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

Christoph Willibald Gluck was a famous opera composer of the classical period. Read on to know more about Christoph Willibald Gluck’s profile, childhood, life and timeline in this biography. Born on 02 July 1714 AD  Zodiac Sign Died on 15 November 1787 AD A prolific opera composer of the classical period, Christoph Gluck was credited for bringing in concrete reforms to the opera's dramaturgical practices. His opera compositions were spread over various operatic genres. Born to a Bohemian (Czech) father in 1714, Gluck learned music at a tender age of three. After completing his studies in Prague, he moved to Milan to gain practical knowledge of all the instruments. His passion for music took him around the world such as London, Prague, Vienna, and Venice. He was also awarded the 'Order of the Golden Spur' in 1756 by Pope Benedict XIV. His musical legacy inclu...

Scientists, politicians and the Archbishop of Warsaw have exhumed the preserved heart of Frederic Chopin in a midnight ceremony.  The official inspection of the Romantic composer's heart was organised following warnings that the organ might have started to deteriorate. When Chopin died in 1849 his body was buried in Paris but his heart was taken to Warsaw, as requested by the composer on his deathbed. The heart was sealed in what is believed to have been a jar of cognac and smuggled into the Polish city before being interred in a pillar at the Holy Cross Church ( pictured above ). A team of experts, including scientists, officials and the Archbishop of Warsaw, went to the church just before midnight on 14 April this year to remove the heart for an inspection. The 13 people present at the exhumation were sworn to secrecy and details of the unusual gathering were only released in September. Tadeusz Dobosz, a forensic s...

Born February. 23, 1685 in Halle, Germany. Died April 14, 1759 in London, United Kingdom.    The king of opera, Handel’s exceptional disposition for music was evident from a very early age. A barber-surgeon and chamberlain for the Duke of Saxe, Handel’s father was opposed to the solid musical tuition the young musician received in Halle from Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, (1663-1712). Handel consolidated his reputation from city to city, from the harpsichord to the organ and through his encounters with Telemann and Buxtehude before settling in Hamburg. After composing two operas, the young composer decided to leave for Italy to perfect his style and meet Domenico Scarlatti, Corelli and Pasquini. The composer had his operas performed in Florence, Rome and Venice. A great traveller, Handel went to Hanover and London where his opera Rina...

Werner Egk, a prominent German composer, died of heart disease Sunday in Inning, West Germany, his family said. He was 82 years old.  Mr. Egk's music, cast in a personal, essentially conservative fusion of 20th-century influences, Stravinsky chief among them, was full of translucent textures, lively rhythms and a mordant sense of irony. He was chiefly a composer for the theater, principally opera and ballet, but his catalogue includes orchestral and chamber works, as well.  Among his better-known operas were ''Die Zaubergeige,'' ''Peer Gynt,'' ''Der Revisor'' and ''Die Verlobung in San Domingo.'' ''Der Revisor,'' based on Gogol, was given its American premiere under the title ''The Inspector General'' by the New York City Opera in 1960, with the composer conducting. Ross Parmenter, writing in The New York Times, admired its ''wry cleverness'' ...

François Couperin, known as le grand to distinguish him from an uncle of the same name, was the most distinguished of a numerous family of French musicians, officially succeeding his uncle and father as organist of the Paris church of St Gervais when he was 18. He enjoyed royal patronage under Louis XIV and in 1693 was appointed royal organist and, belatedly, royal harpsichordist. As a keyboard player and composer he was pre-eminent in France at the height of his career. He died in Paris in 1733. Church Music Couperin composed church music for the Royal Chapel under Louis XIV. The surviving Leçons de ténèbres are possibly the best example of this form of composition—settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah for the Holy Week liturgy. The first two of the three are for soprano solo and continuo (the vocal part of the second pitched slightly lower than that of the first), and the third is for two sopranos and continuo. Chamber Music Co...

Benjamin Britten was an English composer, conductor and pianist whose name has gone down in history as one of the best musicians of the past century. Dissatisfaction with the music of contemporary England led Britten to model himself on the works of other musicians from the continent. It must have been this dissatisfaction that must have enabled Britten to transcend genres of music like very few others. Even when the inspiration to his music lied elsewhere, his music had a freshness and identity that separated him from contemporary musicians and pushed him in to a league of his own. His works are also considered a refreshing change from the dullness that had seemed to dominate orchestral music of England in late 19th and early 20th century. Explore more about the life and work of this legendary musician in this biography that encapsulates everything from his childhood to death in detail. Benjamin Britten’s Childho...

How many pieces of wood in a violin? What's the most expensive opera costume of all time? Which orchestra was booked to sail on the Titanic? Discover these random, bizarre and thoroughly interesting facts from the world of classical music. Next image   Picture 1 of 15 Previous Image Next image Titanic The London Symphony Orchestra was booked to travel on the Titanic's maiden voyage, but they changed boats at the last minute. (C) ClassicFM London