Although Haydn’s duties as Kappelmeister kept him busy in the employ of the Prince Nikalaus Esterhazy, this did not prevent his reputation spreading beyond the borders of Austria/Hungary. It was probably in 1784 that he received a commission from the newly-formed Concert de la Loge Olympique Paris, an offshoot of the masonic lodge of the … Read more
Tchaikovsky composed his fifth symphony in 1888 and it was first performed on 17th November at St. Petersburg where he conducted it himself. It is generally considered to be the most attractive of his major works. When he first began writing it Tchaikovsky was suffering from deep depression and thought he was “written out of … Read more
Alexander Porfir’yevich Borodin was born in St. Petersburg the “wrong side of the blanket” to a Russian Prince. To cover up the error, in accordance with Russian practice the baby was given the name of one of the Prince’s servants. However his mother was quite wealthy and he received a good private education. As he … Read more
Franz Peter Schubert was born in Vienna, the twelfth of fourteen children. His father hailed from Moravia where he was a small-town schoolmaster, moving to Vienna to better himself. In 1808 the young Franz, already showing extraordinary musical gifts, was accepted into the Choir of the Chapel Royal. His general education was at the Imperial … Read more
Franz Joseph Haydn was born the son of a wagon maker at Rohrau, a small town in eastern Austria near the Hungarian border. He received his earliest musical training from an uncle. At the age of eight he became a choirboy at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna. In the following nine years, he … Read more
It is said of Shostakovich that he ‘shot at the stars’ and attempted to progress music “beyond the point at which the last had taken it”. His life is a study of courage and a story of success and approval against great odds. He was born into a musical family. His mother taught piano and … Read more
Beethoven’s symphonic canon shows a truly remarkable disparity in content and scale. He appears to have composed his first eight symphonies in pairs during the years 1800-1812. In the second of the early pair, Beethoven was already showing that independence of mind which we now take for granted. No 3 is grandiose and celebratory, soon … Read more
Tchaikovsky was born in the shadow of the Ural Mountains, the son of an Inspector of Mines. The family was soon to move to Moscow and then to St. Petersburg. As a child he complained that his head was so full of music that it gave him headaches. Indeed his musical talents were apparent – … Read more
Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg in 1833, the son of a double bass player. The boy was fortunate in being born into a loving and understanding family; fortunate also in the choice of teachers who were able to develop his early musical gifts. To supplement the family’s income, at the age of 13 the … Read more
Composed as the 18th Century drew to a close, Beethoven’s first two piano concertos and his first two symphonies show the influence of Mozart and Haydn. His 1st Symphony was first performed in Vienna in the spring of 1800, and No2 under the composer’s direction in the same city on the 5th April, 1803. It … Read more
