Hummel, Trumpet Concerto Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) was recognized early as a child prodigy. At the age of 8, he was taken by his father (a violinist) to Vienna and began studying piano with Mozart and even lived under Mozart’s roof (a practice not uncommon … Read more
Monza, Sinfonia in D Major (“La tempesta di mare”) In 1770, the 14-year-old Mozart was in Milan studying the music of some of Italy’s most important composers. Primary among them was Giovanni Battista Sammartini, but another prominent Milanese composer was Carlo Monza (c. 1735-1801). (This … Read more
Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor I recall a relative many years ago taking a course in music appreciation and falling in love with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. She had some prior exposure to Classical music, but this was probably her first serious study. … Read more
Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 1 Beethoven wrote his early piano concertos as a way to showcase his virtuosity as a pianist. He premiered an early version of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1795 but continued to rework it until 1800. Because there were many … Read more
Dittersdorf, Double Bass Concerto in E-Flat Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799) has one of the more colorful names among composers. Born Carl Ditters, he was ennobled by Maria Theresa in 1773 as a prerequisite for assuming a new post, and that gave him the additional … Read more
J.C. Bach, Sonata for Two Keyboards Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) was born to Johann Sebastian Bach and his second wife Anna Magdalena. The elder Bach was 50 years old at the time. He had married Anna Magdalena in 1721 after the sudden death of his … Read more
Wanhal, Double Bass Concerto Few people these days know the music of Johann Baptist Wanhal (1739-1813). Count me among them. Born in Bohemia (the Czech Republic), he became a prominent Viennese composer at the same time as Mozart and Haydn, and you can easily hear … Read more
Haydn, Sonata in D Major, No. 50 I have been immersed lately in the music of Liszt while preparing our Composer of the Month page for June. Having a rather obsessive nature, I find that kind of deep dive rewarding, but it is also refreshing … Read more
After several warm days, we’re back to February’s rain, mush, and slush. That groundhog should have slept in. Nonetheless, several bright spots are keeping me warm include a new webinar in our series What’s So Great About? The spot of honor this time goes to … Read more
Mozart, Serenade No. 10 “Gran Partita,” K. 361 A few months back we featured Gounod’s Little Symphony for Winds and mentioned the Harmonien. We quoted Horace Fitzpatrick: From about 1756 onward the Emperor [in Vienna] and the Austrian nobles kept house bands called Harmonien, usually … Read more
