What's new ?

May 13, Carl Orff, composer and educationalist, our latest addition.

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:49:28 GMT

Carl Orff, the German composer and educationalist, is the latest addition to the site.
Best known for his 'O Fortuna' from his 'Carmina Burana' he also developed an approach to teaching music to children, his 'Schulwerk', which is still widely used today.

May 5, May Classical Composer Anniversaries

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:37:57 GMT

May
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

01/05/1904 Dvorak died
01/05/1978 Khachaturian died
07/05/1833 Brahms born
07/05/1840 Tchaikovsky born
08/05/1944 Ethel Smyth died
12/05/1845 Faure born
12/05/1884 Smetana died
13/05/1842 Sullivan born
15/05/1567 Monteverdi born
17/05/1866 Satie born
18/05/1909 Albeniz died
18/05/1911 Mahler died
19/05/1954 Ives died
22/05/1813 Wagner born
25/05/1934 Holst died
27/05/1840 Paganini died
29/05/1860 Albeniz born
31/05/1809 Haydn died

Apr 22, Composers born under Taurus star sign

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:18:19 GMT

I've sorted all our composers by star signs. This month is Taurus and here are the lucky composers:
A. Scarlatti
Brahms
Faure
Monteverdi
Prokofiev
Dame Ethel Smyth
Tchaikovsky
Erik Satie
Arthur Sullivan

Apr 15, Welcome to The Waltz King - Johann Strauss II

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:01:31 GMT

At last I have got round to adding Johann Strauss to the site.

The Strauss dynasty is a truly remarkable phenomenon and the popularity of the Viennese waltz is still very high with plenty of life in it yet.

Apr 11, Enrique Granados is our latest addition

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:02:48 GMT

Enrique Granados, the Spanish pianist and composer, is the latest addition to the site.
Tragically drowned at the age of 48 while trying to save his wife after the cross-channel ferry they were travelling on was torpedoed by a German submarine.

Apr 1, April Anniversaries of the Great Composers

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:01:54 GMT

April
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

01/04/1873 Rachmaninoff born
01/04/1917 Scott Joplin died
03/04/1897 Brahms died
06/04/1971 Stravinsky died
08/04/1848 Donizetti died
14/04/1759 Handel died
18/04/1936 Respighi died
23/04/1858 Edith Smyth born
23/04/1857 Leoncavallo born
27/04/1891 Prokofiev born
27/04/1915 Scriabin died
27/04/1992 Messiaen died

Apr 1, Rachmaninoff - 139th birthday!

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:59:42 GMT

139 today - Happy Birthday Sergei!

I have added more videos to his page including 'Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini'

Mar 25, Engelbert Humperdinck - our newest addition

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:19:17 GMT

I have just uploaded a page on the German composer Engelbert Humperdinck, best known for his opera Hansel & Greten.
His name has been 'borrowed' by the 75year old English singer who has been chosen to represent England in the 2012 European Song Contest!!

Mar 25, Debussy died 94 years ago

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:07:02 GMT

I have added more videos to the Debussy page.

I have included an excellent video about Debussy in Art which includes Debussy related art, portraits, caricatures, cartoons, album covers and postage stamps. Very interesting and entertaining.

Mar 18, Rimsky-Korsakov birthday update

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:08:39 GMT

168 today - Happy Birthday Nikolai!

I have added more videos to his page including 'Le Coq d'Or' and a full version of Scheherazade.

I also added his Clarinet Concerto clip and for a smile - Disney's Maestro Minnie's Flight of the Bumblebee.

Mar 17, Bach page update

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:28:00 GMT

I've updated our Bach page and added some more videos including:
Prelude from Bach´s Cello Suite No. 1 played by Yo-Yo Ma
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major - 1. Allegro - 2. Adagio
Air "on the G-string"
Bourree from Lute Suite BWV 996

Mar 4, Vivaldi's birthday today

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 10:20:33 GMT

334 today - Happy Birthday Antonio!

I've added more videos to your page to make you happy!

Feb 29, A Google Doodle for Rossini's Birthday

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:05:45 GMT

Today's Google Doodle is for Rossini's birthday. Being on Feb 29 he had a birthday only every leap year, which makes him 53 today!

Feb 17, Corelli's Birthday today

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:54:31 GMT

359 today - Happy Birthday Arcangelo!

Next January will be the 300th anniversary of his death so hopefully we should hear a lot more of him.

Feb 8, The Berlioz Requiem

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:49:16 GMT

Dieter Schoop has kindly contributed an excellent article on the Berlioz "Requiem" or "Grande Messe des Morts".

It was composed in 1837 to commemorate those who died in the Revolution of 1830.

It includes a link to listen to the whole work performed by the London Symphony and Chorus conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

Feb 3, Mendelssohn 203 today

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:22:50 GMT

203 today - Happy Birthday Felix!

Feb 3, February Anniversaries of Great Classical Composers

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:06:09 GMT

February
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

2/02/1594 Palestrina died
3/02/1809 Mendelssohn born
7/02/1652 Allegri died
13/02/1883 Wagner died
15/02/1857 Glinka died
17/2/1653 Corelli born
20/2/1961 P.Grainger died
23/2/1934 Elgar died
23/2/1685 Handel born
27/2/1887 Borodin died
29/2/1792 Rossini born

Jan 7, Rodrigo is our latest addition

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:51:22 GMT

Joaquin Rodrigo (1901 - 1999) the Spanish composer, is the latest addition to the site.

Best known for 'Concerto de Aranjuez', one of the most popular pieces of 20th century classical music.

Jan 2, Sir Michael Tippett & Mily Balakirev birthdays

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:15:05 GMT

Two birthdays today - the Englishman Sir Michael Tippett (1905) and the Russian Mily Balakirev (1837), leader of the 'Mighty Five'.

Jan 1, January Anniversaries of Great Classical Composers

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:13:05 GMT

January
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

1/1/1782 J C Bach died
2/1/1837 Balakirev born
2/1/1905 M Tippett born
4/1/1710 Pergolesi born
6/1/1838 Max Bruch born
7/1/1899 Poulenc born
8/1/1713 Corelli died
8/1/1990 M Tippett died
11/1/1801 Cimarosa died
16/1/1886 Ponchielli died
16/1/1891 Delibes died
17/1/1751 Albinoni died
18/1/1835 Cesar Cui born
23/1/1981 S.Barber died
27/1/1756 Mozart born
27/1/1813Verdi died
29/1/1862 Delius born
30/1/1963 Poulenc died
31/1/1797 Schubert born

Dec 30, New page - St HILDEGARD of Bingen

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:53:39 GMT

The latest addition is our second female composer.
One of the most extraordinary women of the Middle Ages.

Dec 11, Happy Birthday Hector!

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:52:00 GMT

208 today - Happy Birthday Hector!

Oct 25, Bizet's birthday today

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:02:17 GMT

173 today - Happy Birthday George!

Here's the Happy Birthday theme in the style of Bizet and of Tchaikovsky
on YouTube

Oct 24, Dame Ethel Smyth - our first female composer!

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:44:40 GMT

Not only a brilliant composer but also a political activist involved in the suffagette movement.

She was even jailed for smashing the windows of a leading politician!

Oct 22, 200th anniversary of Liszt's birth

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:35:08 GMT

Happy Birthday Franz!.
Big celebrations for his becentenary.
Franz Liszt, the world's first rock star.

Oct 12, Vaughan Williams birthday today

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:51:51 GMT

139 today. Happy Birthday Ralph.
This year he is at No2 and No3 in the ClassicFM Hall of Fame ranking.

Oct 10, 2012 Opera Calendar on Etsy

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:47:39 GMT

I uploaded my new 2012 Opera Calendar onto Etsy today. Looks good!

Oct 2, October classical composer anniversaries

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:27:27 GMT

October
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

1/10/1865 Paul Dukas born
2/10/1920 Max Bruch died
3/10/1931 Carl Nielsen died
5/10/1880 Offenbach died
9/10/1813 Verdi born
9/10/1835 Saint-Saëns born
11/10/1896 Bruckner died
12/10/1872 Vaughan Williams born
14/10/1990 Bernstein died
17/10/1849 Chopin died
18/10/1893 Gounod died
20/10/1874 Charles Ives born
22/11/1811 Liszt born
24/10/1725 A Scarlatti died
25/11/1825 J Strauss Jr born
25/11/1838 Bizet born
26/11/1685 D Scarlatti born
27/11/1782 Paganini born

Sep 29, Gabriel Fauré - our latest addition

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:19:55 GMT

I have just added a page on Gabriel Fauré. Like Messiaen he was a 20th century French composer, organist and teacher.
Strangely he didn't compose a single work for the organ even though he was involved with it for most of his life.

Sep 26, Putting fun into classical music

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:54:41 GMT

Our new Video of the Week on our home page is a very entertaining 8 minutes by the MozART Group.
Some will find it disrespectful but I hope most will find it a lot of fun as I do.

Sep 26, Gershwin - 113th birthday

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:14:14 GMT

Happy Birthday George!.
He would have been 113 today.
What a pity he died so young at 38 years old.
Just think what more wonderful music we could have had.

Sep 4, Bruckner's Birthday today

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:50:01 GMT

187 today. Happy Birthday.
So he is our Composer of the Week!
Also today is the birthday of the French composer Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974)
It is the 104th anniversary of the death of Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907).

Sep 1, September Composer Anniversaries

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:21:32 GMT

September
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

4/9/1824 Bruckner born
4/9/1892 Milhaud born
4/9/1907 Grieg died
5/9/1735 J Christian Bach born
5/9/1912 John Cage born
8/9/1813 Gesualdo died
8/9/1841 Dvorak born
8/9/1949 Richard Strauss died
10/9/1659 Purcell born
13/9/1819 Clara Schumann born
13/9/1874 Schoenberg born
17/9/1179 Hildegard von Bingen died
20/9/1957 Sibelius died
21/9/1874 Holst born
23/9/1836 Bellini died
25/9/1906 Shostakovich born
25/9/1849 J Strauss Sr died
26/9/1898 Gershwin born
26/9/1945 Bartok died

Aug 17, Classical Composers Calendar - back to school!!

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:55:24 GMT

There is a September '11 to August '12 Great Composers Calendar now available at Etsy. I have posted a link on the Home page.

Aug 4, August Classical Composr Anniversaries

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:08:38 GMT

Sorry late again!

August
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

Births
?/08/1653 Pachelbel
18/08/1750 Salieri
22/08/1862 Debusssy
22/08/1928 Stockhausen
25/08/1918 Bernstein
31 /08/1834 Ponchielli
Deaths
2/08/1945 Mascagni
8/08/1975 Shostakovich
09/08/1919 Leoncavallo
10/08/1928 Janacek
12/08/1992 John Cage
13/08/1912 Massanet
26/08/1958 Vaughan Williams
28/08/1959 Martinu

Aug 2, Pietro Mascagni RIP

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:52:00 GMT

Classical composer Pietro Mascagni died 66 years ago today. Considered a one hit wonder for his Cavalleria Rusticana he in fact created much much more music of quality which unfortunately doesn't get much exposure at all.

Jul 31, New page - Olivier MESSIAEN

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:04:20 GMT

I have just added a page on Olivier Messiaen. He was a 20th century French composer, organist, teacher and ornithologist. He is known for incorporating birdsong into his compositions.

Jul 10, George Gershwin - our latest profile

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:24:04 GMT

The latest composer profile to be added is George Gershwin, the American composer of so many well known songs.
He died young at only 38 years old, 74 years ago today.

Jul 7, Happy Birthday Gustav Mahler

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:03:07 GMT

151 today. Congratulation.
This is a big anniversary year as it is the centenary of his death on 18 May 1911.

It is also the centenary of the birth of Gian Carlo Menotti a talented Italo-American composer best known for his operas.
Anyway he is our Composer of the Week!

Jul 6, July Composer Anniversaries

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:39:37 GMT

Sorry, a bit late but here are the birthdays and death anniversaries for July:

July
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

Births
2/07/1714 Gluck
3/07/1854 Janacek
7/07/1860 Mahler
8/07/1882 Percy Grainger
9/07/1879 Respighi
10/07/1895 Carl Orff
Deaths
1/07/1925 Satie
4/07/1623 William Byrd
11/07/1937 Gershwin
13/07/1951 Arnold Schonberg
23/07/1757 Domenico Scarlatti
27/07/1924 Busoni
28/07/1741 Vivaldi
28/07/1750 Bach
29/07/1856 Schumann
31/07/1886 Liszt

Jul 4, Happy 4th July

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:02:34 GMT

As today is the 4th July I have made Sousa the composer of the week.

Video of the week is a complete recording of Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture' the finale of which is often played at 4th July fireworks displays, even though it has nothing to do with America and everything to do with commemorating Moscow's defense against Napoleon's armies.

Sousa and 1812 on the Home page

Jun 1, June Composer Anniversaries

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:32:57 GMT

It's June already. So here is the June list of the main composer birthdays and death anniversaries.

June
Great Classical Composer
Anniversaries

01/06/1804 Glinka born
02/06/1857 Elgar born
03/06/1875 Bizet died
03/06/1899 Strauss J died
06/06/1903 Khachaturian born
08/06/1810 Schumann born
21/06/1908 Rimsky Korsakov died
10/06/1934 Delius died
11/06/1864 Strauss R. born
14/06/1671 Albinoni born
15/06/1843 Grieg born
17/06/1818 Gounod born
17/06/1882 Stravinsky born
20/06/1819 Offenbach born
25/06/1767 Telemann died

May 29, Happy Birthday Isaac Albeniz!

Sun, 29 May 2011 20:55:01 GMT

Today is the birthday of Albeniz so I have put his 'Asturias' as Video of the Week on the Home page.
He composed it for the piano but you nearly always hear it played on the guitar, thanks to Segovia's transcription.

Apr 10, The Parallel Lives of Verdi and Wagner

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:20:10 GMT

An interesting essay by Peter McKenzie-Brown on the similarities and differences in the lives of these two composers, born within months of each other.

Mar 22, Films about composers

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:17:39 GMT

I occasionally get asked if there is a movie about a particular composer.
So I have built a page listing the ones I know about.
Lots by the Brits Ken Loach and Tony Palmer.

Mar 21, Happy Birthday Bach and Mussorgsky

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:56:10 GMT

Johann is 326 today. Happy Birthday and have a great party up there.
It is also Mussorgsky's birthday but he's too Modest to advertise it!

Mar 16, French Classical Composers

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:09:22 GMT

There are 8 French composers on this site at the moment and more to come. Here is a page which lists them in one place to make them easier to find.

Mar 15, Shostakovich is the latest addition

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:22:20 GMT

Having died in 1975 there is a lot of film/video footage available of Dmitri Shostakovich.

Fascinating.

Mar 13, A Bruckner update

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 22:07:13 GMT

I've added a brief bio and other information to the Bruckner page.
Strange that during a life dedicated to studying, teaching and playing the organ he didn't leave any compositions for the organ.

Mar 9, The Badass from Bonn

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:09:38 GMT

I've added a brief bio and other information to the Beethoven page.
While researching material I came across a brilliant portrait by Richard Thompson and an interesting article entitled 'The Badass from Bonn'