Guess the Composer

Please number your paper from 1-5. Look at the pictures and read the short description. Then guess the name of the composer. (Possibly choices: George Gershwin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edvard Grieg, Fredric Chopin)

#1

-Born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685.

-As a child, his father taught him to play violin and harpsichord.

-In 1707, he married his second cousin. They had seven children.

-He was a father to 20 children in all.

-In 1723, he became the cantor, organist, and music composer for St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Leipzig, Germany.

-Some of his most famous works include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Well-Tempered Clavier, and the celebrated organ work Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

-He died in 1750.

-Today, he is considered to be one of the most influential composers of all time. In fact, he is now such an important composer that the year of his death is a defining point in music history. It marks the end of the Baroque Era.

#2

-Born in 1756 in what is now Salzburg, Austria.

-His father was a choir master, a minor composer and an experienced teacher.

-At age 4 he began keyboard lessons playing without fault and with great sensitivity.

-By age 5 he was composing short pieces

-At age 8 he published his first two sonatas for the harpsichord.

-At thirteen, he composed his first opera at the request of an emperor.

-By age 25 he "had established himself as the finest keyboard player in Vienna," and was recognized as an accomplished composer.

-Some of his most famous pieces include Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, which means 'A Little Night Music, and his twelve variations on the French tune 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star', called Variations on "Ah vous dirais-je, Maman".

-On December 5, 1791, he died at 35 years of age, leaving behind a collection of more than 600 compositions, including works for the symphony, the piano, and the opera. Some of these pieces are considered to be the finest works of the Classical style.

#3

-Born on March 1, 1810 in Poland.

Some of his works for piano are called mazurkas and polonaises, which are polish dances.

-As he grew older, so did his abilities of observation, drawing, and his uncommon ability to imitate what he observed.

-His first professional piano teacher was the respected Wojciech Zywny. He was devoted to the piano and his skills soon surpassed those of his teacher.

-At the age of seven, his public performances began to be compared to Mozart
-No other composer could play the piano like him. His performances showed exceptional tenderness, happiness and boldness.

-He died in Paris on October 17, 1849 at the age of 38.

#4

-Born on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York.

-The second of four children, was born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents

-He first displayed an interest in music at the age of ten when he attended his friend's violin recital.

-His parents purchased a piano for his older brother, but it was him who played it.
-By the age of fifteen he had began working in Tin Pan Alley's publishing district as a "song plugger".

-He first worked for the Remick publishing house in New York playing piano to boost sales for the company. Later he worked for the Harms publishing house where he earned thirty-five dollars a week writing songs.

-In 1924, he teamed up with his brother, a lyricist, and began what would be a legendary career. Together they produced many of Broadway's hits including Lady be Good, Strike Up the Band, Fascinating Rhythm and I Got Rhythm.

-He won the Pulitzer Prize for Of Thee I Sing (1931) which was the first musical comedy to be awarded this honor.

-Died on July 11, 1937 in Hollywood, California of a brain tumor. He was only 38 years old.

#5

-Born in Bergen, Norway on June 15, 1843.

-Many of his works include Norwegian folk songs and paint a musical picture of the landscape of the beautiful countryside.

-His first music lessons were with his mother.

-He began writing music at the age of nine.

Encouraged by a famous Norwegian violinist, he enrolled in Leipzig Conservatory at the age of fifteen. He graduated four years later as a talented pianist and composer.

-For a number of years he and his wife lived in Copenhagen, Denmark and toured Europe performing his music.

-Died on September 4, 1907 in his hometown of Bergen, Norway.

-He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A Minor and his music for Henrik Ibsen's stage play Peer Gynt which includes two of his best known works: Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King.

After you have finished guessing each composer please research and prepare a one page report on one of the above composers. Report should include interesting facts, etc. about the composers and conclude with your opinion on how this composer influenced the music of his time and the music of today.