virtuoso

The word amateur has at least two connotations. In the first, more widely used manner, it means someone performing some task without pay, in contrast to a "professional" who would be paid for the same task. In this sense, labeling someone an "amateur" can have a negative connotation. For example, amateur athletes in sports such as basketball or football would not be regarded as having ability on p ...

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The six Brandenburg concertos (BWV 1046–1051) by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of instrumental works presented by Bach to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721, but probably composed earlier. Brandenburg concertos - History. By 1721, Bach's third year as Kapellmeister at Anhalt-Cöthen, he was becoming restless and began looking for career opportunities outside the small town. As the story commonly goes, on March 24, he assembled these six concertos (which had almost certainly been performed at Cö ...

Including:

• Brandenburg concertos - History
• Brandenburg concertos - The concertos: orchestral versus chamber music
• Brandenburg concertos - The individual concertos
• Brandenburg concertos - Brandenburg Concerto #1 in F major
• Brandenburg concertos - Brandenburg Concerto #2 in F major
• Brandenburg concertos - Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G major
• Brandenburg concertos - Brandenburg Concerto #4 in G major
• Brandenburg concertos - Brandenburg Concerto #5 in D major
• Brandenburg concertos - Brandenburg Concerto #6 in B flat major
• Brandenburg concertos - Other

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In the arts, Baroque (or baroque) is both a period and the artistic style that dominated it. The Baroque style used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, and music. The style started around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe. In music, the Baroque applies to the final period of domi ...

Including:

• Baroque - Evolution of the Baroque
• Baroque - Baroque visual art
• Baroque - Baroque sculpture
• Baroque - Bernini's Cornaro chapel: the complete work of art
• Baroque - Baroque architecture
• Baroque - Neo-Baroque architecture
• Baroque - Baroque theater and dance
• Baroque - Baroque literature and philosophy
• Baroque - Baroque music
• Baroque - Typical Instruments
• Baroque - Examples of typical Baroque music
• Baroque - The term Baroque

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Yngwie Johann Malmsteen, pronounced "INGvay" (born Lars Yngve Johann Lannerbäck, June 30, 1963) is a virtuoso guitarist from Sweden who achieved widespread acclaim in the 1980s due to his technical proficiency and fusion of classical music elements with heavy rock guitar. Born into a musical family in Stockholm, Yngwie was the youngest child in the family. At an early age, he showed little interest in music. It wasn't until September 18, 1970 when at age seven he saw a TV special on the death of Jimi Hendrix that Malmsteen became obsessed with the guitar. To quote his official website, "The day J ...

Including:

• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - 1980s
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - 1990s
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - 2000s
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Specialized guitar
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Criticism
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Discography
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Alcatrazz
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Yngwie Solo

Read more here: » Yngwie J. Malmsteen: Encyclopedia - Yngwie J. Malmsteen

Charles Michael (Chuck) Schuldiner (May 13, 1967, Long Island, New York –December 13, 2001) was an American musician. He is best known for being the founder, singer, virtuoso rhythm/lead guitar player and main song writer of Death, which he founded in 1983 as Mantas. Much later, in 1998, he founded the band Control Denied. He was also an innovator and pioneer of death metal (even though the creation of the genre can be attributed to a few bands that preceded Death/Mantas) and was one of the most influential metal guitarists. His ban ...

Including:

• Chuck Schuldiner - Biography
• Chuck Schuldiner - Early life
• Chuck Schuldiner - Death
• Chuck Schuldiner - Equipment
• Chuck Schuldiner - Other bands
• Chuck Schuldiner - Discography
• Chuck Schuldiner - With Death
• Chuck Schuldiner - With Control Denied
• Chuck Schuldiner - With Voodoo Cult
• Chuck Schuldiner - External link

Read more here: » Chuck Schuldiner: Encyclopedia - Chuck Schuldiner

Anton Stadler (1753 - 1812) was a clarinet and basset horn player for whom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote both his Quintet for Clarinet and Strings and Clarinet Concerto. He was reputed to have a beautiful tone, with exceptional mastery of the low register of the clarinet and basset horn playing. A noted virtuoso, he played second to his brother Johann in the Vienna Court Orchestra. It was possibly this specialism in second clarinet along with the basset horn that led to his collaboration with Theodore Lotz, a clar ...

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Witold Lutosławski (IPA: /vitɔld lutɔswavski/; January 25, 1913 – February 7, 1994) was one of the major European composers of the 20th century. He was possibly the most significant Polish composer since Chopin, and was the pre-eminent musician of his country during the last three decades of the century. During his lifetime he earned a large number of international awards and prizes, includ ...

Including:

• Witold Lutosławski - Biography
• Witold Lutosławski - Family and early years
• Witold Lutosławski - World War II
• Witold Lutosławski - Postwar years
• Witold Lutosławski - Maturity
• Witold Lutosławski - International renown
• Witold Lutosławski - Final years
• Witold Lutosławski - Music
• Witold Lutosławski - Folk influence
• Witold Lutosławski - Pitch organisation
• Witold Lutosławski - Aleatory technique
• Witold Lutosławski - Late style
• Witold Lutosławski - Selected compositions
• Witold Lutosławski - Orchestral Works
• Witold Lutosławski - Concertante Works
• Witold Lutosławski - Vocal/Choral Works
• Witold Lutosławski - Chamber/Instrumental Works
• Witold Lutosławski - Film Music

Read more here: » Witold Lutosławski: Encyclopedia - Witold Lutosławski

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer of classical music, who lived predominantly in Vienna, Austria. He was a major musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. Beethoven is widely regarded as one of history's greatest composers. His reputation has inspired — and in many cases intimidated — composers, musicians, and audiences who were to come after him. Among his most widely-recognized works are his Fifth, Sixth and Ninth symphonies; the P ...

Including:

• Ludwig van Beethoven - Life and work
• Ludwig van Beethoven - Musical style and innovations
• Ludwig van Beethoven - Personal beliefs and their musical influence
• Ludwig van Beethoven - Beethoven the Romantic?
• Ludwig van Beethoven - Grosse Fuge manuscript
• Ludwig van Beethoven - Media

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Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and technique. Works of dance choreographed using this technique are called ballets, and may include: dance, mime, acting and music (orchestral and sung). Ballets can be performed alone or as part of an opera. Ballet is best known for its virtuoso techniques such as pointe work, grand pas de deux and high leg extensions. Many ballet techniques bear a striking similarity to fencing positions and footwork, perhaps due to their development during the same periods of history, but more probably, because both arts had similar r ...

Including:

• Ballet - History of ballet
• Ballet - Ballet production
• Ballet - Directors
• Ballet - Dancers
• Ballet - Teachers
• Ballet - Composers
• Ballet - Designers and scenographers
• Ballet - Ballet education
• Ballet - Pictures
• Ballet - Video Clips

Read more here: » Ballet: Encyclopedia - Ballet

Andrea Luca Luchesi (May 23, 1741, Motta di Livenza - March 21, 1801, Bonn), was an Italian composer. Andrea Luchesi - Biography. Andrea Luchesi grew up in his native town, receiving musical and general education from his elder brother, a priest, public tutor and organist. At the age of 15 he moved to Venice. The protection of nobleman Jseppo Morosini enabled him to study with eminent musicians (the most well known of them being Baldassare Galuppi). His career in Venice develops quickl ...

Including:

• Andrea Luchesi - Biography

Read more here: » Andrea Luchesi: Encyclopedia - Andrea Luchesi

Alison Krauss (born on July 23, 1971 in Decatur, Illinois), is a bluegrass singer and virtuoso fiddle player who grew up in Champaign, Illinois. Krauss initially studied classical violin, starting at five, but she quickly switched to bluegrass. By age eight she started entering local talent contests and at ten she had her own band. At twelve she won the Illinois State Fiddle Championship and the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass in America named her the Most Promising Fiddler in th ...

Including:

• Alison Krauss - Discography
• Alison Krauss - Samples
• Alison Krauss - Grammy Awards
• Alison Krauss - Country Music Association Awards
• Alison Krauss - International Bluegrass Music Association Awards
• Alison Krauss - Other Awards

Read more here: » Alison Krauss: Encyclopedia - Alison Krauss

Dance (from Old French dancier, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression (see also body language) or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. Dance is also used to describe methods of non-verbal communication between humans or animals (bee dance, mating dance), motion in inanimate objects (the leaves danced in the wind), and certain musical forms or genres. People who dance are called dancers and the act of dance is kn ...

Including:

• Dance - History of dance
• Dance - Dance and music
• Dance - Choreography and notation
• Dance - Dance studies
• Dance - Categories of dance

Read more here: » Dance: Encyclopedia - Dance

Romantic music - Classical roots of Romanticism 1780-1815. In literature, the Romantic period is often said to begin in the 1770s or 1780s with a movement known as "storm and struggle" in Germany. It was attended by a greater influence of Shakespeare and of folk sagas, whether real or created, as well as the poetry of Homer. Writers such as Goethe and Schiller radically altered their practices, while in Scotland Robert Burns began setting down folk music. This literary movement is reflected in the music of the "c ...

See also:

Romantic music, Romantic music - Trends of the Romantic period, Romantic music - Musical language, Romantic music - Non-musical influences, Romantic music - Romantic opera, Romantic music - Nationalism, Romantic music - Instrumentation and scale, Romantic music - Brief Chronology of Musical Romanticism, Romantic music - Classical roots of Romanticism 1780-1815, Romantic music - Early Romantic 1815-1850, Romantic music - Late Romantic Era 1850-1910, Romantic music - Romanticism in the 20th century 1900-present

Read more here: » Romantic music: Encyclopedia II - Romantic music - Brief Chronology of Musical Romanticism

Ballet has its roots in Renaissance court spectacle in Italy, but was particularly shaped by the French ballet de cour, which consisted of social dances performed by the nobility in tandem with music, speech, verse, song, pageant, decor and costume. Ballet began to develop as a separate art form in France during the reign of Louis XIV, who was passionate about dance and determined to reverse a decline in dance standards that began in the 17th century. The king established the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, the same year in which t ...

See also:

Ballet, Ballet - History of ballet, Ballet - Ballet production, Ballet - Directors, Ballet - Dancers, Ballet - Teachers, Ballet - Composers, Ballet - Designers and scenographers, Ballet - Ballet education

Read more here: » Ballet: Encyclopedia II - Ballet - History of ballet

Perhaps the most important relationship in Beethoven's early life, and certainly the most famous, was the young pianist's tutorship under the Austrian composer Franz Josef Haydn. Beethoven studied with a number of composers and teachers in the period 1792-1795, including Salieri and Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. However, of all Beethoven's teachers, Haydn enjoyed the greatest reputation having just returned from his first successful voyage to London. In the year befo ...

See also:

Beethoven and his contemporaries, Beethoven and his contemporaries - Beethoven and Franz Josef Haydn, Beethoven and his contemporaries - Beethoven and Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Beethoven and his contemporaries - Beethoven and Luigi Cherubini, Beethoven and his contemporaries - Beethoven and Franz Liszt

Read more here: » Beethoven and his contemporaries: Encyclopedia II - Beethoven and his contemporaries - Beethoven and Franz Josef Haydn

Theremin - In movie soundtracks. Theremin by Lydia Kavina in the music to 'The Little Mermaid'. A Lera Auerbach's collaboration with choreographer John Neumeier. The ballet is a modern rendition of the classic fairytale 'The Little Mermaid'. Premiered April 15, 2005. Although it has never been a widely-played instrument, the theremin was the basis from which all twentieth-century electronic musical instruments were later developed. While not enjoying the wide use in classical music performance for which it ...

See also:

Theremin, Theremin - Overview, Theremin - History, Theremin - The theremin in use, Theremin - In movie soundtracks, Theremin - In popular music, Theremin - Similar Instruments, Theremin - Bibliography

Read more here: » Theremin: Encyclopedia II - Theremin - The theremin in use

Concertos for the harpsichord were written throughout the Baroque era, notably by Johann Sebastian Bach (see list of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach for a list). These harpsichord concertos are often performed with a piano as the solo instrument. As the piano developed and became accepted, composers naturally started writing concertos for it. This happened in the 18th century, and so corresponded to the Classical music era. The most important composer in the development of the form in these ...

See also:

Piano concerto, Piano concerto - History, Piano concerto - Form, Piano concerto - Other compositions for piano and orchestra

Read more here: » Piano concerto: Encyclopedia II - Piano concerto - History

Charles-Valentin Alkan - Life and career. Alkan was born Charles-Valentin Morhange to a Jewish family in Paris, where his father lived as a music teacher. Charles-Valentin and his brothers, who were also musicians, used their father's first name, Alkan, as their last. Charles-Valentin Alkan spent his life in and around Paris. His only known excursions were a concert tour in England in 1833-1834, and a ...

See also:

Charles-Valentin Alkan, Charles-Valentin Alkan - Biography, Charles-Valentin Alkan - Life and career, Charles-Valentin Alkan - Death, Charles-Valentin Alkan - Music, Charles-Valentin Alkan - Notable compositions, Charles-Valentin Alkan - References and further reading

Read more here: » Charles-Valentin Alkan: Encyclopedia II - Charles-Valentin Alkan - Biography

In late 1982 Malmsteen was brought to the USA by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteen's playing. Shrapnel is synonymous with the "shred" style music. He had brief engagements with Steeler, for their self-titled album of 1983, then Alcatrazz, for their 1983 debut No Parole From Rock N' Roll, and the 1984 live album Live Sentence. He left Alcatrazz in 1984, replaced by Steve Vai, and began his solo career. Malmsteen released his first solo album "Rising Force" (winner of Guitar Player Magazine's Best R ...

See also:

Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - 1980s, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - 1990s, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - 2000s, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Specialized guitar, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Criticism, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Discography, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Alcatrazz, Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Yngwie Solo

Read more here: » Yngwie J. Malmsteen: Encyclopedia II - Yngwie J. Malmsteen - 1980s

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was born in the village of Kuryłówka in the province of Podolia, Poland. His father was working there as an economist in the local mansion. His mother, Poliksena née Nowicka, died several months after Paderewski was born and he was brought up by his distant relatives. From his early childhood Paderewski was interested in music. Initially he took piano classes with a private teacher. At the age of 12, in 1872, he went to Warsaw and was admitted to the Warsaw Conservatorium. After graduating in 1878 he was asked ...

See also:

Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Biography, Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Medals and awards

Read more here: » Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Encyclopedia II - Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Biography