Ludwig van Beethoven

You’ve probably forgotten about 7th grade by now. What you looked like, how you acted, and how you dressed is all in the past. Thanks for forgetting me, by the way. I’m you from your 7th grade year. Currently, I have the long, ash brown hair you’ve grown to hate. With the same chocolate brown eyes and thick-rimmed glasses, I most likely do not dress like you. I have my signature look; black skinny jeans, black band shirts, and red flannels. I joined the marching band in the summer along…

The Curtis Institute of Music is ranked as one of the top ten music schools in the country. The students enrolled in this institute, are some of the best musicians from around the world and are granted a merit-based, full tuition scholarship to fulfil their academic success. On Monday, December 5th, the South Orange Performance Arts Center held Curtis Chamber Orchestra Curtis on Tour, the Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. This concert included some of…

sing. They were so well trained and talented that they could improvise cadenzas on their feet. It is well believed that castrati were only known for singing fast agile coloratura, when in fact they were also well known for the sheer power and volume of their voices. As a result it is important to look at not only agility but also vocal strength when it comes to casting castrati roles in our modern day productions. Much like other trends, the castrati soon died out towards the end of the 18th…

Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer born in 1858 and is known to have put a considerable amount of thought into creating the mood and literary components of his librettos (Kamien, Roger Music An Appreciation p.280). Richard Wagner was a German composer born in 1813 to a theatrical family (Kamien, Roger Music An Appreciation p. 289). Both of these composers are famous for their operas and are from the Romanic Period. Their compositions, La Boheme and Die Walkure, share the characteristics of…

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is an interesting musical, in that it is a musical that is markedly different from most of Sondheim's other works. "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" is a good example of a silly song that Sondheim wrote without any particular reason, other than for the audience's amusement. Though the song does add humor, it is not necessary to the musical, overall, and it would likely be just as good without it. Its melody is memorable enough, but it does not…

Zoya Alikhan Humanities 1101 Professor Clifford October 25th, 2017 Reflection on “The Joy of Mozart” Video 1. In the video, “The Joy of Mozart,” the radio presenter Tom Service learns about the life of a man named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was one of the greatest Austrian composers of the classical era. He composed operas, concertos, symphonies, sonatas, masses, and chamber music. Service travels from London to Vienna and Salzburg and visits the cities where Mozart lived and…

The Hoboken catalogue is a catalogue of the musical compositions by Joseph Haydn compiled by Anthony van Hoboken. It is intended to cover the composer's entire oeuvre and includes over 750 entries. Alessandro Longo was born in Amantea. After studying at the Naples Conservatory under Beniamino Cesi, which began teaching piano in 1887. Cesi as pianoforte…

For my first Vocal Performer report, I chose to review the classical tenor named Juan Diego Florez in his performance of the French opera La fille du regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment). Juan Diego was Juan Diego Flórez is a renowned operatic tenor that was born in Lima, Peru on January 13, 1973. Juan Diego studied at the Curtis Institute of Music where he is said to have developed the Bel Canto technique. Bel Canto is a term related to Italian singing and as well as a particular music style…

Elle Varner, A “Conversational Lush” Watching her mom and dad do their thing in the music industry, Elle would follow in their footsteps. She is born to two musically inclined parents and spent much of her remarkable childhood years in the studio and in the entertainment world. Elle's talents are many but include singing, playing the flute, guitar and piano. Born on February 12, 1989, Gabrielle “Elle” Varner has become a popular R&B recording artist. It's no wonder as her family is actually…

There are many historical perspectives in this event that may be considered important. Many of these perspectives come from the composer, and from the time period a piece was written. These perspectives will give someone an idea regarding what the time period was like when the piece was written. Many composers in the time period lived through events that are well known today, many controversial to this day. Sonata Number 3 was composed by Antonio Vivaldi. Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian…