Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 1879– 8 March 1961) was a British conductor. He founded several British orchestras including the New Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Beecham is often taken to be the finest British conductor of the early to mid-twentieth century. The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order (decoration). ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... See Conductor for other possible uses of the word. ... An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. ... The New Symphony Orchestra is one of the best known orchestra in Bulgaria. ... The London Philharmonic Orchestra (frequently abbreviated to LPO), based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an English orchestra based in London. ...

Biography

Beecham was born in St. Helens, Lancashire, England. His father, Sir Joseph Beecham, 1st Baronet (1848–1916), was a wealthy patent pill manufacturer and civic leader, who had been awarded a baronetcy for continuing the work of his father Thomas Beecham (1820–1907), the inventor of "Beecham's Pills". St Helens is the name of several places: St Helens, Merseyside St Helens, Isles of Scilly St. ... Red Lancashire rose Lancashire is a county in the North of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Sir Joseph Beecham (1848-1916) the eldest son of Thomas Beecham (1820-1907) played a large part in the growth and expansion of his fathers medicinal pill business which he joined in 1866. ...

Beecham was a great champion of various composers, including Delius, Bizet, Berlioz, Dame Ethel Smyth and Sibelius. He also often succeeded in presenting slight pieces, such as encores, in their best light, and this gave rise to the terminology "Beecham's lollipops". Frederick Delius (January 29, 1862, – June 10, 1934) was an English composer born in Bradford of German parents. ... Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838 – June 3, 1875) was a French composer and pianist of the romantic era. ... Portrait of Berlioz by Signol, 1832 Louis Hector Berlioz (December 11, 1803 – March 8, 1869) was a French Romantic composer best known for the Symphonie fantastique, first performed in 1830, and for his Grande Messe des morts Requiem of 1837, with its tremendous resources that include four antiphonal brass choirs. ... Dame Ethel Mary Smyth (April 23, 1858 - May 8, 1944) was an English composer and a leader of the womens suffrage movement. ... Sibelius redirects to this article. ...

His relations with fellow British conductors were seldom cordial. Sir Henry Wood regarded him as an upstart and was envious of his success; the scrupulous Sir Adrian Boult was not in sympathy with him as a man or a musician; Sir Malcolm Sargent worked with him in founding the London Philharmonic, but was the subject of many witty but unkind digs from the older man - for example, he described Herbert von Karajan as "a kind of musical Malcolm Sargent". Sir John Barbirolli regarded Beecham as unreliable. On the other hand, Beecham's relations with foreign conductors were often excellent. He did not get on with Arturo Toscanini, but he liked and encouraged Wilhelm Furtwängler and later Rudolf Kempe, and was admired by Fritz Reiner. There have been several notable individuals with the name Henry Wood The best known are: Sir Henry Evelyn Wood, soldier Sir Henry Wood, orchestral conductor Mrs Henry Wood was a British novelist. ... Sir Adrian Cedric Boult (April 8, 1889 - February 22, 1983) was an English conductor. ... Sir (Harold) Malcolm (Watts) Sargent (April 29, 1895 – October 3, 1967) was a British conductor, organist and composer. ... Herbert von Karajan (Salzburg April 5, 1908 – Anif near Salzburg July 16, 1989) was an Austrian conductor. ... Sir John (Giovanni Battista) Barbirolli (December 2, 1899 - July 29, 1970), was a British conductor and cellist who led the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others. ... Arturo Toscanini was featured on the cover of Time magazine on April 26, 1948 Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was considered by many of his contemporaries — critics, fellow musicians, and the public alike — as the greatest conductor of his era. ... Portrait by Emil Orlik, 1928 Wilhelm Furtwängler (January 25, 1886 – November 30, 1954) was a German conductor and composer. ... Rudolf Kempe (June 14, 1910 – May 12, 1976) was a German conductor. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...

Repertoire

The earliest composer whose music Beecham regularly performed was Handel. Even by the standards of his day Beecham took an unscholarly approach to Handel's scores, cutting, reordering and re-orchestrating wholesale. In defence of this it may be noted that, first, much of the music revamped by Beecham was not otherwise heard at all in those days and, secondly, except by the out-and-out purist, his arrangements are widely regarded as delicious even now. With Haydn, too, Beecham was far from an authenticist, not that he extensively re-orchestrated (apart from eliminating the harpsichord) but his legato style with 'hairpin' swells was far from today's more sober approach. George Frideric Handel (German Georg Friedrich Händel), (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German Baroque music composer who lived much of his life in Great Britain, a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31 or April 1, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was a leading composer of the Classical period, called the Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent most of his career as a court musician for the...

For Beecham, Mozart was the high point of music, and the conductor treated the composer's scores with more deference than he gave most others (nevertheless, he touched up the orchestration of even the Jupiter symphony here and there). Mozart drawing by Doris Stock, 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ...

Beecham's attitude to Beethoven was ambivalent. He lost no opportunity to make rude remarks about the music, but conducted all the symphonies at one time or another, and recorded Nos 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. A fine live recording of the Missa Solemnis has recently been published. Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Missa Solemnis is Latin for solemn mass, and is a name which has been applied to a number of musical settings of the mass, especially particularly serious or large-scale ones. ...

Of 19th century composers, Berlioz is probably the one who was closest to Beecham's heart, and in an age when the composer's works were far from over-exposed Beecham presented most of them and recorded many. It is arguable that the only conductor to do more to bring Berlioz before the musical public is another Englishman, Sir Colin Davis. Portrait of Berlioz by Signol, 1832 Louis Hector Berlioz (December 11, 1803 – March 8, 1869) was a French Romantic composer best known for the Symphonie fantastique, first performed in 1830, and for his Grande Messe des morts Requiem of 1837, with its tremendous resources that include four antiphonal brass choirs. ... Sir Colin Rex Davis (born September 25, 1927) is a noted British conductor. ...

Beecham was a first-rate Wagner conductor, despite a certain disdain for the composer's excessive length and repetitiousness ("We've been rehearsing for two hours - and we're still playing the same bloody tune!" (Charles Reid, "Thomas Beecham", 1961). He was also a master of Richard Strauss’s music, acknowledged by the composer. Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig – February 13, 1883 in Venice) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – September 8, 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas. ...

In Italian opera he showed curiously little passion for Verdi, but in the middle of the 20th century was one of the few serious rivals to Toscanini as an interpeter of Puccini. His recording of La Boheme, with Jussi Bjorling and Victoria de Los Angeles is justly famous to this day. Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome) Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (October 10, 1813 – January 27, 1901) is to date the most influential composer of the 19th centurys Italian School of Opera. ... Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) is regarded as one of the great operatic composers of the late 19th and early 20th century. ... Jussi Björling â–¶ (help·info) (5 February 1911 – 9 September 1960) was a Swedish tenor and one of most highly regarded opera singers of the 20th century. ... The Catalan singer Victoria de los Ángeles (November 1, 1923 – January 15, 2005) was a well-known soprano whose career spanned the early 1940s to the mid 1970s. ...

The only other major 20th century composer to engage his sympathies was Sibelius, who recognised him as a fine conductor of his music (though it is perhaps necessary to bear in mind that Sibelius tended to be lavish with praise of anybody who conducted his music) Sibelius redirects to this article. ...

In the music of his native land Beecham was generally antipathetic to, or at best lukewarm about, the most eminent and acclaimed composers, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Walton and Britten. His championship of Delius virtually single-handedly rescued the composer from obscurity, and all subsequent performances of Delius works even in the 21st century are automatically compared to Beecham’s benchmark recordings, and are usually judged wanting. Minor British composers, like many minor European ones (see discography, below) appealed to him, and received performances of their works that possibly made them seem better than they were. Sir Edward Elgar Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO (2 June 1857 â€“ 23 February 1934) was an English composer. ... Ralph Vaughan Williams, OM (October 12, 1872 – August 26, 1958) was an influential British composer. ... Sir William Walton on the set of one of his operas Sir William Turner Walton, OM (March 29, 1902–March 8, 1983) was a British composer whose style was influenced by the works of Stravinsky, Sibelius and jazz. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM (November 22, 1913 – December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor and pianist. ... Frederick Delius (January 29, 1862 – June 10, 1934) was an English composer born in Bradford. ...

By the late 1950s until the end of his life, he made a significant impact on British musical life in London, conducting the RPO in a series of major concerts and making some important recordings. Among them is his Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade".

Quotations

Beecham was known as a great raconteur and wit. There are many anecdotes involving him, and he is often quoted:

• It is said that in one rehearsal he was unsatisfied with the performance of a female cello soloist, and so said to her "Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands, and all you can do is scratch it!".
• He helped Walter Legge underwrite the creation of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and conducted its premiere concert on 25 October 1945. Later, Legge raised the matter of Beecham's fee, to which he replied: "The privilege of directing this magnificent consort of artists is such that my pleasure would be diminished if I accepted a fee. I would, however, gladly accept a decent cigar"
• "Here are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together. The public doesn’t give a damn what goes on in between."
• when asked why only male composers appeared in his repertoire, he said "There are no women composers, never have been, and possibly never will be" (however he later revised this view, and became a champion of Ethel Smyth's music)
• he described the sound of the harpsichord variously as
  • "like two skeletons copulating on a corrugated tin roof"
  • "playing a birdcage with a toasting fork"
• of Johann Sebastian Bach - "Too much counterpoint; what is worse, Protestant counterpoint"
• of Beethoven - "Beethoven’s last quartets were written by a deaf man and should only be listened to by a deaf man"
• "Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty. Magical music never leaves the memory".

Despite such buffoonery, he managed to conduct brilliantly. A cello The cello (often formally referred to as the violoncello) is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Walter Legge (June 1, 1906 - March 22, 1979) was an influential British classical record producer, most notably for EMI. Legge first joined HMV in 1927 mainly to work for the editorial of the companys retailing magazine, but he caught the eye of another famous record producer, Fred Gaisberg, and... The Philharmonia is an orchestra based in London. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Dame Ethel Mary Smyth (April 23, 1858 - May 8, 1944) was an English composer and a leader of the womens suffrage movement. ... Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 O.S. – 28 July 1750 N.S.) was a German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together almost all of the strands of the baroque style and brought it to its ultimate maturity. ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ...

Honours

Beecham was knighted in 1916 and succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father later that year. A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) is the holder of a species of knighthood known as a baronetcy. ...

In 1938 the President of France bestowed upon him the decoration of the Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur). The President of France, known officially as the President of the Republic (Président de la République in French), is Frances elected Head of State. ... French Legion of Honor The Légion dhonneur (in Legion of Honor (AmE) or Legion of Honour (ComE)) is an Order of Chivalry awarded by the President of France. ...

He was made a Companion of Honour in 1957. The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order (decoration). ...

Death and afterwards

Beecham died in London at the age of 81, of a second cerebral thrombosis. The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower containing Big Ben Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the capital of the United Kingdom and England. ...

He is remembered through the orchestras he founded and the many archive recordings that are still available.

Works

Published books

• A Mingled Chime, (an autobiography)
• John Fletcher (1956), Oxford, Clarendon Press. (The Romanes Lecture for 1956).

The Romanes Lecture is a prestigious free public lecture given annually at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Selected discography

• Balakirev
  • Symphony No 1 – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)
• Beethoven
  • Piano Concerto No 4 – Artur Rubinstein/London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO)
  • Ruins of Athens – Beecham Choral Society/ RPO
  • Symphony No 2 – RPO
  • Symphony No 7 – RPO
  • Symphony No 8 – RPO
  • Violin Concerto – Szigeti/ LPO
• Berlioz
  • Damnation of Faust: Danse des Sylphes/ Menuet des follets – RPO
  • Harold in Italy – Riddle/RPO
  • King Lear Overture – RPO
  • Le Corsaire Overture – RPO
  • Les Francs Juges Overture – RPO
  • Les Troyens Overture – RPO
  • Roman Carnival Overture – RPO
  • Symphonie Fantastique – RPO
  • Trojan March – RPO
  • Waverley Overture – RPO
• Bizet
  • Carmen – Victoria de Los Angeles, Nicolai Gedda/French National Radio Orchestra
  • Carnaval à Rome – RPO
  • La Jolie Fille de Perth suite – RPO
  • L'Arlésienne Suites 1 & 2 – RPO
  • Patrie Overture – RPO
  • Symphony in C – French National Radio Orchestra
• Boccherini
  • Overture in D – RPO
• Borodin
  • Polovtsian Dances – Beecham Choral Society/RPO
• Brahms
  • Academic Festival Overture – RPO
  • Symphony No 2 – RPO
  • Tragic Overture – LPO
• Chabrier
  • Espana – RPO
  • Gwendoline Overture – French National Radio Orchestra
  • Joyeuse Marche – RPO
• Debussy
  • Cortège & Air de danse – RPO
  • Prélude à l'après midi – RPO
• Delibes
  • Le Roi s'amuse – RPO
• Delius
  • Appalachia – BBC Chorus/LPO
  • Brigg Fair – RPO
  • Dance Rhapsody No 2 – RPO
  • Fennimore & Gerda Intermezzo – RPO
  • Florida Suite: Daybreak & Dance – RPO
  • Irmelin Prelude – RPO
  • On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring – RPO
  • Sleighride – RPO
  • Song Before Sunrise – RPO
  • Summer Evening – RPO
  • Summer Night on the River – RPO
• Dvořák
  • Legend in G minor – RPO
  • Slavonic Rhapsody No 3 – LPO
  • Symphony No 8 – RPO
• Fauré
  • Dolly Suite – French National Radio Orchestra
  • Pavane – French National Radio Orchestra
• Franck
  • Symphony – French National Radio Orchestra
• Goldmark
  • Rustic Wedding Symphony – RPO
• Gounod
  • Faust Ballet music – RPO
  • Le sommeil de Juliette – RPO
• Grétry
  • Zémire et Azore ballet music – RPO
• Grieg
  • Peer Gynt music – RPO
  • Symphonic dance in A – RPO
• Handel
  • Amaryllis – RPO
  • Love in Bath – RPO
  • Messiah (complete) – Jon Vickers et al/ RPO
  • Solomon (complete) – John Cameron/ RPO
  • The Faithful Shepherd – RPO
  • The Gods Go A'Begging – RPO
  • The Great Elopement – LPO
• Haydn
  • Symphonies 93 – 104 – RPO
  • The Seasons – Morison, Young, Langdon /RPO
• Lalo
  • Symphony – RPO
• Massenet
  • Last sleep of the Virgin – RPO
  • Waltz from Cendrillon – RPO
• Mendelssohn
  • Fair Melusine Overture – RPO
  • Symphony No 4, Italian – RPO
• Mozart
  • Clarinet Concerto – Jack Brymer/RPO
  • Die Zauberflöte Overture – RPO
  • Flute & Harp Concerto – Le Roy, Laskine/RPO
  • German Dance K605 – RPO
  • Haffner March K249 – RPO
  • Le Nozze di Figaro Overture – LPO
  • Minuet from Divertimento in D K131 – RPO
  • Requiem – Morison et al/RPO
  • Symphony No 31 – Suisse Romande Orchestra
  • Symphony No 34 – Suisse Romande Orchestra
  • Symphony No 35 – LPO
  • Symphony No 36 – LPO
  • Symphony No 38 – LPO
  • Symphony No 39 – Suisse Romande Orchestra
  • Symphony No 40 – LPO
  • Symphony No 41 – RPO
  • Thamos: Entr'acte – RPO
• Mussorgsky
  • Khovantschina Dance of the Persian Slaves – RPO
• Offenbach
  • Les Contes des Hoffman suite – RPO
• Puccini
  • La Bohème – Jussi Bjorling, Victoria de Los Angeles/RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
• Rimsky-Korsakov
  • Scheherazade – RPO
• Rossini
  • La Cambiale di matrimonio Overture – RPO
  • La Gazza Ladra Overture – RPO
  • Semiramide Overture – RPO
• Saint-Saëns
  • Rouet d'Omphale – RPO
  • Samson & Dalila Dance of the Priestesses/ Bacchanale – RPO
• Schubert
  • Symphony No 1 – RPO
  • Symphony No 2 – RPO
  • Symphony No 3 – RPO
  • Symphony No 5 – RPO
  • Symphony No 6 – RPO
  • Symphony No 8 – RPO
• Sibelius
  • Symphony No 2 – BBC Symphony Orchestra
  • Symphony No 4 – LPO
  • Symphony No 6 – RPO
  • Symphony No 7 – RPO
  • Tapiola – LPO
  • Valse Triste – RPO
  • Karelia Suite - RPO
• Smetana
  • Bartered Bride Overture – RPO
  • Bartered Bride Polka – RPO
• Strauss
  • Don Quixote – Wallenstein/New York Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Ein Heldenleben – RPO
• Suppé
  • Morning Noon and Night – RPO
  • Poet & Peasant Overture – RPO
• Tchaikovsky
  • Eugene Onegin , waltz – RPO
  • Francesca da Rimini – LPO
• Vidal
  • Zino Zina Gavotte – RPO
• Wagner
  • Die Meistersinger Prelude – RPO
  • Die Meistersinger Suite – RPO
  • Flying Dutchman Overture – RPO
  • Götterdämmerung Funeral March – RPO
  • Götterdämmerung Rhine Journey – RPO
  • Lohengrin Prelude – RPO
  • Parsifal Karfreitagszauber – RPO
• Weber
  • Der Freischütz Overture – LPO
  • Oberon Overture – LPO

Balakirevs grave at Tikhvin Cemetery. ... The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an English orchestra based in London. ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Arthur Rubinstein photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Artur Rubinstein (January 28, 1887 – December 20, Polish pianist best known for his performances of Chopin and his championing of Spanish music. ... The London Philharmonic Orchestra (frequently abbreviated to LPO), based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... Portrait of Berlioz by Signol, 1832 Louis Hector Berlioz (December 11, 1803 – March 8, 1869) was a French Romantic composer best known for the Symphonie fantastique, first performed in 1830, and for his Grande Messe des morts Requiem of 1837, with its tremendous resources that include four antiphonal brass choirs. ... Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838 – June 3, 1875) was a French composer and pianist of the romantic era. ... The Catalan singer Victoria de los Ángeles (November 1, 1923 – January 15, 2005) was a well-known soprano whose career spanned the early 1940s to the mid 1970s. ... The Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda (born July 11, 1925) is a famous opera singer and recitalist. ... The LArlésienne Suites were a series of musical works composed by Georges Bizet, first published in 1872. ... Luigi Boccherini (February 19, 1743 – May 28, 1805) was a classical era composer and cellist from Italy, mostly known for one particular minuet from one of his string quintets, and the cello concerto in B flat major (G 482). ... Portrait of Borodin Alexander Porfirevich Borodin (Александр Порфирьевич Бородин in Cyrillic, Aleksandr Porfirevič Borodin in transliteration) (31 Oct. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of Romantic music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria. ... Emmanuel Alexis Chabrier (January 18, 1841 - September 13, 1894) was a French composer. ... Claude Debussy Achille-Claude Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918) was a composer of European classical music. ... (Clément Philibert) Léo Delibes (February 21, 1836 – January 16, 1891) was a French composer of Romantic music. ... Frederick Delius (January 29, 1862, – June 10, 1934) was an English composer born in Bradford of German parents. ... Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák (listen â–¶(?)) (September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer of romantic music. ... Portrait with oils of Gabriel Fauré by John Singer Sargent, about 1889 (in the Paris Museum of Music) Gabriel Urbain Fauré (May 12, 1845 – November 4, 1924) was a French composer. ... César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck (December 10, 1822 – November 8, 1890) was a composer and organist. ... Karl Goldmark (May 18, 1830 - January 2, 1915) was a Jewish composer who was self-taught. ... Charles Gounod Charles François Gounod (June 17, 1818 – October 18, 1893) was a French composer, best known for his opera Faust. ... André Ernest Modeste Grétry (February 8, 1741 – September 24, 1813), a Belgian composer, who worked from 1767 onwards in France. ... Edvard Hagerup Grieg (June 15, 1843–September 4, 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist who composed in the romantic period. ... George Frideric Handel (German Georg Friedrich Händel), (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German Baroque music composer who lived much of his life in Great Britain, a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... Jon S. Vickers, CC , D.Mus. ... John Cameron (1579 [?] - 1623) was a Scottish theologian. ... Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31 or April 1, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was a leading composer of the Classical period, called the Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent most of his career as a court musician for the... James Cotter Morison (1832 - 1888), was educated at Oxford. ... Young may refer to more than one place: Look up Young on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Young, Arizona, USA Young, New South Wales, Australia Young is a common surname: Adrian Young, member of the band No Doubt Andrew Young, activist in the Civil Rights movement Andrew Young, Scottish poet Bob... Langdon may refer to: Several people: John Langdon, 19th century American politician Robert Langdon, a fictional character created by author Dan Brown Samuel Langdon, 18th century American Congregational church clergyman Steven Langdon, Canadian politician Harry Langdon, American silent-movie actor Mary Langdon, American childrens author Sue Ane Langdon, American... Édouard (Victor Antoine) Lalo (January 27, 1823 - April 22, 1892) was a French composer of Spanish descent. ... Jules (Émile Frédéric) Massenet (May 12, 1842 - August 13, 1912) was a French composer. ... Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy at the age of thirty Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, known generally as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) was a German composer of the early Romantic period. ... Mozart drawing by Doris Stock, 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ... Jack Brymer (27 January 1915 - 15 September 2003), born in South Shields, was a British clarinetist. ... Le Roy may refer to: Le Roy, Illinois Le Roy, Iowa Le Roy, Kansas Le Roy, Michigan Le Roy, Minnesota Le Roy (village), New York Le Roy (town), New York This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... James Cotter Morison (1832 - 1888), was educated at Oxford. ... The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland, OSR) was founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet. ... The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland, OSR) was founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet. ... The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland, OSR) was founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet. ... Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Russian: Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский, Modest Petrovič Musorgskij) (March 9/21, 1839 – March 16/28, 1881; sometimes spelled Modeste Moussorgsky, was an innovative Russian composer famed for his songs and his operas on subjects connected with mediaeval Russian history. ... Jacques Offenbach (20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880), composer and cellist, was one of the originators of the operetta form, a precursor of the modern musical comedy. ... Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) is regarded as one of the great operatic composers of the late 19th and early 20th century. ... Jussi Björling â–¶ (help·info) (5 February 1911 – 9 September 1960) was a Swedish tenor and one of most highly regarded opera singers of the 20th century. ... The Catalan singer Victoria de los Ángeles (November 1, 1923 – January 15, 2005) was a well-known soprano whose career spanned the early 1940s to the mid 1970s. ... Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6/18, 1844–June 8/21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of harmony and orchestration. ... Portrait Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868) was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ... Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (IPA: ) (9 October 1835–16 December 1921) was a French composer and performer. ... Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828), was an Austrian composer, considered the last master of the Viennese Classical school and one of the earliest proponents of musical Romanticism. ... Sibelius redirects to this article. ... The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain. ... Bedrich Smetanas statue in Plzen Smetana monument in LitomyÅ¡l BedÅ™ich Smetana listen â–¶(?) (March 2, 1824 LitomyÅ¡l, Bohemia,Czech Republic, (then Austria-Hungary) - May 12, 1884 Prague) was a Czech composer, whose best-known composition is the symphonic poem Vltava (The Moldau), second of a cycle of... Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – September 8, 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas. ... Categories: 1583 births | 1634 deaths | Assassinated people ... The New York Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in New York City. ... Franz von Suppé The composer and conductor Franz von Suppé (April 18, 1819 – May 21, 1895) was born in Split (Dalmatia) and died in Vienna. ... Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (help· info) (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайкóвский, sometimes transliterated as Piotr, Anglicised as Peter Ilich), (7 May [O.S. 25 April] 1840 – 6 November [O.S. 25 October] 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. ... Paul Antoine Vidal (June 16, 1863 - April 9, 1931) was a French composer, conductor and music teacher. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig – February 13, 1883 in Venice) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (born November 18 or November 19, 1786, in Eutin near Luebeck, Germany; died June 5, 1826, of tuberculosis, in London, England) was a German composer. ...

References

See also

• autobiography
• biography
• WikiProject Biography
• WikiProject Inquiry

An autobiography (from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write) is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ... Sir Thomas Malory wrote the most famous fictional biography of the Middle Ages with Le Morte dArthur about the life of King Arthur. ...

External links