Un portal on escoltar i gaudir de l'art musical dels segles XVI, XVII, XVIII i XIX. Compartir la bellesa de la música és l'objectiu d'aquest espai i fer-ho donant a conèixer obres de compositors molt o poc coneguts és el mètode.
Austrian organist and composer. Primarily active in Graz, where he
served as the city parish organist (Stadtpfarrorganist) starting in
1740. Although his exact dates of birth and death remain unconfirmed,
records of his family life suggest he was born before 1710, and his
professional trail fades after 1741, though he may have later joined the
court of Count Joseph Bernhard Attems at Schloss Dornau. As a composer,
he is historically significant for his five harpsichord concertos,
early Austrian examples of the genre that adhere to the Vivaldian formal
model, and a collection of six partitas. The modest range of the solo
parts in his concertos suggests they may have been originally conceived
for the organ, marking an important stylistic link in the development of
keyboard literature within the regional Baroque tradition.
Bohemian composer. Nephew and pupil of Joseph Rejcha (1752-1795), in
1785 the family moved to Bonn, where he became a member of the
Hofkapelle of Max Franz, Elector of Cologne, playing violin and second
flute in the court orchestra under his uncle's direction. The young
Beethoven entered the Hofkapelle as violist and organist in 1789 and he
befriended him. From about 1785 he studied composition secretly, against
his uncle's wishes, composing and conducting his first symphony in 1787
and entering the University of Bonn in 1789, where he studied and
performed until 1794, when Bonn was attacked and captured by the French.
He managed to escape to Hamburg. In 1799 he moved to Paris, hoping to
achieve success as an opera composer but in 1801 he moved on to Vienna.
Once there, he studied with Antonio Salieri and Johann Georg
Albrechtsberger. Reicha's life and career in Vienna were interrupted by
Napoleon's November 1805 occupation of the city by French troops. Then
Reicha decided to move back to Paris. He was soon teaching composition
privately, future prolific composer George Onslow being one of his
pupils by 1808. This time three of his many operas were produced, but
they all failed; yet his fame as theorist and teacher increased
steadily, and by 1817 most of his pupils became professors at the
Conservatoire de Paris. The following year, Reicha himself was appointed
professor of counterpoint and fugue at the Conservatoire with the
support of Louis XVIII. In 1818 he married Virginie Enaust, who bore him
two daughters. Reicha stayed in Paris for the rest of his life. He
became a naturalized citizen of his adopted country in 1829 and
Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1835. That same year, he succeeded
François-Adrien Boieldieu at the Académie française. Though a prolific
composer, he was of particular importance as a theorist and teacher in
early 19th-century Paris.
Alsatian priest and composer. After preliminary studies in Sélestat he
entered the Benedictine convent of Ebersmünster, where he became master
of the novices, teacher, and in 1745 prior, at the same time acquiring
sufficient reputation as a harpsichordist to play before Louis XV during
the king's visit to Strasbourg in 1744. His knowledge of the organ led
to invitations to examine new instruments. As a superior he insisted
upon strict adherence to the rule of his order, but he could also be
amusing and entertaining. At his death he was provost of the convent of
St Marx near Gerberschweier. Harst's only known work is his 'Recueil de
différentes pièces de clavecin' (1745). He was one of the very few
composers to use François Couperin's term ordre for a group of pieces in
the same key, and his style is an amalgam of Couperin, Jean-Philippe
Rameau and Jean-François Dandrieu.
Brazilian composer, instrumentalist, and conductor in the Captaincy of
Minas Gerais. A bassoonist and timpanist for the Regiment of Dragoons,
he also served as a contralto singer and eventually succeeded José
Joaquim Emerico Lobo de Mesquita as music director at the Matriz do
Pilar in 1800. In addition to his musical professional career, he held
administrative roles, including treasurer and clerk, within several
religious brotherhoods. While historical estimates suggest a prolific
output of approximately 200 compositions, only a small number of
manuscripts have been preserved. His extant catalog is defined by sacred
works for voices and chamber orchestra, most notably the Novena de
Nossa Senhora do Pilar (1789) and the Matins Spiritus Domini (1795).
German composer. He was the ninth child of Carl Wagner, a clerk in the
Leipzig police service. Richard’s father died six months after his
birth. Soon after, Richard’s mother started living with her late
husband’s friend named Ludwig Geyer. After a while, she and her family
moved to Geyer’s residence in Dresden. Richard lived here until he
turned 14. Geyer loved theater and this interest was shared by Richard
who took part in his performances. In 1820, Richard was enrolled at
Pastor Wetzel’s school near Dresden. Here, he received piano instruction
from a Latin teacher. After Geyer’s death in 1821, Richard was sent to a
boarding school of Dresdner Kreuzchor, which was paid for by Geyer’s
brother. When Richard turned nine, he was impressed by the Gothic
elements of Carl Weber’s opera Der Freischutz. During this time, Richard
entertained ambitions as a playwright. By 1827, the family went back to
Leipzig. His first lessons in harmony were taken between 1828 and 1831.
In January of 1828, he heard Beethoven’s 7th Symphony and later in
March, the same composer’s 9th Symphony. In 1831, Richard joined Leipzig
University. He became a member of the Saxon student fraternity. Richard
also took composition lessons from Thomaskantor Weinlig. In 1833,
Richard’s brother managed to get a position for him as a choir master at
a theatre in Wurzburg. When he turned 20 that same year, Richard
composed his first complete opera entitled Die Feen, which means The
Fairies. In 1834, he went back to Leipzig where he held a short
appointment as a musical director at the Magdeburg opera house. During
this time, he wrote Das Liebesverbot, or The Ban on Love. This
composition was based on Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. In 1840,
Richard completed Rienzi. With a lot of support from Giacomo Meyerbeer,
this was accepted for performance by the Dresden Court Theatre in 1842.
Richard lived in Dresden for the next six years.
During his time here, he was appointed the Royal Saxon Court-Conductor.
However, his involvement with left-wing politics terminated his stay in
Dresden. After leaving Dresden, Richard was unable to enter Germany for
the next 11 years due to great political instability. During this time,
he wrote Opera and Drama and then started developing his popular Ring
Cycle. This work combined literature, music, and visual elements in a
way that would anticipate the future of film. In 1843, Wagner completed
The Flying Dutchman, which was considered one of the greatest works of
the time. In 1845, Richard produced Tannhauser and then started working
on Lohengrin. In 1862, Richard returned to Germany. He was invited by
the king to settle in Bavaria. In 1869 and 1870, Richard’s first two
operas were presented in Munich. Richard died of a heart attack on
February 13, 1883. He was 69 years old and died while on vacation in
Venice. His body was shipped back to Bayreuth where he was buried. Until
his final years, Richard’s life was characterized by political exile,
poverty, turbulent love affairs and repeated flight from creditors. His
controversial music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment
in the recent decade. The effect of his ideas can actually be traced in
many arts throughout 20th century. Their influence spread beyond
composition to philosophy, visual arts, theatre and literature. During
his lifetime, his work was deeply loved by many and influenced other
composers. He was able to revolutionize opera through his concept of
Gesamtkunstwerk, which translates to “total work of art.” His
compositions, and especially those of later years, are notable for their
complex textures, orchestration, rich harmonies and elaborate use of
leitmotifs. His musical language composed of extreme use of chromaticism
and shifting tonal centers greatly influenced the development of
classical music.
