Classical Music, LOE-MUS
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 "FĂŒr Elise," Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," and Georges Bizet's "Habañera" (from the opera "Carmen").
Classical Music Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Loeffler, Charles Martin
Charles Martin Loeffler was an American composer whose works are distinguished by a poetic lyricism in an Impressionist......
Loewe, Carl
Carl Loewe was a German composer and singer who is best-known for his songs, particularly his dramatic ballads.......
Lombardo, Guy
Guy Lombardo was a Canadian-born American dance-band leader whose New Yearâs Eve radio and television broadcasts......
Lortzing, Albert
Albert Lortzing was a composer who established the 19th-century style of light German opera that remained in favour......
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic, American symphony orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1919......
Lully, Jean-Baptiste
Jean-Baptiste Lully was an Italian-born French court and operatic composer who from 1662 completely controlled......
LutosĆawski, Witold
Witold LutosĆawski was an outstanding Polish composer of the 20th century who attempted to create a new musical......
Lyadov, Anatoly
Anatoly Lyadov was a Russian composer whose orchestral works and poetic, beautifully polished piano miniatures......
Lytton, Sir Henry Alfred
Sir Henry Alfred Lytton was a British comic actor best known for his leading roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.......
Maazel, Lorin
Lorin Maazel was a conductor and violinist who, as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1972 to 1982,......
MacDowell, Edward
Edward MacDowell was a U.S. composer known especially for his piano pieces in smaller forms. As one of the first......
Machaut, Guillaume de
Guillaume de Machaut was a French poet and musician, greatly admired by contemporaries as a master of French versification......
Mackenzie, Sir Alexander Campbell
Sir Alexander Campbell Mackenzie was a Scottish composer who, with Sir Hubert Parry and Sir Charles Stanford, was......
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly, opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (Italian libretto......
Maderna, Bruno
Bruno Maderna was an Italian composer of avant-garde and electronic music and a noted conductor. Maderna studied......
madrigal
madrigal, form of vocal chamber music that originated in northern Italy during the 14th century, declined and all......
Magic Flute, The
The Magic Flute, singspiel in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with a German libretto by Austrian actor and......
Mahagonny
Mahagonny, opera in 20 scenes with music by Kurt Weill and text by Bertolt Brecht, published in 1929 and performed......
Mahler, Gustav
Gustav Mahler was an Austrian Jewish composer and conductor, noted for his 10 symphonies and various songs with......
Major Rulers of France
During its long history, France has gone through numerous types of government. Under the Fifth Republic, Franceâs......
Malibran, Maria
Maria Malibran was a Spanish mezzo-soprano of exceptional vocal range, power, and agility. MarĂa and her mezzo-soprano......
Malipiero, Gian Francesco
Gian Francesco Malipiero was a composer whose music represents a fusion of modern techniques with the stylistic......
Mamontov, Savva
Savva Mamontov was a Russian railroad entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder and creative director of the Moscow......
Mara, Gertrud Elisabeth
Gertrud Elisabeth Mara was a German soprano of great technical ability, who was one of the few non-Italians of......
Marais, Marin
Marin Marais was a French composer who was also a celebrated virtuoso of the viola da gamba. He studied viola da......
Marcello, Benedetto
Benedetto Marcello was an Italian composer and writer, especially remembered for two works: the satirical pamphlet......
Marenzio, Luca
Luca Marenzio was a composer whose madrigals are considered to be among the finest examples of Italian madrigals......
Mario, Giovanni Matteo
Giovanni Matteo Mario was an Italian romantic tenor, known for his striking good looks, grace, and charm as well......
Marpurg, Friedrich Wilhelm
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg was a German composer and writer remembered for his theoretical and critical writings......
Marriage of Figaro, The
The Marriage of Figaro, comic opera in four acts by Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Italian libretto......
Marriner, Neville
Neville Marriner was a British violinist, teacher, and conductor who had one of the most prolific recording relationships......
Marschner, Heinrich August
Heinrich August Marschner was a composer who helped establish the style of German Romantic opera. Marschner studied......
Marsh, John
John Marsh was a composer and writer on music whose works include the only surviving English symphonies from the......
Martin, Frank
Frank Martin was one of the foremost Swiss composers of the 20th century. In the middle and late 1920s Martin was......
Martini, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista Martini was an Italian composer, music theorist, and music historian who was internationally......
MartinĆŻ, Bohuslav
Bohuslav MartinĆŻ was a modern Czech composer whose works exhibit a distinctive blend of French and Czech influences.......
MartĂn y Soler, Vicente
Vicente MartĂn y Soler was a Spanish opera composer known primarily for his melodious Italian comic operas and......
Mascagni, Pietro
Pietro Mascagni was an Italian operatic composer, one of the principal exponents of verismo, a style of opera writing......
Massenet, Jules
Jules Massenet was a leading French opera composer, whose music is admired for its lyricism, sensuality, occasional......
Masur, Kurt
Kurt Masur was a German conductor, known for his heartfelt interpretations of the German Romantic repertoire, who......
Mattheson, Johann
Johann Mattheson was a composer and scholar whose writings are an important source of information about 18th-century......
Matyushin, Mikhail Vasilyevich
Mikhail Vasilyevich Matyushin was a Russian painter, composer, and theoretician who was a leading member of the......
Maurel, Victor
Victor Maurel was a French operatic baritone and outstanding singing actor, admired for his breath control and......
Mayr, Simon
Simon Mayr was an Italian operatic and liturgical composer of German origin who was one of the first composers......
McCall Smith, Alexander
Alexander McCall Smith is a British writer, creator of a series of novels about Precious Ramotswe, a fictional......
McCormack, John
John McCormack was an Irish American tenor who was considered to be one of the finest singers of the first quarter......
McCracken, James
James McCracken was an American operatic tenor who performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for three......
McFerrin, Robert, Sr.
Robert McFerrin, Sr. was an American opera singer who became the first African American male to solo at the Metropolitan......
Mehldau, Brad
Brad Mehldau is an American jazz pianist whose incorporation of rock elements into his performances made him one......
Mehta, Zubin
Zubin Mehta is an Indian orchestral conductor and musical director known for his expressiveness on the podium and......
Mei Lanfang
Mei Lanfang was a Chinese theatrical performer, one of the greatest singer-actor-dancers in Chinese history. The......
Melba, Dame Nellie
Dame Nellie Melba was an Australian coloratura soprano, a singer of great popularity. She sang at Richmond (Australia)......
Melchior, Lauritz
Lauritz Melchior was a Danish-U.S. tenor. He debuted as a baritone in 1913 but further study extended his range......
Mendelssohn, Fanny
Fanny Mendelssohn was a German pianist and composer, the eldest sister and confidante of the composer Felix Mendelssohn.......
Mendelssohn, Felix
Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, musical conductor, and teacher, one of the most-celebrated figures......
Mengelberg, Willem
Willem Mengelberg was a symphonic conductor in the Romantic tradition who, during his tenure with the Amsterdam......
Mennin, Peter
Peter Mennin was an American composer and educator best known for his symphonic works written in a conservative......
Menotti, Gian Carlo
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian composer, whose operas gained wider popularity than any others of their time.......
Menuhin, Yehudi, Lord Menuhin of Stoke dâAbernon
Yehudi Menuhin, Lord Menuhin of Stoke dâAbernon was one of the leading violin virtuosos of the 20th century. Menuhin......
Mercadante, Saverio
Saverio Mercadante was an Italian composer and teacher who was a transitional figure in opera composition between......
Merry Widow, The
The Merry Widow, comic operetta in three acts by Hungarian composer Franz LehĂĄr (libretto in German by Viktor LĂ©on......
Messager, André
André Messager was a French conductor and composer whose operettas achieved popularity in France and England. Messager......
Messiaen, Olivier
Olivier Messiaen was an influential French composer, organist, and teacher noted for his use of mystical and religious......
Messiah
Messiah, oratorio by German-born English composer George Frideric Handel, premiered in Dublin on April 13, 1742,......
Metastasio, Pietro
Pietro Metastasio was an Italian poet and the most celebrated librettist in Europe writing during the 18th century......
Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera, in New York City, leading U.S. opera company, distinguished for the outstanding singers it......
Meyerbeer, Giacomo
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a German opera composer who established in Paris a vogue for spectacular romantic opera.......
Mikado, The
The Mikado, operetta in two acts by W.S. Gilbert (libretto) and Sir Arthur Sullivan (music) that premiered at the......
Milhaud, Darius
Darius Milhaud was a principal French composer of the 20th century known especially for his development of polytonality......
Millay, Edna St. Vincent
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and dramatist who came to personify romantic rebellion and bravado......
Miller, Jonathan
Jonathan Miller was an English actor, director, producer, medical doctor, and man of letters noted for his wide-ranging......
Mitropoulos, Dimitri
Dimitri Mitropoulos was a conductor known for his performances of 20th-century works. Mitropoulos studied in Athens,......
Modern Jazz Quartet
Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ), American musical ensemble noted for delicate percussion sonorities, innovations in jazz......
Moeran, Ernest John
Ernest John Moeran was a composer whose music reflects English and Irish roots. Moeran studied at the Royal College......
Monn, Matthias Georg
Matthias Georg Monn was an Austrian composer and organist whose compositions mark a transition from the Baroque......
Montagnana, Antonio
Antonio Montagnana was an Italian singer noted for his powerful bass voice and for his roles in many of George......
Monte, Philippe de
Philippe de Monte was one of the most active composers of the Netherlandish, or Flemish, school that dominated......
Montemezzi, Italo
Italo Montemezzi was an Italian opera and symphonic composer whose masterpiece was the opera Lâamore dei tre re......
Monteux, Pierre
Pierre Monteux was one of the leading conductors of the 20th century, acclaimed for his interpretations ranging......
Monteverdi, Claudio
Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian composer in the late Renaissance, the most important developer of the then new......
Montéclair, Michel de
Michel de Montéclair was a French composer of operatic and instrumental works in the period between Jean-Baptiste......
Moonlight Sonata
Moonlight Sonata, solo piano work by Ludwig van Beethoven, admired particularly for its mysterious, gently arpeggiated,......
Moore, Douglas Stuart
Douglas Stuart Moore was an American composer best known for his folk operas dealing with American themes, the......
Moore, Grace
Grace Moore was an American singer and actress who found great popular and critical success in both opera and motion......
Morley, Thomas
Thomas Morley was a composer, organist, and theorist, and the first of the great English madrigalists. Morley held......
Morrison, Toni
Toni Morrison was an American writer noted for her examination of Black experience (particularly Black female experience)......
Moszkowski, Moritz
Moritz Moszkowski was a German pianist and composer known for his Spanish dances. Moszkowski studied piano at Dresden......
Mother of Us All, The
The Mother of Us All, opera in two acts with libretto by American writer Gertrude Stein and music by American composer......
Mottl, Felix
Felix Mottl was an Austrian conductor known for his performances of the operas of Richard Wagner. Mottl studied......
Mozart Piano Concertos
Mozart Piano Concertos, compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart not only numerous in quantity and excellent in......
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer, widely recognized as one of the greatest composers in the history......
Muck, Karl
Karl Muck was a German conductor considered one of the greatest conductors of the works of Richard Wagner. The......
Muffat, Georg
Georg Muffat was a composer whose concerti grossi and instrumental suites were among the earliest German examples......
Mujica LĂĄinez, Manuel
Manuel Mujica LĂĄinez was a popular Argentine writer whose novels and short stories are best known for their masterful......
Muldoon, Paul
Paul Muldoon is a Northern Irish poet whose oeuvre covers both intensely personal and political terrainâfrom his......
Munch, Charles
Charles Munch was a conductor known for his interpretations of works by Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, and Maurice......
Mundy, William
William Mundy was an English composer of polyphonic sacred music and father of the organist and composer John Mundy.......
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, German symphony orchestra, based in Munich. Founded in 1893 by Franz Kaim, the Kaim......
Musgrave, Thea
Thea Musgrave is a Scottish composer best known for her dramatic concerti, operas, choral works, and chamber music.......