Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist born on June 15, 1843, in Bergen, Norway. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. Grieg’s use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions brought the music of Norway to fame…
Gustav Theodore Holst, originally named Gustavus Theodore von Holst, was an English composer, arranger, and teacher born on September 21, 1874, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. He passed away on May 25, 1934, in London1. Holst is best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, but he composed many other works across a range of genres,…
Czech bassist-composer František Gregora (1819-1887) was Bottesini’s almost exact contemporary, albeit two years older and, although he was a respected soloist and composer his music has, on the whole, been largely forgotten. Born in Netolice, Bohemia on 9 January 1819, he showed early musical talent playing organ, piano, violin, flute and clarinet before transferring to…
Anton Hegner (1861-1915) was a Danish cellist and composer and the brother of Ludvig Hegner (1851-1923), the Principal Bass of the Royal Danish Orchestra. Anton was appointed Principal Cello of the New York Symphony Orchestra by Walter Damrosch and alongside composing many works for cello – both study and recital works. The works included in…
Bob Chilcott is a renowned British choral composer, conductor, and singer, born on April 9, 1955, in Plymouth, England1. He has had a significant impact on the world of choral music and is known for his compositions that are accessible to a wide range of singers. Chilcott’s early life was marked by his involvement with…
Domenico Carlo Maria Dragonetti was an Italian double bass virtuoso and composer, born on April 7, 1763, in Venice. He is renowned for his extraordinary skill with the double bass and for his contributions to the development of the instrument as a soloist in classical music. Dragonetti began playing the guitar and double bass at…
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO, was an English composer born on June 2, 1857, in Broadheath, Worcestershire, England. He passed away on February 23, 1934, in Worcester, Worcestershire. Elgar is renowned for his contributions to the British and international classical concert repertoire, with famous works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and…
Gabriel Urbain Fauré was a distinguished French composer, organist, pianist, and teacher born on May 12, 1845, in Pamiers, Ariège, France. He passed away on November 4, 1924, in Paris1. Fauré was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style significantly influenced many 20th-century composers. Fauré’s early talent for music…
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French Romantic composer, born on February 21, 1836, in Saint-Germain-du-Val, France, and passed away on January 16, 1891, in Paris. He is best known for his ballets and operas, including the ballets Coppélia (1870) and Sylvia (1876), as well as the opera Lakmé (1883), which features the famous “Flower…
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer and conductor, born on August 15, 1875, in Holborn, London, England, and he passed away on September 1, 1912, in Croydon, Surrey, England1. Of mixed-race descent, he achieved such success that he was referred to by white musicians in New York City as the “African Mahler” during his three…
