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Johann Pachelbel lived from 1653 until 1706 and was the German composer of Italian-influenced organ compositions. He was one of the great organ masters before Bach. Pachelbel's birthday Anniversary of Pachelbel's death Listen to Pachelbel's music Paderewski Ignace Paderewski, a fine pianist, interupted his career to become Poland's head of state. Paderewski's birthday Anniversary of Paderewski's death Read quotes by and about Paderewski Paderewski's Piano News Item about Paderewski Paganini Niccolò Paganini lived from 1782 until 1840. He was an Italian composer who was considered to be the greatest violin virtuoso of all time. His compositions include 24 caprices for violin, and two concertos for violin and orchestra. Paganini published his Caprice Number 24 in 1820, at the height of his fame. In 1934, Rachmaninoff Composed his "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini". Paganini's birthday anniversary of Paganini's death Read quotes by and about Paganini Palestrina Palestrina's birthday anniversary of Palestrina's death Books and CD's by Palestrina Pandolfi Books and CD's by Pandolfi Parker Parker's birthday Anniversary of Parker's death Read quotes by and about Parker Parry Hubert Parry lived from 1848 until 1918. Parry's academic records from Oxford were not so outstanding that anyone would have believed the he would become a known and respected composer and music teacher. Pärt Arvo Pärt Pärt's birthday Read Amazon.com's Get Started in Classical feature Pears Sir Peter (Neville Luard) Pears lived from 1910 until 1986. He was a British operatic tenor who was born in Farnham, Surrey, SE England, UK. He was organ scholar at Oxford, then studied singing at the Royal College of Music (1933 until 1934). He toured the USA and Europe with Benjamin Britten, and in 1943 joined Sadler's Wells. After the success of Peter Grimes (1945), he joined Britten in the English Opera Group, and was co-founder with him of the Aldeburgh Festival (1948). Knighted in 1978, he was noted for his understanding of modern works. Pear's birthday Anniversary of Pear's death Penderecki Krzysztof Penderecki was born in 1933 in Poland. He occupies an important position in the music of his native Poland, while establishing an international reputation with music that had a wide effect. His earlier more experimental musical language was later subtly modified by his return to earlier traditions as a source of inspiration. Penderecki's birthday Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Pergolesi lived from 1710 until 1736. He was a composer, born in Jesi, Italy. Pergolesi attended the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Ges? Cristo at Naples, became a violinist, and in 1732 was appointed maestro di cappella to the Prince of Naples. His comic intermezzo La serva padrona (1732) was highly popular, and influenced the development of opera buffa. He wrote much church music, and in 1736 left Naples for a Capuchin monastery at Pozzuoli, where he composed his great Stabat Mater. Pergolesi's birthday Anniversary of Pergolesi's death Peri Jacopo Peri lived from 1561 until 1633. He was a Florentine singer and composer who aspired to restore the true principles of Greek tragedy. He experimented with instrumentally accompanied declamatory style. His opera, "Dafne" (c. 1594), is believed to be the first genuine opera. Peri's birthday Piatigorsky Gregor Piatigorsky was a Russian-born cellist who performed worldwide and was a teacher at the University of Southern California. He lived from 1903 until 1976. Piatigorsky's birthday anniversary of Piatigorsky's death Piazzolla Astor Piazzolla was born in 1921 in Mar de Plata, Argentina and lived until 1992. An immensely innovative player of the Argentinian bandonean (a close relation of the accordion), Piazzolla has successfully taken the instrument - and tango music in general - on to the international concert stage, without diluting its roots in the working-class dancehalls and dockland nightclubs of Buenos Aires. He moved to New York as a child, and at the age of 13 he was hired by Carlos Gard?l (the undisputed king of classical tango) to play in the film, El Did Que Me Quieras. He then returned to Argentina to play in the band led by Anibal Tr?ila. When Tr?ila died, Piazzolla began his solo career, achieving massive success throughout the 50s and 60s. By this time he had won a government scholarship to study under Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Boulanger encouraged him to discover the possibilities of his own, native music, and he duly turned his attention to the tango. Updating it for new generations, his vivacious style ('nuevo tango') soon attracted a massive South American audience (and opposition from tango traditionalists). In the 70s he was forced to leave Argentina for Paris, because of the volatile political climate, but his influence continued to spread. His international breakthrough came in the early 80s with his Quinteto Tango Nuevo (formed in 1976) featuring Fernando Suarez Paz (violin), Pablo Ziegler (piano), Horacio Malvicino (guitar) and Hector Console (bass) - and two albums recorded with the American producer Kip Hanrahan: Tango Zero Hour and The Rough Dancer And The Cyclical Night. Both are essential parts of any representative world music collection, as is the harder to find but outstanding live album Concert A Vienne. Piazzolla's birthday anniversary of Piazzolla's death Books and CD's by Piazzolla Piston Walter Hamor Piston, Jr., was born in Rockland, Maine where he lived until he was ten and then moved to Boston. He lived from 1894 until 1976. He descended on his father's side from Antonio Pistone, his grandfather, who sailed from Italy and settled in Rockland. Here the family, to seem more American, dropped the final 'e' from their name. After serving the US Navy in World War I he entered Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude in 1924. He then spent two years in Europe from 1924-26 on a John Knowles Paine Traveling Fellowship, and studied composition with Paul Dukas at the Ecole normale de musique, and also took private lessons from Nadia Boulanger. From 1926 until his retirement in 1960 Walter Piston was a member of the faculty of Harvard University, where he was Walter W. Naumburg Professor of Music and he was one of the most significant musical educators of his time. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 and in 1961, and was three-time winner of the New York Music Critics Circle Award. Piston's birthday Ponchielli Amilcare Ponchielli lived from 1834 until 1886. He was among the most important Italian opera composers of the 19th century, second only to Verdi in the third quarter of the century. Ponchielli's birthday anniversary of Ponchielli's death Porter Porter's birthday Anniversary of Porter's death Nominated for a Broadway Tony Award Read about Porter's Commerative Stamp Poulenc Francis Poulenc Poulenc's birthday Anniversary of Poulenc's death Anniversary of Poulenc's death Praetorius Michael Praetorius lived from 1571 until 1621. He was a German music theorist who is a principal source for knowledge of seventeenth century music. His compositions of Lutheran chorales exemplify the religious music of his time. Praetorius' birthday Anniversary of Praetorius' death Presley Elvis Aron Presley (he later changed the spelling of his middle name to Aaron) was known as the King of Rock ?n? Roll. There is hardly a soul alive who hasn?t heard the name or the voice or seen the swiveling hips of the teen-age idol of millions! From Tupelo, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee with stops in Hollywood and Las Vegas; Elvis gave those who grew up with him, the musical memories of a lifetime. Their parents were brought kicking and screaming into a new generation of music; and their children now sing and dance to music performed by those the ?King? inspired. Presley's birthday Anniversary of Presley's death Previn Andr? Previn was a conductor and composer who was born in Berlin, Germany in 1929. After studying music in Berlin and Paris, he fled the Nazis with his Russian-Jewish family, who went to Los Angeles where his great-uncle was musical director at Universal Studios. He continued to study music, played jazz piano, and began to work as an orchestrator and composer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. During his army service in 1950, he began to study conducting with Pierre Monteux and made his debut with the St. Louis Symphony in 1963. He went on to become conductor of various orchestras - Houston, London, Pittsburgh, the Royal Philharmonic, and, in 1986, the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to Oscar-winning film scores, he composed musicals (such as Coco, (1969) and concert works; he also continued to play jazz and was an articulate promoter of all types of music. Previn's birthday Anniversary of Previn's death Best 100 Classical Pieces of the Millenium Price Leontyne (Mary Violet) Price was born in 1927, in Laurel, Miss, and is a Soprano. Price studied at Juilliard in New York before finding success on Broadway in Four Saints in Three Acts in 1952 and the female lead in Porgy and Bess the same year. In 1954 she presented a recital in New York's Town Hall, where she premiered Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs.She went on to an outstanding international career on both operatic and concert stages, especially admired for her Italian opera roles; her Metropolitan Opera debut came in 1961. For a time she was married to baritone William Warfield. Price's birthday Prokofiev Sergei Prokofiev (1891 to 1953) was a Russian composer whose musical imagination and dynamic rhythms made him important for the development of Russian and modern music. He performed as a pianist at age six, composed an opera at nine, and was only 30 when he conducted the opera premiere of Love for Three Oranges in 1921. The "March" from this opera was used as a theme for the show The FBI in Peace and War on radio and TV. Prokofiev's birthday anniversary of Prokofiev's death Information about Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" Guess what my li'l Chopin played today Books and CD's by Prokofiev Prokofiev for Children Puccini Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, December 22, 1858 and died in Brussels, November 29, 1924. He was an Italian operatic composer known for his fluent melodic writing and bold dramatic harmonies. Continuing in the Italian operatic tradition of Verdi, Puccini is remembered for having composed several of the most popular operas in the standard repertoire. His works largely fall into the realm of verismo, or "realistic" opera, in which everyday characters live, love and suffer amidst contemporary settings. His works are noted for their gorgeous melodies, creative orchestration, and dramatic, even sentimental, plots. Puccini treats the orchestra as a continuous means of conveying the drama, with arias, duets and ensembles developing naturally out of the musical flow. Puccini's birthday Anniversary of Puccini's death More information about Puccini's opera La Bohème Yet more information about Puccini's opera La Bohème University offers opera instead of traditional discipline Purcell Henry Purcell lived from 1659 until November 21, 1695. Purcell was the most important English composer of the early Baroque. Read quotes by and about Purcell Many thanks to Dearest for everything! |
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