They say you should never meet your hero in person. Ignaz Moscheles did and still remained a fan. How did it happen? Who was Ignaz Moscheles? Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (23 May 1794– 10 March 1870) was a composer and piano virtuoso from Bohemia. He was born in Prague into a German speaking Jewish family. His father was a merchant, …
Beethoven was blessed to have many excellent teachers and mentors, but nobody was so influential in his life than Christian Neefe. Who was Christian Gottlob Neefe? Christian Gottlob Neefe (5 February 1748 – 28 January 1798) was a German musician and composer, who also was a writer. Neefe was born in Chemnitz, Saxony, into a poor family. His musical talent …
Who was Franz Clement? Franz Joseph Clement (November 17, 1780 Vienna – November 3, 1842 Vienna) was an Austrian violinist and composer, director and concertmaster of the Theater an der Wien. Young Franz played the violin since the age of four. His main teacher was his father who was a butler for a nobleman and a member of his house …
In this article we discover how Rossini met Beethoven, what were his impressions and what did they think about each other and their music. Who was Gioachino Rossini? Gioachino Antonio Rossini, (born February 29, 1792, Pesaro, Italy – died November 13, 1868, Passy, France) was an Italian composer, mostly famous for his operas in the comic genre (opera buffa). …
Biography of Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer and string player. More than anybody, he represents the transition from Renaissance music to Baroque, and was the forerunner in developing the opera as a new genre. Monteverdi was born in Cremona, in 1567. His father was a barber-surgeon and …
In this article we remember the special occasion, when young Franz Liszt was introduced to Beethoven. This account was given by Liszt himself many decades later, in 1875. Who was Franz Liszt? Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian pianist composer, born in Doborján (Raiding, in German) in Sopron County, in the Kingdom of Hungary, …