Archives: Composers

František Černý was a Czech bassist, teacher and composer. He was born on 23
January 1860 in Pardubice and studied at the Prague Conservatoire (1876-82) and
in Paris, where he later became a member of the Orchestre Colonne-Lamoureux
from 1884-1890. He returned to Czechoslovakia in 1890, when he was appointed
Principal Bass of the National Theatre Orchestra in Prague (1890-1900), and it was
at this time that he discovered the wonderful Grancino double bass of 1693, later
owned by Oldrichs Sorejs and František Pošta.

Černý was an outstanding teacher and taught at the Prague Conservatoire for 31
years (1900-31) and many of the leading Czech bassists at the beginning of the
20th-century were taught by him. He was not a prolific composer and most of his
works were written for the double bass, including a Method (1906), 30 Etudes-
Caprices (1923), Technical Studies in Thumb Position (1927), 4 Concertos and ten
salon pieces for double bass and piano.

Černý studied composition with Antonín Dvořák and much of his music reflects the
salon style of the late 19th-century. All his works are melodic and appealing,
combining the late-Romantic idiom of Dvořák and Brahms, with Czech lyricism and
influences, and he makes full use of the solo capabilities of the double bass.

František Černý died in Prague on 3 September 1940.

André Dulaurens, a French violinist and composer, was born in Bordeaux in 1873 and died in Paris in 1932, and was a fairly prolific composer of instrumental and vocal music.

Many works by Dulaurens were published by the leading French publishing houses of the day, although some were self-published from his appropriately named address in Paris (63, avenue Mozart).

A number of his works are still in print, but his name seems to have been gradually forgotten since his death ninety years ago.

Although completely self-taught, Peter Byrom-Smith had the opportunity of writing for, and performing over many years, with musicians from across a wide spectrum of genres, as well as musical director for theatre, church organist/choirmaster, lutenist/guitar performer, rock band member, teacher at schools, colleges, and universities. All this experience had been his true musical apprenticeship and many of his works have been played around the world at festivals and in many major concert halls.

As a composer, his music crosses boundaries, which is a melange of musical sounds, bringing together and reflecting his personal musical interests: from Elgarian melody to jazz harmonies, and rock rhythms. He has also found inspiration from many, and varied sources, everything from literature, artists, poets, the natural world, the wider universe, all of which are added to the mix of his own personal compositional voice.

Peter’s ever growing portfolio of work includes diverse pieces written for full orchestra, opera, chamber musicians, as well as solo works. He enjoys working regularly with pop/rock, and folk musicians, writing and arranging music, both in the studio for commercial releases, and live performances, which provides him with constant inspiration for new adventures in the musical world. Providing music for the theatre has also proved wide ranging too; from Shakespeare to a variety of contemporary drama productions, and over the years he has written a number of musical soundtracks for films and provided music installations for art exhibitions at galleries, and museums.

Peter’s personal musical journey has taken his work across Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and USA, where it is regularly performed, recorded and broadcast. He has spent many years encouraging other composers and performers in their careers presenting his popular, and ground-breaking radio show ‘Trust Me….., I’m A Composer’ (which has the subtitle ‘Music you know, music you don’t, and music you should hear!’) which features a wide ranging variety of music from all genres, with the emphasis on creative ideas, and possibilities, giving the artists an opportunity for their musical voices to be heard by as wide a listening audience as possible.

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) was a French composer, virtuoso pianist and teacher. She studied piano with Cecile Soria, later with Ignaz Moscheles and Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and, from the age of fifteen, she studied composition at the Paris Conservatoire with Antonín Reicha. In 1821 she married Aristide Farrenc (1794- 1865), a flute student ten years her senior, and they performed together throughout France, subsequently founding Éditions Farrenc, one of France’s leading publishing houses for over forty years.

Louise embarked on a successful concert career as a virtuoso pianist and in 1842 she was appointed Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatoire, the only such appointment for a woman throughout the entire 19th-century. She held the post for thirty years and accounts of the time record that she was an excellent teacher, with many of her students becoming professional musicians.

Louise was a prolific composer, particularly of music for piano, also producing three symphonies and orchestral music, alongside a wealth of vocal, choral and chamber music. Her works are beautifully written, in a rich and evocative romantic style and equal to many of her male counterparts and, although she never gained the recognition she deserved as a composer during her lifetime, recent years has seen a resurgence of interest in her music with numerous recordings, performances, broadcasts and publications bringing the music of this wonderful composer back to life.

Christopher Field has a lifetime’s experience of singing and teaching stretching back to 1953 when he was a chorister at the coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Later he won a choral exhibition to Trinity College, Cambridge, a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music and an Arts Council of Great Britain award for postgraduate study with Frederick Husler in Switzerland.

His subsequent career as a schoolmaster at Dulwich College was combined with work as a concert baritone, choral conducting, and teaching singing and double bass. For many years a number of his teaching works have been included in the graded examination syllabuses of the leading examination boards.

Antonín Dvořák was a Czech composer born on September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic1. He is renowned for his contributions to the Romantic era of music and is considered one of the most prominent composers of his time. Dvořák’s music is characterized by its incorporation of Bohemian and Moravian folk music elements, which he skillfully blended with classical forms.

Dvořák’s early life was marked by his musical talent, which was evident from a young age. He became an accomplished violinist and contributed to the amateur music-making in his father’s inn. Despite facing financial difficulties, Dvořák pursued his passion for music and studied at the Institute for Church Music in Prague.

Throughout his career, Dvořák composed a wide range of works, including symphonies, chamber music, operas, and choral pieces. Some of his most famous compositions include the “New World Symphony,” “Cello Concerto in B Minor,” and the opera “Rusalka.” His work had a significant impact on the development of nationalistic music in Bohemia and beyond.

Dvořák’s legacy continues to be celebrated today, with numerous performances and recordings of his music. His influence can be seen in the works of many composers who followed him, and he remains a beloved figure in the world of classical music

Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era, born on February 17, 1653, in Fusignano, near Imola, Papal States (now Italy). He is renowned for his significant contributions to the development of the sonata and concerto forms, as well as for establishing the preeminence of the violin and coalescing modern tonality and functional harmony.

Corelli’s career was marked by his training in Bologna and Rome, where he spent most of his life with the support of wealthy patrons. Despite his limited production, consisting of just six published collections, he achieved great fame and success throughout Europe. His works are admired for their balance, refinement, sumptuous harmonies, rich textures, majestic theatricality, and clear, expressive polyphony.

As a virtuoso violinist, Corelli was considered one of the greatest of his generation and contributed to placing the violin among the most prestigious solo instruments. He was also a significant figure in the evolution of the traditional orchestra.

Corelli’s influence extended beyond his lifetime, with many of his compositions still widely used in musical academies as didactic material and pieces capable of affirming themselves in today’s concert repertoire. His position in the history of Western music is considered crucial, being recognized as one of the greatest masters at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.

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 a young age, and by the age of thirteen, he was appointed principal player at the Opera Buffa in Venice. He later worked at the Chapel of San Marco and at the Grand Opera in Vicenza. His talent was recognized throughout Europe, and he turned down several opportunities, including offers from the Tsar of Russia.

In 1794, Dragonetti moved to London to play in the orchestra of the King’s Theatre and settled there for the remainder of his life. He became a prominent figure in the musical events of the English capital, performing at the concerts of the Philharmonic Society of London and meeting influential persons like the Prince Consort and the Duke of Leinster.

Dragonetti was acquainted with composers Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven, whom he visited on several occasions in Vienna. He showed them the possibilities of the double bass as a solo instrument and influenced Beethoven’s music, particularly in the Fifth Symphony where double basses frequently double with the cellos2.

He is also remembered for developing the Dragonetti bow, which he used throughout his life to enhance his performances. Domenico Dragonetti passed away on April 16, 1846, in London.

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 Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies.

Elgar’s music, which is characterized by bold tunes, striking color effects, and mastery of large forms, played a significant role in the renaissance of English music during the late 19th-century Romanticism era2. Despite being largely self-taught as a composer, Elgar achieved great success and recognition, particularly with his Enigma Variations in 1899 and the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius in 1900.

His life and work were marked by a sense of being an outsider; he was a Roman Catholic in Protestant Britain, and he was sensitive about his humble origins even after gaining fame. Nevertheless, Elgar’s legacy continues, with his music still played more frequently in Britain than elsewhere, and his influence on the classical music scene remains significant.

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 was evident, leading him to be sent to the École Niedermeyer music college in Paris at the age of nine, where he was trained to be a church organist and choirmaster. Among his teachers was Camille Saint-Saëns, who became a lifelong friend1. After graduating in 1865, Fauré earned a modest living as an organist and teacher, which initially left him little time for composition.

His career flourished in middle age when he held the important posts of organist of the Église de la Madeleine and director of the Paris Conservatoire. However, even then, he struggled to find time for composing and often retreated to the countryside during the summer holidays to focus on his work. By his last years, he was recognized in France as the leading French composer of his day, and in 1922, an unprecedented national musical tribute was held for him in Paris, headed by the president of the French Republic.

Fauré’s music has been described as a bridge between the end of Romanticism and the modernism of the early 20th century. His works, which include the Pavane, Requiem, Sicilienne, nocturnes for piano, and songs like “Après un rêve” and “Clair de lune”, are known for their refined and gentle nature12. His later compositions, created in a more harmonically and melodically complex style, are considered some of his most highly regarded works.

During the last twenty years of his life, Fauré suffered from increasing deafness. His music from this period is sometimes elusive and withdrawn in character, and at other times turbulent and impassioned, contrasting with the charm of his earlier works. Despite the challenges, Fauré’s legacy continues, with his harmonic and melodic innovations influencing the teaching of harmony for later generations.