Members of the Bach family were skilled at playing many instruments including the clavichord, violin, organ and harpsichord. There were also singers in the family. Bach received training in all of these areas in the early years of his musical training.

Both of Bach’s parents died when he was only nine years old. His father died first and his mom died just two months later. At age ten he went to live with his older brother Johann Christoph who was an organist at church and who became Bach’s first music teacher. Bach had longed for a singing career and was a very talented singer. He was chosen to sing in the church choir.

In 1700 an opening came about at St. Michael’s School in Luneburg and he was awarded a singing scholarship. His voice began to change and he started playing the violin. Bach graduated in 1702.

By a church in Arnstad Germany Bach was hired in 1703 as an organist. This opportunity gave him ample time to practice his favorite instrument. In 1707 Bach became the organist for a church in Muhlhausen, Germany. He married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach later in that same year. This is also the year that Cantata No. 71, God Is My King was composed.

A year later Bach went to Weimar, Germany and became the court organist to Duke Wilhelm Ernst. From 1708 to 1710 Bach composed a large amount of original organ music. Prince Leopold of Cöthen, Germany offered Bach a position in 1716. A highlight of the Johann Sebastian Bach biography is that Bach produced his finest instrumental compositions during this period.

In 1720 Maria died. She left him a widower and with seven children. In 1921 Bach married Anna Magdalena Wulken who was a twenty-year-old singer. Over the next twenty years they had thirteen children together.

Bach was named the choir leader of Leipzig, Germany in 1723. His duties were to provide choral music to the churches St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Bach also taught classes in music, gave private singing lessons, and taught Latin. It was while Bach was in Leipzig that he composed the majority of his choral music.

A sad ending of the Johann Sebastian biography is that Bach began to slowly lose his eyesight in his final years and went completely blind in the last year of his life. On July 28, 1750 Bach died due to complications from a stroke and high fever.

Bach was a well-regarded composer and musician, but his works were not published until he was forty-one. And it was not until fifty years after his death that he became well-known outside of Germany. To this day Bach is widely remembered for his exceptional compositions.

An early film music composer from the Golden Age of Hollywood was Victor Young. The great movie director Cecil B. DeMille utilized Young’s scores in many of his movies including “The Greatest Show on Earth”. It was Young’s score for the 1956 movie “Around the World in Eighty Days” that won a posthumous Oscar for him.

In the late 50’s and early 60’s, movie theme music gained popularity and the names of cinematic music composers became widely known. Ernest Gold wrote the music for the 1961 movie “Exodus”, and the theme ascended the music charts that year. Henry Mancini wrote the theme for “The Pink Panther”, a score nominated for an Academy Award in 1964. He also wrote the Academy award-winning score for 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” from which the song “Moon River” came.

Other notable composers of movie music from that time include Maurice Jarre, Elmer Bernstein, Miklos Rozsa, Ennio Marricone, and Dimitri Tiomkin. The movies to which they contributed, were nominated, and won awards for are impressive. Titles like “Doctor Zhivago”, “Lawrence of Arabia” (Jarre), “The Man With the Golden Arm”, “The Magnificent Seven” (Bernstein), “Ben Hur”, “El Cid” (Rozsa), “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “The Untouchables” (Marricone), “High Noon”, and “The Guns of Navarone” (Tiomkin).

If the names of modern cinematic music composers are fairly well known, their music is even more so. One of the best known of these composers is John Williams. His amazing career in music includes five Oscars, twenty Grammys, and four Golden Globes among other awards. You may have heard some of his music. His film scores include “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Jaws”, the “Star Wars” movies, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, the “Indiana Jones” series, “Jurassic Park”, “Superman”, “Home Alone”, “Schindler’s List”, “Saving Private Ryan”, the “Harry Potter” series, “Memoirs of a Geisha”, and “Munich”, among many others.

James Newton Howard may not be a household name like John Williams but his film music credits are notable. He penned the scores for “The Prince of Tides”, “The Fugitive”, “King Kong”, “The Village”, “Batman Begins”, and “The Dark Knight”. The two Batman scores were co-written with Hans Zimmer, another cinematic music composer with many credits including the “Pirates of the Caribbean” scores, “The Prince of Egypt”, and “The Lion King”.

The next time you watch a movie and find yourself remembering the music long afterward, take note of the composer.

Music is a gift to our ears, a blessing to our life. Classics and nostalgic tunes are timeless pieces that people still remain loyal even up to the millennium era. Those songs composed in the 14^th to 18^th centuries are of course traces of how music has evolved through the years. Free Mozart Music takes you to a trip down memory lane when symphonies were strongly followed by music aficionados.

Mozart may have died at early age of 35 in December 5, 1791, but he never wasted any of his time to provide the world with great Free Mozart music downloadable on the web. His music line-ups include clarinet concerto, string quartets, piano concerti from 20 onwards, symphonies 36 to 41 and the most famous Requiem.  Among all the European musical conductors, Mozart has sustained his popularity the most because his pieces led to the emergence of standard concert repertoire. His genius outputs in music have placed Europe to the global map in entertainment history.

Free Mozart Music takes you to a sweet and classical taste of musical compositions. Danish Broadcasting Corporation, for instance, is providing free access to nine Mozart Symphonies in MP3 mode. The music files can be obtained on the web regardless of where you are downloading it from. As you encounter the privilege to get yourself a free copy of Mozart’s songs, do not linger to pass it up. In getting your MP3 songs, you won’t be required to extend fees. In this way, you will be from risk-free and secured.

Songs from the 16^th century can be heard without any charges or prices. They surely don’t have DVD or VCD available anymore.  At anytime of the day, you can freely and legally download free Mozart music that is reflective of Mozart’s endless dedication to music. Austria’s pride has his musical scores posted online, say on International Mozart Foundation for one. More of his pieces are Moonlight Sonata, Rondo, The Marriage of Figaro, Andante, Adagio and Allegro.

The trend of downloading music online is making it easier for you to get hold of free Mozart music. After 250 years since Mozart’s memorial, his masterpieces are playing over and over again in the minds of his fanatics. Just like Beethoven, he’s been recognized as the most influential icons in music industry.

Number 1 – Ludwig van Beethoven, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Opus 61, written in 1806.“The Gentle Giant.” A serene piece of music made of the simplest materials but of immense scope and structure. One of the greatest cultural achievements of Western civilization. Listen particularly for the 5-beat element present almost everywhere in the 1st Movement.

Number 2 – Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Opus 35, written in 1878.“A true blockbuster.” This is the most popular violin concerto ever written, and with good reason. Written in a burst of happy inspiration, it has been on the best-seller list of audience favorites for over 125 years, and shows no signs of disappearing.

Number 3 – Johannes Brahms, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Opus 77, written in 1878.“Depth and romanticism.” The ideal combination of classical form and romanticism from the unique voice of classical music’s most introspective poet. He had to have been in love when he wrote this one.

Number 4 – Niccolo Paganini, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor, Opus 7, written in 1826.“Dramatic, theatrical, virtuosic, and seductive.” Italian opera with the violin solo as a kind of super-soprano voice. You can almost see the curtains opening at the opening orchestral introduction. The ultimate combining an operatic aesthetic with spectacular instrumental virtuosity by perhaps one of the greatest virtuosos and underrated composers of all time.

Number 5 – Jean Sibelius, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Minor, Opus 47, written in 1903.“Emotional, majestic, and exciting.” This has been an audience favorite ever since it was popularized by the great Jascha Heifetz. The rugged nature of the two outer movements is in complete contrast to the exquisite beauty of the slow movement, which has a long melody played only twice.

Number 6 – Felix Mendellsohn, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Opus 64, written in 1844.“Seamless elegance and heart.” The model of what a violin concerto should be. Pure song from beginning to end. It actually sounds as if it was never actually “composed,” but always existed in the atmosphere somewhere, only to be plucked out of the sky by Mendellsohn and written down for others to play.

Number 7 – Bela Bartok, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra #2, written in 1939.“Animalistic fury from the heart of the Eastern European backwoods.” This concerto is simultaneously in classical sonata form, a theme and variations, and with all of the inspiration of an improvised fantasy. Its nature is deep and stark, just as the turmoil of the world the composer lived in.

Number 8 – Dmitri Shostakovich, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, #1, Opus 99, written in the 1950’s.“The darkness of the 20th Century.” Unusual in being in 4 movements, whereas most concertos are in 3. Introspective and vibrant. The 3rd Movement, “Passacaglia,” is a theme and variations of almost agonizing intensity.

Number 9 – Edward Elgar, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in B Minor, Opus 61, written in 1910.“Victorian pomp and emotional sensitivity all rolled into one.” This is one of those “old-fashioned” concertos that keeps popping up as timeless. The depth of emotion, genuine sentimentality, regal dignity, and consummate virtuosity inherent is this music is all perfectly combined and direct from the composer’s heart.

Number 10 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Violin Concerto #4 in D Major, K. 218, written in 1775.“Purity, song, and perfection.” How can you have a top-10 list and not include Mozart? In fact, how can Mozart possibly have sunk to 10th place? The 3rd and 5th Concertos may be more popular, but to me this one has such sheer beauty, liveliness, and heart, that it never fails to move me.

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Music, more than entertainment, has played an instrumental role in healing and harmonizing the mind, body and spirit. For thousands of years, the Vedic culture has used sound and music for body and mind balancing, health enhancement, healing promotion and encouragement of heightened awareness. The Greek mathematician, Pythagoras theorized that music diminished and even eradicated negative energy and emotions. Modern studies explicitly show that specific sounds and music do in fact, have documented, measurable and multiple healing benefits. Today’s medicine understands that all bodily functions, like breathing and pulse, work cyclically and rhythmically. It is these rhythms that are influenced and synchronized with certain music and sound patterns.

Music therapy, my favorite being classical, has become widly recognized since the early 1950s. Used for pain, migraines, cancer, stress, upset stomach, fatigue, depression and other, multiple disorders; music therapy can reduce heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, stress and anxiety. Most recently, music has been found to bolster the immune system and assists in harmonizing the symmetries in right and left frontal lobes of the brain, (in the case of mental disorders).

The most interesting of studies in music therapy is that of an experiment conducted years ago. The music experiment compared the effects of classical music to rock and roll music on plant growth. Intriguingly, the classical music helped the plants to grow faster; whereas the rock music actually deteriorated the plant’s growth. Similarly, classical music has the same effect on humans as it does on plants. Amazingly, patients who listened to Mozart had a whopping 10-15 point increase in IQ. Given this information, it might encourage one to go out and buy the latest Beethoven on compact disc. Today, one doesn’t have to attend an orchestrated concert to hear it. Most outlet stores, even Internet stores sell classical music to the general public.

I realize that many persons listen to fad music, pop, country or rock, but I used to be one of those people; before I dove into classical music firsthand. The most profound effects of classical music, that I have personally discovered, is the phenomenal reduction of heart rate and respiratory rate it induces. When listening to classical music, I am “lifted” in spirit, mind and body. Like a feather takes to the sky, I feel freer, more relaxed and in tune with my higher self. Perhaps, if you get a chance, take a fifteen minute break from life. Pick up Mozart, Beethoven or some other classical music CD, pop it in your stereo, close your eyes and let the music set you free! Tell us about your experience. Did it make you feel more relaxed, inspired and/or rejuvenated? Holistic Junction would like to hear from you today.

© Classical Music Therapy All Rights Reserved by C. Bailey-Lloyd

C. Bailey-Lloyd is a professional writer of poetry books, poetry and informative articles on many subjects. More in-depth biographical information can be found at Somewhere Along the Beaten Path at MySpace.com. NOTICE: Article(s) may be republished free of charge to relevant websites, as long as Author Resource Box (above) is included, and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN intact and active. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=CarolAnn_Bailey-Lloyd

The movie Amadeus (1984) put into popular parlance the idea of Mozart as an immature and spoiled musical prodigy, given to fast living and obnoxious, braying laughter. It also portrays him as having been tormented by a brooding, jealous rival composer named Salieri, who may or may not have killed him. History paints only a slightly less dramatic picture. Born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, Mozart was the only son of a professional musician who very early on recognized the boy’s extraordinary musical talent. Today’s critical and politically correct eyes may look with disfavor on the way that Leopold Mozart exploited his son’s musical genius, but at the time it was neither uncommon nor unacceptable to parade child prodigies through the courts of Europe. The young Mozart spent his boyhood at the feet of kings and queens, performing and composing and perfecting his unique musical vision.

He also spent his childhood suffering from various illnesses—tuberculosis, tonsillitis, and typhoid are just some of the many ailments he is said to have suffered. He was a sickly child and each bout of poor health left him reduced in vigor, more frail, and more susceptible to what would, ultimately, kill him. Legend has it that he was poisoned, but recent, more scientific explanation has it that he died of rheumatic fever, even while working to complete one of his greatest musical accomplishments, the Requiem.

Mozart’s music, like his life, defies easy classification. As a product of what historians term the Classical Era (1750-1825), he perfected the prevalent musical forms of symphony, opera, and concerto, and yet he also turned them on their heads. The upper-crust audiences for whom he played were jarred by his complex, mysterious, sometimes raucous music, accustomed as they were to lighter, more frivolous pieces. In 1782, the Emperor Joseph II even told Mozart that his German opera had “too many notes.”

Such a characterization of Mozart’s music may well seem absurd to us today, who have been conditioned to think of Mozart as an unparalleled genius. Even before birth, babies are rocked to sleep by Mozart’s music being piped into their mothers’ wombs. We relax to his music, we grow to it, we learn through it; his music enriches and inspires our lives.

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Bach and Handel each in their own way were a great influence on later generations of composers. Both of them, in their own personal way, summed up the major styles of European music. Handel cultivated a concerto that was based the style of Correlli and Bach cultivated a concerto that was based on the style of Vivaldi. Handel perfected the Italian opera and the English Oratorio, while Bach perfected the cantata, the German Passion, and the Latin mass.

Handel’s music relies more on melody and Bach’s relies more on counterpoint. This is not to say that Bach couldn’t compose good melodies or that Handel couldn’t write good counterpoint. It is merely a general observation. Also Bach relied more on phrasing while Handel relied more on dynamics. Although they were both quite adept at using contrasts of texture to create interest, this technique was more important in Handel’s music. Handel’s music, for the most part, is more vocally oriented, and Bach’s music is more instrumentally oriented. They both were masters of the great European styles of their time, but Handel was much more influenced by the Italian style than Bach, and Bach was more influenced by the German style. It should also be mentioned that Handel’s music is easier to perform than Bach’s. This is certainly one reason that Bach’s music was not as popular in his lifetime as was that of Handel.

Let’s discuss Bach’s influence first. The most widely disseminated work of his in his own lifetime was the Well Tempered Clavier, a huge work, in two volumes, each volume containing a prelude and fugue in every major and minor key, totaling 48 pairs of preludes and fugues. This work is intended to be didactic as well as entertaining to the keyboard player. It was Bach’s intention that the player of these wonderful pieces would not only find them entertaining and joyful to play, but also would gain, from performing them, insight into compositional techniques, especially counterpoint. Many keyboard teachers were still using the WTC a generation after Bach’s death, indeed, even Chopin’s piano teacher was using this book in the early nineteenth century.

The Well Tempered Clavier of Johann Sebastian Bach is one the most seminal works of music ever produced. Generations of composers learned the art of counterpoint by playing and studying this great collection of preludes and fugues. Most of Bach’s music was ignored until the latter half of the nineteenth century when the Bach revival got underway. However certain works of Bach, most notably, The Well Tempered Clavier, were kept alive by a small circle of intellectuals. A man by the name Baron Van Swieten was among these great musical connoisseurs. He hired the twenty-six year-old composer, Wolfgang Mozart to direct his small orchestra during his weekly private concerts which were held on Sunday afternoons. He loaned Mozart a copy of the WTC so that he could study and play it in his leisure time. He paid Mozart to arrange some of the fugues of the WTC for string trio. Mozart was amazed by the genius of this work. It was a profound crisis in Mozart’s life to discover such extraordinary contrapuntal music, the likes of which he had never known. Suddenly his counterpoint, which was always very good, became even better. His counterpoint kept getting more and more complex after his encounter with the WTC.

At the age of thirty three Mozart heard one of the Bach motets and was transfixed by its intricate complexity and great beauty. The choirmaster at Leipzig gave Mozart a copy of the score to all six of the Bach motets. He kept these for the rest of his short life, (he had less than three years left to live) treasuring them like the precious jewels they are. They were a profound influence on his late style. In the last two years of his life Mozart’s counterpoint became even more exquisite and complex than before.

As for Beethoven, he was raised on Bach’s WTC. He could play through book one in its entirety when he was only eight years old. Despite the fact that Beethoven knew the WTC and most other keyboard music of Bach thoroughly, he was not particularly adept at counterpoint, at least not in his early years. Being interested in the more homophonic style in vogue at the time, the expressiveness in his music relied more on thematic relationships, harmonic movement, and transformation of motifs. Also I would say that Beethoven relied more on rhythmic iteration and rhythmic transition than any other composer. Nonetheless, his early experience with Bach’s keyboard music, especially the WTC, was invaluable for him. In his later years, wanting to compose certain pieces in a more contrapuntal style, Beethoven worked hard at mastering counterpoint. He returned to the music of Bach and Handel, and even studied Palestrina. In his late music, he developed a style of counterpoint that is more reminiscent of Handel than Bach. His fugues in his late period are very rhythmic in nature and quite unique in the history of music. He was found of using fugue themes with repeated notes and rather angular outlines. In the last decade of his life Beethoven proved himself to be a capable contrapuntalist, even though it can be said that his counterpoint is sometimes a bit awkward. The ungainliness of his counterpoint actually gives it a certain power, a sense of struggle, unique to his music, and at times even quite charming. It may be hard to assess how much he gained from Bach and how much from Handel. He seems outwardly to have been more influenced by Handel but his knowledge of Bach’s keyboard music was certainly invaluable to him. It is hard to say how much of Bach’s vocal music Beethoven had seen. He wrote letters to publishers between 1810 and 1824 requesting them to send him copies of the B-minor Mass but it is not known if he ever received any copy of it. Beethoven had access to the libraries of private collectors such as the Archduke Rudolph, Baron Van Swieten, and others. In these private libraries he could have read many vocal works by Bach, Handel, and other composers.

As mentioned above, Chopin’s piano teacher had his students play the WTC. Chopin loved and respected this great tome his entire life. On that famous trip he took with George Sand, to Majorca, it was the only music he took with him. The influence of the WTC on Chopin was profound. Most people don’t think of Chopin as a contrapuntist, and it is true that one does not find much in the way of imitative counterpoint in his music. He never composed any fugues, except as an academic exercise when he was still quite young, and there are not many canons by Chopin. However it can, and should, be said that Chopin’s counterpoint is exquisite. No other piano music in the entire nineteenth century has such smooth voice-leading. The inner voices in his music are almost as melodically interesting as the bass and treble voices, and the music has a transparency that allows one to hear each separate line clearly. Each voice in his piano music, flows mellifluously and smoothly, with never an awkward measure. The influence of the WTC on Chopin should not be underestimated.

Of course it goes without saying that Brahms was influenced by Bach. More than any other composer, Brahms studied the music of previous composers. He was certainly very fond of Handel but he absolutely loved Bach. Brahms was, perhaps, the greatest contrapuntist of the nineteenth century and to this he owed a certain debt to Bach. Schumann also loved Bach and paid homage to him in his Six pieces in Canonic form, opus 56. Schumann recommended playing one prelude and fugue from the WTC per day. As for Mendelssohn, Bach’s influence on Mendelssohn can be most easily seen in his preludes and fugues, which are somewhat reminiscent of some of the preludes and fugues in the WTC.

The music of J.S. Bach was kept alive only by a small circle of intellectuals until the Bach revival that was kicked of by Felix Mendelssohn with his historic performance of The St Mathew Passion in March of 1829. Bach’s vocal and instrumental music was gradually becoming more available in print since the last decade of the eighteenth century but Mendelssohn created a greater awareness of the greatness of his music. Then in 1850,on the hundredth anniversary of Bach’s death, the Bach Society was formed in Germany. The Bach Society’s raison d’etre was to publish every extant work of J.S. Bach. This huge project was not completed until the very end of the nineteenth century.

Handel’s influence on later generations was perhaps more direct. His operas and oratorios are very appealing. He certainly knew how to please a crowd, yet there is so much more than mere pandering to the masses in his music. His juxtapositions of strongly contrasting textures, his carefully times use of dynamics, his beautiful melodies, and his ability to eke out so much expressiveness from one motif, make his music a virtual compendium of compositional technique.

Although Mozart knew only a small fraction of Bach’s music, he was thoroughly familiar with the music of Handel. During his childhood trip to England he became well acquainted with Handel’s music and he never lost his taste for it. To anyone familiar with Mozart’s liturgical music, it is obvious that his knowledge of Handel was deep and thorough. You can hear Handel’s influence in some of Mozart’s early works, such as The Solemn Vespers, and in later works such as the C minor mass and the Requiem mass. In fact, the opening page of Mozart’s Requiem, beautiful as it is, is merely a reworking of the opening choral movement of Handel’s funeral music for Queen Caroline. And the glorious double fugue in the Kyrie from the Requiem, uses as one of its two themes, a slightly altered version of the theme that Handel used for “With his Stripes, We are Healed” from his “Messiah.”

By far, the major influence of Handel on later generations was through his oratorios, the most famous of which is “Messiah.” Baron Von Swieten (mentioned above) commissioned Mozart to re-orchestrate this great work as well as Handel’s “Acis and Galatea,” “Alexander’s Feast,” and “Ode for St Cecilia’s Day.” “Messiah” is the most thinly scored of Handel’s oratorios, mostly because he was writing it for the city of Dublin, and having never visited that city, did not know what instruments would be available. Messiah is scored for the basic Baroque orchestra, which consists of strings, oboes, and bassoons, with trumpets and kettledrums reserved for the more celebrative numbers. Not only did Mozart add many instruments to the score but he altered many of the arias. Some of them he cut short, or altered certain passages. In some of the arias Mozart changed the harmonic structure. But in the choral movements, he made few changes other than adding instruments to double each voice in the choir. He did the same to “Acis and Galatea.” Also, “Acis and Galatea” Mozart added an instrumental countermelody to each aria. These marvelous works would have survived without the Mozart versions, however they became even greater masterpieces when reworked by Mozart. The popularity of Handel’s “Messiah” is not to be underestimated. It was immensely popular in his day and has remained so, influencing many composers, especially Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn’s two oratorios are obviously influenced greatly by Handel.

As mentioned above there can be found a certain Handelain influence in Beethoven’s music. Many of Beethoven’s grand themes sound as if they could have been written by Handel. A good example is the main theme to the Consecration of the House overture. More than once in his life Beethoven expressed his opinion that Handel was the greatest composer who ever lived. It should be mentioned, however, that Beethoven knew very little of Bach’s music outside of the keyboard works.

In general, the nineteenth century, composers were influenced by the grandeur and power of Handel and the exquisite, complex counterpoint of Bach. The most creative of these composers were able to incorporate into their own unique style what they learned from these masters. Bach and Handel were both incredible in their own right, and they were also seeds that bore great fruit in future generations. The influence of these composers should not be underestimated. Bach’s WTC alone was a tremendous influence, as was Handel’s Messiah. It seems to me that Handel’s influence is more direct and obvious, some examples are Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” and much of Mozart’s church music. Unfortunately, many of Bach’s great choral masterpieces were not heard or published for over 150 years. What would Mozart have thought of Bach’s B minor mass, or St Mathew Passion? How would the Christmas Oratorio or the Magnificat have influenced Mozart if he had known these wonderful pieces? We will never know.

The influence of Bach is more subtle than the influence of Handel and can be seen mostly in the way other composers learned counterpoint by studying his works. If you want to learn how to create a bass line that goes well with the melody, supports the harmony, yet has beauty, and an independence and logic of its own, there is no better composer to study than Bach. If you want to compose contrapuntal music with complexity, yet with smoothness, clarity, and transparency, then studying the music of Bach and Handel is indispensable.

Mozart, widely regarded as one of the greatest classical composers of all time, wrote his first symphony at age eight and was dead by the age of 35. Schubert also died when he was 31, while Chopin famously didn’t live past the age of 39. Moreover, the phenomenon of the castrato in classical music in the 1700s shows that young people haven’t just been interested in classical music throughout the years - they’ve practically been canonised as part of a classical music tradition that, although lost, is not forgotten.

Today’s orchestras, choirs and opera houses are packed with young singers and musicians, many of whom are still in their twenties. Moreover, almost all modern, successful classical musicians will have undergone training from a very young age. Charlotte Church may have made headlines when she released her debut album “Voice of an Angel” in 1998 aged just thirteen, but while her phenomenal mainstream success was not typical, the fact that she was such a young musician in the classical industry was.

In the twenty-first century, the likes of Katherine Jenkins and “male soprano” Michael Maniaci, 28 and 29 years of age respectively, are making headlines the world over for their innovative approach to classical music and their stunning vocal range. Edward Gardner, the new Music Director of Glyndebourne on Tour (one of the UK’s premier operatic fixtures), is also only 28, proving that there is certainly no dearth of young people performing classical music, although there may be fewer youths than OAPs listening to it.

But as classical music institutions and performing arts organisations try their best to reduce their median audience age, classical music isn’t just becoming more accessible to young people - it’s also becoming more affordable. Scottish Opera, for instance, offer special ticket deals for people under 26, while many music-specialist booksellers are making classical music books and guides that will help younger classical listeners learn more about the craft. So while many may lament the loss or decline of youth interest in classical music in today’s world, they need only look towards the country’s concert halls to see where the future lies.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/classical-music-not-just-for-oaps-220850.html

In the 21st century, the music and notes to Beethoven’s Fur Elise are the object of millions of Internet searches and downloads every day. The fact that the music is so freely available for download, along with the piece continued popularity in the Internet age, is testament to the great emotional power and musical depth of Beethoven”s work. Fur Elise is one of the most instantly recognized pieces of music from the Classical era, and it continues to work wonders in the ears and hearts of modern listeners and pianists. But what’s the story behind this composition? Before downloading the notes to Fur Elise, let’s take a look at its history.

In fact, the true story behind Fur Elise is shrouded in mystery, and there are many theories behind the events in Beethoven’s life that lead to the writing of the piece. What’s more, the manuscript of Fur Elise was undiscovered and unpublished until 1865, nearly 40 years after the composer’s death. Because of this, obviously, Beethoven could not make any first-hand clarifications about the origins of his work, which became wildly popular almost immediately upon publication.

In reality, Fur Elise is actually just Beethoven’s note of dedication included with the piece, whose real name is Bagatelle in A minor. A bagatelle is a musical form, literally translating to a trifle, which is usually short, light, and mellow. Meanwhile, the piece is also a Rondo, which is a form, frequently used in the Classical era, which usually follows an A B A C A structure, although there are variations. As its name suggests, the key signature of the piece is A minor, but one of the beauties of Beethoven’s composition is how he mixes in discordant notes and continuously shifts the tonal center of the music.

Fur Elise translates from German to For Elise, yet Beethoven historians have never figured out who Elise was. One popular theory is that the piece was actually called For Therese, and that because of Beethoven’s notoriously sloppy handwriting, the original transcriber of the piece simply copied the name wrong. When the piece was written in 1810 Beethoven had recently been involved in a courtship with Therese Malfatti, who eventually turned down Beethoven’s marriage proposal. This could account for some of the effusive and overwhelming emotion of the music.

Meanwhile, some historians have posited that Beethoven, his heart broken, deliberately changed the name of the piece to a non-existent woman’s name, in a subtle refutation of the woman or women who snubbed him.

Of course, Beethoven historians acknowledge that it is not possible to know about every single person with whom Beethoven had a relationship. Elise may be a short-time sweetheart who never made it into records of Beethoven. Or, the piece could have been commissioned, and Elise could be the name of someone related to the person who paid for the piece.

Ultimately, it’s not important who or what Beethoven’s Elise was, as each person who plays those famous notes can have in mind his or her own Elise. All that is required to play the piece is to have some deep well of emotion to put into the music. It doesn’t really matter where this emotion comes from. Beethoven clearly had something that he felt strongly about, which makes this one of his most famous and evocative compositions. Most of us cannot even listen to the first, emotionally strained notes of the piece without feeling something in our own hearts.

This emotional intensity is what distinguishes Beethoven from many of his contemporaries, and it also accounts for the continued popularity of his music, both on paper and in formats that make the notes free to download. Many of us remember hearing Fur Elise as children and being profoundly moved even then and maybe it even inspired us to take up the piano just as our own children are moved by the piece. Because of its pure beauty, Fur Elise should remain popular for as long as music exists.

Duane Shinn is the author of the popular DVD home study course on playing piano titled “How To Play Fur Elise: Beethoven’s Mysterious Inspiration!” Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duane_Shinn

Classical music is at once one of the best known and least understood forms of music, and many music fans who feel they would never like classical music are surprised at just how enjoyable it can be.

Of course, classical music can take a great many forms, and not every music fan will appreciate every kind of classical music. To some people, classical music is best enjoyed in a crowded concert hall, with a glass of wine and good company. To others, the best classical music is enjoyed alone, perhaps in a darkened room with a great stereo system. Still others will enjoy making their own classical music in the company of family and friends, perhaps playing their own piano or enjoying a night out.

For those who are unfamiliar with classical music, there are many places to begin your classical education. One of the best places to start to learn about classical music is with your local public radio station. Just about every market in the country has at least one public radio station, and many public radio stations have extensive classical music programming during their broadcast day. In addition, the announcers on these stations are usually quite well versed in all aspects of classical music, so if you have a question about the art form they are a great place to start.

In addition to public radio, the many internet radio stations are a great way to introduce yourself to the world of classical music. There are a great many classical music stations on the internet, including many sub genres, such as classical guitar or classical piano. Scanning the music available at these sources is a great way to explore the breadth of classical music available and get started on your own appreciation.

For some listeners, an appreciation of classical music will come almost immediately, while for others it may take quite some time to develop an ear for the nuance and style that classical music represents. The time you take learning about classic music will be time well spent, though, and you may learn more than you ever intended about one of the oldest forms of music in the world.

Classical music has been with us for centuries, and chances are good that it will be with us for centuries to come. While other forms of music, from country and rock and roll to hip hop and rhythm and blues, may not be around five hundred years from now, chances are good that our great, great, great, great, great grandchildren will still be enjoying piano recitals, chamber music and other kinds of classical music.