Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.12 Context Often known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’, Joseph Haydn’s legacy as a symphonist stays strong today. Haydn composed 104 symphonies over the course of his long and fruitful life, and we at Classicalexburns want to help you discover the stories and music behind all Read more…
Leoš Janáček: Sinfonietta Context Born is 1854 in Hukvaldy, Moravia (a large area within the Czech Republic) Janáček was seen as a gifted child within a family that had little means. As a choir boy Janáček sung at the Abbey of St. Thomas in Brno, where he also nurtured and Read more…
Joan Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman Context Joan Tower was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1938. When Tower was nine, her family moved to Bolivia, which she describes as an integral part of her compositional style. Upon her father’s insistence, she learnt the piano and had consistent musical Read more…
Antonín Dvořák: The Water Goblin Context Antonín Dvořák composed his symphonic poem, The Water Goblin in 1896. He was inspired by Karel Jaromír Erben’s collection of poems under the title Kytice. Out of the six poems in this set, Dvořák uses four for the basis of The Water Goblin. The Read more…
Ennio Morricone: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Context Ennio Morricone composed his highly popular soundtrack for the 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and by 1968 the album was a big hitter in the charts. Regarded as Morricone’s most successful film soundtrack, the main Read more…
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 Context Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) composed his ever-popular Seventh Symphony between the years 1881-1883. It was then subject to further revisions in 1885. The premiere was given by the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the baton of Arthur Nikisch in Lepizig in December 1884. The symphony bought the Read more…
Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3 ‘Organ’ Context Camille Saint-Saëns composed his popular Third Symphony in 1886 after a commission from the Philharmonic Society in the UK was presented to him. The composer conducted both the UK and French premiere of the symphony in 1886/87. After the death of Franz Liszt, Saint-Saëns Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.16 Context Johannes Brahms completed his 21 Hungarian Dances by 1879, and they still remain one his most popular collections of music. All of the dances are based on traditional Hungarian folk tunes and range from c.1 minute to 6 minutes in duration. Some of the Read more…
Marianna Bottini: Clarinet Concerto Context One of the forefront voices in Italian classical music in the 19th century, Marianna Bottini (1802-58) was one of the few women who had her music performed at the St Cecilia festival. Bottini composed a number of works, most of which are for orchestra. Little Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Beckus the Dandipratt Context Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England in October 1921. He took up playing the trumpet at age 12, and after studying and practising intensely for five years, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. Whilst at RCM, Read more…