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Talk:Lazytown

2008-07-17T21:36:24Z

AdrianC: New page: this is a copy paste from wikipedia.

this is a copy paste from wikipedia.

Ludwig van Beethoven

2008-07-16T20:03:43Z

AdrianC: /* External Links */ a start on detailed compositions

'''Ludwig van Beethoven''' (baptized December 17, 1770 - March 26, 1827) was a German composer of the late [[Classical period (music)|Classical]] and early [[Romantic period (music)|Romantic]] eras.

Widely considered to be among the greatest, if not the greatest composer of Western music, he was also an accomplished pianist. His compositions include some of the most famous and enduring music ever written.

==Early Life==

His early musical training was with the violin, and later in composition and keyboards. At first he was taught by his father, Johann, and then by C.G. Neefe, a court organist. At 11 he is recorded as filling in for Neefe as an organist; at 12 he had some early compositions published. In 1787 he went to Vienna, but quickly returned on hearing that his mother was dying. In 1792 he went back to Vienna, where he then settled. He pursued his studies, first with [[Joseph Haydn]], and later with contemporaries [[Johann Schenk]], [[Johann-Georg Albrechtsberger]] and [[Antonio Salieri]]

==The "Middle Period"==

==..==

The most remarkable thing about Beethoven is that he completely lost his hearing, yet continued to compose music despite the fact that he could not even hear himself play. In fact, some of his greatest works were composed after he had fallen deaf, including the famous Ninth Symphony.

His works include nine [[Symphony|symphonies]], sixteen [[string quartet]]s, 32 [[piano sonata]]s, five [[piano concerto]]s, a [[violin concerto]], an [[opera]] (''Fidelio''), the ''Missa Solemnis'', and numerous other pieces, including [[chamber music]], [[overture]]s, incidental music, and [[song]]s.

Some of his most popular compositions include the piano bagatelle "Fur Elise" and the ''Moonlight Sonata.'' (a title not actually attributed to Beethoven), opus 27 no. 2.

==Beethoven and Religion==

There is some dispute between scholar's over Beethoven's religious stance, as his letters and the accounts of friends provide conflicting evidence. While he was raised a Roman Catholic and made several well-documented references to his faith, it is known that he never attended religious services. His teacher, the great composer Franz Joseph Haydn, thought Beethoven was an atheist. His friend and biographer Anton Schindler considered him a deist. Furthermore, Beethoven's choice of text in the choral movement of his ninth symphony indicates at least an interest (if not a belief) in Pantheism.

==Trivia==

*Beethoven was the teacher of Carl Czerny, who in turn taught [[Franz Liszt]], commonly considered to be the greatest pianist of all time.
*The first recording of all 32 of Beethoven's piano sonatas was made by pianist [[Artur Schnabel]], a major accomplishment repeated by few pianists, including Murrah Perrahia, Alfred Brendel (3 times), Daniel Barenboim, and Ursula Oppens.
*Beethoven described the piano as "the god of all instruments" and wrote more for piano than for any other instrument, including 5 piano concertos, 32 piano sonatas, 10 sonatas with violin and piano, 5 sonatas with cello and piano, many piano variations, and a number of miscellaneous short pieces, such as "Fuer Elise."

== Key compositions ==
=== [[Symphonies]] ===
=== [[Concertos]] ===
=== [[Sonatas]]===
==== Pathetique====
==== Moonlight sonata ====
==== Tempest ====
==== Hamerclavier ====
=== [[Bagatelles]]===
===== [[Fur Elise]] ====

==External Links==

http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/index.html

http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/beethoven.html

[[Category:Composers|Beethoven, Ludwig van]]

Frédéric Chopin

2008-07-16T19:51:29Z

AdrianC:

'''Frédéric Chopin''' (March 1, 1810 – October 17, 1849) was an important Franco-Polish composer and [[pianist]] of the early nineteenth century. Arguably he was the first composer for [[piano]] to apply the [[Romantic period (music)|Romantic]] ethos to piano technique - his works make physical demands of the performer that surpass the late works of [[Beethoven]], at least in terms of the expression of raw emotion.

Nevertheless, his romanticism concealed a craftsman thoroughly schooled in older [[Counterpoint|contrapuntal]] and [[harmony|harmonic]] methods - he was an avid admirer of [[JS Bach]], and his works reveal a masterly combination of textural and harmonic innovation combined with old school discipline.<ref>George Marek R. and Maria Gordon-Smith,'' Chopin. A biography''. Harper & Row, New York, San Francisco, London 1978.</ref>

His works were mostly published as collections of short pieces, with the exception of the Concerti and Sonatas. They are often grouped by category, as follows:<ref>Michałowski, Kornel/Samson, Jim: "Chopin, Fryderyk Franciszek", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (subscription required).[http://www.grovemusic.com]</ref>

* [[Études (Chopin)|Etudes]] - two sets of 12 and one set of three technical studies for piano that to this day are regarded as a watershed in the progress of any pianist. Unlike those of previous composers such as Czerny and Cramer, Chopin's etudes combine technical difficulty with musical expression, thus helping to popularize the form.
* [[Nocturne]]s - slow, dreamlike pieces. The form was originally pioneered by the Irish composer [[John Field]].
* Mazurkas - an adaptation of a native Polish dance form. These miniatures often show Chopin at his most harmonically adventurous.
* [[Polonaise]]s - another Polish dance form, longer and more stately than the mazurka.
* [[Waltz]]es - whilst these did much to contribute much to Chopin's reputation as a 'Salon' composer, the best of them rival his Mazurkas in unusual harmonic adventures. Chopin did not particularly like the form, but used it to write some of his most well-known works.
* 4 Scherzi and 4 Ballades - longer works that far extend the Fantasia concept. Chopin was one of the first composers to write the scherzo as a stand-alone piece rather than as a movement in a larger work.
* [[Prelude]]s - Chopin's most explicit homage to JS Bach, written during a period of intense emotional pressure on the island of Majorca - the extremely fragmentary nature of some of them puzzled contemporaries (the shortest last seconds rather than minutes), but some commentators have come to observe the set as a whole as one of Chopin's most satisfying works. The 24 Preludes, Op. 28 were modeled directly after Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier".
* Impromptus - free-form compositions in an improvisatory style. Most famous of these is the Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66, published posthumously.
* [[Sonata]]s - Chopin's first sonata in C minor was composed in his youth and is usually not performed today. His second sonata in B-flat minor is extremely popular, particularly the famous "Funeral March movement", although in his day it was criticized for perceived structural deficiencies. Chopin attempted to address some of this criticism in his third and final piano sonata in B minor.
* Concerti - Chopin wrote two piano concertos in his youth, along with four other pieces for piano and orchestra. The concertos, while written when he was very young, are nevertheless staples of the piano concerto literature.

The Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition is held every 5 years and is considered to be among the top tier of international music competitions today. Named in his honor, it requires entrants to play almost every category of his output, including his concertos.<ref>[http://www.culture.pl/en/culture/artykuly/im_km_pianistyczny_chopina], the official site of the Frederic Chopin Innternational Piano Competition.</ref> Perhaps the most famous winner of this competition is Martha Argerich.

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Composers|Chopin,Frédéric]]

Pharyngula (blog)

2008-07-16T19:49:07Z

AdrianC: New page: Pharyngula is a widely acclaimed blog by PZ Myers which was listed by leading science journal Nature as the best blog by a scientist. It is known for its sarcastic criticism of [[creat...

Pharyngula is a widely acclaimed blog by [[PZ Myers]] which was listed by leading science journal Nature as the best blog by a scientist. It is known for its sarcastic criticism of [[creationism]] and [[intelligent design]] theory.