World Famous Music Composers(Romantic Music)

 Romantic Period

            Music of the Romantic period contrasts with classical music in mood and form. The composers of the classical period thought mostly of the form, technique and perfection of their compositions. But the composers of the romantic period were more interested in what they put their own feelings and thoughts into music. They did not hesitate to depart from traditional styles to express personal feelings and place emotion above form. Among the composers of the period were Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Verdi and Wagner.

Franz Schubert

            Franz Schubert was born on January 31^st 1797 in Vienna. He learnt to play the violin from his father, piano from his brother and piano, organ counterpoint from his teacher Michael Holzer. At eleven, Schubert became a choirboy in the court chapel and won a scholarship to the Imperial Seminary, on exclusive boarding school where he played the violin and occasionally conducted the orchestra. Schubert so loved music that he once sold his school to buy a ticket for a performance of Beethoven's Opera Fidelio.

            Schubert composed a number of Masterpieces in his late teens while teaching at his father's school, a job he hated. His love of poetry led him to the art song. He was seventeen when he composed his first great song "Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel"

            The next year he composed 143 songs including the Erlking. When he was 19 he composed 179 works including two Symphonies, and Opera and Mass at 20-1, Schubert gave up teaching to devote himself entirely to music. He lived with ill. He died at 31 on 19^th November 1828.

His works include…

      Orchestra Music-

§         The unfinished Symphony

§         'Great c major symphony'

      Chamber Music-

§         String Quartets

§         Piano Quartets

§         Piano Trios

      Piano-

§         15 piano Sonatas

§         31 Dunces

§         32 piano Duets

      Choral Works-

§         46 works for male Choir

§         19 works for mixed Choir

§         6 works for female Choir

§         36 vocal Trios and Duets

Felix Mendelssohn

            He was born in Hamburg in Germany on 3^rd February 1809, to a wealthy and famous family. By the age of 9 he was a brilliant pianist and by 13^th he had written Symphonies, Concertos, Sonatas and Vocal Works. His overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which he composed when he was 17 is a master piece of startling originality. As a teenager he tried out his compositions with a private Orchestra in the family dining room to a gathering of intellectual artistic society of Berlin.

            At 20 Mendelssohn conducted Bach's "St.Matthews Passion" earned and international reputation. He often performed as pianist, organized and conductor in Germany and in England where his music was popular.

                        Besides his musical achievements, Mendelssohn was a talented pianist, a fine writer and a Brilliant conversationalist in 4 languages.

            The death of a beloved sister was a violent shock and he died 5 months later at the age 38 on November 4^th 1847

His works include...

      Orchestral Music-

§         Symphonies (Mo 2 Lobge Song)

§         Overture Midsummer Nights Dream

§         The Hebrides Oveture

      Choral Works-

§         Oratorios-St. Paul Elijah

      Stage Music-

§         The Wedding of Car Nacho

      Chamber Music-

§         Violin Sonatas

§         2 cello Sonatas

      Piano-

§         Songs without words

§         Ran Do Capriccioso

§         6 Prelude and Fudges