Born in London, Aug 7, 1868
Died in London, Oct 16, 19461
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BANTOCK, Sir Granville
Era: Late Romantic
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BARNS, Ethel
Born in 1874
Died in Maidenhead, Dec 31, 1948
- Ethel Barns was an English violinist and composer who received her formal training at the Royal Academy of Music starting at age 13. By 17, Barns had published her first composition, a Romance for violin and piano.
- As a composer, Barns wrote most often for her primary instrument, the violin. Her music ranges from short, inventive solo pieces to large-scale works for violin and orchestra.
- Following her marriage to baritone Charles Phillips, the couple established their popular Barns-Phillips Chamber Concerts at London’s Bechstein Hall.
- Barns regularly programmed her own music for these concerts, which helped her gain notoriety as a composer. Prominent violinists like Joseph Joachim soon started adding her music to their repertoire.
- Like Ethel Smyth, Barns actively participated in the fight for women’s equality. She served on the first council of the Society of Women Musicians, which was founded in 1911.1
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BARRIOS, Agustín
Born in San Juan Bautista de las Misiones, May 5, 1885
Died in San Salvador, Aug 7, 1944
- Agustín Barrios [PRONUNCIATION] was a guitarist and composer who was born in Paraguay, and who lived and concertized in locations throughout South America during his career. Later in his life he lived in Germany and Central America.
- During the 1930s, Barrios adopted the performance persona of “Mangoré,” dressing as a Guaraní chieftan. His name is often given as Agustín Barrios Mangoré.
- Reportedly, Barrios composed hundreds of works for the guitar, but his manuscripts were not terribly well organized. Around 130 Barrios compositions have been located.1
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Short biography from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
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BAX, Sir Arnold
Born in Streatham, UK, Nov 8, 1883
Died in Cork, Oct 3, 1953
- Sir Arnold Bax was well regarded as English symphonist in 1920s and 30s.
- He also composed ballets, tone poems, and film scores, including Oliver Twist (1948, dir. David Lean).1
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BEACH, Amy Marcy Cheney
Born in Henniker, NH, Sept 5, 1867
Died in New York, NY, Dec 27, 1944
- Amy Marcy Cheney was a child prodigy: she could sing forty melodies accurately at the age of 1; she taught herself to read at age 3; she could compose and play by ear by age 4.
- Amy Marcy Cheney played her premiere as a piano soloist with orchestra in 1883, and premiered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1885, playing Chopin’s f minor concerto.
- After her 1885 marriage, at her husband’s request, Amy Beach reduced her public appearances as a pianist, and played only for charity. (A professional career was considered inappropriate for a married woman of her social status.) Beach transferred her main musical efforts to composing.
- At her husband’s request, during her married life Beach frequently published as “Mrs. H.H.A. Beach.”
- Beach’s Symphony in e minor, Op. 32, “Gaelic,” was the first symphony by an American to garner international acclaim. It premiered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on October 30, 1896.
- George Whitefield Chadwick and other contemporaries considered Beach part of the Second New England School of composers.1
Biography from the Library of Congress
Pieces
- By the Still Waters, Op. 114
- Four Sketches, Op. 15
- Hermit Thrush, Op. 92
- Invocation, Op. 55
- Les rêves de Columbine, Op. 65 (The Dreams of Columbina)
- Piano Concerto in c-sharp minor, Op. 45
- Piano Quintet in f-sharp minor, Op. 67
- Piano Trio, Op. 150
- Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23
- Scottish Legend, Op. 53, No. 1
- Symphony in e minor, Op. 32, “Gaelic”
- Tyrolean Valse-Fantaisie, Op. 116
- Violin Sonata in a minor, Op. 34
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BRIGHT, Dora
Born in Ecclesall Bierlow, York, August 16, 1862
Died in London, Nov 16, 1951
Sometimes this composer is known by her married name, Dora Knatchbull.
- Bright was an English composer, concert pianist, and music critic.
- Bright studied piano and composition at the Royal College of Music, where she and Edward German were part of the same artistic circle.
- After her marriage to Wyndham Knatchbull, she transitioned away from public performances and toward more composition and working as a music critic.1
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BUSONI, Ferruccio
Born in Empoli, April 1, 1866
Died in Berlin, July 27, 19241
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BUTTERWORTH, George
Born in London, July 12, 1885
Died in Pozières, Aug 5, 1916
- Like Vaughan Williams, Butterworth found much of his artistic identity in English folk music, and in the poetry of A.E. Houseman.
- He set to music six poems from Housman’s poem cycle A Shropshire Lad, and also wrote an orchestral rhapsody based upon it.
- Butterworth was a member of the English Folk Song Society, which collected and conserved English folk music. He was also part of the English Folk Dance Society, and was an accomplished Morris dancer.
- Butterworth served in WWI, fought at the Somme, and died in 1916. This is why we have very little of his music.1
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CAMPA, Gustavo E.
Born in Mexico City, Sept 8, 1863
Died in Mexico City, Oct 29, 1934
- Campa taught composition at Mexico City Conservatory, and also edited a music journal for a Mexico City music publisher.1
- He was honored by the Mexican government: 2
- In 1884 his Himno sinfónico was played at the opening of the Mexican National Library
- In 1900 he served as a delegate to an international congress in Paris.
- Campa was part of a group of composers who called themselves The Group of Six who wanted to promote “Mexican composers’ aesthetic principles, so as to create a truly national art.”3
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CHADWICK, George Whitefield
Born in Lowell, MA, Nov 13, 1854
Died in Boston, MA, April 4, 1931
- Chadwick was one of the foremost composers of the Second New England School, also known as the Boston Six.
- Other Second New England School composers in this database include Edward MacDowell and Amy Beach.
- In addition to achieving success as a composer in most classical music genres, Chadwick was an influential educator who taught at the the New England Conservatory from 1881 until his death. He became the institution’s director in 1897.
- Chadwick’s many successful composition students included Horatio Parker, Florence Price, and William Grant Still.1
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CHAMINADE, Cécile
Born in Paris, Aug 8, 1857
Died in Monte Carlo, April 13, 1944
- Chaminade studied piano as a child with her mother. Her father opposed her enrollment in the Paris Conservatory, so Chaminade studied privately with Conservatory professors, including Benjamin Godard.
- Chaminade composed about 400 works over the course of her life, and almost all of them were published.
- Though most of Chaminade’s works are piano miniatures or songs (which were more marketable for a woman composer), she also composed larger works: like her Concert Piece for piano and orchestra, and a program symphony entitled Les amazones: Symphonie dramatique, both of which were performed during her lifetime.
- Chaminade performed extensively as a concert pianist. She was especially popular in the United States, where numerous “Chaminade Clubs” popped up to celebrate her music.1
Biography from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
Pieces
- 6 Études de concert, Op. 35
- 6 Romances sans paroles, Op. 76
- Capriccio for Violin and Piano in e minor, Op. 18
- Concertino in D Major for Flute, Op. 107
- Concertstück in c-sharp minor, Op. 40
- La lune paresseuse
- Les sylvains, Op. 60
- Pierrette, Op. 41
- Scarf Dance, Op. 37, No. 3
- Sèrènade aux étoiles, Op. 142
- Sérénade espagnole, Op. 150
- Valse carnevalesque, Op. 73
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D’INDY, Vincent
Born in Paris, Mar 27, 1851
Died in Paris, Dec 2, 19311
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DEBUSSY, Claude
Born in St Germain-en-Laye, Aug 22, 1862
Died in Paris, March 25, 1918
Pieces
- Beau soir
- Clair de lune
- Danse (Styrian Tarantella)
- Deux Arabesques
- Estampes
- Fantaisie for piano and orchestra
- Images for Orchestra: No. 3, Springtime Rounds (Rondes de printemps)
- Jeux (“poème dansé”)
- La Mer
- Nocturnes
- Petite Suite
- Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
- Préludes (Book 1)
- Rêverie
- Sarabande
- The Engulfed Cathedral
- The Girl with the Flaxen Hair
- The Prodigal Son
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DELIUS, Frederick
Born in Bradford, Jan 29, 1862
Died in Grez-sur-Loing, June 10, 1934
- Frederick Delius was an English composer of German heritage.
- Delius’s father wanted him to follow his footsteps in the wool trade; this went so badly that Delius left England for Florida, to work at an orange plantation. In Florida, he found a teacher and began to study music in earnest.
- After Florida, Delius studied music in Leipzig and befriended Edvard Grieg; in 1888 he moved to Paris and eventually associated with Fauré and Ravel.
- Delius’s compositions were mostly successful outside of his homeland of England, until Sir Thomas Beecham got to know him and championed his music.
- In later life Delius was very ill and produced compositions by dictating them to Eric Fenby, a British musician who admired Delius’ music and wanted to help him.
- His music is known for rhapsodic qualities, harmonic originality and “secular spirituality” (his Grove article uses this phrase).1
Pieces
- A Song before Sunrise
- Air and Dance, for strings
- Aquarelles (Watercolors)
- Caprice and Elegy for Cello and Small Orchestra (arr. Fenby)
- Florida Suite
- Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda
- North Country Sketches: “Winter Landscape”
- On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
- Prelude to Irmelin
- Summer Night on the River
- Three Small Tone Poems
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DIEPENBROCK, Alphons
Born in Amsterdam, Sept 2, 1862
Died in Amsterdam, April 5, 1921
- Dutch composer Alphons Diepenbrock was a skilled musician from an early age, particularly proficient in piano, organ, and violin. Though he longed for a career as a composer and conductor, his family convinced him to study classical languages instead.
- Diepenbrock began his professional career as a classics teacher while studying composition on the side. Fun fact – he received no formal training in composition and instead taught himself through extensive study of composers he admired, such as Wagner.
- Around 1895, Diepenbrock decided to devote himself to music, though he still supported himself by teaching Latin and Greek and cultural writing articles. He finally gained notoriety as a composer around the turn of the century, gaining the recognition (and consequent friendship) of Gustav Mahler.
- As a composer, Diepenbrock’s musical voice incorporated 16th-century polyphony and Wagnerian chromaticism. After extensive study of Debussy’s works in the last decade of his life, his musical style shifted to include impressionism.
- “Diepenbrock’s music is passionate and sensitive, without falling into the excesses of late Romanticism.”
- Diepenbrock was largely inspired by poetry; consequently, the bulk of his compositional oeuvre is vocal music.1
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Biography from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
Short biography from the Kennedy Center
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DOHNÁNYI, Ernst [Ernő]
Born Pozsony [now Bratislava], July 27, 1877
Died in New York, Feb 9, 1960
Pronunciation
Pronunciation in IPA: [ˈɛrnøː ˈdohnaːɲi]
- Dohnányi was a virtuoso pianist, composer and conductor. Brahms was one of the early supporters of his composing career. After teaching at the Berlin Conservatory, he became a leading musical force in Hungary, championing the work of his Hungarian contemporaries Kodály and Bartók.
- Later in life he became pianist- and composer-in-residence at Florida State University.
- Although Dohnányi’s compositions were romantic in style, he was one of the earliest musicians to recognize and support Bartók’s modernist music.
- Dohnányi’s students included Georg Solti and Géza Anda.1
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DUKAS, Paul
Born in Paris, Oct 1, 1865
Died in Paris, May 17, 19351
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ELGAR, Sir Edward
Born in Broadheath, near Worcester, June 2, 1857
Died in Worcester, Feb 23, 1934
Pieces
- Carissima
- Cello Concerto in e minor, Op. 85
- Chanson de Matin and Chanson de Nuit, Op. 15
- Cockaigne (In London Town) Overture, Op. 40
- Dream Children
- Elegy for Strings, Op. 58
- Falstaff, Op. 68
- Introduction and Allegro, Op. 47
- May Song
- Mina
- Minuet, Op. 21
- Overture in d minor (Handel, arr. Elgar)
- Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D Major
- Pomp and Circumstance March No. 2 in a minor
- Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3 in c minor
- Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 in G Major
- Pomp and Circumstance March No. 5 in C Major
- Pomp and Circumstance, Military Marches Op. 39
- Rosemary (“That’s for Remembrance”)
- Salut d’amour (Greetings of Love), Op. 12
- Sérénade Lyrique
- Sevillana, Op. 7
- Sospiri (Sighs), Op. 70
- Spanish Lady Suite, Op. 89
- Symphony No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 55
- Symphony No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 63
- The Wand of Youth Suite No. 1
- Variations on an Original Theme, “Enigma,” Op. 36
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ELIE, Justin
Born in Cap-Haïtien, 1883
Died in New York, Dec 3, 1931
- Elie was a composer and pianist who studied at the Paris Conservatory and concertized throughout Latin America before relocating to New York in 1921.
- In addition to composing concert works, Elie also hosted a radio show called The Lure of the Tropics (in which he occasionally conducted his own compositions. He also composed music for silent films and the theater.1
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ENESCU, George
Born in Liveni Vîrnav [now George Enescu], near Dorohoi, Romania, Aug 19, 1881
Died in Paris, France, 3/May 4, 1955
- He is also known by the French version of his name, “Georges Enesco.”1
Biography from the National Museum “George Enescu” in Bucharest
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FAURÉ, Gabriel
Born in Pamiers, Ariège, May 12, 1845
Died in Paris, Nov 4, 1924
- Gabriel Fauré (pronunciation), while often overshadowed, undeniably transformed French music through his influence, his teaching, his leadership, and his compositions.1
- As a composer, Fauré was the most advanced composer in French music of his time and anticipated Impressionism, among many other significant stylistic trends. His musical language is deeply personal and immediately identifiable.
- The bulk of Fauré’s music consisted of piano music, songs, and chamber music (works that could be performed by his friends and colleagues in Paris salons). He is regarded by many as the greatest master of French art song.
- Growing up, Fauré anticipated training for a career as a church musician. The arrival of a new piano teacher at Fauré’s school in Paris, Camille Saint-Saëns, played a pivotal role in the teenaged Fauré’s decision to start composing. Saint-Saëns would go on to become an important mentor for the young composer.
- Fun fact – Fauré was ambidextrous. His piano compositions share a common characteristic in that both hands are of equal importance and “in many passages alternate and complement each other for the presentation of a theme or the execution of a run.”2
- Among his many professional posts was educator at the Paris Conservatoire, where he taught many burgeoning young composers such as Nadia Boulanger, Arthur Honegger, George Enescu, and Maurice Ravel.3
Learn More
Biography via Deutsche Grammophon
Pieces
- Après un rêve (After a Dream), Op. 7 No. 1
- Ballade in F-sharp Major, Op. 19
- Berceuse for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 16
- Dolly Suite, Op. 56
- Élégie, Op. 24
- Fantaisie for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 79
- Masques et Bergamasques, Op. 112
- Pavane, Op. 50
- Requiem, Op. 48
- Sicilienne, Op. 78 (from Pelléas et Mélisande)
- Violin Concerto in d minor, Op. 14
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FINZI, Gerald
Born in London, July 14, 1901
Died in Oxford, Sept 27, 1956
- Finzi was an introspective composer, an agnostic and a pacifist, whose attitude toward life was shaped by the deaths of his father, brothers and music teacher in the First World War when he was a child.
- Finzi found inspiration in nature. Although he taught for a time at the RAM, he and his wife Joyce, an artist, eventually chose to settle in the countryside where they cared for their orchard of apple trees and created their art in privacy.
- Finzi founded and directed a small orchestra, the Newbury String Players, and through their concerts promoted the work of young composers. His orchestra also performed 18th century English music, one of Finzi’s research specialities. He also prepared scholarly published editions of these older works.
- Finzi is known for his art songs, as well as choral works and orchestral works.1
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FLETCHER, Percy
Born in Derby, Dec 12, 1879
Died in Windsor, Sept 10, 1932
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FOERSTER, Josef Bohuslav
Born in Prague, Dec 30, 1859
Died in Nový Vestec, nr Stará Boleslav, Bohemia, May 29, 1951
- Josef Bohuslav Foerster was a composer, music critic, and educator. He was a contemporary of Leoš Janáček and Gustav Mahler.
- *Foerster’s last name is also spelled Förster
- Foerster came from a musical family. His father (also named Josef) was an organist and choirmaster in the foremost Prague churches and served on the faculty at Prague Conservatory. His uncle Antonín was a pupil of Smetana as well as an organist, choirmaster, and conductor.
- Foerster married soprano Berta Lautererová and moved to various cities around central Europe based on her singing engagements, including Hamburg and Vienna. He always took up prominent teaching positions wherever he landed, in addition to composing and writing for journals.
- In 1918, the couple returned to Prague. Foerster continued to teach at prominent institutions, such as the Prague Conservatory and the Charles Conservatory.
- Despite having faded into the background among other Czech composers, Foerster was a highly respected figure during his lifetime and held several notable titles. From 1920-45, he was president of the Association of Czechoslovak Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers, and from 1931–9, he was president of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Art. In 1945, he was awarded the title of National Artist.
- As a composer, Foerster was a traditionalist deeply loyal to the nationalist 19th-century vernacular. His extensive compositional oeuvre includes opera, cantatas, choral music, songs, orchestral music, chamber pieces, and more.1
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FOOTE, Arthur
Born in Salem, MA, March 5, 1853
Died in Boston, MA, April 8, 1937
- Fun fact: According to his Oxford Music Online article, “Arthur Foote was the first noted American composer of art music to receive his musical education entirely in the United States.” He earned a Master of Arts in Music from Harvard – the first music MA program offered in the United States.
- Foote was a liturgical musician based in Boston, where he taught music privately, directed choirs, and played the organ at a number of churches. He was a co-founder of the American Guild of Organists.
- Foote served as guest faculty at Harvard, UC Berkeley, and the New England Conservatory during the course of his career.1
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FOULDS, John
Born in Hulme, Manchester, Nov 2, 1880
Died in Calcutta, April 24, 1939
- Foulds was a cellist, conductor and composer who wrote salon music and music for the theater as well as more experimental works using techniques like quarter-tones and non-western modes.
- Foulds spent the latter portion of his life in India, studying Indian music and directing Western music radio programming for All-India Radio in Delhi.1
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GERMAN, Sir Edward
Born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, Feb 17, 1862
Died in London, Nov 11, 1936
Born Edward German Jones
Pronunciation: the “G” in “German” is a hard G, like the G in “garden,” not “jer-man” as in “Germany.” The name “German” is an anglicized version of the Welsh name “Garmon.”
German’s father was Welsh and his mother was English; his Oxford Music Online article describes the composer as “Anglo-Welsh.”
- Edward German was a violinist and composer educated at the Royal Academy of Music.1
- He adopted the professional name “Edward German” while he was a student, apparently because there was already an Edward Jones at the RAM.2
- German specialized in music for the theater. He composed music for stage plays, including working as Musical Director at the Globe Theatre. He also continued the English operetta tradition of Gilbert and Sullivan, becoming one of the genre’s last prominent practitioners.3
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GLIÉRE, Reinhold
Born in Kiev, Dec 30, 1874/ Jan 11, 1875
Died in Moscow, June 23, 1956
- Glière was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory who taught many Soviet composers, chaired the USSR Composers’ Union, and was instrumental in founding the Soviet ballet tradition.
- Style: Glière was heir to the Romantic Russian tradition, and also influenced by folk music of Soviet areas, including Ukraine.1
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GRAINGER, Percy
Born in Brighton, Victoria, July 8, 1882
Died in White Plains, NY, Feb 20, 1961
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GRANADOS, Enrique
Born in Lérida [Lleida], July 27, 1867
Died at sea, English Channel, March 24, 1916
- Granados was a Catalan composer and pianist who spent most of his life in Barcelona.
- Though he wrote more than 140 pieces, he achieved little fame outside Barcelona, and few of his works were published during his lifetime.
- As a concert pianist, Granados was famed for his improvisations, so much so that what he actually played at a recital frequently differed greatly from the printed score.
- Fun Fact: Granados visited the United States for the 1916 American premiere of Goyescas at the Met.
- During this visit Granados caused a stir by claiming that his listeners were ignorant of real Spanish music. Critics were offended and later took revenge by saying Granados’s opera was inferior to Carmen.1
- Not-Fun Fact: Granados was invited to visit President Wilson when he was in the US in 1916. The visit caused him to miss his boat home. He booked a different sailing and ended up being torpedoed by a German submarine2 in the English Channel. The boat survived but many passengers were tossed into the ocean.
- Granados was rescued by a life raft, but when he saw his wife struggling in the water, he jumped back in to save her. Neither of them survived.
Pieces
- Goyescas
- Himno de los Muertos, H. 67
- Pequeña Romanza, for strings
- Spanish Dance No. 1: Minueto
- Spanish Dance No. 10: Triste
- Spanish Dance No. 2: Oriental
- Spanish Dance No. 3: Zarabanda
- Spanish Dance No. 4: Villanesca
- Spanish Dance No. 5: Andaluza
- Spanish Dance No. 6: Jota (Rondalla Aragonesa)
- Spanish Dance No. 8: Asturiana
- Spanish Dance No. 9: Mazurca
- Spanish Dances (Danzas españolas)
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HAHN, Reynaldo
Born in Caracas, Aug 9, 1874
Died in Paris, Jan 28, 1947
- Born in Venezuela to a Catholic Spanish mother and German Jewish father, Hahn’s family moved to Paris when he was four. He was educated at the Paris Conservatoire and achieved early and career-long success with his mélodies (French art songs).1
- One of Hahn’s teachers at the Conservatoire, Jules Massenet, did much to help launch the young composer’s career. The two remained close until Massenet died in 1912.2
- Hahn was a baritone and often performed his own songs in salon gatherings, accompanying himself at the piano.
- Hahn was also a conductor and music critic.
- Fun fact: Two of Hahn’s best friends were Sarah Bernhardt and Marcel Proust. Hahn had actually been lovers with the latter for a couple of years in the mid-1890s, after which they remained close friends.
- Additional fun facts:
- Hahn composed a musical comedy about the young Mozart (Mozart, 1925). 3
- While in his 40s, Hahn enlisted to fight in the trenches in WWI and was awarded the Croix de Guerre.4
- Additional fun facts:
“Hahn would not have been dismayed that his reputation today rests firmly on his 100-or-so songs.”
BBC Music Magazine
Learn More
Biography from the European Institute of Jewish Music (IEJM)
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HALVORSEN, Johan
Born in Drammen, March 15, 1864
Died in Oslo, Dec 4, 1935
- In addition to composing, Halvorsen was a violin virtuoso, taught violin at the Helsinki Music Institute, and was one of Norway’s most prominent conductors.
- Halvorsen was friends with Edvard Grieg, who was a generation older.
- Style: Halvorsen was influenced by Norwegian composers like Grieg, but his orchestration shows the influence of French Romantic composers.1
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HARTY, Hamilton
Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, Dec 4, 1879
Died in Brighton, Feb 19, 1941
- Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty was a composer, conductor and pianist.
- Harty was highly sought after as a collaborative pianist in London.
- Harty was the conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, in whose programs he frequently promoted new works by living composer. Harty also frequently conducted the London Symphony Orchestra.
- Fun fact: Harty had his first appointment as a parish organist when he was 12.1
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HERBERT, Victor
Born in Dublin, Feb 1, 1859
Died in New York, May 26, 1924
- Victor Herbert composed operetta, and he was one of the first advocates for copyright and performance-rights legislation for composers.
- Herbert testified before Congress in support of providing recording royalties to composers during proceedings surrounding a copyright law enacted in 1919. He was also one of the founders of ASCAP.1
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HOLST, Gustav
Born in Cheltenham, Sept 21, 1874
Died in London, May 25, 1934
Pieces
- A Moorside Suite
- Brook Green Suite (string orchestra)
- Lyric Movement for Viola and Small Orchestra
- The Perfect Fool
- The Planets, Op. 32
- The Planets: “Neptune, the Mystic”
- The Planets: “Venus, the Bringer of Peace”
- Three Pieces for Oboe and String Quartet, Op. 2
- Two Songs without Words, Op. 22 (Country Song; Marching Song)
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HUBAY, Jenő
Born in Budapest, Sept 15, 1858
Died in Budapest, March 12, 1937
- Hubay was a violinist and composer. He performed frequently with his mentor and fellow Hungarian, Liszt, and was friends with Belgian violinist Henri Vieuxtemps, who recommended Hubay for Head of Violin Studies at the Brussels Conservatory.
- Hubay created a violin pedagogy legacy at the Budapest Academy of Music, where he taught both before and after fleeing the short-lived Soviet regime in Hungary.1
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IPPOLITOV-IVANOV, Mikhail
Born in Gatchina, near St Petersburg, 7/Nov 19, 1859
Died in Moscow, Jan 28, 1935
- Ippolitov-Ivanov studied composition with Rimsky-Korsakov.
- He taught at the Tblisi Conservatory in Georgia and at the Moscow Conservatory, and he directed the Moscow Conservatory from 1905-1924.
- Ippolitov-Ivanov was also a choral and opera conductor.
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JANÁČEK, Leoš
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JOPLIN, Scott
Born in northeast TX, between July 19, 1867 and mid-Jan 1868
Died in New York, NY, April 1, 19171
- Scott Joplin was known as the “king of ragtime” at the turn of the 20th Century. In fact, today, the composer’s name is practically synonymous with the term, “ragtime.”
- Despite the composer’s success in publishing ragtime, Joplin aspired to write theatrical works. He wrote a ballet called The Ragtime Dance and two operas – A Guest of Honor and Treemonisha. Sadly, A Guess of Honor was never published, and the manuscript has since been lost.3
- In 1907, Joplin published an instructional book outlining his musical technique called The School of Ragtime.4
Born in Brno, May 29, 1897
Died in Hollywood, CA, Nov 29, 1957
- Korngold was a child prodigy who impressed Mahler, Richard Strauss, Puccini and many other with his youthful compositions.
- Korngold was a successful composer, conductor and teacher of opera in Europe before he began his Hollywood career in the 1930s.
- In addition to The Sea Hawk (1940), Korngold’s symphonic film scores include Anthony Adverse (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Of Human Bondage (1946).
- After WWII, Korngold focused on concert music, and his works were given premieres by the likes of Heifetz (Violin Concerto, 1937/45) and Furtwängler (Symphonic Serenade, 1947-52).1
- Style: Korngold’s film scores make use of Wagnerian leitmotif, assigning a motif to each character. This film scoring technique would become hugely influential for Hollywood, found again in scores by John Williams and others.
“Korngold saw his films as ‘operas without singing’ and drew no distinction between writing in this genre and any other. He brought techniques of Wagner, Strauss, and Puccini into the cinema and, along with his fellow emigres in Hollywood… helped turn film music into an art in its own right.”
Jessica Duchen, BBC Music Magazine Vol. 30, No. 9
Learn More
Korngold Intro from Erich Korngold Society website