XOXO

Date/Place of Birth:  25 September, 1906 in St. Peterburg, Russia Personality:  A not-very-tall, slim, shy and serious man with reputedly habits: chain-smoking and extreme nervousness. There are two descriptions of the composer’s personality as following:

“…He (Shostakovich) is thinner, taller, younger than expected - boyish looking; he is the shyest and most nervous man I have ever seen. He chews his nails; with uncontrolled trembling hands and mouth & chin; stammers when confronted with strangers; chain smokes; and adjusts his spectacles constantly. He has a strange habit of staring, too, and he would turn guiltily away when caught…”
Robert Craft, American conductor/musicologist

“Facing tremedous ovation, he clutches nervously for the hand of conductor/soloist, clumsily takes his bow to the audience and then leaves the hall immediately.”
During the première of Shostakovich’s 2nd cello concerto performed by Mstislav Rostropovich

However, with his close friends, Shostakovich was more relaxed, very talkative and sometimes burst out laughing. And yet he was such a laconic, witty and ironic man that he was never escaped from being contradicted, condemned and misunderstood, particularly by the Soviet leaders.

Besides composing and performing his own works in public, Shostakovich was an active professor of composition at the Leningrad Conservatoire, who readily helped and encouraged his students to compose with much freedom. In my opinion, Shostakovich was one of the most intriguing man to know.

Piano-Playing Style:  Though Shostakovich did not establish his career as a piano virtuoso, he played piano exceptionally well. As a student, he learned to play Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms etc. He was considered to have an impeccable musical depth and memory. His performance at his graduation recital of 1923 was reviewed by the journal ‘Zhizn Iskusstva’ (Art Life) as following:

“The young pianist-composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s recital was ultimately impressive. He played the Liszt transcription of Bach organ Prelude and Fugue in A minor, the formidable Beethoven Appasionata Sonata and his own piano works (i.e. Variations, Preludes and Fantastic Dances) - all with a self-determined clarity of artistic interpretation. His own works revealed his serious musical thought and his reputation as a professional composer”

Since then, the young Shostakovich worked as a part-time piano player for silent movies at the ‘Bright Reel’ Theatre in order to support his poor, fatherless family. It was, as he related to his friends, a dreadfully boring and tiresome experience.

In the middle age, he devoted most of his time to composing while teaching composition at the Conservatoire for a living. And yet, he managed to première his own works as a soloist (i.e. his 2nd piano sonata, 2nd piano trio, piano quintet etc.) and accompanist (i.e. his ‘Song Cycle From Jewish Folk-Poetry’); which proved that he was a remarkable pianist.

Music:  Shostakovich was one of the Russian composers living in terror of his life under the fearsome, totalitarian Stalinism and horrors of war, executions and chaotic riots.

Consequently, he was so conscious of his environment that he conveyed the excruciating sufferings and mourning of Soviet people, tragedies, violence in street demonstrations, military assaults, ruthless executions by Stalinists etc.

Hopelessly, Shostakovich used music as a medium to express his anger; sympathy for victims killed in the war/street riots; his own sufferings from unjust contempt and misunderstanding; and strong protest against Stalinism.

Besides, he also showed his mockery of the Soviet leaders ironically (i.e. happiness and excitement in his music is actually a ‘mask’ concealing painful emotions behind it) and satirically (i.e. in my opinion, the 2nd movement of his 5th Symphony is trying to criticize the Soviet government of their faults in a humorous manner). Therefore, his music is declared as ‘Soviet Realism’.

Since his music sounds very modern and usually pessimistic, he was condemned severely as his music violated the Soviet leaders’ criteria (i.e. music must be optimistic, music must have a grand, happy ending; music must not be too ‘modern’ or ‘dissonant’; music must represent a Soviet musical culture and not influence from Western culture etc.) He had been handcuffed because of his “offensive” opera, Lady MacBeth of the Mtensk District.

Since then, he was forced to compose a ‘grand, happy’ ending for his 5th Symphony, which was deceptive enough that the Soviet leaders forgave him willingly. His late music is darker, more mysterious, personal and even contains images of death.

All the characteristics mentioned above are found in his works, not only his important symphonies, but also his concertos, chamber music and piano works like 24 Preludes and Fugues etc.

In conclusion, Shostakovich was arguably among the greatest 20th Century composers ever lived in Russia.

Composing Habit:  Before Stalin came to power, Shostakovich and most Russian composers had much freedom in expressing their innermost feelings in their music. His early works showed the influence of Post-Romantic music, particularly Mahler’s symphonies.

In his middle age, his composing style changed from post-romantic to “modern” as influenced by the Constructivist art that is futuristic and highly original in machine-inspired textures - therefore, his music sounds extremely bold, unique and highly eccentric.

Besides, his compositions showed an unity with a sense of classical balance and continuity, for instance, the ‘DSCH’ (D-E flat-C-B natural) theme appeared throughout his 10th symphony. It was all influenced by his idol, Beethoven. And yet, his piano compositions should not be neglected as his fugal writing skill was simply impeccable (i.e. his 24 Preludes op. 34, 24 Preludes and Fugues op. 87).

It was common that most Russian composers composed their works at the piano. Shostakovich often played his new compositions to his colleagues and discussed with them before the works were orchestrated.

Shostakovich’s Quote:  “Every composer should be able to play his own compositions at the piano”
Shostakovich, it is not surprising that he always premièred his own piano compositions

“I shall never forget that event - a boy was brutally killed by a Cossack with his sabre”
The young Shostakovich who witnessed a horrible sight of street riot; his 2nd & 12th Symphonies described this tragedy

“Beethoven was a revolutionary. If you read his letters, you will realize how much he wished to arouse the public by his new musical ideas”
Shostakovich

Shostakovich’s Death:  In late years, Shostakovich still managed to compose enthusiatically despite his deteriorating health (i.e. his viola sonata was among his last compositions).

Finally, the great Russian composer died of a heart attack in the Kremlin hospital on 9th August, 1975, at the age of 69. The following is a description of his funeral related by one of his close friends, Solomon Volkov:

“The figure who lay in the open coffin had a smile on his face - unfriendly and peaceful, as though he had escaped from all his sufferings”

Date/Place of Birth:  23 April, 1891 in Sontsovka, Ukraine. Personality:  A stubborn, ill-tempered but very talented man. Prokofiev was unpleasant to everyone and always disturbed people around him with his rude speaking; with a irritating chuckle and a cunning look. If he disliked somebody, he could be crude and behaved brutally.

As a disobedient but confident student, he was not impressed with what his great teachers, like Liadov, Glazounov and Rimsky-Korsakov, taught. He considered them being too conservative; not open to innovation; and being ignorant about anything outside their previous experience.

Piano-Playing Style:  Prokofiev considered piano as a percussion instrument. Therefore, he played it percussively. In other word, he treated it like a machine.

At the piano, Prokofiev was an ice-cold demon who played in a pushing-forward style with complete control and emotional detachment. In other words, he would drive the music turbulent, wild and yet exciting. A fine example of his exciting works is Toccata op 11.

Because of his sharp, percussive and wildly propulsive playing, Prokofiev was called “The Bolshevik pianist” or considered as “a steel pianist - with steel fingers, steel biceps, steel triceps.”

Music:  Prokofiev’s music represents a turning away from emotional thoughts and formal complexity of late German Romanticism. Instead his music represents pistons (cyclical movements of metal in engine); clankings (sounds of the heavy piece of metal struck together); and the machinery of a new age. Therefore, such a new music created an enormous stir in the 1920’s and made many people uncomfortable.

Once the Resolution was launched by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Prokofiev’s music had been criticized as ‘formalism’, which means “anti-national and contained a strong spirit of European and American music”. In other words, Prokofiev’s music was blamed for threatening and weakening the Soviet musical culture. Among his formalistic works were ‘War and Peace’, Piano Sonata no 6 and some other piano works.

However, today some people considered that the above-mentioned critic was misjudged. Prokofiev’s music had enriched the Russian musical culture and influenced other Russian composers very greatly.

In conclusion, though Prokofiev’s music was sometimes very lyrical, his music was generally sharp, mechanical and slashing attack on the romantic musical conventions. This means that his music was anti-Romantic or termed as “Neo-Classicism”.

Composing Habit:  Prokofiev usually composed within a traditional framework. He used 19th Century forms for most of his works. He used to apply complex rhythms to make his music motoric and driving; graceful and vigorous too. Besides that, he would twist aound the tonality and sharp dissonances - suggesting his intelligent imagination or sometimes occasional humor. The textures of his works often seemed to have a shining brilliance of polished steel.

Moreover, Prokofiev could compose fine, lyrical melodies whenever possible - they could be sorrowful, touching and charming for its fresh simplicity. However, lyricism is not what Prokofiev emphasized on but as described above, it is “Neo-Classicism”.

Prokofiev’s Quote:  “Formalism is the name given to music not understood on first hearing,”
Prokofiev’s opinion on the vague term ‘formalism’

“The Resolution…had separated decayed tissue in the composers’ creative production from healthy part…The Resolution is very important because it demonstrates that the formalist movement is alien to the Soviet people…”
Prokofiev

Prokofiev’s Death:  Being troubled by ill health and depressed by his breakup of his marriage, Prokofiev finally died in Moscow on 5 March, 1953, the same day that Stalin died.

Date/Place of Birth:  11 April, 1916 in Buenos Aires Personality:  One of the most prominent Argentine composers in 20th Century. Besides that, he also attained his prestige as one of the most sought-after music professors. His indefatigable didactic efforts in nurturing young talented musicians & composers and promoting Argentine musical culture were indubitably shown by his hectic participations as the following:

• Founder of the League of Composers which represented the Argentine section of ISCM;
  (Note: ISCM stands for International Society for Contemporary Music which consists of numerous national sections and organizes annual festivals at different places where the works of contemporary composers from all around the world are performed)

• Director of Music Conservatory in La Parta (1948);

• Dean of the Faculty of Musical Arts & Sciences at the Argentine Catholic University;

• Professor at the University of La Plata (1958);

• Director of Latin American Centre for Advanced Musical Studies at the Instituto Torcuato di Tella in Buenos Aires;

Consequently, Ginastera was so appreciated and revered that he received several prestigious honours from several universities like National Academy of Fine Arts of Argentina (1957); the Brazilian Academy of Music (1958); the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1965) and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1968). He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Yale University in 1968 and the National Grand Prize for the Arts from the Argentine Ministry of Culture and Education in 1971.

Meanwhile, he was universally recognized as a composer as his works were often performed in various festivals which resulted in rapturous success.

Piano-Playing Style:  Due to lack of resources about Ginastera’s biography, I could not find any information about his playing style. I would be glad if you could recommend any decent book about his biography. Music:  Ginastera classified his oeuvre into three periods:

• Objective Nationalism (1937 - 1947)
  Argentine folk music and dances are applied in his early works. The music is generally accessible and tonal blended with vibrant, ‘sizzling’ rhythms. It usually represents the culture of Argentine, ranging from the silent grandeur of the vast pampas to dynamic dances of gauchos (South American cowboys).

  Examples of this period: 12 American Preludes, piano (1944) (check out for my sound files); The Danzas Argentinas, piano (1937); Suite de danzas criollas, piano (1946); Panambi, ballet (1940) etc.

• Subjective Nationalism (1947 - 1954)
  Without applying nationalistic elements directly as in Objective Nationalism, the music is purely from the composer’s own ideas, but still in the style of Argentine characters. In other words, it symbolizes the characteristics of Argentine folk music elusively rather than conveys them explicitly.

  Examples of this period: Piano Sonata no.1 (1952); Pampeano no.3 for orchestra (1954); String Quartet no.1 (1948); Variaciones concertantes for orchestra (1953) etc.

• Neo-expressionism (1954 - 1983)
  The music is generally atonal as a result of being influenced by the expressionism of Schoenberg and Berg. It is very emotional as it conveys the expression of Romantic Surrealism, tragedy, fantasy and supernatural.

  Examples of this period: Estudios sinfónicos for orchestra (1967); String Quartet no.2 (1958); 2 piano concertos (1961 & 1972 respectively); Don Rodrigo, opera (1964); Beatrix Cenci, opera (1971) etc.

Composing Habit:  Ginastera was a perfectionist - he was extremely assiduous and scrupulous in his compositions. It was a habit that he destroyed many of them, especially those early works with which he was not always satisfied. Hence, his total output was a small one.

In the first period of his oeuvre, Ginastera often applied the materials from the Argentine folk music as stated above, which was very similiar to Bartók’s approach in his compositions.

However, in the last period of his works, the composer used 12-tone method, polytonality, quarter tones and other micro-intervals as the model of his works. While the music is atonal, he often worked within the frame of traditional forms like Sonata form, Theme & Variations etc. Meanwhile, he also applied a quotation technique, one of the powerful composing tools in 20th Century music where a particular theme is borrowed from other composer’s works, just like what Charles Ives invariably did in his compositions.

In addition, Ginastera further extended the limits of instrumental and vocal techniques which resulted in enriched colors and moods. For example, use of clusters, microtonal sonorities and aleatory structures which demand for virtuosic playing and challenging but unusual vocal skills such as mimicking the dog’s howling as in his Beatrix Cenci.

(Note: Aleatory music represents music that is composed through chance procedures, also known as Chance Music)

Ginastera’s Death:  25 June, 1983 in Geneva.

Date/Place of Birth:  25 March, 1881 in Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary (now Rumania). Personality:  A tiny, slim man but with a strong and stubborn integrity. Bartók was a determined and industrious man - he would strive to achieve anything he needed desperately.

Because of his strong ambitious attitude, Bartók was therefore the world’s outstanding specialist on Hungarian folk music. He collected primitive, raw folk songs and conducted research on them with great efforts.

Moreover, Bartók was a powerful individualist who was prepared to stand up to the Establishment in defense of his music and his right. Even though his music was badly accepted at his time, he did not lost confidence and gave up easily but still stubbornly composed more pieces in the same manner.

Piano-Playing Style:  Like Prokofiev, Bartók treated the piano as a percussive instrument. He tended to play the piano with heavy accents - producing a sharp, sudden attack.

Bartók also emphasized on strict tempo. Every notes were played very precisely in a totally strict time. And yet his playing was very masculine and strong - fond of playing fast continuous series of chords.

Music:  Bartók’s music generally represents a combination of nationalism and 19th Century forms into a highly individual, powerful music in 20th Century. His music was rich of primitive Hungarian folk elements. Bartók himself even claimed that it was also peasant music that rooted firmly in his music.

Besides that, Bartók’s music was more dissonant and harsh compared with Stravinsky’s or Prokofiev’s music. It was ear-splitting and slashing sound that had been claimed as a remarkable Bartókian style.

Because of the percussive, loud and clashing sound, Bartók’s music, especially in his orchestral and chamber works, was richly sonorous but more difficult to listen compared with Classical music by Beethoven etc. Therefore, to understand his music well, one has to listen it repeatedly in order to absorb the idiom of his works. Once it is, the music clears up into a direct emotional utterance.

Composing Habit:  Bartók was a highly creative and nationalist composer. He always added folk elements to his music in a new and daring manner. As there were so many kind of folk music, he would use pentatonic, heptatonic or chromatic scale and other strange models in order to fit the folk element into his music. That was why Pierre Boulez considered him as “the mature Debussy”.

Besides that, Bartók often built works from motto themes, consisting of a few notes. In other words, he developed a ‘cyclic’ form that combined all elements and regenerated the main theme throughout the entire work. That was why Bartók’s music was criticized as being lack of melody. Halsey Stevens, in his biography of Bartók, has written:

“His short motives, are constantly regenerated. They grow organically; they proliferate; the evolutionary process is kinetic. Undoubtedly, it is unforbidable thematic logic where many motivic manipulations which seem carefully calculated were brought about intuitively.”

Lastly, Bartók’s fond of big continuous chords; strange and irregular rhythm; dissonant seconds and sevenths; and those harmonies stemming from peasant music - all these make his music as one of the most individualistic mind of the 20th Century.

Bartók’s Quote:  “It may sound odd, but I do not hesitate to say that the simpler melody, the more complex and strange may be the harmonizations and accompaniments that go well with it,”
Bartók explained his totally new approach to his music

“It is possibly dangerous that Hungary will also surrender to this system of robbery and murder. How I could continue to live or similarly, working in a country is quite inconceivable.”
Bartók, a politically sensitive man, afraid of the fearsome spread of Nazism

Bartók’s Death:  In final years, Bartók possibly suffered leukimia. His weight dropped drastically, down to 87 pounds. He was so weak and finally died in New York on 26 September, 1945.

Date/Place of Birth:  6 January, 1872 in Moscow, Russia. Personality:  A slim, elegant and talented composer. He considered alcohol as poison since he drank so much when he was young that he stayed drunken for the rest of his life. Scriabin was obsessively religious and mystical.

Some of his strange habits are: washing hands compulsively; wearing gloves before touching money; spending long time at at the washroom (worrying about wrinkles and baldness).

Besides that, Scriabin’s sexual desire was torrid; he left his wife, Vera and their children to live with another woman. He explained to Vera that it was “a sacrifice to art”.

In his late life, he was said to be insane. He became increasingly self-exalted. He claimed himself as God. He believed that he could fly and even tried to walk on water. His strange personality therefore influenced his own music.

Piano-Playing Style:  Scriabin was a talented virtuoso. Sensitive touch and pedalling was the hallmark of his playing. Unlike Rachmaninoff’s clear and precise playing, Scriabin was more emphasized on the colourful kind of pianism and often played with great imaginations. The high demand of various finger touches from his etudes evidently reflects his extremely sensitive and virtuosic playing. Music:  Scriabin’s early works are strongly influenced by Chopin. He loved Chopin’s works so much that his waltzes, mazurkas, etudes, preludes and nocturnes are undoubtedly romantic, lyrical and aristocratic - typical Chopinesque style.

However, as Scriabin’s personality became increasingly complex, his music was getting more enigmatic and mysterious. His music is futuristic and sounds very dissonant due to his “mystic chords”. In addition, it could be erotic sometimes - a long build-up to a sonorous harmonic climax. A typical erotic piece is “The Poem of Ecstasy”.

In conclusion, Scriabin’s music is termed as “incomprehensible”, “enigmatic” and “bombastic” (this term was applied by Stravinsky).

Composing Habit:  During his youth, Scriabin composed his early works in a Chopinesque style. For his later compositions, he applied his self-developed “mystic chords” - C, F-sharp, B-flat, E, A, D.

As he probably suffered from synaesthesia where one could not hear music without seeing colours, he always put his favourite markings like “luminously”, “more and more flashing”. A typical composition showing his synaesthesic symptom is “Prometheus: The Poem of Fire” (piano, chorus, colour organ with the orchestra). The keys of the colour organ would flash its light in accordance to a particular note. Scriabin composed his Prometheus by using the colours as the following:

C              -  Red
C-sharp     - Violet
D              - Yellow
D-sharp     - Grey (like steel)
E               - Pearly white
F               - Dark red
F-sharp      - Blue
G               - Rosy orange
G-sharp      - Purple
A                - Green
A-sharp       - Grey (like steel)
B                - Pearly blue

Other than his “mystic chords”, he always put lots of accidentals, fearsome chords, incomprehensible harmonies, strange melodies and trills. He also emphasized that his music should be experienced with multiple senses like sound, sight, smell, feel, colours, religion etc. As a conclusion, Scriabin was undoubtedly one of the most original, mystical and enigmatic composers in 19th Century.

Scriabin’s Quote:  “I am God!
I am nothing, I’m play, I am freedom, I am life.
I am the boundary, I am the peak.”
Scriabin’s insane self-exaltedness

“My Tenth Sonata is a sonata of insects. Insects are born from the sun…they are the sun’s kisses…How unified world-understanding is when you look at things this way,”
Scriabin explaining his tenth piano sonata

Scriabin’s Death:  On 27 April, 1915, in Moscow, Scriabin died from blood poisoning, and ridiculously, there was a carbuncle on his lip.

Date/Place of Birth:  2 April, 1873 in Novgorod, Russia. Personality:  A tall, grim, serious man with rather Mongalian features and the haircut of a convict. He was uncommunicative and open only to a very few close friends. As a student, he was stubborn and dared to contradict his teachers.

Rachmaninoff always avoided publicity and interviewers. In other words, he never felt comfortable expressing himself in English, and with strangers, or when he saw public, he usually felt physically ill. And yet he spoke slowly and notably stingy with words.

When he was feeling well and speaking Russian, his close friends found him warm, witty, active with high spirit and even had a good sense of humour. However, he was generally looked stern and very seldom smiled in public. Stravinsky once characterized him as a “six-and-a-half-foot-scowl”.

Piano-Playing Style:  Unquestionably, Rachmaninoff was one of the greatest piano virtuoso in 20th Century. There was a rumour that his hands could stretch out in an interval of 13th (eg. notes C-A)! With his king-sized hands, technical difficulty was certainly not troubled him at all. That was why his piano works were so difficult and impractical for those with small hands.

Although his playing was critized as monotonous and very straightforward, his playing was very precise, strong and logical. He always emphasized on the clarity of the music no matter how fast it was to be played. Prokofiev once remarked on Rachmaninoff’s playing,”With Rachmaninoff, all its notes stood firmly and clearly on the ground,”

His performance of his own piano works was uncomparable. Rachmaninoff had even made recordings of some of his piano works. If you find one in music store, buy it!!

Music:  It is a fact that Rachmaninoff’s music is very popular nowadays and stubbornly refuses to go away especially his piano works and orchestral works are so frequently performed by world-renowned musicians.

Rachmaninoff’s music was romantic and contained wide expression of feelings:-

• exciting
  (eg. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini);

• beautiful
  (eg. his song “Vocalise”);

• dramatic
  (eg. Piano Sonata no 2);

• serious-minded
  (eg. Prelude in C# minor);

• delightful
  (eg. Humoresque and Polichinelle for piano) etc.

In addition, a melancholy touch of his music was never absent in his music - particularly his ever-popular Piano Concerto no 2.

In conclusion, Rachmaninoff’s music was so lyrical, melodious and expressive that showed - how individual he was, how well he expressed himself in music, and how strong his ideas were.

Composing Habit:  Rachmaninoff never contributed to 20th Century form or harmony like twelve-tone or serial music. But he applied the old forms with something highly personal; and his compositions occasionally showed influence from Tchaikovsky, especially his opera Aleko. This evidently showed that his works like symphonies, piano concertos, preludes etc. were all within the traditional framework but with a strong Russia quality and individual style.

Rachmaninoff was a very emotional composer. When his first symphony received a lukewarm response, he lost confidence and could not complete his second piano concerto anymore. Fortunately, his mental illness was successfully cured by a psychiatric expert, Dr. Nikolai Dahl by saying hypnoticly,”You will write your Concerto…You will work with great facility…The Concerto will be of excellent quality.”

As a result, his Piano Concerto no 2 was completed in 1901. Since then, more masterpieces produced.

Rachmaninoff’s   Quote:  “I felt like a man who had suffered a stroke and had lost the use of his head and hands,”
Rachmaninoff who wrote nothing for almost three years since the failure of his first symphony Rachmaninoff’s   Death:  In final years, Rachmaninoff ceased to perform in public due to his recurring health problems. In February of 1943, his recital in Knoxville, Tennessee was the last time he played. The great musician died of cancer on 21 March, 1943 in California after he became a citizen of the United States recently.

Date/Place of Birth:  2 March, 1824 in Litomysl, Bohemia Personality:  A bespectacled, slender, grim and stoic-looking man, Smetana was one of the greatest Bohemian composers, a piano virtuoso, conductor and highly respected teacher.

During his early adulthood, Smetana was hardly recognized as a musician and composer in his homeland. Most of his concerts were poorly attended and received lukewarm response from the public. Yet, there were not many new students enrolling at his music institute. During that time, he lived in such abject poverty, to the extent that he could not even own a piano. Subsequently, he tried to earn a living in Sweden.

During the Sweden period, Smetana gained a reputation as a pianist/conductor and teacher which, however, eclipsed his stature as a composer. Besides that, he was active in promoting music of famous composers, ranging from Handel to Liszt. Therefore, he enjoyed his life very much in Sweden.

Nevertheless, due to inexpressible yearning for performing his music in his beloved homeland, Smetana composed the first opera “The Brandenburgers in Bohemia” for the opera competition in Prague. As a result, it was received rapturously and he won the competition. He was then appointed as the principal conductor of Prague Provisional Theatre.

Unfortunately, although his second opera “The Bartered Bride” was extremely popular during that time, there were many critics showing disdain for him and invariably gave unrepentantly bad opinions about his music, with the common reason that it showed Germanic influence and Wagnerism. Yet, the public was influenced blindly by those hostile critics. That was why Smetana was underappreciated in his homeland.

Therefore, it was evident that Smetana was never ceased to be dogged by inexorable bad lucks. Firstly, his talents were hardly recognized in his homeland despite his popularity in Sweden. Secondly, the death of his first wife Katerina and three of his four daughters left him devastatingly grieved. Finally, he was cursed with the cruellest blow - deafness - which forced him to resign from his lucrative conducting post, and eventually his composing ability was marred by his deteriorated health.

It is a fact that Smetana was an outright patriot of his homeland. Yet, he indefatigably improved his knowledge of Czech language in order to show his pride for being a Bohemian. Today, Smetana is considered as the founder of Czech music and a national hero.

Piano-Playing Style:  Smetana had already gained a reputation as a talented pianist who first performed in public at the age of 6. He was also a competent violinist who had even participated in a Haydn string quartet. He was very impressed by Liszt’s playing at a concert series in 1840 and was determined to emulate Liszt’s virtuosity.

There were accounts which related that Smetana had such stupendous techniques that he could play the Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude with the left hand in octaves and several notoriously difficult piano pieces of Schumann, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Tausig and other contemporaries. In addition, he was much sought-after as a pianist for accompanying dance when he was only a student.

During the Sweden period, Smetana often appeared as a soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3 and Weber’s Konzertstück and gave some piano recitals too. It was such a pity that Smetana was hardly known as a musician during his lifetime despite his promising talents.

Music:  Most of Smetana’s early compositions were confined to piano works. They were formidably difficult and manifested some influence from Liszt’s virtuosic piano tradition. Besides, his piano music was very much in Romantic style, blended with tenderness, heroism, love and nostalgia. Among the most distinguished piano works were “Six Charateristic Compositions op.1” (1848, dedicated to Liszt), Album Leaves (1851) etc. However, his late piano works, such as “14 Czech Dances” (1878) and mostly Polkas, evoked unflagging spirit, vitality and charm of Czech folk music. In addition, his chamber music, such as Piano Trio in G minor, was strikingly personal and romantic.

After listening to the nationalistic Glinka operas, Smetana was so impressed that he decided to compose the same kind of music for his homeland. Consequently, he composed 8 operas, of which “The Bartered Bride” was the most popular. On a whole, his operas were grandly patriotic, based on his nation’s history, legends and culture that left a heritage of which his people could be proud. Therefore, they were very characteristic of joyful, optimistic Czech music, with inevitable drama.

His symphonic poems also evinced a significant debt to Liszt’s orchestral music. Like operas, the music was generally dramatic and heroic with exquisite grandeur. His “Má Vlast” (My Country) was a mammoth masterpiece which depicted the beautiful landscape of his country and the national legends.

Although Smetana is a highly esteemed as a Czech composer, most of his compositions, especially his piano works and operas, are still rarely performed today.

Composing Habit:  Smetana’s musical inventiveness was incomparably amazing. Although he usually relied on Czech subjects for his music, he never quoted any Czech folk music but unconsciously composed unorthodox Czech music.

It was customary that Smetana exploited the motif/main theme to the full by means of theme transformation and recurrence; provided a strong sense of cohesion by means of monothematic material and of interrelation in tonality between one movement and another; evoked a dramatic atmosphere by means of his masterful orchestration, of his trademark prolonged pedal points, of strong chromatic Wagnerian bass lines and of shifting tonicizations.

Furthermore, Smetana occasionally composed music as portrayal of his personality (i.e. The String Quartet “From My Life” - indicating his miserable life and deafness); and of people who were close to him (e.g. Piano Trio in memory of his beloved daughter Bedriska who died from scarlet fever; his wife Katerina as portrayed in Album Leaves).

Smetana’s Quote:  “By the grace of God and with His help, I shall one day be a Liszt in technique and a Mozart in composition”
Smetana in his diary, 23 January, 1845

“I am not ashamed to reply to you in my mother tongue, however imperfectly, and am glad to be able to show that my fatherland means more to me than anything else”
Smetana’s second letter written in Czech language, 11 March, 1860

“For the first time for ages, I can again hear the entire range of octaves in tune. Previously they were all jumbled up. I can still hear nothing with my right ear”
Smetana complaining about his deafness in his diary, 8 October, 1874

Smetana’s Death:  In 1874, Smetana’s health began to deteriorate. Not only did he suffer from deafness and tinnitus, but he suffered from an ulcer and a body rash. The cause was syphilis.

In his late years, he could not stand hearing intense noise in his head and eventually suffered from a severe nervous breakdown. He was then sent to the Prague lunatic asylum where he died on 12 May, 1884 at the age of 60.

Date/Place of Birth:  21 March 1839 in Karevo, Pskov district Personality:  A member of ‘The Mighty Handful’. Mussorgsky never received any formal musical education during his childhood. After he graduated from the Cadet School of the Imperial Guards in 1856, he joined the Preobrazhensky Imperial Life Guards. Later, he resigned and was then appointed as a clerk in the civil service. However, during his army career, he indefatigably worked out his attempt in producing masterpieces despite his lack of musical knowledge.

Mussorgsky’s life was generally unorganized and miserable. Being an incurable alcoholic, he found his job loathsome and tedious - therefore often sank into deep depression and degradation. His health was erratic and occasionally, he sufferred from mental disorders that were sadly inimical to his concentration in composing. However, it is undubitably not a hindrance to him. Some considered that his miserable life and drinking habit might have culminated in producing a handful of masterpieces.

In conclusion, Mussorgsky is now considered as one of the most single-minded Russian composers in 19th Century.

Piano-Playing Style:  Mussorgsky had already shown musical talents during his early childhood. Before he learned the basics in piano, he immersed himself at the piano improvising the music of Russian folk tunes that he hopelessly adored. His mother recognized his musical talents and began to teach him. Consequently, he improved tremendously to the extent that he mastered some of Liszt’s piano pieces and performed a piano concerto by John Field in public at the age of 9.

Since then, Mussorgsky had piano lessons with Anton Herke who was an outstanding pianist and a pupil of Henselt. However, Mussorgsky had no pretensions as a piano virtuoso, and he was described by Borodin as ‘an elegant piano dilettante’.

Music:  Mussorgsky’s music was generally nationalistic and individual. He was well acquianted with Russian folksongs and the life of peasants during his happy childhood. In 1857, he met Dargomyzhsky, a well-known composer and a friend of Glinka’s, who later introduced him to several Russian composers like Cui, Balakirev, Stasov and others. He was so impressed by their nationalistic music, especially Balakirev who taught him in composition, that he devote himself entirely to Russian art. This eventually consolidated his ability to compose music in his strikingly personal style.

His early works were neither characteristic of him nor nationalistic, but an emanation of Romantic expressions and lyricism. Some of his early piano works reflected his reminiscenes of his happy childhood such as ‘Souvenir d’enfance’, ‘A Child’s Scherzo’, ‘Nanny and Me’ etc. Besides that, his ‘Impromptu passionné’ is one of the most exquisite pieces ever composed, with a tinge of Schumannesque texture. Ironically, he no longer composed any music in this style.

Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at the Exhibition’ is arguably the epitome of all programmatic piano music in 19th Century. It was inspired by the paintings of his friend Victor Hartmann. It evinces Mussorgsky’s fertile imaginations and is replete with the strikingly original and somewhat exotic melodies, in such a way that shows an affinity with Russian folksongs. Meanwhile, he also composed an overtly colourful, gripping orchestral piece - ‘Night on a Bare Mountain’. It is programmatic music which depicts that all ghouls and devils are called up for revelries upon the mountain.

It is the operas and lieder that reveal his personality and his art of music. Unlike his early Romantic works, Mussorgsky eschewed aesthetic value in his late works, but endeavoured to reveal the life of Russians, panoramic scenery of villages, and all events occurred around him. Somehow it showed realism, as one of the trademarks found in Shostakovich’s music. Therefore, Mussorgsky’s operas and lieder are purely nationalistic and very characteristic of the composer himself i.e. sardonic, tender, fortright and outrageous.

Composing Habit:  During his lifetime, Mussorgsky’s works were often misjudged as the least organized compositions ever produced. Some reactionary composers like Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov complained that his music was always lacked of cohesion and logical modulations, and its orchestration & part-writing were ineffective.

It is a fact that Mussorgsky did not adhere to the principles of the traditional theory, but strived to relate his music to the Russian culture and life. He made it a rule to apply modal scale and was obsessed with rhythmic repetition and asymmetric phrasing - these characteristics show an affinity with Russian folk music.

Mussorgsky loved improvising laboriously at the piano. That is how his masterpieces were composed. Unfortunately, his ability to concentrate on compositions was sapped by his heavy drinking, as mentioned above. Consequently, it is customary to find most of his works unorganized and unfinished.

When all is said and done, Mussorgsky was certainly one of the most revolutionary of all Russian composers in 19th Century.

Mussorgsky’s Quote:  “Thanks to nanny, I’ve got a deep understanding of Russian tales. This deep feeling for the soul of common people; their life became the main impulse for musical improvisation before I learned the basics in piano”
Mussorgsky in his autobiography Mussorgsky’s Death:  Mussorgsky sufferred from several fits of alcoholic epilepsy in his late life. Finally, he passed away in St. Peterburg’s military hospital on 28 March 1881.

Date/Place of Birth:  15 June, 1843 in Bergen, Norway. Personality:  A humble, highly imaginative composer. Being a workaholic, under the influence of his admirable teacher, E.F. Wenzel, he studied music so enthusiatically and compulsively that he ruined his health. He suffered a severe attack of pleurisy - a life-long breathing problem.

Though Grieg used to travel widely, he was always homesick and it was not surprising that he was so patriotic of his homeland, Norway.

Generally, Grieg’s life was quiet and simple - travelling abroad in winter; devoting most of his time to composition in spring and summer; and walking leisurely in countryside with friends in autumn.

Piano-Playing Style:  Grieg was not extremely renowned as a concert pianist during his time, though he was always favourable and welcomed in Europe. Like Schubert, he was a capable pianist, and yet he managed to give several piano recitals of Norwegian music - mostly his own and others like Rikard Nordraak.

Besides that, Grieg usually accompanied on the piano with his wife, Nina Hagerup, giving the premières of most of his own songs. In his old age, he made a recording of his own works.

In conclusion, he was considered as the brightest musical talent in Norway, and his playing, in my own opinion and though I have not listened to him yet, is delicate, simple and with a strong nationalistic passion.

Music:  Simplicity and nationalism are the main characteristics of Grieg’s music. It captivates the Norwegian features - solitary and peaceful nature of the country; peasant-scenes and folk culture; and the soul of Norwegian people. Because of such nationalistic character, his music is always pure, charming, graceful, lyrical and emotionally passionate, particularly his songs and miniature piano pieces.

Debussy claimed him as “Bonbons wrapped in the snow”; while Tchaikovsky warmly praised,”What warmth and passion in his melodic phrases, what teeming vitality in his harmony, what originality and beauty in the turn of his piquant and ingenious modulations and rhythms…add to all this that rarest of qualities, a perfect simplicity.”

Composing Habit:  Grieg was primarily a miniaturist - his main strength is devoted to small forms with simple plots, as shown in most of his piano pieces. Therefore, it is common that he did not compose large-scale works like symphonies, operas etc.

Grieg was often inspired by the rich cultural heritage of his beloved homeland, and he transferre such inspiration into pure, beautiful melodies. Occasionally, he added Norwegian folk songs in his compositions. Interesting chromatic harmonies and uncomplicated rhythms are among the characteristics of his compositions.

Grieg’s Quote:  “Full of cow-pats.”
Grieg, who hated and described of the music for “In the Hall of Mountain King” from Peer Gynt Suite no. 1

“Artists like Bach and Beethoven erected churches and temples on the heights. I only wanted…to build dwellings for men in which they might feel happy and at home”
Grieg

“Suddenly a mist fell from my eyes and I knew the way I had to take.”
Grieg, on his first meeting with a young Norwegian composer, Rikard Nordraak, 1864, decided to devote his musical career to composing in the spirit of Norwegian folk music and history

Grieg’s Death:  Grieg intended to attend the prestigious Leeds Festival, but he died of unexpected heard attack on 4 September, 1907 in his homeland, Bergen, at the age of 64.

Date/Place of Birth:  7 May, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany. Personality:  A handsome bachelor. Although Brahms was a serious, sensitive man, like Schubert, he still managed to keep in touch with a wide circle of friends and enjoyed such a warm friendship. Besides that, when Brahms had achieved wide fame, he was very generous and often helped the new composers like Dvorák.

However, Brahms had his bad habit. He never think before he spoke. This indicates that he always expressed his opinions, good or bad, too frankly or blurted out anything he wanted to say. His rude speaking irritated people around him. Some thought that Brahms liked to tease anyone. A typical example, the young Brahms confessed that Liszt was an ‘unsecured composer’ and found the old composer’s Piano Sonata in B minor boring. As a result, the old Liszt took offence and broke off their relationship abruptly.

Piano-Playing Style:  Brahms’ playing style was quite similar to Beethoven’s. However, with his physically large hands, one could see his large daring leaps and crossed hands across the keyboard; in addition, with the hands high and the fingers widely stretched, Brahms played strong, heavy chords as if a tiger showing its claws.

Despite his powerful and dramatic playing style, Brahms still managed to play gently and smoothly. That is why he was a skilled accompanist. He always accompanied the singers and the musicians supportively like the violinists Eduoard Reményi and Joseph Joachim.

Music:  Like Beethoven, Brahms’ music falls into three periods.

During the first period, the young Brahms struggled to fit his romantic music into the classical forms. His music was very grand; showing his serious-mindedness and self-conscious nobility. Therefore, people at that time felt that Brahms’ music was very clumsy and too heavy. Some famous works produced in this period were three piano sonatas, the extremely difficult and big Piano Concerto no 1 (the music produced by orchestra was so grand and strong that seemed to be trying to overwhelm the piano part) etc. These works showed Beethovenian style and dominated by the old classical forms rather than Brahms’ own formal idea.

Next, Brahms seemed to be more confident and matured in composing. He produced a huge amount of works in this period. The music was still tense and dramatic, but contained a more relaxed manner and a quality of unexpected charm and grace compared with his early works. And yet his works sometimes showed a Schumannesque lyricism and sentimentality, especially in his lovely songs. Examples of the works produced were Handel Variations and Paganini Variations, rhapsodies, the graceful string quartets, the lyrical Violin Concerto and romantic Piano Concerto no 2, symphonies etc.

In the final period, unlike Beethoven whose music was increasingly difficult and intense, Brahms produced a very tender, personal kind of music though there was a little Brahmsian spark. The music showed the expression of serenity, calm, beauty and simplicity. Intermezzi for piano, the clarinet quintet, the last violin sonata and some organ works were among the Brahms’ final works.

Composing Habit:  Brahms was quite ‘sloppy’ and slow composer. He was extremely careful and slow in composing large works like symphonies. This was because like Schubert, Brahms was very awared of Beethoven’s excellent symphonies. The first symphony took him almost 20 years to complete.

Although Brahms was quite lazy, the quality of his works was not affected. Besides that, he was a conscious classicist. Like Mendelssohns, he employed the old classical forms - sonata, variation, polyphony, counterpoint etc. Therefore, Brahms’ music was often referred to as ‘classical-romantic’ - a combined classical form with the quality of romanticism - making him as a great composer.

Brahms’ Quote:  “I leave the world to go as it pleases. I can only too often reminded that I am a difficult person to get on with, and I am accustomed to bearing the consequences of this,”
Brahms showed his “I-don’t-care” attitude over the opinions of people around him

“You see, I am rather lazy, but once begun I never cool down over a work until it is perfected, unassailable.”
Brahms saying to the conductor Georg Henschel, 1876

“Composing a symphony is no laughing matter. You have no idea of how it feels to hear a giant’s footsteps behind you!”
Brahms, compared himself to Beethoven, 1870

“For a long time, or for all time, I have been a somewhat lonely individual and still am,”
Brahms, being a lonely bachelor, wrote in a letter to his friend, the surgeon and amateur musician Theodor Billroth, 22 July 1886

Brahms’ Death:  After Brahms turned to 50, he began to tire. He felt lonely after the breakup with the violinist Joseph Joachim and the death of the conductor Hans Von Bülow (both of them were his close friends).

Finally, it was the death of Clara Schumann, with whom Brahms was in love, that gave the final blow. Discovering that he had liver cancer, he gave up and died on 3 April, 1897, a month before his 64th birthday.