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Born: March 4, 1678, Venice, Italy
Died: July 28, 1741, Vienna, Austria
Fun Facts
• He was a priest
• Worked many years in a girls’ school
• Famously had red hair, earning him the name “Red
Priest”
Born: March 31, 1685, Germany
Died: July 28, 1750, Germany
By the numbers….
Over 1,000 known compositions written.
Fun Facts
• Was thrown in prison by his boss for taking a better job
• Married twice and had 22 children
Born: February 23, 1685, Germany
Died: April 14, 1759, London, UK
By the numbers….
• 42 Operas
• 29 oratorios
• 120 cantatas
• 16 organ pieces
Fun Facts
• Zadok the Priest has been used at every British coronation since
written
• It’s tradition to stand during the Hallelujah Chorus
“He is the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel
before his tomb.” Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical Music Composers
1750-1820
Fun Facts
• “Father of Symphony”
• Liked making practical jokes
• The ‘surprise’ in the ‘Surprise’ Symphony was the biggest musical joke of its time!
The joke is simply a loud note when the audience is expecting a quiet one. This
joke doesn’t seem much of a joke at all today.
Born: January 27, 1756 in Austria
Died: December 5, 1791 in Austria
Theme and Variations
• Theme – main musical idea
• Variation – repeat of the theme but different in some way
Fun Facts
• Stared composing at age 5
• Started performing for kings and queens at age 6
• Died very poor
Born: December, 1770 in Germany
Died: March 26, 1827 in Austria
Fun Facts
• Known for being very grumpy
• Father forced him to practice hours a day
• Drank coffee with exactly 60 coffee beans
• Famously terrible cook
Romantic Period
1820-1900
Fun Facts
• His ‘Unfinished’ Symphony really is unfinished and was discovered by surprise after Schubert
died. It is one of his greatest works, but he didn’t even tell his friends that he was writing it!
Fun Facts
• Born on leap year and had 19 “actual” birthdays
• Loved fine foods
• Suffered from depression
Born: December 11, 1803 in
France
Died: March 8, 1869 in France
By the numbers….
• 6 Operas
• 4 Operas
• 50 songs
Fun Facts
• Loved Shakespeare
• Very forgetful
Born: March 1, 1819 in Poland
Died: October 17, 1849 in France
By the numbers….
• Over 230 surviving pieces of music. Mostly piano
• 2 concertos
• Few chamber pieces
Fun Facts
• Was Famous by age 8
• Suffered from epilepsy
Born: October 22, 1811 in Hungary
Died: July 31, 1886 in Germany
Fun Facts
• Liszt often broke piano strings when he played! In fact, audiences used
to be disappointed if he didn’t break any strings!!
• He was one of the greatest piano players who has ever lived!
Born: May 22, 1813 in Germany
Died: February 13, 1883 in Italy
Wagner died at the age of 69 from a heart attack. Despite his popularity, he died with
little due to his habit of personally funding several of his later productions.
Fun Facts
• Divorced his first wife to marry Liszt’s daughter, Cosima
• Was a political journalist
Born: October 25, 1825 in Austria
Died: June 3, 1899 in Austria
By the numbers…..
• Composed over 500 pieces of music
• 150 waltzes
Fun Facts
• Secretly taught violin
• Father was a composer and did not want his son to write music
Born: May 7, 1833 in Germany
Died: April 3, 1897 in Austria
Fun Facts
• Secretly taught violin
• Father was a composer and did not want his son to write music
Born: October 9, 1835 in Germany
Died: December 16, 1921 in Algiers
Fun Facts
• Friends with Tchaikovsky
• First famous composers to write for a movie
Born: October 25, 1838 in France
Died: June 3, 1875 in France
Fun Facts
• Bizet’s ability as a pianist, particularly as a sight-reader, was so
great that the famous Liszt pronounced him his equal.
Fun Facts
• Tchaikovsky NEVER EVER drank unbottled water. Probably a good decision,
given the cholera outbreak in Russia at the time…
DC