Johann Sebastian Bach (born March 21, 1685, died July 28, 1750) was an
important German composer and organist whose famous works for choir,
orchestra and solo instruments drew together almost all of the parts of
the baroque style. Although he did not introduce any new musical forms,
he enriched the German style with a robust and dazzling technique of
musical lines that complimented one another. He also adapted rhythms and
textures from abroad, particularly of Italy and France.
Bach's forceful techniques and vast output have earned him fame as one
of the greatest composers in the Western world. His works are honored
for their depth and technical achievements along with artistic beauty.
His works include the Brandenburg concertos, the keyboard suites and
partitas, the Mass in B Minor, the St. Matthew Passion, The Musical
Offering, The Art of Fugue and a large number of cantatas, of which
about 220 survive.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (born January 27, 1756, died December 5, 1791)
is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of
European classical music. His enormous output includes works that are
widely acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic,
and choral music. Many of his works are part of the standard concert
repertory and are widely recognized as masterpieces of the classical
style.
Ludwig van Beethoven (born December 17, 1770, died March 26, 1827) was a
German composer and pianist. He is considered one of classical music's
supreme composers, and was an important figure between the Classical and
Romantic eras in music. His reputation and genius has inspired musicians
and audiences for years.
He was born in Bonn, Germany and moved to Vienna, Austria in his early
twenties, where he settled. He studied with Joseph Haydn and quickly
gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. In his late twenties he began
to lose his hearing, but still continued to produce masterpieces.
Beethoven sample: Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1 - I. Allegro
Johannes Brahms (born May 7, 1833, died April 3, 1897) was a German
composer of Romantic music, who mostly lived in Vienna, Austria. He was
born in Hamburg. Brahms showed talent on the piano when he was young,
and helped out his family by playing and teaching for money.
Brahms sample: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102 'Double Concerto' - I. Allegro
