Chantal Incandela

Arthur William Foote (March 5, 1853 - April 8, 1937) was an organist and composer, and a member of the "Boston Six", a group of composers from New England that lived in the late 19th century and early 20th century, that also included Amy Beach, George Whitefield Chadwick, Edward MacDowell. John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker. Foote graduated from Harvard, and was the first composer of note to be trained entirely in the United States. Continue reading →

John Alden Carpenter (Feb. 28, 1876 - April 26, 1951) was born in Park Ridge, Illinois, in to a musical family.  He attended Harvard University, and studied under John Knowles Paine, and later on traveled to England to study with Edward Elgar. After his time in England, he returned to Chicago to study with Bernhard Ziehn in 1912. Sadly, Carpenter has been overlooked as a composer, in favor of other big names from his generation, like Ives and Copland. Continue reading →

Adolphe Charles Adam (July 24, 1803 - May 3, 1856) was a French composer and music critic. His father, Jean-Louis Adam, was a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, but Adolphe enjoyed improvising music by himself, rather than study seriously. That suited his father fine--he wasn't keen on his son following his path. Eventually, however, Adolphe started studying seriously (and secretly) and eventually entered the Paris Conservatoire.  He ended up becoming a prolific writer of ballets and operas, particularly opéra comique. Continue reading →

Sergei Prokofiev (April 23, 1891 - March 5, 1953) was a Russian and Soviet pianist, composer, and conductor.  A graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Prokofiev is undoubtedly one of the most well known composers of the 20th century, and many of his works are staples in the repertoire, from his concertos for violin, cello, and piano,  seven symphonies, and to his ballets and operas. Some of his works have remained under the radar though, for whatever reason, such as the one we are looking at today: Things In Themselves, a work for solo piano. Continue reading →

Émile Waldteufel (Dec. 9, 1837 - Feb. 12,1915) was a French conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in to a musical family, he studied music first with his father, and then at the Conservatoire de Paris. He went on to become the court pianist for Empress Eugenie, and he also led the state orchestra. Regarding his body of work, Waldteufel is known for composing dance pieces, particularly waltzes. His most well known is Les Patineurs (The Ice Skaters). Continue reading →

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897 - Nov. 29, 1957) was an Austrian born composer, conductor, and a child prodigy. The son of a music critic, Korngold was playing piano alongside his father at age five, and was writing his own music by age seven. Gustav Mahler said that Korngold was a "musical genius", and suggested he study with Alexander von Zemlinsky. Richard Strauss spoke very highly of him as well. Korngold went on to compose many movie scores, operas, and orchestral works. Continue reading →

Leó Weiner (April 16, 1885 - Sept. 13, 1960) was born in to a Jewish family in Budapest, and ended up being one of the leading Hungarian music educators the first half of the twentieth century. He started piano lessons as a boy with his brother, and later studied at the Academy of Music in Budapest. While he was there, he won numerous prizes, and eventually went on to be a professor at the Academy, teaching theory, composition, and chamber music. Some of his notable students include cellist János Starker, conductors Fritz Reiner and George Solti, and pianist György Sebők. Continue reading →

Ignaz Brüll (Nov. 7, 1846 - Sept. 17, 1907) was born in Moravia, but lived and worked in Vienna. Born to wealthy merchants, Brüll had a musical upbringing; his mother played piano, and his father was a baritone. Though Brüll was to inherit the family business, he was encouraged to pursue music after he started taking lessons at eight years old, and showed clear talent. By this time, the family had already moved to work in Vienna, and not long after, Brüll began studying with Julius Epstein at the Vienna Conservatory, and he studied composition and instrumentation with Johann Rufinatscha and Felix Otto Dessoff. His abilities as a pianist were such that Brahms requested that he play alongside him for his four-hand compositions. Continue reading →

Niels Wilhelm Gade (Feb. 22, 1817 - Dec. 21, 1890) born in Copenhagen, was the son of an instrument maker. Gade, a violinist, composer, and conductor, started his career with the Royal Danish Orchestra as a violinist, and was able to see compositions of his played by the orchestra. Felix Mendelssohn was an early champion of Gade's work, and they became close associates. Robert Schumann was a good friend as well, and the influence of the significant composers of the German Romantic style (Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn) can be heard in his works. Gade went on to influence other composers himself, such as Edvard Grieg and Carl Nielsen. Gade is considered one of the most important Danish composers, though we sadly don't see his works programmed frequently. Continue reading →

Jules Demersseman (Jan. 9, 1833 - Dec. 1, 1866) isn't the most common name to come out of classical repertoire, but his contribution has been significant, particularly for the flute. Demersseman was born in France, near the Begian border, and was a flute student at the Paris Conservatory, winning first prize there at the age of 12. He was considered a virtuoso, and went on to write many works for the flute. His Solo de Concert No. 6 is one of his most well known. Continue reading →