In this article we remember the special occasion, when young Franz Liszt was introduced to Beethoven. This account was given by Liszt himself many decades later, in 1875. Who was Franz Liszt? Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian pianist composer, born in Doborján (Raiding, in German) in Sopron County, in the Kingdom of Hungary, …
Luigi Cherubini had great influence on Beethoven. Who was Cherubini and what opinion he had of Beethoven? Read on to find out! Who was Cherubini – a short bio Luigi Cherubini (in full Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini) was born September 14, 1760, Florence, Italy and died March 15, 1842, Paris, France. His exact date of birth is …
In Vienna Beethoven was surrounded by musical talents. Some impressed him, some did not. Among those who did, one man stands out: Dragonetti! This man opened his eyes to what double bass is capable of. His impact lasted for a lifetime. A short biography of Domenico Dragonetti Domenico Dragonetti (Domenico Carlo Maria Dragonetti; 7 April 1763 – 16 April …
At the time of Beethoven Vienna was full of talented musicians. Some of them extraordinary, but very few were favorably compared to him – especially with the piano. There was one exception… Who was Joseph Woelfl? Joseph Johann Baptist Woelfl (surname sometimes written as Wölfl or Wölffl) was a pianist and composer from Austria (24 December 1773 – 21 …
Continuing our series on influencers in Beethoven’s life our next stop is Joseph Haydn. The two composers had turbulent relationship, young Beethoven pushed the gentle old Master to the limits, even making a fraud move behind his back. Who was Joseph Haydn? Franz Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809) was a major Austrian composer in the …
When Bach plays, even God is listening! That was the saying among the lucky ones who had the privilege to hear Bach playing. Many decades later there was a composer who was listening still and listening very carefully. In this article we explore how Bach influenced Beethoven and his musical development and eventually his style. Strangely enough in Beethoven’s time …