Klaus Döring's Classical Music/Klaus Döring's Klassische Musik

By Emily E. Hogstad t, Interlude Johann Sebastian Bach   is, of course, one of the most beloved composers of all time. He’s also famous for having fathered twenty children. A few became famous composers in their own right…but many of them died tragically young, too. Today we’re taking a look at the lives of all twenty of them. J.S. Bach © biography.com Maria Barbara Bach was Bach’s first wife (and his second cousin). They were married on 17 October 1707, and they had seven kids. Catharina Dorothea (1708-1774) We don’t know a lot about Catharina Dorothea, but we do know she was a singer. In 1730, Bach wrote to a friend, “[My children] are born musicians, and I can already form an ensemble both vocal and instrumental within my family, particularly since my present wife sings a good, clear soprano, and my eldest daughter, too, joins in not badly.” Seems like high praise from Bach, a known perfectionist! It makes sense that Catharina Dorothea would be a well-trained musician. For many...

by Emily E. Hogstadt , Interlude Audiences can never resist a duel. For hundreds of years, audiences have enjoyed watching confrontations between virtuoso pianists that showcase both their technical prowess and competitive spirits. © wshu.org Today we’re looking at six of the most famous piano duels in the history of classical music, from the time  Mozart  was pitted against a rival on Christmas Eve in a Viennese palace to the time  Liszt  and his greatest rival trying to settle the question of who was best in a sparkling Romantic Era Paris salon. Let’s get started! Bach vs. Marchand (1717) In 1717, when  Bach ’s work travels took him through Dresden, he unknowingly walked into a veritable snake’s pit of musical intrigue. An irascible musician named Louis Marchand, who had left (or possibly been fired) the French royal court, was visiting Dresden at the same time that Bach was. J.S. Bach © ClassicFM Dresden-based musician J.B. Volumier feared that Marchand ...

by Emily Hogstadt, Interlude Making and having friends is one of the great joys of the human experience. Not surprisingly, many classical composers have been deeply inspired by their friendships with other people, and especially with other creative people. Today, we’re looking at ten pieces of classical music that reflect on composers’ friendships in some way, whether it’s  Beethoven ’s dedication of a private string quartet to a friend or  Elgar ’s extravagant orchestral puzzle dedicated to his friends. Enjoy! Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 (1810-11) Beethoven’s eleventh quartet was a unique piece from the start: he wrote in a letter to a friend that “The Quartet is written for a small circle of connoisseurs and is never to be performed in public.” In it, Beethoven allowed himself to experiment and take risks. It was written the year after Napoleon invaded Vienna when the routines of people in the city had been shattered, so there weren’t many audience...

by Emily F. Hogstad , Interlude Composer   Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   and singer   Constanze Weber   were married on 4 August 1782. © media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com Their courtship had been dramatic. They had started dating the summer of the previous year (after Wolfgang had initially fallen in love with Constanze’s sister). They discussed marriage, but Wolfgang’s father, Leopold, was firmly against it. Then, in April 1782, they broke up after Constanze had played a parlor game with another young man, during which he measured her calves. However, after a while, she and Wolfgang made up. In July of 1782, they even moved in with each other…without getting married first! Constanze Mozart in 1802, portrait by Hans Hansen © Wikipedia The situation proved scandalous. Wolfgang admitted to his father that they were already sleeping together, so he claimed they had no choice but to get married. Constanze’s mother was beside herself, inquiring whether the police could get involved...