Classical Music, SCA-SYM
Rosin up your bows and get to work on those sonatas! Classical music encompasses a wealth of different musical forms, including the symphony, concerto, and fugue, among many others. It can be written for musical instruments (such as an orchestra or a string quartet) or for vocal groups (as in choral music). Most of the best-known composers of classical music worked during the last 600 years in the Western tradition; even people disinclined to seek out classical music may recognize passages from some of these composers' standout works, such as Ludwig van Beethoven's "Für Elise," Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," and Georges Bizet's "Habañera" (from the opera "Carmen").
Classical Music Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Scarlatti, Domenico
Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer noted particularly for his 555 keyboard sonatas, which substantially......
Scheherazade
Scheherazade, orchestral suite by Russian composer Nicolay Rimsky-Korsakov that was inspired by the collection......
Schein, Johann Hermann
Johann Hermann Schein was a German composer of sacred and secular music, one of the earliest (with Michael Praetorius......
Scherchen, Hermann
Hermann Scherchen was a German conductor and champion of 20th-century music. He was influential in the careers......
Schikaneder, Emanuel
Emanuel Schikaneder was a prominent German actor, singer, playwright, and theatre manager now chiefly remembered......
Schmitt, Florent
Florent Schmitt was a composer known for his orchestral works. He studied at Nancy and under Massenet and Fauré......
Schnittke, Alfred
Alfred Schnittke was a postmodernist Russian composer who created serious, dark-toned musical works characterized......
Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Ludwig
Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld was a German tenor, known for his Wagnerian roles. Schnorr made his first solo appearance......
Schoeck, Othmar
Othmar Schoeck was a Swiss musician, one of the principal composers of lieder of his time. Schoeck studied at Zürich......
Schoenberg, Arnold
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian-American composer who created new methods of musical composition involving atonality,......
Schröder-Devrient, Wilhelmine
Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient was a German soprano celebrated for her portrayal of the great dramatic roles of German......
Schubert, Franz
Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer who bridged the worlds of Classical and Romantic music, noted for the melody......
Schuller, Gunther
Gunther Schuller was an American composer, performer, conductor, teacher, and writer noted for his wide range of......
Schuman, William
William Schuman was an American composer, educator, and administrator whose symphonies, ballets, and chamber music......
Schumann, Elisabeth
Elisabeth Schumann was a German-born American soprano known for her interpretation of lieder and of the music of......
Schumann, Robert
Robert Schumann was a German Romantic composer renowned particularly for his piano music, songs (lieder), and orchestral......
Schumann-Heink, Ernestine
Ernestine Schumann-Heink was an Austrian contralto who was one of the principal interpreters of the operas of Richard......
Schwarzkopf, Dame Elisabeth
Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was a German soprano who performed in the major opera houses of the Western world and......
Schütz, Heinrich
Heinrich Schütz was a composer, widely regarded as the greatest German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach. In......
Scott, Cyril Meir
Cyril Meir Scott was an English composer and poet known especially for his piano and orchestral music. In the early......
Scriabin, Aleksandr
Aleksandr Scriabin was a Russian composer of piano and orchestral music noted for its unusual harmonies through......
Sellars, Peter
Peter Sellars is an American stage director. He is best known for staging plays and operas for numerous international......
Sembrich, Marcella
Marcella Sembrich was a Polish coloratura known for both her operatic and her concert work. Marcelina Kochańska......
Serkin, Peter
Peter Serkin was an American pianist noted for his performances of classical and contemporary works. A son of pianist......
Serkin, Rudolf
Rudolf Serkin was an Austrian-born American pianist and teacher who concentrated on the music of J.S. Bach, W.A.......
Sermisy, Claudin de
Claudin de Sermisy was a singer and composer who, with his contemporary Clément Janequin, was one of the leading......
Sessions, Roger
Roger Sessions was an American composer of symphonic and instrumental music who played a leading part in educating......
Seyfried, Ignaz Xaver, Ritter von
Ignaz Xaver, Ritter von Seyfried was an Austrian musician who composed more than 100 stage works and much instrumental......
Sgambati, Giovanni
Giovanni Sgambati was a pianist, conductor, and composer who promoted a revival of instrumental and symphonic music......
Shankar, Ravi
Ravi Shankar was an Indian musician, sitar virtuoso, and composer, who was influential in stimulating Western appreciation......
Shapey, Ralph
Ralph Shapey was an American composer and conductor noted for his lyrical, often contrapuntal and serial compositions......
Sharma, Shiv Kumar
Shiv Kumar Sharma was an Indian sanṭūr (hammered dulcimer) virtuoso who is credited with shifting the instrument......
Shaw, Robert
Robert Shaw was an American choral and orchestral conductor. Shaw graduated in 1938 from Pomona College, Claremont,......
Shostakovich, Dmitri
Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer, renowned particularly for his 15 symphonies, numerous chamber works,......
Sibelius, Jean
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer, the most noted symphonic composer of Scandinavia. Sibelius studied at the......
Sills, Beverly
Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano who won international fame many years before her Metropolitan Opera......
Silva, Antônio José da
Antônio José da Silva was a Portuguese writer whose comedies, farces, and operettas briefly revitalized the Portuguese......
Sinfonía india
Sinfonía india, symphony by Carlos Chávez that is strongly flavoured by the musical spirit of Mexico. It was written......
singspiel
singspiel, 18th-century opera in the German language, containing spoken dialogue and usually comic in tone. The......
Six, Les
Les Six, group of early 20th-century French composers whose music represents a strong reaction against the heavy......
sizhu
sizhu, any of the traditional Chinese chamber music ensembles made up of stringed and wind instruments. Silk (strings)......
Skalkottas, Nikos
Nikos Skalkottas was one of the leading Greek composers of the 20th century. Skalkottas began violin studies at......
Slezak, Leo
Leo Slezak was an Austrian opera singer and film comedian, known for his performances of Wagnerian operatic roles.......
Smetana, Bedřich
Bedřich Smetana was a Bohemian composer of operas and symphonic poems, founder of the Czech national school of......
Smyth, Dame Ethel
Dame Ethel Smyth was a British composer whose work was notably eclectic, ranging from conventional to experimental.......
Soler, Antonio
Antonio Soler was the most important composer of instrumental and church music in Spain in the late 18th century.......
Solti, Georg
Georg Solti was a Hungarian-born British conductor and pianist, one of the most highly regarded conductors of the......
sonata
sonata, type of musical composition, usually for a solo instrument or a small instrumental ensemble, that typically......
sonata da camera
sonata da camera, a type of solo or trio sonata intended for secular performance; the designation is usually found......
sonata da chiesa
sonata da chiesa, a type of sonata, most commonly a Baroque instrumental work with several (often four) movements,......
Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, musical composition by Hungarian pianist and ethnomusicologist Béla Bartók......
Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, six compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach that date from the early 18th century.......
sonatina
sonatina, in music, a shorter and often lighter form of the sonata, usually in three short movements (i.e., independent......
Songs Without Words
Songs Without Words, collection of 48 songs written for solo piano rather than voice by German composer Felix Mendelssohn.......
Sontag, Henriette
Henriette Sontag was a German operatic and concert soprano who enjoyed great acclaim both before and after a 19-year......
Sor, Fernando
Fernando Sor was a Catalan Romantic performer, composer, and teacher of guitar known for being among the first......
Sousa, John Philip
John Philip Sousa was an American bandmaster and composer of military marches. The son of an immigrant Portuguese......
Spanisches Liederbuch
Spanisches Liederbuch, song cycle by Austrian composer Hugo Wolf, based on both sacred and secular verses. The......
Spohr, Louis
Louis Spohr was a German violinist, composer, and conductor whose compositions illustrate an early aspect of the......
Spontini, Gaspare
Gaspare Spontini was an Italian composer and conductor whose early operas, notably his masterpiece, La vestale......
St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Passion music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Its earliest verified performance was April......
Stamitz, Carl
Carl Stamitz was a German composer of the last generation of Mannheim symphonists. Stamitz was the son of Johann......
Stamitz, Johann
Johann Stamitz was a Bohemian composer who founded the Mannheim school of symphonists, which had an immense influence......
Stanford, Sir Charles Villiers
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Anglo-Irish composer, conductor, and teacher who greatly influenced the generation......
Stasevska, Dalia
Dalia Stasevska is a Ukrainian-born Finnish musician and conductor who became, in 2019, the youngest person and......
Stavenhagen, Bernhard
Bernhard Stavenhagen was a German pianist and conductor who played in the virtuoso style of Franz Liszt. Stavenhagen......
Steffani, Agostino
Agostino Steffani was a composer, singer, cleric, and diplomat, celebrated for his cantatas for two voices. Steffani......
Stein, Gertrude
Gertrude Stein was an avant-garde American writer, eccentric, and self-styled genius whose Paris home was a salon......
Steinberg, William
William Steinberg was a German-born American conductor who directed the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1952 to 1976.......
Still, William Grant
William Grant Still was an American composer and conductor and the first African American to conduct a professional......
Stokowski, Leopold
Leopold Stokowski was a virtuoso British-born U.S. conductor known for his flamboyant showmanship and the rich......
Storace, Stephen
Stephen Storace was a composer whose comic operas were highly popular in 18th-century England. Storace was the......
Stow, Randolph
Randolph Stow was an Australian novelist and poet noted for his economical style and great powers of description.......
Stradella, Alessandro
Alessandro Stradella was an Italian composer, singer, and violinist known primarily for his cantatas. Stradella......
Straus, Oscar
Oscar Straus was an Austrian composer known for his operetta The Chocolate Soldier. Straus studied in Vienna and......
Strauss, Johann, I
Johann Strauss I was one of the principal composers of Viennese waltzes. Strauss became a viola player in the dance......
Strauss, Johann, II
Johann Strauss II was known as “the Waltz King,” a composer famous for his Viennese waltzes and operettas. Strauss......
Strauss, Richard
Richard Strauss was an outstanding German Romantic composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His symphonic......
Stravinsky, Igor
Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer whose work had a revolutionary impact on musical thought and sensibility......
Strozzi, Barbara
Barbara Strozzi was an Italian virtuoso singer and composer of vocal music, one of only a few women in the 17th......
suite
suite, in music, a group of self-contained instrumental movements of varying character, usually in the same key.......
Suite bergamasque
Suite bergamasque, four-movement suite for piano by French composer Claude Debussy, begun in 1890, when the composer......
Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV 1007–1012
Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV 1007–1012, collection of six suites for solo cello written about 1720 by Johann......
Sullivan, Arthur
Arthur Sullivan was a composer who, with W.S. Gilbert, established the distinctive English form of the operetta.......
Suppé, Franz von
Franz von Suppé was an Austrian composer of light operas. He greatly influenced the development of Austrian and......
Surinach, Carlos
Carlos Surinach was a Spanish-born American composer, known chiefly for his vibrant ballet scores influenced by......
Surprise Symphony
Surprise Symphony, orchestral work by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, so named for the “surprise”—a startlingly......
Sutherland, Joan
Joan Sutherland was an Australian operatic soprano who was considered the leading coloratura of the 20th century.......
Sweelinck, Jan Pieterszoon
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was a Dutch organist and composer, one of the principal figures in the development of......
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House, opera house located on Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), New South Wales, Australia. Its unique......
Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, symphony for orchestra by Russian composer Sergey Rachmaninoff that premiered in the......
symphonie concertante
symphonie concertante, in music of the Classical period (c. 1750–c. 1820), symphony employing two or more solo......
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, orchestral work by French composer Hector Berlioz, widely recognized as an early......
symphony
symphony, a lengthy form of musical composition for orchestra, normally consisting of several large sections, or......
Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 38
Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 38, symphony by German composer Robert Schumann that premiered on March 31,......
Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68, orchestral work by German composer Johannes Brahms that, with its lyricism and......
Symphony No. 1 in D Major
Symphony No. 1 in D Major, symphony by composer Gustav Mahler, also known as Titan. Begun in Leipzig while Mahler......
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 2, flowing three-movement symphony by American neo-Romantic composer Howard Hanson, written as a counter......
Symphony No. 2: The Age of Anxiety
Symphony No. 2: The Age of Anxiety, programmatic symphony for piano and orchestra by American composer Leonard......
Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 3, symphony for orchestra by American composer Aaron Copland that premiered in Boston on October 18,......