Carissimi was born near Rome and spent nearly his entire life in Italy composing for the Church. He served as the maestro di cappella in the Collegium Germanicum from 1628 to his death. He is considered one of the masters and originators of Baroque choral forms.
Canteloube studied at the Schola Cantorum with Vincent d'Indy. He was a French Nationalist and musicologist and spent the majority of his compositional career focusing on French folksongs and writing music celebrating French historical occasions.
A poet more than a composer, Campion (or Campian) studied at Peterhouse in Cambridge and then Caen University where he earned a Doctor of Medicine. He worked as a doctor in London and may have been one of the many to fall prey to the Bubonic Plague.
One of the most recognizable postmodern composers, Cage was a pioneer in indeterminacy, electroacoustic, and non-standard instrumentation in music. He studied under Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg and traveled widely drawing inspiration, particularly from South-Asian musical concepts. Cage worked around the US in various colleges and became a celebrity in the avant-garde artist community. His contributions to modern dance and 20th-century music cannot be overstated.
Nationalities
English 19
German 7
American 6
French 5
Italian 5
Austrian 2
Australian 2
Russian 2
Irish 2
Swedish 1
Swiss 1
Danish 1
Earliest
Composer - William Byrd (1543-1623)
Composition - The Battell (prior to 1623)
Latest
Composer - Michael Berkeley (b.1948)
Composition - Birtwistle's Notes from the End of a Garden (2017)
Total Compositions Sampled - 375
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An organist and composer who held posts around the British Isles during the Renaissance, Byrd is considered one of the most important musical figures of his time. While originally an Anglican, Byrd also worked with Huguenots, other continent groups, and eventually converted to Catholicism and was cited for recusancy. He shares a feast day with other composers John Merbecke and Thomas Tallis on November 21st of the Episcopal liturgical calendar.
A Danish/German composer, Buxtehude was born in Danish-controlled territory in what is now northern Germany. He seemed to claim his Danish heritage but lived and composed throughout the Germanic territories. Only 14 of his couple hundred compositions were published during his lifetime but he has been considered an influence on the Baroque movement as a whole, and its apex J.S. Bach in particular.
Seven Sonatas
Sonatae a Due
Butterworth was educated at Eton and did further study at Oxford and the Royal Academy. He met Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughn Williams and began composing. When World War I broke out, he and his friends signed on as privates in the infantry but he was eventually commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry. He rose to Lieutenant of the 13th Battalion, was awarded the Military Cross for bravery, and was killed in action while defending "Butterworth's Trench" during the Battle of the Somme.
With musician parents, Busoni was started early and rose to a concert-level pianist by his teens. He traveled around Europe, teaching in Leipzig, Helsinki, Moscow, and then crossed the Atlantic to teach in Boston. He wrote extensively, particularly exploring microtones and atonality. He transitioned from a Romantic to a more radical even atonal style particularly after World War I.
Bush was an academic, serving as an Extramural lecturer at Oxford and London University. He had studied at the Salisbury Cathedral School and developed a love of music at a young age. He earned degrees at Oxford, including a Doctor of Music, and composed in a wide variety of genres while teaching Music History and writing.
Nationalities
French 5
English 4
Spanish 2
American 1
Russian 1
Swedish 1
Venetian 1
Earliest
Composer - Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)
Composition - Albinoni's Oboe Concerto's (c1722)
Latest
Composer - Richard "Tony" Arnell (1917-2009)
Composition - Arnell's Symphony No. 6 (1992-94)
Total Compositions Sampled - 79
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Bush studied at the Royal Academy under Frederick Corder and Tobias Matthay. He was a stand-out student and began a piano performance career, particularly in Berlin. He was an avowed Communist which hampered his publishing opportunities but his composition prowess was never in question and has been cemented since his death.
John Bull served in Elizabeth I's court and was an organist. He received a doctor of music from both Cambridge and Oxford and taught at Gresham College. He moved to Belgium and was a Cathedral organist. He is considered one of the originators of contrapuntal keyboard music and may have written God Save the Queen, though the authorship is contested.
Bruckner was born in Ansfelden, Austria, and studied music at a young age. He taught in St Florian's monastery before becoming the organist at Linz. He then moved to Vienna, studied composition, and became faculty at the Vienna Conservatory. He adored Wagner and patterned much of sound after him. Bruckner's compositions are considered radical and were divisive during his lifetime. Along with Wagner, Bruckner was also friends with Gustav Mahler, who called him his "forerunner" after studying under him in Vienna.
One of the lesser-known German Romantics whose name starts with a B, Bruch won the Mozart Scholarship at 14 and traveled Europe studying under various teachers. He taught at Mannheim, Koblenz, Sondershausen, Berlin, and Bonn and also conducted for the Liverpool Philharmonic Society. His gravestone has "Music is the language of God" chiseled under his name.
An American engineering student who briefly played in the Randolph Field Air Force band, Brown studied at Schillinger House before working for Capitol Records and Time-Mainstream Records. He was influenced by and supported by Cage, Boulez, Maderna, Feldman, and others, and is considered a member of the New York School. He is credited with creating "open form" and his influence has been significant on modern composers.
Britten was a prodigy who began composing at the age of four. He studied at the Royal College of Music and was tutored by yesterday's composer, Frank Bridge. He composed 16 Operas, film music, chamber works, and symphonic material. He was particularly interested in compositions for children and instructional material. He was the first composer to ever receive a life peerage.
Bridge studied at the Royal College of Music and then joined the Joachim String Quartet and finally the English String Quartet as a virtuosic Violinist. He traveled conducting and composing with a particular inclination towards spiritual exploration-themed works. He tutored Benjamin Britten and was called one of his most significant influences by the composer that will be featured tomorrow.
