TDCM: March 31st - Maurice Ravel

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Bio

Joseph Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, France. His father was an inventor and musically inclined and made sure his son had opportunities to learn as a child. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris but was once expelled before meeting Fauré who took him to another level. He was friends with many of the composers of his time including Stravinsky, Debussy, Viñes, and de Falla. His work is often labeled Impressionism and he was an internationally prominent composer for several decades.

Music

Bolero

Miroirs

Gaspard de la nuit

TDCM: March 30th - Jean-Philippe Rameau

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

Bio

Rameau was born in Dijon in France. Very little is known of his upbringing and education but he began composing for harpsichord and organ in his 20s. In his second career, he was a conductor and teacher for a wealthy merchant and produced several notable operas. His approach to music was very theoretical and progressive for his time.

Music

Orchestral Selections

Keyboard Compositions

TDCM: March 29th - Priaulx Rainier

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Priaulx Rainier (1903-1986)

Bio

Ivy Priaulx Rainier was born in Howick which is located in modern-day South Africa. She attended the South African College of Music before earning a scholarship to the Royal Academic of Music in London. She also studied with Boulanger in Paris and taught at the Royal Academy. Her music is not often performed because of its difficulty. 

Music

 Cello Concerto

String Trio

Due Canti e Finale

TDCM: March 24th - Joachim Raff

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Joachim Raff (1822-1882)

Bio

Joseph Joachim Raff was born in Switzerland. He was first discovered by Mendelssohn when he sent him one of his early piano compositions. He was the first director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt and was a prolific composer.

Music

Symphony No. 1 To the Fatherland

Symphony No. 2 in C major

Symphony No. 3 Im Walde

Symphony No. 4 in G minor

TDCM: March 23rd - Sergei Rachmaninoff

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Bio

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff was born in the Novgorod Governate in Russia. He showed promise on the piano as a boy and entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory at age 10. He also studied at the Moscow Conservatory where he met Scriabin. His compositions drew both support (from Tckaivkovsky) and derision (by Cui) but ultimately he achieved international renown as a pianist, composer, and conductor.

Music

Piano Concerto No. 1

Piano Concerto No. 2

Piano Concerto No. 3

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Cello Sonata

Symphony No. 1

Symphony No. 2

Symphony No. 3

TDCM: Review of the "Q" Composer

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

List, Stats, Curiosities of the "Q" Composer

1. Roger Quilter

Nationalities

English 1

Earliest

Composer - Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Composition - Quilter's Three English Dances for Orchestra (1910)*

*Earliest dated composition

Latest
Composer - Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Composition - Quilter's The Rake (1925)

Total Compositions Sampled - 4

Top Ranked "Q" Composer

Ranked on a purely subjective personal enjoyment scale

Roger Quilter (7/10)

English, 1877-1953

Where the Rainbow Ends Suite

TDCM: March 22nd - Roger Quilter

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Roger Quilter (1877-1953)

Bio

Roger Cuthbert Quilter was born in Sussex. Quilter attended Eton College and then studied with Percy Grainger, Cyril Scott, and Balfour Gardiner at the Hoch Conservatory. He is known for his significant contribution to the English art song tradition.  

Music

Where the Rainbow Ends

Three English Dances for Orchestra

A Children's Overture

The Rake Suite

TDCM: Review of the "P" Composers

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

List, Stats, Curiosities of the "P" Composers

1. Johann Pachelbel
   
2. Ignacy Paderewski
3. Niccolò Paganini
4. Giovanni Paisiello
5. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
6. Andrezj Panufnik
7. Horatio Parker
8. Hubert Parry
9. Paul Patterson
10. Krzysztof Penderecki
11. Giovanni Pergolesi
12. Allan Pettersson
13. Gabriel Pierné
14. Walter Piston
15. Ildebrando Pizzetti
16. Manuel Ponce
17. Amilcare Ponchielli
18. Nicola Porpora
19. Francis Poulenc
20. Michael Praetorius
21. André Previn
22. Sergei Prokofiev
23. Giacomo Puccini
24. Juan Pablo Pujol
25. Henry Purcell

Nationalities

English 3
Polish 3
American 3
German 2
French 2
Neapolitan 2
Paplini 2
Swedish 1
Genoan 1
Italian 1
Mexican 1
Lombard 1
Russian 1
Luccan 1
Spanish 1

Earliest

Composer - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c1525-1594)
Composition - Praetorius's Dances from Terpischore (1612)*

*Earliest dated composition

Latest
Composer - Paul Patterson (b. 1947)
Composition - Penderecki's Symphony No. 7 "Seven Gates of Jerusalem" (1996)

Total Compositions Sampled - 138

Top Ranked "P" Composers

Ranked on a purely subjective personal enjoyment scale

Sergei Prokofiev (10/10)

Russian, 1891-1953

Peter and the Wolf

Ildebrandon Pizzetti (10/10)

Italian, 1880-1968

Piano Concerto

Walter Piston (10/10)

American, 1894-1976

Symphony No. 1

Ignacy Jan Paderewski (10/10)

Polish, 1860-1941

Suite for Strings in G major

Gabriel Pierné (10/10)

French, 1863-1937

Piano Concerto

Niccolò Paganini (9/10)

Genoan, 1782-1840

Caprice 24

Allan Pettersson (9/10)

Swedish, 1911-1980

Symphony No. 8

Adrzej Panufnik (9/10)

Polish, 1914-1991

Symphony No. 2

Giacomo Puccini (8/10)

Luccan, 1858-1924

Nessun Dorma

Francis Poulenc (8/10)

French, 1899-1963

Piano Concerto

TDCM: March 21st - Henry Purcell

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Bio

Purcell was born in Westminster. Purcell's family had many connections and he studied with Matthew Locke and John Blow while composing as a young man. He succeeded Blow as the organist at Westminster Abbey, was the organist of the Chapel Lowe, and also composed for the theater and royal family. 

Music

Chamber Music

TDCM: March 20th - Juan Pablo Pujol

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Juan Pablo Pujol (1570-1626)

Bio

Juan Pablo Pujol studied in Barcelona and was a standout student to the point that he assumed teaching responsibilities when his teacher grew too old. He traveled to Tarragona and then Zaragoza where he served in teaching roles and was ordained as a priest. He produced a significant catalog but much of it was lost.

Music

Sacris Solemniis

Si del pan de vida

Alma, herido me tenéis

TDCM: March 17th - Giacomo Puccini

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

Bio

Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was born in Lucca. His great-great-grandfather was the maestro di cappella of the Cattedrale di San Martino. The position was passed down through several generations of Puccinis. He was trained by his family and then studied at the Milan Conservatory. He produced a large collection of operas including the enormously famous La bohème, Madama Butterfly, and his final opera Turandot. He is perhaps the most successful opera composer of all time. 

Music

Turandot

Madama Butterfly

TDCM: March 14th & 15th - Sergei Prokofiev

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Bio

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was born in modern-day Ukraine, then a part of the Russian Empire. His mother introduced him to music and he began composing as a child. He studied under Glière initially and then enrolled in the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He met and studied under Glazunov & briefly Rimsky-Korsakov and was friends with Myaskovsky. He gained international renown and traveled the world, but eventually returned and settled in Moscow. He died the same day as Josef Stalin.

Music

Symphony No. 5

Symphony No. 4 in C major

Piano Concerto No. 3

Symphony No. 3

Symphony No. 6

Symphony No. 7

Symphony No. 1 "Symphonie classique"

Piano Concerto No. 1

Piano Concerto No. 2

Violin Concerto No. 1

Cinderella

TDCM: March 10th - André Previn

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

André Previn (1929-2019)

Bio

André George Previn was born in Berlin. He was a prodigy and enrolled at the Berlin Conservatory at age six. He was kicked out of the conservatory due to his Jewish heritage and his family moved to Paris (where he studied at the Conservatoire) and then to New York City and eventually Los Angeles. He became a naturalized citizen and through relatives working in Hollywood became a force in the industry winning 4 Oscars and working on over 50 films over his career. He also had a successful career as a conductor, classical composer, and Jazz musician. 

Music

Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

4 Horseman of the Apocalypse OST

Four Outings for Brass

Concerto No. 1 for Cello

Double Concerto

Violin Concerto No. 1 "Anne-Sophie"

Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano

TDCM: March 9th - Michael Praetorius

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

Bio

Michael Schultze was born in Creuzburg, Thuringia. He studied at Frankfurt and served in the court of Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He composed in the Italian forms and took a Latinized rendering of his last name - Praetorius. After Julius, he had other notable patrons including John George I, Elector of Saxony, and Emperor Matthias. 

Music

Dances from Terpsichore

Friede der Seelen

Lutheran Mass for Christmas Morning

TDCM: March 8th - Francis Poulenc

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

Bio

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was born in Paris. He was taught piano by his mother, and then after a conventional education, studied with the pianist Ricardo Viñes. Through Viñes, Poulenc's compositions gained notoriety and he met Auric and Satie who furthered his career. He was named one of Les Six along with Auric, Durey, Honegger, Milhaud, and Tailleferre and was respected as both a pianist and composer. 

Music

Piano Concerto

Sinfonietta

Organ Concerto

Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

Piano Compositions

TDCM: March 7th - Nicola Porpora

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Nicola Porpora (1686-1768)

Bio

Nicola Antonio Porpora was born in Naples. He was a student at Poveri di Gesù Cristo. His operas gained him notoriety in Naples and Rome before he settled in Vienna. He was chosen to rival Handel in London but failed. Joseph Haydn served as his understudy for several years and credited him for his compositional development. 

Music

Cello Concertos & Sonatas

12 sonate per violino e basso

TDCM: March 6th - Amilcare Ponchielli

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886)

Bio

Ponchielli was born in Paderno Fasolaro, part of the Kingdom of Lombard-Venetia. He was prodigious, gaining entrance into the Milan Conservatory at just 9 years old. He contributed to several different genres, most notably opera and wind band, and is credited with the first-ever concerto for Euphonium. He taught Puccini, and Mascagni, and influenced a generation of Italian composers.  

Music

Capriccio for Oboe and Piano

Sinfonia No. 1

Sinfonia No. 2

Trumpet Concerto in F Major

Concerto per Flicorno Basso

La Gioconda

TDCM: March 3rd - Manuel Ponce

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Manuel Ponce (1882-1948)

Bio

Manuel Maria Ponce was born in Zacatecas, Mexico. He was a prodigy and had already made a name for himself when he entered the National Conservatory of Music. He left Mexico and furthered his studies in Italy and Berlin before returning to teach in Mexico. You can visit the Manuel M. Ponce Museum in Zacatecas or the Manual M. Ponce monument in Aguascalientes.  

Music

Sonata Clásica for Guitar

Sonata Mexicana

Piano Concerto

Sonata for cello and piano

Concierto del Sur

Classical Guitar Compilation

TDCM: March 2nd - Ildebrando Pizzetti

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968)

Bio

Pizzetti was born in Parma. He is often associated with other Italian composers of the same time period, namely Respighi, Malipiero, and Casella. He studied at the Conservatory in Parma and spent much of his career teaching at the Florence Conservatory, Milan Conservatory, and Royal Academy of Italy. He had many notable students including Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Donatoni, and Rudge. 

Music

String Quartet No. 1

Symphony in A

Piano Concerto

Violin Concerto in A

Concerto dell'Estate

Concerto for Violincello

Piano Works

TDCM: March 1st - Walter Piston

 

Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music 

Walter Piston (1894-1976)

Bio

Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. was born in Rockland, Maine. Walter was in the Navy Band during World War I and then attended Harvard. He earned a scholarship to travel to Paris, where he studied with Boulanger, Dukas, and Enescu. He returned and took a teaching position at Harvard where for the next 35 years he had students such as Leonard Bernstein, Elliott Carter, Samuel Adler, and many more. At the Boston Public Library, you can view his desk and collection in the Piston Room.

Music

Symphony No. 2

Symphony No. 1

Concertino for Piano and Chamber Orchestra

Quintet for Wind Instruments

The Incredible Flutist

Symphony No. 6

Symphony No. 4

Symphony No. 5

Symphony No. 7

Symphony No. 8

Symphonic Prelude & Fugue for Orchestra