Zoltán Kodály-Dances of Galánta (Rajkó orchestra)

Joseph Lanner - His Music and His Life

The Austrian Joseph Lanner, Godfather of Waltz, was  born in Vienna on April 12, 1801. As a self-educated person, Lanner joined a string quintet together with viola player Johann Strauss, Kind of Waltz ("Blue Danube" and many more).

Langer enlarged this quintet formation gradually up to a wellknown orchestra.

Lanner started to compose dances - all-in-all 200 (!) waltzes! Beethoven and Schubert also used this composition format already in their so-called German dances.

In Lanner's waltzes swing the cozy sound of Vienna's conventional life.

Joseph Lanner passed away in Oberdoebling nearby Vienna on April 14, 1843.

Joseph Lanner - Hoffnungsstrahlen (Waltz)

Joseph Joachim - His Music and His Life

Joseph Joachim was born June 28, 1831 in Kittsee nearby Pressburg (Slovak capital Bratislava) and attracted publicity as child prodigy at the age of 7.

The friendship with Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) supported Joachim's inspiration. In 1844, Joachim toured London. In 1849, he became Concert Master in Weimar, Germany, where he also met the genius Franz Liszt.

In 1866, Joachim became Director of the new "Hochschule fuer Musik" (University of Music) in Berlin. Among the more than  400 students have been Henri Petri, Jenoe Hubay and Karl Klinger - all blessed and popular composers and music creators.

The "Joachim String Quartet" was among the most popular quartets during that time. Joachim's violin play has been described as "blooming sound with godly stylistic purity".

Joachim composed three violin concertos, the "Hungarian Tunes" and overtures for classical poetries such as "Hamlet" or "Demetrius". His cadenzas of violin compositions by Mozart, Viotti or Beethoven are still performed nowadays.

Joseph Joachim passed away in Berlin on August 15, 1907.

Niccolo Isouard - His Music and His Life

Niccolo Isouard was born December 6, 1775 on the Island of Malta. Billet de Loterie

Who do I like to feature this almost unknown composer? It's very easy to explain: Niccolo Isouard has been one of the history writers of the so-called "Opera Comique". His challenger Francois Adrien Boildieu inspired Isouard to compose more than 50 operas. Nevertheless, critics described them as "fear winged his steps". Well, I am in another opinion.

1802, "Michel Ange" came out; 1810 premiered "Cendrillon", "Aschenbroedel" ("Cinderella") and "Le Billet de Loterie" ("The Lottery Ticket").

Niccolo Isouard passed away in France on March 23, 1818.

Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy - His Music and His Life

The German Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy was born in Hamburg on February 3,1809. His grandfather Moses Mendelsohn (1729-1786) was a great German philosopher. Felix's father, the banker Abraham Mendelsohn, added his brother-in-law's family name, Bartholdy. A very rich family clan made a many-sided and all-round music education possible, including studies with Ludwig Berger, an art historian and director, and Karl-Friedrich Zelter, a musician and composer.

In 1818, Mendelsohn-Bartholdy, at the age of 9, performed already as a great piano virtuoso. In 1820, he premiered his first two youth operas "Soldier's Love" and "The Two Educationalists". After meeting the great Luigi Cherubini in 1826, Mendelsohn-Bartholdy composed the overture to Shakespeare's "One Summer Night's Dream", which became his real highlight. The other compositions of this stage play have been finished 15 years later.

In 1827, the one and only opera "Camacho's Wedding came out - and flopped.

Mendelsohn-Bartholdy loved traveling. We can notice it very well while listening i.e. the "Hebrides Overture" (Scotland) or the "Italian Symphony". During that time, his "Songs without Words" came into being: Piano pieces, sometimes arranged for violine and viola, which was the ideal house music for people in the 19th century.

Chamber music compositions ("Fine Art Quartets") and two incredible piano concerts in g-minor and d-minor, the "Scottish Symphony", the "Reformation Symphony" and the dramatic tuneful violin concert in e-minor are brilliant achievements of one of the most outstanding German classical composers.

Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy passed away in Leipzig on November 4, 1847.

Hochzeitsmarsch Wedding March (Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) Ein Sommerna...