Classical music composers?

Question

I need to write a paper on a composer. Who do you think is the most interesting composer to research? (I don't want to do Beetoven or Mozart, too cliche)

Answer 1

what about Skriabin? He's fairly modern, and was a rare individual in that he was synesthetic- he actually saw the colors that corresponded with the music he wrote. He himself wrote a treatise about it. Most of the world considered him the usual crazy musician, until the subject was taken seriously. there's a lot of brain research going on nowadays to try and find out how and why that happens.
Anton Bruckner was also a bit of an odd bird. He also had that air of absent-minded professor about him, but yet generated a lot of passion that went straight into his music.
A whole series of what we call dimestore novels were written about him during his lifetime, just because one never knew if an anecdote would turn out to be real or not. His symphonies will either thrill you or bore you, no middle ground. ( If you really like brass, you'll like Bruckner)

Answer 2

Why not do someone that no one else will think of a modern day composer. John Williams the composer of the music for Jaws, Superman, ET, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Schindlers' List, Star Wars, Harry Potter, to mention a few, ha ha, how big can you get. Not to be confused with the classical guitarist John Williams. He's a prolific writer and I'm sure has had an interesting life, one thing for sure it will be different then anyone in your class. I know that he was nominated for about fifty awards, and won several, he's also done TV, and for a while was conductor for the Boston Pops. I bet you'll be the only one who does a report on him, every one else will do the three B's.

Answer 3

Shostakovich had a metal plate in his head, and when he tilted a certain way he heard melodies. Read about it in a psych class.
Dvorak would be good to. He apparently put the only cymbal "crash" in the New World in the middle because the percussionist was sleeping with (his?) wife and Dvorak was mad at him.

I always like the odd stories I hear about the people. Berlioz or Mussorsgky too. Or maybe some lesser known composers...Ligeti, Janocek, Crumb.

Answer 4

Edward Elgar:
- Enigma Variations, the most famous of which is Nimrod
- Pomp and Circumstances march used in many graduation ceremonies and Disney's Fantasia 2000
- 50th anniversary of his birth this year
- a self taught composer

Dietrich Buxtehude:
- 150th anniversary this year
- considered to be the predecessor of J. S. Bach
- many sacred and secular works

Answer 5

I would say (Nobuo Uematsu) he's very interesting because he is actually a modern day video game composer, this composer would give you alot to write about. I consider him a genius composer along with many.

If you read into him, you'll find an interesting story!
Trust me!

Answer 6

Antonio Vivaldi (The Four Seasons, amazing violinist and priest!)
Clara Schumann (famous pianist and wife of a composer)
Claudio Monteverdi
and of course
Frederic Chopin

Answer 7

Here are some colorful characters in music history:

Richard Wagner:
-Participated in a revolution in Germany and fled the country for fear of being arrested.
-Published controversial writings on the role of art and music in society. For instance, "Jewry in Music."
-Stole the wife of the conductor who championed his music after years of an adulterous affair.
-One of the most influtential musians/artists of the nineteenth century.
-His operas were used as propaganda by the Nazis.

Hector Berlioz
-Wrote a very interesting autobiography.
-constantly made enimies since he was a very outspoken music critic, pulled no punches
-His greatest work, "Symphonie Fantastique," is a progromatic work inspired by a drug induced dream from and attempted suicide(innovative for its bold instrumentation)
-Alomost attempted murder on a woman he fell in love with

Gustav Mahler
-Jewish foreigner who became Music Director of the Vienna Philharmonic in a strongly anti-semetic society.
-Many musicians consider his symphonies to be the best written (they are very long and you have to get used to them, but they're amazing.)
-One of the original virtuoso conducors--one of the first to have multi-national careers because he was also the music director of the New York Philharmonic for a while

Robert Schumann
-Great composer of smaller piano works
-Married a famous piano prodigy, Clara Schumann and had a BUNCH of children
-Important early music critic and started one of the earliest music publications, Nue Zeitschrift fur Musik
-Gradually became completely insane and suffered from severe mental illness in the later part of his life.
-His wife had an unusual relationship with Johannes Brahms

J.S. Bach
The sheer genious of the stuff he did is amazing

Hildegard von Bingen (Sp.?)
-From the mideval period
-One of the first famous women composers.
-wrote AMAZING plainchant (I know, that sounds like an oximoran, but listen to it, it's great)
-Wrote a book on sexuality, unusual for a nun in a cloister (I think she might have been a lesbian)

Anyway, hope this helps.

Answer 8

Shostakovich or Tschiakowsky. Amazing. A lot of Tschaikowsky's music is autobiographical.

OH, or you could try Percy Grainger. Musically, not that interesting, but in his personal life he had more than a few quirks... (some people think he was a pedophile)

Answer 9

Franz Schubert. He never achieved fame or money success during his shirt life, yet his art songs, piano works and symphonies are grea ones. He is probably the father of the modern art song.

Answer 10

Edvard Grieg's life in Norway was interesting. A movie was made about it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066393/
Paderewski was a statesman as well as a composer.
Chopin had a great love affair with a female author who used the pen name "George Sand".