Classical Music, WEI-ÁNG
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
Weill, Kurt
Kurt Weill was a German-born American composer who created a revolutionary kind of opera of sharp social satire......
Weinberger, Jaromir
Jaromir Weinberger was a Czech composer known mainly for his opera Švanda Dudák (Shvanda the Bagpiper). Weinberger......
Weingartner, Felix, edler von Munzberg
Felix Weingartner, edler von Munzberg was an Austrian symphonic and operatic conductor and composer, best-known......
Weisgall, Hugo
Hugo Weisgall was a Czech-born American composer and educator, whose operas have been praised for their literary......
Well-Tempered Clavier, The, BWV 846–893
The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach, published......
Wellesz, Egon
Egon Wellesz was an Austrian composer and musicologist, highly esteemed as an authority on Byzantine music. A pupil......
Wert, Giaches de
Giaches de Wert was a Flemish composer best known to his contemporaries for his madrigals. He was highly praised......
What’s the difference between a symphony and an orchestra?
The relationship between a symphony and an orchestra is that the orchestra is the ensemble that performs the symphony.......
Whiteman, Paul
Paul Whiteman was an American bandleader, called the “King of Jazz” for popularizing a musical style that helped......
Widor, Charles-Marie
Charles-Marie Widor was a French organist, composer, and teacher. The son and grandson of organ builders, Widor......
Wieniawski, Henryk
Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer, one of the most celebrated violinists of the 19th century.......
Wilbye, John
John Wilbye was an English composer, one of the finest madrigalists of his time. Wilbye was the son of a successful......
Willaert, Adriaan
Adriaan Willaert was a Flemish composer who contributed significantly to the development of the Italian madrigal,......
Wilson, Robert
Robert Wilson was an American playwright, director, and producer known for his avant-garde theater works. Wilson......
Winterreise
Winterreise, cycle of 24 songs for male voice and piano composed in 1827 by Austrian composer Franz Schubert, with......
Wolf, Hugo
Hugo Wolf was a composer who brought the 19th-century German lied, or art song, to its highest point of development.......
Wolf-Ferrari, Ermanno
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari was an Italian operatic composer who followed both the comic and the realistic traditions.......
Wood, Sir Henry J.
Sir Henry J. Wood was a conductor, the principal figure in the popularization of orchestral music in England in......
Woodwind Sonatas
Woodwind Sonatas, group of three sonatas for piano and a woodwind instrument composed by Camille Saint-Saëns and......
Wozzeck
Wozzeck, opera in three acts by Austrian composer Alban Berg, who also wrote its German libretto, deriving the......
Yaw, Ellen Beach
Ellen Beach Yaw was an American operatic soprano who enjoyed critical and popular acclaim on European and American......
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, The
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, composition for orchestra by British composer Benjamin Britten. The......
Ysaÿe, Eugène
Eugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist, conductor, and composer, the foremost interpreter of the string works of......
zarzuela
zarzuela, form of Spanish or Spanish-derived musical theatre in which the dramatic action is carried through an......
Zeffirelli, Franco
Franco Zeffirelli was an Italian director, designer, and producer of opera, theatre, motion pictures, and television.......
Zemlinsky, Alexander
Alexander Zemlinsky was an Austrian composer and conductor whose craftsmanship in both areas was and is highly......
Zhou Long
Zhou Long is a Chinese American composer known for his works that brought together the music of the East and the......
Zingarelli, Niccolò Antonio
Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli was one of the principal Italian composers of operas and religious music of his time.......
Zivkovic, Djuro
Djuro Zivkovic is a Serbian musician and composer whose Grawemeyer Award-winning composition, On the Guarding of......
Zukerman, Pinchas
Pinchas Zukerman is an Israeli American violinist, violist, and conductor who earned widespread acclaim in a career......
Zumsteeg, Johann
Johann Zumsteeg was a German composer and conductor known as a pioneer in the development of the ballad. Zumsteeg......
Zwilich, Ellen Taaffe
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is an American composer, the first woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in composition.......
Ángeles, Victoria de los
Victoria de los Ángeles was a Spanish soprano known for her interpretations of Spanish songs and operatic parts......