" The composers " set
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“Johannes Brahms” Model
1833-1897
Brahms's music was sometimes considered academic by his 19th century contemporaries. However, his attachment to classical writing and its forms should not obscure the incredible harmonic richness of his works, especially in his chamber music. In this he was innovative, but he was not a composer who broke with the past as Debussy was, or Berlioz before him. This is why, although it is hard to believe today, it took several decades after his death for him to be recognised and appreciated in France.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Joseph Haydn” Model
1732-1809
While Mozart died at just under 36 years, his friend Joseph Haydn enjoyed a significantly longer life. At 77 years of age, that's quite an age in the 18th century. This outstanding lifespan allowed him to cross the entire classical period, from the end of the baroque to the very beginning of the romantic era. He influenced the greatest composers of his time, such as Mozart and later Beethoven, who also studied with him. Therefore, it is not surprising that his music is for most musicians the embodiment of the classical style. He left more than 100 symphonies and is also said to be the father of the string quartet.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Henry Purcell” Model
1659-1695
Throughout the Baroque, or even Classical period, Germany and Italy were the cradle of many timeless geniuses. This was not really the case in England. Never mind! The British certainly have in their heritage one of the most beautiful jewels of music. They do have Henry Purcell, the greatest master of harmonic tension. Purcell brings to the edge of consonance, keeping us on sevenths rubbing. There, we are deeply moved because it can be a long and even disturbing balancing act. At the exit of this narrow harmonic path, the final resolution of the chord naturally imposes itself overwhelming us. It is an incredibly daring and modern writing process, even for us who live more than 300 years later.
Must hear : Dido and aeneas, Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary...12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Antonio Vivaldi” Model
1678-1741
The Venetian Red Priest was a great violin virtuoso, a prolific composer with a grandiose and exaggerated character. His music is like his life: all forms, all styles for all instruments. He wore multiple hats as a violin master, composer, impresario with numerous courts and institutions which gave him the optimal environment to unleash his limitless creativity. He was able to recruit and maintain his musicians without restriction. This freedom allowed him to develop real laboratories of ideas to conduct a wide range of musical experiments. He is known for the extraordinary technicality of the violin found in his works, a quasi-instrumental processing of the voice and the authorship of the Soloist Concerto.
Must hear : The 4 Seasons, the Stabat Mater ... and about 98 sonatas, 507 concertos, about fifty operas of which 20 have come down to us, cantatas and serenades ...12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“J.S.Bach” Model
1685-1750
Bach is often described as a family man with a quiet life. Admittedly, he is somewhat the opposite of the great romantic impulses. If you can revel in the music of certain composers like eating a tasty pastry, it is not this pleasure that you will find in Bach's music. A good game of chess or rubik's cube would be closer to the enjoyment one can get from listening to his works. He is the ultimate master of counterpoint. He has made fugue an Art. With Bach, the complexity of his music takes us on a journey through the mysteries of harmony. It is fascinating.
Must hear : The Art of Fugue, the Brandenburg Concertos, the Well-Tempered Keyboard...12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“J.F.Haendel” Model
1685-1759
If there's one Baroque composer who can be described as universal, it is indeed him, Georg Friedrich Handel. German by birth and by training, he will end up being naturalized English. By the way, he is sometimes simply regarded as a British composer.
Handel has moreover succeeded in making his work a synthesis of German, English, but also Italian and French styles. He is definitely the most "European" of the Baroque composers.
Must hear : Water Music, Messiah (oratorio), the famous Sarabande…12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“W.A.Mozart” Model
1756-1791
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is with no doubt the most famous of all composers... We often remember the image of the child prodigy who played the harpsichord from the age of 4 or 5, and composed his first symphony at 8... Mozart is well beyond that. He took music art of the Classical period to its pinnacle and leaves us a masterfull work of more than 600 pieces. He died at 35, ruined, consumed by his genius and the dissolute life that, in his case, is closely linked to it.
Must hear : The Magic Flute, The Requiem, The Symphony N°40, The Great Mass in C minor, the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, the Piano Concerto n°23, and so many other masterpieces...12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“L.V.Beethoven” Model
1770-1827
German composer and pianist, Ludwig van Beethoven is the link between Viennese classicism (Haydn, Mozart) and the Romantic movement. It is said that he left a very good impression on Mozart during a brief meeting where he was able to demonstrate his talent as a great improviser. He was also one of Haydn's students. He gradually became deaf at the age of 27, forcing him to give up his career as a performer. He then devoted himself solely to composition. Bearer of democratic and revolutionary convictions, he will defend all his life the price of his independence, fighting sometimes against isolation and misery.
Must hear : The Kreuzer Sonata, the Moonlight Sonata, The Pathétique, the 5th Symphony, the 9th Symphony (with the Ode to Joy), the Emperor Concerto ...12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Claude Debussy” Model
1862-1918
With Debussy, we are right into the 20th century. In this change of era, his non-conformism is not as disruptive as that of Stravinsky, for example. He gently moves the audience from traditional aesthetics to new forms and harmonies. In this regard, the extensive use of the whole-tone scale in his work, which is in a way his signature, makes him easily identifiable. Debussy is a must in the piano repertoire, but he is also a brilliant master of symphonic orchestration.
Must hear : Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Syrinx (for solo flute), Moonlight, 1st Arabesque...12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Francis Poulenc” Model
1899-1963
The most famous composer of The Six. Poulenc is sometimes a childlike world with works that always delight the youngest. He is also and above all a composer who transports us effortlessly and emotionally along complex harmonic paths without ever losing us in intellectual intricacies.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Germaine Tailleferre” Model
1892-1983
For a long time, it was considered that music writing was a man's craft. In the light of contemporary events and thanks to the opening of numerous archives (with internet support), an ever-increasing number of women composers are being discovered. Tailleferre is a rare exception and did not have to wait until the 21st century to enter the history of music, even if it took a lot of self-sacrifice to impose her musical career on her family... Member of The Six, she left her mark on the French music of the 20th century.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Louis Durey” Model
1888-1979
He is less famous than other members of the Six. The contributions of Schönberg and Ravel to his style are quite obvious and his works rarely break free from one or the other of these influences.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Arthur Honegger” Model
1892-1955
His works are on the whole less open than those of Poulenc or Tailleferre, but some of his masterpieces, such as Pacific 231, have always had a wide audience. Honegger is versatile in his writing and it' s not clear where he fits in, except of course that he belongs to The Six.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Georges Auric” Model
1899-1983
His name is not well known among the general public, but we still know him by his film scores, some of which are part of the French film heritage of the 20th century, such as "La belle et la bête" or "La grande vadrouille"... He also had contact with Stravinsky, and we can't miss some writing similarities between the two composers, such as between his "Malbrough s'en va-t'en guerre" and " L'histoire du Soldat " by Stravinsky.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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“Darius Milhaud” Model
1892-1974
What would Darius Milhaud's music have sounded like if he had not lived in South America, and later in the United States? His works are so syncopated and swinging that he would not have been the same staying on the old continent. This american touch is what makes him so singular in the Group of Six.12 staves - Size: Medium
Format A4
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