piano

Francesco Paolo Tosti (April 9, 1846 - Dec. 2, 1916) was a composer and music teacher, born in Ortona, Italy. Tosti's musical education started at age 11, at the Royal College of San Pietro a Majella, where he studied both violin and composition. He also studied at the conservatory in Naples as well, but illness forced him to return home for a while. Continue reading →

Louis Moreau Gottschalk (May 8, 1829 - Dec. 18, 1869) was an American composer and pianist, born in New Orleans. He started piano at an early age, and was recognized as a prodigy. At thirteen, he traveled to Europe to further his studies, but was turned down from the Paris Conservatory due to his nationality. He eventually would gain access thanks to family friends. Gottschalk played across the US and in Central and South America, and was highly praised for this playing. Continue reading →

Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax (Nov. 8, 1883 - Oct. 3, 1953) was an English poet, author, and composer. His output was prolific, and spanned several genres, from choral works to chamber pieces to orchestral music. His music was for a while neglected, and then revived, though predominantly as recordings; we still don't see his work programmed very often in concert halls, save a few compositions. Continue reading →

Franz Bendel (March 23, 1833 - July 3, 1874) was born in Schönlinde Bohemia, and not that much is known about this pianist and composer. He studied with Liszt for five years in Weimar, and in 1862 he lived in Berlin and taught at Neue Akadamie der Tonkust. He wrote over 400 compositions, mainly all for piano. He died from typhoid fever while on tour in America, at 41. Continue reading →

Felix August Bernhard Draeseke (Oct. 7, 1835 - Feb. 25, 1913) was a German composer and teacher who was drawn to music very early in life; his first composition was at the age of 8. Continue reading →

Selim Palmgren (Feb. 16, 1878 - Dec. 13, 1951) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and pianist. At the age of 20, he traveled to Berlin to study with Conrad Ansorge (a student of Liszt) and also to Weimar where he had a masterclass with Ferrucio Busoni. Palmgren's successful career was planted firmly when he was the soloist for the premiere of his First Piano Concerto; it was met with acclaim. During a tour of the USA in 1919, he was offered a position at the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, NY, teaching composition (Sibelius was offered this position earlier, but declined). Palmgren held the post from 1921 - 1926, and from 1939 until his death, he was professor of Composition at the Sibelius Academy Helsinki. Continue reading →

Carl Bohm (Sept. 11, 1844 - April 4, 1920) was a German pianist and composer. Little is known about him, though during his day his works were very popular. He's considered one of the great German songwriters from the 19th century, and has many works that achieved worldwide recognition, such as Still as the Night, Twilight, Maybells, Enfant Cheri, and The Fountain. Bohm's publisher, N. Simrock, said that the profits from his compositions provided the capital for the publication of those of Brahms". That goes to show the popularity and salability of his works during his time. Continue reading →

William Mason (Jan. 24, 1829 - July 14, 1908) was a composer and pianist, born in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in a musical family; his father Lowell Mason was an important figure in church music, and his brother Henry Mason was a co-founder of the piano manufacturers Mason and Hamlin. Continue reading →

Vítězslava Kaprálová (Jan. 24, 1915 - June 16, 1940) was a Czech composer and conductor. Born in to a musical family,  Kaprálová began studying composition and conducting at the age of fifteen at the Brno Conservatory, and later on studied with Bohuslav Martinu and Charles Munch. She conducted the Czech Philharmonic in 1937, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra just a year later. Continue reading →

Scott Joplin (c. 1867/68 - April 1, 1917) was an African-American composer and pianist, who came to be known as the "King of Ragtime Writers". Joplin was born in to a family of railroad laborers in Texas, but got as much musical knowledge as he could from local teachers, and ended up  forming a vocal quartet, and teaching mandolin and guitar. He later left for the south to work as a itinerant musician, and eventually found his way up  to Chicago for the World's Fair of 1893, which contributed towards the ragtime craze. Continue reading →