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

  Johann Strauss, Jr., was born on October 25, 1825 in Vienna and passed away also there on June 3, 1899. He was the eldest son of Johann Strauss and is deservedly known as the "King of Waltz". His father didn't want his ten children to choose music at their career. Johann Strauss, Jr. worked as a bank clerk, but learned violin play secretly and studied composing. In 1844, Strauss engaged to direct summer concerts in Petropaulovsky Park in Saint Petersburg in Russia for ten years. As a conductor o Austrian court bals from 1863-1872, he composed nearly 400 waltzes, which have come to epitomize Viennese gaiety and sentiment. Some of his well-known waltzes are "The Blue Danube", "Roses from the South", the great "Emperor Waltz" or "Tales from the Vienna Woods". It's beloved, wherever music is played, as well as Strauss' polkas and other dances. Very late Strauss came in contact with the operetta, but a certain dr...

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Bela Bartok was born on March 25, 1881 in Southern Hungary and passed away on September 26, 1945 as migrant in New York. His father had been a very enthusiastic music fan and cellist. Bartok's mother ha been an elementary school teacher and took care of him and educated him alone, because his father passed away already in 1889. Bartok couldn't develop close ties to his home country. National pride could never grow up. Political confusions between Hungary, the CSSR, Romania and the former Yugoslavia during that time let Bartok become a permanent refugee. At the age of 9 he started composing. With 10 he was introduced to the world public. From 1899-1903, Bartok studied at the Hungarian Music Academy Budapest. Bartok had been mostly two personalities in one: the simple folk song research scientist and on the other hand the great classical composer, who also loved to travel as a gifted virtuoso, who played his own compositions. In 1907, Bartok has been appointed as music profes...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (his complete name was Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus; Theophilus became Amadeus later) was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg/Austria and passed away on December 5, 1791 in Vienna. At the age of four, Mozart showed already an unbelievable musical talent. He "drew notes' and played the violin without have ever learned it. His first compositions have been printed, when he became only six years old: sonatas for violin and piano. Up to his 22nd birthday Mozart has been on tour most of the time. The monstrous and outrageous strains resulted in terrible unhealthy conditions. Up to now, it's more or less impossible or very difficult to assess Mozart's life and personality. His music let us experience mostly the bright and cheerful grace of rococo. The German Romanticism poet E.T.A. Hoffmann subscribed Mozart during that time as "demonic and theatrical contemporary". Mozart had been always open-minded to all ea...