University Musical Encyclopedia/Great Composers: A Series of Biographical Studies

by Louis C. Elson, Chief Editor

• Introduction
  • Beginnings of Modern Music — How Modern Differs from Medieval Music — Two Musical Channels — Church Music and Folk-songs — Representative Composers — Secularization of Music — Origin and Development of Opera — First Oratorio — Tendencies of Modern Opera
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
  • Birth and Early Career — First Volume — Marriage — Pontifical Singer — Preferments — Great Work for Musical Art — Penury and Affliction — Continued Labors — Impressive Death-scenePalestrina's Place among Composers
• Claudio Monteverde
  • The Young Violist — First Compositions — Inventor of New Harmony — Defeat of Polyphonic Schools — His Operas "Arianna" and "Orfeo" — Later Works — Influence upon Art
• Henry Purcell
  • A Precocious Genius — Meager Biographical Records — Purcell's Opera "Dido and Æneas" — His Dramatic, Church, and other Music — Early Death — Critical Estimate of His Work
• Johann Sebastian Bach
  • The Bach Family — Birth and Boyhood of J. S. Bach — Experience at Arnstadt — Weimar Period — Years at Köthen — Long Residence and Important Work at Leipzig — Home Life and Character — Bach's Religious Views — His Great Compositions Analyzed — The Famous Passion Music
• George Frederick Handel
  • A Musician in Spite of his Father's Opposition — His First Patron — A Prodigy — Handel's Duel — Hamburg and Italy — First Operas — Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover — Career in London — Great Works Produced — Successes and Failures — "The Messiah" and Culmination of Handel's Fame — Personal Appearance and Character — Critical Review
• Christoph Willibald Gluck
  • Late Maturity — Youthful Struggles — Finds a Patron — Composes Operas — In England — On the Continent — New Operatic Style — Principal Works — Friendship of Marie Antoinette — Rivalry with Picinni — Gluck's Victory — His Reform of Opera
• Joseph Haydn
  • Hardships of Childhood — First Musical Studies — Homeless and Poor — Friends and Good Fortune — Unhappy Marriage — With Prince Esterhazy — Happy and Productive Years — With Mozart in Vienna — Haydn in London — Teaches Beethoven in Vienna — London Again — "The Creation" and "The Seasons" — Last Years and Death — Characteristics — What Haydn Did for Music
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • An Infant Musician — Charming a Customs Officer — Court Patronage — Success in Paris and London — Italian Triumphs — Again in Paris — Sorrows — Industry and Poverty — Domestic Happiness — Friendship with Haydn — "Le Nozze di Figaro" Creates a Furor — "Don Giovanni" — "Die Zauberflöte" — Mozart's "Requiem" and his Death — A Pauper's Grave — His Great Works Critically Considered — Personal Sketch
• Ludwig van Beethoven
  • The Boy who Came to Mozart — Father and Son — Successive Instructors — Teacher, Organist, Conductor — Death of Beethoven's Mother — Supports Brothers and Sisters — Studies with Haydn — Happy Days with the Lichnowskis — Growing Fame — Beethoven's Deafness — His Colossal Works — Troubles with his Nephew — Death and Imposing Funeral — Survey of Beethoven's Compositions — Personality and Characteristics
• Karl Maria von Weber
  • Son of a Shiftless Musician — Early Acquaintance with the Stage — Court Secretary—Practical Joke on Royalty — Vicarious Punishment — Filial Devotion — Years of Wandering — Many Works Produced — "Der Freischütz" and "Euryanthe" — Harasssed by Enemies — "Oberon" in London — Detailed Estimate of Weber
• Gioachino Antonio Rossini
  • An Extraordinary Popularity — Début at Seven — A Composer in his Teens — Successive Productions — "The Barber of Seville": Unfortunate First Hearing — "Otello" and Later Operas — English and French Career — "Guillaume Tell" Rossini's Masterpiece — "Stabat Mater" — Strange Ending of his Activities — Results of his Work
• Franz Schubert
  • A Luckless Artist — Talent Displayed in Childhood — First Compositions — Shyness — Friendships — Drudgery and Inspiration — The "Erkling": Goethe's Tardy Appreciation — Schubert and Count Esterhazy — Constant Work and Varied Experiences — Beethoven's Tribute — Liszt's Estimate — Schubert the Great Song-writer
• Louis Spohr
  • A True Tone-poet — His First Violin — Masters and Self-instruction — Beginning to Compose — Artistic Tours — A Musical Wife — Directorship in Vienna — A Long Journey — Director at Frankfort — London, Paris, Cassel — "The Last Judgment" — Death of Spohr's Wife — "Calvary" — Remarriage — Later Work in England — Man and Artist
• Niccolo Paganini
  • The Boy Violinist — Original Studies — Dissipation and Illnesses — His Favorite Violin — Compositions — Travel and Applause — Narrow Escape from Lynching — First Tours beyond Italy — Triumphs Everywhere — An Unfortunate Money Speculation — Death — Large Fortune — Personal Peculiarities — Weird Appearance — Charlatanism and Genius — His Technical Art
• Giacomo Meyerbeer
  • Real and Adopted Name — Public Playing at Seven — Composing — Experience with the Abbé Vogler — Career Fairly Begun — Many Works Produced — Great Success of "Robert le Diable" — Later Productions — Dealings with Wagner — Special Features of Meyerbeer's Music
• Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
• Robert Schumann
• Frédéric François Chopin
• Hector Berlioz
• Franz Liszt
• Richard Wagner
• Giuseppe Verdi
• Charles François Gounod
• Johannes Brahms
• Anton Rubinstein
• Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
• Edvard Hagerup Grieg
• Richard Strauss
• Jean Baptiste Lulli
• François Adrien Boieldieu
• Gaetano Donizetti
• Vincenzo Bellini
• Michael William Balfe
• Félicien César David
• Jacques Offenbach
• Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan