse early in 1884 led to his incarceration in an asylum and subsequent death. Smetana's reputation as the founding father of Czech music has endured in his native country, where advocates have raised his status above that of his contemporaries and successors. However, relatively few of Smetana's works are in the international repertory, and most foreign commentators tend to regard Antonín Dvořák as a more significant Czech composer. Bedřich Smetana Tracklist: Minha Pátria 1. O Alto Castelo 2. O Moldávia 3. Sárka 4. Dos Prados e Bosques da Boêmia 5. Tábor 6. Blaník For more: http://www.melhoresmusicasclassicas.blogspot.com #MusicHistory #ClassicalMusic #Smetana