5/31/09

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)



W.A. Mozart was an incredibly talented composer and performer. Check out these interesting facts about his musical life.

• Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a musical child prodigy. As a child, he could play keyboard instruments better than most adults. He was an excellent sight-reader and fortepiano player and performed for many nobles throughout Europe.

• Until he was almost ten years old, Mozart was very afraid of horns. Once, when he heard a blaring trumpet, he grew pale and almost fainted!

• Nannerl, Mozart’s older sister, was also good at playing the piano. When they were young, Wolfgang and Nannerl played many duets together.

To learn more, visit Alberti Publishing.

Illustration by Heidi Cabrera.

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5/29/09

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)


Check out these fun historical facts about Haydn...

• Franz Joseph Haydn was born in Austria.

• Haydn is called the “Father of the Symphony” because he composed more than 100 symphonies—all of which are still performed to this day.

• Haydn taught composition to Beethoven.

• Haydn liked to play pranks. As a boy, he sang in a choir, but was thrown out when he cut off the pigtail of another singer!

To learn more, vistit Alberti Publishing.

Illustration by Heidi Cabrera.

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Sonata

Some interesting facts about sonatas and particularly, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

• A “sonata” is often written for a solo instrument.

• Most sonatas have two or more separate sections called “movements.” They can be so different that they don’t even sound like the same piece!

• A “sonatina” is a small sonata—usually shorter and easier to play than a sonata.

• One of the most famous piano sonatas is Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata." The sonata received its name when a music critic, after hearing the sonata played, remarked that the piece made him think of moonlight reflecting off a lake.

To learn more, visit Alberti Publishing.

Illustration by Heidi Cabrera.
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5/18/09

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5/13/09

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Check out these interesting facts and trivia about Robert Schumann.

• Composer Robert Schumann was a gifted pianist. He injured his finger early in his career. This prevented him from being a performer, so Schumann composed music instead.

• Schumann became a music journalist and started his own music newspaper, The New Journal of Music, in his home country of Germany.

• Schumann married Clara Wieck, a famous pianist.

To learn more, visit Alberti Publishing.

Illustration by Heidi Cabrera.

Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin (1867/68-1917)

These are just a few of the interesting facts and trivia about Scott Joplin.

• Scott Joplin was an African-American composer. No one knows exactly in what year Joplin was born—either 1867 or 1868. When Joplin was a child, a classical music teacher taught him about composition and form. Joplin studied composition in college.

• Joplin is famous for creating “ragtime” music. Ragtime is a combination of African-American folk style and classical form. Many “player pianos” play Joplin’s ragtime pieces. Player pianos are self-playing mechanical pianos.

• “Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer” are Joplin’s most famous pieces. “The Entertainer” won an Oscar for best song for the 1973 movie “The Sting.”

To learn more, visit Alberti Publishing.

Illustration by Heidi Cabrera.

Franz Liszt

The history of Franz Liszt is fascinating for pianists.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

• Franz Liszt was a superstar concert pianist and composer of the Romantic Period. For example, when he toured Europe, he was greeted by beautiful carriages and important people. He attended fancy parties. At his concerts, women fought for Liszt’s gloves and other personal items that belonged to him.

• Liszt made quite a bit of money from his European tours and was very generous. He taught piano lessons for free to those who could not afford them. He also gave money to other musicians who needed financial help.

• Many of Liszt’s students became famous performers and teachers.

To Learn more, visit Alberti Publishing.

Illustration by Heidi Cabrera