Borodin

In 1865 Borodin have completed “only” two string quartets (1879 and 1881), some tunes and two symphonies (1867 and 1869). But the masterpiece is Borodin’s opera Prince Igor, begun in 1869 and remains unfinished at his death, eighteen years later. Rimsky-Korsakov, aided by Glazunov has finished this opera. In this opera we find the famous Polovtsian Dances.  Alexander Borodin piano music is famous today.

The Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, inspired by Beethoven’s heroic Symphony despite being typically Russian.

The Symphony No. 2 in B Minor is also called “epic”. Borodin took seven years to complete. He has made it with materials remained unused for his opera.

The Symphony No. 3 (unfinished) was orchestrated by Glazunov.

“In the Steppes of Central Asia”, a symphonic poem, is also one of his most performed and most recorded. Not forget his quartets (the best known probably being the String Quartet No. 2 in D major) or melodies. Moreover, Borodin, outstanding cellist, in 1860 composed a Sonata for Piano and Cello in B minor. His creation for piano music is outstanding too.  As for his work for piano, it is restricted to a small suite in C sharp minor and a Scherzo in A flat major, composed in 1885. Finally, we mention a string sextet, written in 1860.

Finally, Borodin described himself in “Sunday composer”; he was so busy with work and family obligations. His professional surroundings occasionally regretted his involvement in music, while Borodin has sometimes complained of not being able to call only during the winter, when his health did not permit him to practice as a teacher.

The portrait of Borodin by Repin (1888) is in the Russian Museum. Borodin has published major articles on chemistry, particularly, his research on aldehydes. In 1861, Borodin discovered the aldol condensation, chemical reactions important in organic chemistry, and another chemical reaction known today as the reaction Borodin-Hunsdiecker. In 1872, he co-founded a medical school for women.

Alexander Borodin

Alexander Borodin is part of the Group of Five, through Balakirev’s creator, whom he met in 1862. The group is also composed by Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui and Mussorgsky; he already knew them. Russian music was now entirely under the influence of the power. They come together and free themselves from the “official” music. Glazunov, prodigal student of Rimsky-Korsakov, will join them. Borodin is also part of the circle of friends of Mitrofan Belyayev, and was an admirer of Glinka and traditional Russian music.

In 1862, Borodin composed a Quintet in C minor. That’s when he joined the famous Group of Five. While sharing the basic ideas of the group, he proved less hostile than his classmates at the Germanic influence on Russian music.

He began writing his Symphony No. 1 in E flat major; in December 1862 he completed it in 1867. The symphony did not receive a warm welcome.

He begins the composition of his Symphony No. 2 in B minor in 1869. Nevertheless he feels predestined for opera and the idea of Prince Igor is gaining ground. Borodin is also continuing his scientific career. In 1877, he visited the laboratories of a number of German universities. He meets this opportunity to meet Franz Liszt in Weimar. Three years later, in 1880, Liszt had a great success with his Symphony No. 1 in E flat major. To thank him, Borodin dedicated his symphonic poem, entitled “In the Steppes of Central Asia” to Franz Liszt; the symphonic poem knows an immediate and lasting resounding success and remains one of his masterpieces. His piano music is also paying tribute to Russian traditional music.

After deep historical and ethnological studies, and also piano music studies, he began writing the opera Prince Igor (from which is extracted the famous Polovtsian Dances), completed after his death by Alexander Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov and created the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg October 23 (November 4) 1890.

Borodin is deeply affected by Mussorgsky’s death in March 1881. His physical condition is deteriorating. He suffered several heart attacks and even cholera. His work begins to spread in Europe. He visits Liszt in the fall of 1885. The following year, he began composing a third symphony, the Symphony in A minor who remains unfinished. He continues the composition of his opera Prince Igor, including the opening and the chorus of Russian prisoners of the second act, in 1886. On February 27, 1887, he attended a masked ball held by the professors of the academy. He collapsed, suffered a heart attack at the age of 54. His wife survived him only five months.

Young Alexander learned to play for flute and cello with a friend, Mikhail Chtchiglev. He also played piano music. He composed a polka (Helen) at the age of nine, and then composes a concerto for flute and piano, and a trio for two violins and cello at the age of thirteen. His mother and stepfather desired for him a career in medicine and he is enrolled in the faculty at the age of fifteen. He was passionate about chemistry since the age of ten. After six years of study, he was hired in 1856 at the Hospital of the Territorial Army, but too susceptible to injury, he obtained a professorship at the Military Academy of chemistry where he will prove to be a great scientist working with Nikolai Zinine. He became acquainted in 1857 of Mussorgsky which is treated as an officer in the military hospital where Borodin works. He later received his doctorate in medicine in 1858. Through his studies and numerous conferences, he will have the opportunity to travel frequently in Europe (Brussels, Berlin, Genoa, Rome, Paris, etc. …). On his return from school at the University of Heidelberg and the University of Paris, he was appointed assistant professor of medical-surgical Academy. It was during these trips that he made the acquaintance of many scholars, and subsequently works with some of them. He met his future wife, a talented pianist Ekaterina Sergeyevna Protopopov born in Heidelberg in 1861. She reveals Schumann, Chopin, and Liszt. Together they will discover in Mannheim Wagner’s work and all the wonders of piano music.

Jean Philippe Rameau

Jean-Philippe Rameau is one of the most important composers of his time. He also was a renowned theorist, author of a famous treaty of harmony, appeared in 1722. The Treaty is a reference work for the Baroque. Among his accomplishments we can include the improvement of the style of Jean-Baptiste Lully, introducing new French dance suite and contributing to the tonal language. It is one of the pre-classical symphony orchestra, with many effects of orchestration that will bring him the celebrity in this musical genre. Rameau used an imitative polyphonic style rather than a simplified form. The harpsichord music (similar to piano music) is representative for the French baroque creation, and he refined and ornamented it.
Polemics in the so-called argument of burlesque used by the connoisseurs of Jean-Baptiste Lully creation, who accused his music of “barbarism “, opposite to the opulent elegance, the lack of issues, pure entertainment desired by a  part of the public. The quarrel began in 1753, following the performance of the work of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, called “La Serva Padrona” (It. “master servant”). In fact, the dispute went between the traditional French opera (which address the serious subject matter) and the Italian opera, known as the “opera buffa” (comic opera).

Rameau had different patrons, especially Pouplinière, he moved in intellectual circles and was Voltaire among his friends. He continued his theoretical work in the 1740s and was involved in several controversies. In 1745 he was appointed a royal chamber music composer, and then many of his works had their premières in theaters. Nine new operas were created, followed in mid-1740 by the latest, La Princesse de Navarre Plateia comedy, but since 1750 only two major works were written.  Rameau was increasingly concerned with theory and a number of disputes, with Rousseau, Grimm and even former friends, pupils and staff, such as Diderot and d’Alembert. When Rameau died in 1764, he was highly respected and admired, although he was also seen as unsociable and miserly.
Rameau’s harpsichord music (similar to piano music) is notable for its variety of texture, originality and boldness of its line of harmony. But his chief contribution lies in his works, particularly those of the genus of lyric tragedy. He anticipated the reform of Gluck related the overture followed by the drama. He brought in many dances an extremely wide range of moods, even the constraints of standard forms of dance, using a rich and varied palette of bold orchestral melodic lines. Diderot praised its ability to distinguish tender, voluptuous, full of enthusiasm and lewd. He wrote many fine monologues usually at the beginning of acts, with intense, slow-moving vocal lines and rich, dark accompaniment. His recitative is unique, while Lullian model is more flexible and has more expressive rhythms in the declamation. Tragedies such as Castor et Pollux, with their noble characters and their lines eloquently, harmonies and orchestration, backed by entertainment can be placed to strengthen rather than dilute the force of action, stand among the great creations of drama French music.

Brahms

Johannes Brahms was a German composer of romantic music, who lived most his life in Vienna, Austria. Brahms was considered by many the only “successor” of Ludwig van Beethoven, and his first symphony was described by Hans von Bülow as ”Beethoven’s Tenth’’ (this nickname is still used today).

Brahms was born in Hamburg. His father, who was his first music teacher, was a bass player. Brahms piano stands out and he helped to increase the low family income through interpretations in restaurants and theaters, and by providing piano lessons. This is the widely-known story of Brahms who had to interpret the piano in bars and brothels, but recent studies such as those of Kurt Hoffman suggests that this is probably incorrect. For a period he taught cello, although his progress was interrupted when the classical music instrument disappeared because of his teacher.

The young Brahms interpreted several public concerts, and became known as a classical music pianist (though later he would interpret both firsts of its work Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1859 and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1881). He began to compose, but his efforts have not received due attention until 1853, when he went on a tour of concerts with Eduard Reményi. In this tour, he became acquainted with Joseph Joachim, Franz Liszt and was later the friend of the great German composer Robert Schumann.

Reményi felt, however, outraged by the way Brahms appreciated Liszt’s Sonata in B minor during a visit to the Court of Weimar, where Liszt was the court musician and Brahms fell asleep in one of the recent works its compound. Many of Brahms’s friends said they Reményi being a philanderer t is expected that the young Brahms to comply with normal practice of polite applause given to a celebrity, but he displayed simple kind compliments. Brahms said that their friendship must end up, although it was not clear whether Liszt felt offended or not.

Joachim, however, was to become one of his closest friends, and Schumann, with great articles for Brahms, played an important role in alerting the public about the youthful compositions. Brahms was presented and Schumann’s wife, the composer and pianist Clara Schumann, 14 years older, with which he fought an emotional passionate friendship, but always platonic. Brahms never got married.

Chopin

In 1829 the young Chopin, already a great artist, gave concerts in Vienna and has a resounding success. In Vienna he astounded the novelty of his music. He returned to Warsaw, but with firm intention to make an international career. He has never left the composition – in this period were born two concerts for piano and orchestra, and a variation on Don Giovanni by Mozart. Chopin wrote his concerts to exhibit the qualities of the orchestra. These works have contributed to the enrichment of his interpretative pianist technique. Chopin’s music, besides the virtuosity and a profound message was contrary to other composers who wrote only for displaying instrumental virtuosity.

Fingering, using pedals and rhythm he made more colorful the piano tone and increased their expressiveness. Interpretative style introduced by the Polish composer artist became instrumental in determining the next half century. His musical talent out of the ordinary Chopin’s work surpassed his time. His contemporaries appreciated the sophistication and nuance of his compositions, but they noted that the language of Chopin’s classical music was completely new and entirely Polish.

Chopin and his friend, the charismatic Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, the pianists of their age, were determined by their personalities. Their connection has not been without problems, because they had different attitude about the classical music. Chopin’s conception was more classical and more disciplined: always sitting on the piano with a metronome and made excess of anger if any of the disciples made a mistake. Liszt’s interpretative style was full of bravado; he liked to display his qualities and was prone to “correct” the compositions of others during a performance.

Chopin wrote almost exclusively pieces for piano (he has two concertos for piano and orchestra with instrumentation: Concerto for piano and orchestra in F minor and in E minor. His work consists among others of: 2 fantasy musical studies, 26 preludes, 17 Polish classical music pieces, 58 Mazurca, 17 waltzes, 21 night songs, 4 ballads, 4 scherzos, 4 improntus. Mazurca are lyrical and intimate, and waltzes are brilliant compositions for salons. Both concertos for piano and orchestra were composed before he went abroad, far away from the occupied Poland.

Chopin

When we hear the name of Chopin usually comes to our mind a single musical instrument: the piano. Although never liked to give concerts, appearing only 30 times in front of an audience, the pianist was better than many virtuosos of the nineteenth century. He contributed a lot to change the classical music for piano.

His friend Robert Schumann characterized Chopin work as very innovative, a “gun hidden in a bouquet”.

Frederick’s father left France in his youth and settled in Poland, where he met Justyna Krzyzanowska, whom he married in 1806. The future composer was born in Zelazowa Wola, a village near Warsaw Mazovian. After the civil status register from the village church, he was born on February 22, 1810, but after his mother’s statement he saw the light of the day only in March 1. He had three sisters – Ludwika, Izabela and Emilia – with whom she spent a happy childhood.

Frederick was a prodigy. He was a painter, wrote poetry – and without formal training – was 4 hands playing the piano with his sister Ludwika. At the age of 6 years he attended his first piano lessons from a local teacher, who had known the German classical music repertory, especially compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach. Improvise with pleasure, and at the age of 7 years, in 1817, made the first composition, a Polish song. The young composer was appreciated proudly by Polish press as a genius. The news spread rapidly among music lovers and he was overwhelmed with invitations to perform in front of an audience. His debut concert took place at the age of 8 years.

“With a sensitive soul, the noble artist Frederic Chopin was a typical romantic, his compositions had a decisive effect for almost half a century the interpretative style of piano concerts” , said Robert Schumann.

From the age of 11 years has taught composition at the Conservatoire Frederic in Warsaw. At the age of 15 years he created the C-minor Rondo opus 1 composed for piano. He started further studies a year later, in 1826, under the leadership of the famous professor J. Elsner. During this time – as in all his lifetime – was an avid participant in musical soirees, concerts and opera performances. Chopin soon felt the need to go abroad to develop, enrich and deepen his classical musical abilities.

Mozart

Unlike other great composers, Mozart has revolutionized musical forms. He absorbed the essence of the music of his era, and created a special style, an unsurpassed beauty. Even before 1776 was able to compile an impressive list of operas, symphonies, concerts and plays his own compositions, he created classical music masterpieces resounding after the Paris tournament, in 1779 the great Symphony Concert for violin, viola and orchestra. After it he received an order to compose an “Opera Seria” for the Court Theater in Munich. He created Idomeneo (1781) that the composed on the libretto of Veresco. The creation was a resounding success, due to the new spirit that is closer to old traditions of his work. This experience increased his appetite for success and Mozart, but at the same time grew his frustration because of his cooling relations with those of Salzburg. After the conflict between the composer and Archbishop of Salzburg, Mozart was dismissed. He left to try his luck in Vienna, capital of the Habsburg Empire.
Mozart was not the first composer who tried to build a career through his own achievements, but to live working in classical music art was a challenge. His problems grew even more when he married and had to take care of his younger wife. In 1782 he married Constanze Weber. Mozart almost always struggled with financial problems, however, wrote a lot of beautiful creations. His first opera was written in Vienna, and was a resounding success in 1782.

Four major works
The Marriage of Figaro (opera comic – 1786) reflects the style of Mozart; lively and brilliant. The premiere was a huge success in a short time; the composer has received an order from Prague to compose a new work. This time put to music the story of Don Giovanni (1787). Even if the piece contains many funny parts, serious scenes are showing a dramatic side as has never existed before.

In 1790 he finished a great new opera, Cosi fan tutte, a cynical story, almost unbelievable about feminine instability. This work was followed by a comic opera, The Magic Flute (1791) a singspiel (German opera), which presents the struggle between good and evil illustrated in a simplistic way, like the common man can do.

Things had already begun to take a good turn when suddenly the Mozart’s life changes, presumably due to nephritis. There were rumors that during the composition of the Requiem (funeral service) his rival Salieri would poisoned him, but there was no evidence.

Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi is the most representative composer of Venetian Baroque classical music. He was born in Venice on March 4th 1678, following the marriage of Giovanni Battista Vivaldi and Camilla Calicchio. He died in Vienna on 28 July 1741, following a sudden illness (internal inflammation), and was buried in the cemetery of the hospital.
Embracing early the religious way, Antonio Vivaldi was nicknamed Il Prete Rosso (The Red Priest) because of his hair color (inherited from his father). The first Vivaldi family member, as resulted from serious documentary references, came to Venice in the first half of 1665.
Despite is precarious health Vivaldi began to travel as virtuoso and composer in Rome in 1722 and 1724, where he played for the Pope. He also played probably in Dresden and Darmstadt, and in Amsterdam, where was published the most important part of his creation. Vivaldi also played in Florence, Prague and Vienna, where he died, forgotten by friends and relatives. At the Ospedale della Pieta, he has trained and conducted the orchestra of the institution (which became famous throughout Europe) and composed extensively for public concerts.
The importance of his creation is symbolized by the four concert series inspired by the four seasons, well known worldwide today. The originality of his concerts come from the authority with which he was able to reject the structure of Corelli’s Concerto Grosso, to impose very quickly a short form (for eight to ten soloists) in a concert with only three symmetrical movements (fast-slow-fast).  A great performer himself, Vivaldi practiced with great naturalness great classical music pieces, such as sonatas, symphonies or quartets.

Endowed with an exceptional ear, improvisational virtuoso who gladly performed and famous conductor (one of the first in history), Vivaldi devoted his whole genius to an unceasing discovery of new combinations of rhythmic and harmonic, He used unpredictable tools, giving a leading role to classical music instruments, especially designed to have a place in the orchestra. He wrote concerts for cello or bassoon, not forgetting oboe or flute, always treated in a very personal manner, and even other instruments still marginal, such as mandolin and trumpet. According to the census conducted by Peter Ryom (catalog RV), in 1977 there were 768 known works or authentic fragments. During his life Vivaldi published 40 collections of sonatas and concertos, of which 13 are numbered.