Classical Music, MUS-PIC
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
music
music, art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, usually......
music drama
music drama, type of serious musical theatre, first advanced by Richard Wagner in his book Oper und Drama (1850–51;......
Music for the Royal Fireworks
Music for the Royal Fireworks, orchestral suite in five movements by George Frideric Handel that premiered in London......
Mussorgsky, Modest
Modest Mussorgsky was a Russian composer noted particularly for his opera Boris Godunov (final version first performed......
Muti, Riccardo
Riccardo Muti is an Italian conductor of both opera and the symphonic repertory. He became one of the most respected......
Mystery Sonatas
Mystery Sonatas, group of 15 short sonatas and a passacaglia for violin and basso continuo written by Bohemian......
Mälkki, Susanna
Susanna Mälkki is a Finnish conductor, especially of contemporary composers and opera, known for being the first......
Méhul, Étienne-Nicolas
Étienne-Nicolas Méhul was a composer who influenced the development of French opera and who was one of the principal......
Nanino, Giovanni Maria
Giovanni Maria Nanino was an Italian singer, teacher, and composer who was one of the better-known figures in late......
National Public Radio
National Public Radio, more commonly known as NPR, is the public radio network of the United States. Based in Washington,......
National Symphony Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1931......
nawbah
nawbah , in Middle Eastern music, particularly the traditions of North Africa, an elaborate suite of movements......
NBC Symphony
NBC Symphony, American orchestra created in 1937 by the National Broadcasting Company expressly for the internationally......
Neapolitan opera
Neapolitan opera, style of Italian opera written chiefly by 18th-century composers working in Naples. See opera...
Netrebko, Anna
Anna Netrebko is a Russian Austrian operatic soprano known for her dark lustrous voice, her compelling dramatic......
Nevada, Emma
Emma Nevada was an American opera singer, one of the finest coloratura sopranos of the late 19th and early 20th......
New World Symphony
New World Symphony, orchestral work by Bohemian composer Antonín Dvořák, a major milestone in the validation of......
New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic, symphony orchestra based in New York, New York, the oldest major symphony orchestra in the......
Nicolai, Otto
Otto Nicolai was a German composer known for his comic opera Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (The Merry Wives of......
Nielsen, Alice
Alice Nielsen was an American lyric soprano whose successful career in light opera was followed by a second one......
Nielsen, Carl
Carl Nielsen was a violinist, conductor, and Denmark’s foremost composer, particularly admired as a symphonist.......
Nigerian theatre
Nigerian theatre, variety of folk opera of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria that emerged in the early......
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Nights in the Gardens of Spain, a set of nocturnes for piano and orchestra by Manuel de Falla. Almost but not quite......
Nikisch, Arthur
Arthur Nikisch was one of the finest conductors of the late 19th century. After study in Vienna, in 1878 Nikisch......
Nilsson, Birgit
Birgit Nilsson was a Swedish operatic soprano, celebrated as a Wagnerian interpreter and known for her powerful,......
Nixon in China
Nixon in China, opera in three acts by John Adams (with an English libretto by Alice Goodman), which premiered......
noche de los Mayas, La
La noche de los Mayas, symphonic suite by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, composed for a film of the same......
nocturne
nocturne, (French: “Nocturnal”), in music, a composition inspired by, or evocative of, the night, and cultivated......
Nono, Luigi
Luigi Nono was a leading Italian composer of electronic, aleatory, and serial music. Nono began his musical studies......
Nordica, Lillian
Lillian Nordica was an American soprano, acclaimed for her opulent voice and dramatic presence, especially in Wagnerian......
Norman, Jessye
Jessye Norman was an American operatic soprano, one of the finest of her day, who also enjoyed a successful concert......
Nourrit, Adolphe
Adolphe Nourrit was a French dramatic tenor who created many new roles in French opera. His father, Louis Nourrit,......
Novello, Vincent
Vincent Novello was an English composer, conductor, and founder of the Novello music publishing house. From 1797......
Novák, Vítězslav
Vítězslav Novák was a Czech composer who was one of the principal proponents of nationalism in Czech music and......
Nézet-Séguin, Yannick
Yannick Nézet-Séguin is a Canadian conductor and pianist who was music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra (2012–......
Oboe Concerto
Oboe Concerto, three-movement concerto for oboe and small orchestra, one of the last works written by German composer......
Ockeghem, Jean de
Jean de Ockeghem was a composer of sacred and secular music, one of the great masters of the Franco-Flemish style......
Offenbach, Jacques
Jacques Offenbach was a composer who created a type of light burlesque French comic opera known as the opérette,......
Ogunde, Hubert
Hubert Ogunde was a Nigerian playwright, actor, theatre manager, and musician, who was a pioneer in the field of......
Ogunmola, Kola
Kola Ogunmola was a Nigerian actor, mime, director, and playwright who took Yoruba folk opera (drama that combines......
opera
opera, a staged drama set to music in its entirety, made up of vocal pieces with instrumental accompaniment and......
opera buffa
opera buffa, genre of comic opera originating in Naples in the mid-18th century. It developed from the intermezzi,......
opera seria
opera seria, (Italian: “serious opera”), style of Italian opera dominant in 18th-century Europe. It emerged in......
operetta
operetta, musical-dramatic production similar in structure to a light opera but characteristically having a romantically......
Opéra
Opéra, Parisian opera house designed by Charles Garnier. The building, considered one of the masterpieces of the......
opéra-comique
opéra-comique, French form of opera in which spoken dialogue alternates with self-contained musical numbers. The......
orchestra
orchestra, instrumental ensemble of varying size and composition. Although applied to various ensembles found in......
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, symphony orchestra based in Geneva and founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet to provide......
Orchestre de Paris
Orchestre de Paris, French symphony orchestra formed in 1828 to perform at the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire.......
Orff, Carl
Carl Orff was a German composer known particularly for his operas and dramatic works and for his innovations in......
Organ Symphony
Organ Symphony, orchestral work by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, notable especially for its grand use of......
Orliński, Jakub Józef
Jakub Józef Orliński is a Polish countertenor known for his angelic voice and tasteful interpretations of Baroque......
Ormandy, Eugene
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born American conductor who was identified with the Late Romantic and early 20th-century......
Orpheus in the Underworld
Orpheus in the Underworld, comic operetta by French composer Jacques Offenbach (French libretto by Hector Crémieux......
Otello
Otello, opera in four acts by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito) that premiered......
Otter, Anne Sofie von
Anne Sofie von Otter is a Swedish mezzo-soprano known especially for her effective singing of young male operatic......
Owens, Eric
Eric Owens is an American bass-baritone celebrated for his interpretation and embrace of both classical and contemporary......
Ozawa, Seiji
Seiji Ozawa was a groundbreaking conductor especially noted for his energetic style and his sweeping performances......
Pachelbel, Johann
Johann Pachelbel was a German composer known for his works for organ and one of the great organ masters of the......
Pacini, Giovanni
Giovanni Pacini was an Italian opera composer who enjoyed considerable renown in the early to mid-19th century......
Paer, Ferdinando
Ferdinando Paer was an Italian composer who, along with Domenico Cimarosa and Nicola Antonio Zingarelli, was one......
Paganini, Niccolò
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian composer and principal violin virtuoso of the 19th century. A popular idol, he......
Pagliacci
Pagliacci, verismo opera with both words and music by Ruggero Leoncavallo. Based on an actual crime, Pagliacci......
Paine, John Knowles
John Knowles Paine was a composer and organist, the first American to win wide recognition as a composer and the......
Paisiello, Giovanni
Giovanni Paisiello was a Neapolitan composer of operas admired for their robust realism and dramatic power. Paisiello’s......
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of more than 105 masses and 250 motets, a......
Palmgren, Selim
Selim Palmgren was a Finnish pianist and composer who helped establish the nationalist movement in Finnish music.......
Panufnik, Sir Andrzej
Sir Andrzej Panufnik was a Polish-born British composer and conductor, who created compositions in a distinctive......
Paris Opéra
Paris Opéra, opera company in Paris that for more than two centuries was the chief performer of serious operas......
Parker, Horatio
Horatio Parker was a composer, conductor, and teacher, and a prominent member of the turn-of-the-century Boston......
Parsifal
Parsifal, music drama in three acts by German composer Richard Wagner, with a German libretto by the composer.......
Pasta, Giuditta
Giuditta Pasta was the reigning Italian soprano of her time, acclaimed for her vocal range and expressiveness.......
Pathétique Sonata
Pathétique Sonata, sonata for piano and orchestra by Ludwig van Beethoven, published in 1799. Unlike most of the......
Pathétique Symphony
Pathétique Symphony, final composition by Peter Tchaikovsky. Called the “Passionate Symphony” by the composer,......
Patti, Adelina
Adelina Patti was an Italian soprano who was one of the great coloratura singers of the 19th century. Patti was......
Pavarotti, Luciano
Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian operatic lyric tenor who was considered one of the finest bel canto opera singers......
Pears, Sir Peter
Sir Peter Pears was a British tenor, a singer of outstanding skill and subtlety who was closely associated with......
Pedrell, Felipe
Felipe Pedrell was a Spanish composer and musical scholar who devoted his life to the development of a Spanish......
Penderecki, Krzysztof
Krzysztof Penderecki was an outstanding Polish composer of his generation whose novel and masterful treatment of......
Pepusch, John Christopher
John Christopher Pepusch was a composer who was an important musical figure in England when George Frideric Handel......
Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was an Italian composer whose intermezzo La serva padrona (“The Maid Turned Mistress”)......
Peri, Jacopo
Jacopo Peri was an Italian composer noted for his contribution to the development of dramatic vocal style in early......
Persichetti, Vincent
Vincent Persichetti was an American composer noted for his succinct polyphonic style (based on interwoven melodic......
Petrassi, Goffredo
Goffredo Petrassi was one of the most influential Italian composers of the 20th century. He is known for incorporating......
Pettersson, Allan
Allan Pettersson was a Swedish composer known as the creator of Barfotasånger (“Barefoot Songs”), a collection......
Pfitzner, Hans
Hans Pfitzner was a German composer who upheld traditional ideals during the post-Wagnerian era. Pfitzner was a......
Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra, American symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia. It was founded in 1900 under the direction......
Philidor, André
André Philidor was a musician and composer, an outstanding member of a large and important family of musicians......
Philidor, François-André
François-André Philidor was a French composer whose operas were successful and widely known in his day and who......
Philips, Peter
Peter Philips was an English composer of madrigals, motets, and keyboard music of considerable reputation in his......
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54, three-movement concerto for piano by German composer Robert Schumann that premiered......
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23, concerto for piano and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The......
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major, Op. 10
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major, Op. 10, concerto for piano by Russian composer Sergey Prokofiev, which jolted......
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18, composition for piano and orchestra by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It premiered......
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30, composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The work premiered on November 28,......
Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22
Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22, sonata in four movements for piano and orchestra by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera......
Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K 331
Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K 331, three-movement sonata for solo piano by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, written......
Piano Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp, Op. 30
Piano Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp, Op. 30, sonata for solo piano by Russian pianist and composer Aleksandr Scriabin,......
Piano Sonata No. 6 in A, Op. 82
Piano Sonata No. 6 in A, Op. 82, sonata for solo piano by Sergey Prokofiev, known for its passages of electric......
Piccinni, Niccolò
Niccolò Piccinni was one of the outstanding opera composers of the Neapolitan school, who wrote in both the comic......