Composers

Greatly celeberated composer Jean Sibelius was born on December 8, 1865 in Finland. In the later Romantic periods he reigned supremely with with his outstanding music. Sibelius was also a revered composer in the late 19th and 20th centuries. With his musical achivements he was able to shape the national identity of Finland’s people. The best work of Sibelius includes a collection of seven symphonies. Read more…

One of the most appreciated Russian composers; Dimitri Shostakovich was born on September 25, 1906. His work had been rather controversial. In the earlier days of 1936 and 1948, he had to face two official condemnations for his music and his work was prohibited from general public, temporarily. However, later on he received a great amount of acknowledgement. These were the days when he received his state awards while living in Russia. Even though his works have been surrounded with controversy, he is remembered as a notable Russian composer of his times. Read more…

Well known for his melodic and harmonic style, Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer. He was born on January 31, 1797. Schubert rose to heights of success with his nine symphonies and operas. Amongst his other achievments are works on liturgical music, operas and a large collection of chamber and solo piano music. Schubert had good friends and other people such as his teacher Antonio Salieri and famous singer Johann Micheael Vogl who appreciated his art. Read more…

A Baroque composer of high ranking, Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti spent most his life in Spain and Portugal. Being of Italian lineage Scarlatti was born on October 26, 1685. His music has played a great role in the progress of Classical style. It is possible that he achieved his early education under the supervision of his father, who was also the teacher and composer, Alessandro Scarlatti. Mosty likely he has also studied music from Francesco Gasparini, Bernardo Pasquini and Gaetano Greco. They all have inspired his musical style in one way or another.

Read more…