Classical Music, PIC-SCA
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
Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition, musical work in 10 movements by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky that was inspired......
Pilkington, Francis
Francis Pilkington was an English composer of lute songs (ayres) and madrigals. Pilkington studied music extensively......
Pinza, Ezio
Ezio Pinza was an Italian-born operatic bass and actor. Pinza studied civil engineering before turning, at his......
Pirates of Penzance, The
The Pirates of Penzance, operetta in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and an English libretto by W.S. Gilbert.......
Piston, Walter
Walter Piston was a composer noted for his symphonic and chamber music and his influence in the development of......
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO ), American symphony orchestra based in Pittsburgh. It was founded as the Pittsburgh......
Planets, The, Op. 32
The Planets, Op. 32, orchestral suite consisting of seven short tone poems by English composer Gustav Holst. Its......
Planquette, Robert
Robert Planquette was a French composer of operettas and other light music. After studying at the Paris Conservatoire,......
Pleyel, Ignace Joseph
Ignace Joseph Pleyel was an Austro-French composer, music publisher, and piano builder. Trained in music while......
Ponchielli, Amilcare
Amilcare Ponchielli was an Italian composer, best known for his opera La gioconda (âThe Joyful Girlâ). Ponchielli......
Ponnelle, Jean-Pierre
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle was a French opera director and designer who mounted unorthodox and often controversial productions......
Pons, Lily
Lily Pons was a French-born American coloratura soprano known for her vocal range, musical skill, and warmth of......
Ponselle, Rosa
Rosa Ponselle was an American coloratura soprano of great breadth of range and expressive ability, who is probably......
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess, dramatic folk opera in three acts by George Gershwin. Its English libretto was written by DuBose......
Porpora, Nicola
Nicola Porpora was a leading Italian teacher of singing of the 18th century and noted composer between 1708 and......
Postromantic music
Postromantic music, musical style typical of the last decades of the 19th century and first decades of the 20th......
Poulenc, Francis
Francis Poulenc was a composer who made an important contribution to French music in the decades after World War......
Praetorius, Michael
Michael Praetorius was a German music theorist and composer whose Syntagma musicum (1614â20) is a principal source......
prelude
prelude, musical composition, usually brief, that is generally played as an introduction to another, larger musical......
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, tone poem for orchestra by Claude Debussy. The original orchestral version......
Preludes
Preludes, a group of 24 preludes for piano by Russian composer and pianist Sergey Rachmaninoff. They were intended......
Previn, André
André Previn was a German-born American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor, especially sympathetic to French,......
Price, Florence
Florence Price was an American composer and pianist whose work spans three decades, during which she wrote more......
Price, Leontyne
Leontyne Price is an American lyric soprano, the first African American singer to achieve an international reputation......
Pritchard, Sir John
Sir John Pritchard was a British conductor who traveled widely and was known for his interpretations of operas......
Prokofiev, Sergey
Sergey Prokofiev was a 20th-century Russian (and Soviet) composer who wrote in a wide range of musical genres,......
Préludes, Les
Les Préludes, symphonic, or tone, poem by Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt that premiered in 1854 in......
Puccini, Giacomo
Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer, one of the greatest exponents of operatic realism, who virtually brought......
Purcell, Henry
Henry Purcell was an English composer of the middle Baroque period, most remembered for his more than 100 songs;......
PĂ€rt, Arvo
Arvo PĂ€rt is an Estonian composer who developed a style based on the slow modulation of sounds such as those produced......
Quantz, Johann Joachim
Johann Joachim Quantz was a German composer and flute virtuoso who left an important treatise on the flute and......
quartet
quartet, a musical composition for four instruments or voices; also, the group of four performers. Although any......
Quartet for the End of Time
Quartet for the End of Time, quartet in eight movements for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by French composer......
Quasthoff, Thomas
Thomas Quasthoff is a German singer whose powerful bass-baritone voice placed him among the preeminent classical......
Queler, Eve
Eve Queler is an American conductor who was one of the first women to establish herself in the traditionally male-dominated......
quintet
quintet, a musical composition for five instruments or voices; also, a group of five musicians performing such......
Raaff, Anton
Anton Raaff was a German operatic tenor, one of the foremost of his day. Raaff received some vocal experience while......
Racette, Patricia
Patricia Racette is an American lyric soprano who, in her numerous years with the San Francisco Opera (SFO) and......
Rachmaninoff, Sergey
Sergey Rachmaninoff was a composer who was the last great figure of the tradition of Russian Romanticism and a......
Radvanovsky, Sondra
Sondra Radvanovsky is an American-Canadian bel canto soprano known for being one of the premier interpreters of......
Raff, Joachim
Joachim Raff was a German composer and teacher, greatly celebrated in his lifetime but nearly forgotten in the......
Rameau, Jean-Philippe
Jean-Philippe Rameau was a French composer of the late Baroque period, best known today for his harpsichord music,......
Rattle, Simon
Simon Rattle is a British conductor well known for his performances of works by Gustav Mahler as well as by Arnold......
Ravel, Maurice
Maurice Ravel was a French composer of Swiss-Basque descent, noted for his musical craftsmanship and perfection......
Ravinia Park
Ravinia Park, one of the oldest outdoor summer music and cultural centres in the United States, located in Highland......
Rawsthorne, Alan
Alan Rawsthorne was an English composer best known for his finely structured orchestral and chamber music written......
Razumovsky Quartets
Razumovsky Quartets, three string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven composed in 1805â06 for the Russian ambassador......
Red Pony, The
The Red Pony, film score and suite for orchestra by American composer Aaron Copland for the Lewis Milestone film......
Rediscovered Artists: 6 Big Names That Time Almost Forgot
For every artist who becomes enduringly famous, there are hundreds more who fall into obscurity. It may surprise......
Reger, Max
Max Reger was a German composer and teacher noted for his organ works, which use Baroque forms. He was one of the......
Reich, Steve
Steve Reich is an American composer who was one of the leading exponents of Minimalism, a style based on repetitions......
Reinecke, Carl
Carl Reinecke was a German pianist, composer, conductor, and teacher who sought, in his works and teaching, to......
Reiner, Fritz
Fritz Reiner was a Hungarian-born American conductor known for his technical precision and control, both in symphonic......
Reinhardt, Max
Max Reinhardt was one of the first theatrical directors to achieve widespread recognition as a major creative artist,......
Renzi, Anna
Anna Renzi was an Italian singer, actress, and star of public opera in Venice during the mid-17th century. Prominent......
Requiem in D Minor, K 626
Requiem in D Minor, K 626, requiem mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, left incomplete at his death on December 5,......
Respighi, Ottorino
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer who introduced Russian orchestral colour and some of the violence of......
Resurrection Symphony No. 2 in C Minor
Resurrection Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, symphony by Gustav Mahler, known as âResurrection.â The first three movements......
Reszke, Jean de
Jean de Reszke was a Polish operatic tenor, celebrated for his beautiful voice, phrasing, and enunciation as well......
Revueltas, Silvestre
Silvestre Revueltas was a Mexican composer, teacher, and violinist, best known for his colourfully orchestrated......
Rheinberger, Joseph
Joseph Rheinberger was a German composer and teacher whose organ sonatas are among the finest 19th-century works......
Richter, Hans
Hans Richter was a Hungarian conductor, one of the greatest conductors of his era who was particularly esteemed......
Riegger, Wallingford
Wallingford Riegger was a prolific U.S. composer of orchestral works, modern dance and film scores, and teaching......
Rigoletto
Rigoletto, opera in three acts by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave) that......
Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, teacher, and editor who was at his best in descriptive orchestrations......
Ring des Nibelungen, Der
Der Ring des Nibelungen, four music dramas (grand operas) by German composer Richard Wagner, all with German librettos......
Robinson, Anastasia
Anastasia Robinson was an English singer, who was a frequent soloist on the London operatic and concert stages......
Rodrigo, JoaquĂn
JoaquĂn Rodrigo was one of the leading Spanish composers of the 20th century. Although blind from age three, Rodrigo......
Rodzinsky, Artur
Artur Rodzinsky was an American conductor of Polish descent who was known for his ability to rejuvenate orchestras.......
Roman de Fauvel
Roman de Fauvel, (French: âRomance of Fauvelâ), French poem by Gervais du Bus that, in addition to its literary......
Romanticism
Romanticism, attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music,......
Romberg, Sigmund
Sigmund Romberg was a Hungarian-born American composer whose works include several successful operettas. Romberg......
rondeau
rondeau, one of several formes fixes (âfixed formsâ) in French lyric poetry and song of the 14th and 15th centuries.......
Ronstadt, Linda
Linda Ronstadt is an American singer, with a pure, expressive soprano voice and eclectic artistic tastes, whose......
Rosenkavalier, Der
Der Rosenkavalier, comic opera in three acts by German composer Richard Strauss (German libretto by Austrian dramatist......
Rossini, Gioachino
Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer noted for his operas, particularly his comic operas, of which The Barber......
Rostropovich, Mstislav
Mstislav Rostropovich was a Russian conductor and pianist and one of the best-known cellists of the 20th century.......
Roussel, Albert
Albert Roussel was a French composer who wrote in various styles and whose music is notable for its lyrical fervour,......
Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House, opera house that is the home of Britainâs oldest national opera and ballet companies. It is......
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Britainâs national symphony orchestra, based in London and founded in 1946 by Sir......
Rubini, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista Rubini was an Italian tenor remembered as the major early exponent of the Romantic style of Vincenzo......
Rubinstein, Anton
Anton Rubinstein was a Russian composer and one of the greatest pianists of the 19th century. In 1835 Rubinsteinâs......
Rudel, Julius
Julius Rudel was an Austrian-born American conductor and opera impresario who was conductor or director of the......
Ruggles, Carl
Carl Ruggles was an American composer and painter whose musical works, small in number, are characterized by highly......
Russell, Lillian
Lillian Russell was an American singer and actress in light comedies who represented the feminine ideal of her......
Sacchini, Antonio
Antonio Sacchini was an Italian opera composer who reached the height of his fame in England and France in the......
Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, symphony orchestra based in St. Petersburg. The Philharmonic Society was......
Saint-Saëns, Camille
Camille Saint-SaĂ«ns was a composer chiefly remembered for his symphonic poemsâthe first of that genre to be written......
Salieri, Antonio
Antonio Salieri was an Italian composer whose operas were acclaimed throughout Europe in the late 18th century.......
Salonen, Esa-Pekka
Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish composer and conductor who was the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic......
Sammartini, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista Sammartini was an Italian composer who was an important formative influence on the pre-Classical......
Sammartini, Giuseppe
Giuseppe Sammartini was an oboist and composer prominent in England in the first half of the 18th century and brother......
Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah, opera by Camille Saint-Saëns that premiered in Weimar on December 2, 1877, having previously......
Sanderson, Sibyl Swift
Sibyl Swift Sanderson was an American-born opera singer whose native country failed to yield her the considerable......
Sargent, Sir Malcolm
Sir Malcolm Sargent was an English conductor who, as Britainâs self-styled âambassador of music,â toured throughout......
Sarti, Giuseppe
Giuseppe Sarti was an Italian conductor and composer of liturgical music and more than 50 operas. After studying......
Satie, Erik
Erik Satie was a French composer whose spare, unconventional, often witty style exerted a major influence on 20th-century......
Sauguet, Henri
Henri Sauguet was a French composer of orchestral, choral, and chamber music notable for its simple charm and melodic......
Scarlatti keyboard sonatas
Scarlatti keyboard sonatas, group of 555 sonatas for harpsichord by Domenico Scarlatti, dating from the early 18th......
Scarlatti, Alessandro
Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian composer of operas and religious works. Scarlatti was sent to Rome at about......