Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture Context The Egmont Overture is the opening of a set of incidental music that Beethoven was commissioned to write for a 1787 play of the same name by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe. The music was composed between 1809-1810. The story centers around Dutch nobleman, Count Egmont – whose Read more…
Francis Poulenc: Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings Context Francis Poulenc was born in Paris in 1899 into a wealthy, musical family. His father owned a pharmaceuticals business, and he had very close ties with Roman Catholicism. His mother came from a very artistic family. As his mother was musical, Poulenc Read more…
Pauline Oliveros: A Love Song Context Born in May 1932 in Texas, Pauline Oliveros began participating in music at a very young age. In the 1940s, she received her mother’s accordion, as they were a fairly popular instrument in America at the time. Whilst at school she also learned to play Read more…
Lera Auerbach: Icarus Context Lera Auerbach was born in 1973 in Chelyabinsk – a city that borders Siberia. Her mother was a piano teacher, so she received lessons from her at a young age. The Auerbach family have a history of being musical, so Lera was naturally a fast learner. She Read more…
Danny Elfman: Grand Finale (from Edward Scissorhands) Context Danny Elfman was born in LA in 1953, and has had an incredibly successful career in the music industry. Elfman is best-known for his collaboratory work with director, Tim Burton. He has produced film scores with Burton for films such as: Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Read more…
Edward Elgar: Romance for Bassoon Genesis of Romance for Bassoon Composed in 1910 for the principal bassoonist of the London Symphony Orchestra – Edwin F James – this work is from the Edward Elgar’s most creative periods. Romance for Bassoon was composed between two of Elgar’s largest works, the Violin Concerto (1910) and the Second Symphony (1911). Read more…
Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre: Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Continuo Context Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre was born in Paris, 1665. She was born into a family full of musicians and she was deemed a child prodigy when she began learning to play the harpsichord at a very young Read more…
Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question Conext Charles Ives was born in Connecticut, USA in 1874, and his father was a USA Army bandleader. Due to this day-to-day influence of music, Ives grew up surrounded by music. Ives undertook music lessons from a young age, and his tutors were encouraging for Ives Read more…
Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens on Spain Biography & Context Manuel de Falla was born in 1876, in the southern Spanish city of Cádiz. He studied harmony and counterpoint from a young age, as well as learning the piano. By 1900, he and his family had moved to Madrid, Read more…
Elizabeth Maconchy: Nocturne for Orchestra Context Elizabeth Maconchy was born to Irish parents in Hertfordshire, 1907. After her birth, the family moved back to rural Ireland, where Maconchy began taking piano lessons. She started to compose her own music by age six and when she was in her late teens she enrolled Read more…