1.
Edward Elgar
–
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello and he also composed choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius, chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the Kings Musick in 1924, although Elgar is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe. He felt himself to be an outsider, not only musically and he nevertheless married the daughter of a senior British army officer. His later full-length religious choral works were received but have not entered the regular repertory. In his fifties, Elgar composed a symphony and a concerto that were immensely successful. His second symphony and his cello concerto did not gain immediate public popularity, Elgars music came, in his later years, to be seen as appealing chiefly to British audiences. His stock remained low for a generation after his death and it began to revive significantly in the 1960s, helped by new recordings of his works. Some of his works have, in recent years, been taken up again internationally, Elgar has been described as the first composer to take the gramophone seriously. Between 1914 and 1925, he conducted a series of recordings of his works. Edward Elgar was born in the village of Lower Broadheath, outside Worcester. His father, William Henry Elgar, was raised in Dover and had apprenticed to a London music publisher. In 1841 William moved to Worcester, where he worked as a tuner and set up a shop selling sheet music. In 1848 he married Ann Greening, daughter of a farm worker, Edward was the fourth of their seven children. Ann Elgar had converted to Roman Catholicism shortly before Edwards birth, William Elgar was a violinist of professional standard and held the post of organist of St. Georges Roman Catholic Church, Worcester, from 1846 to 1885. At his instigation, masses by Cherubini and Hummel were first heard at the Three Choirs Festival by the orchestra in which he played the violin, all the Elgar children received a musical upbringing. Elgars mother was interested in the arts and encouraged his musical development and he inherited from her a discerning taste for literature and a passionate love of the countryside. His friend and biographer W. H, Billy Reed wrote that Elgars early surroundings had an influence that permeated all his work and gave to his whole life that subtle but none the less true and sturdy English quality
Edward Elgar
–
Edward Elgar, c. 1900
Edward Elgar
–
Elgar's birthplace,
Lower Broadheath
Edward Elgar
–
Elgar's parents, William and Ann Elgar
Edward Elgar
–
Schumann and
Brahms, top,
Rubinstein and
Wagner, bottom, whose music inspired Elgar in
Leipzig
2.
William Shakespeare
–
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet, and the Bard of Avon and his extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright, Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a career in London as an actor, writer. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, at age 49, Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories, which are regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, in his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and it was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as not of an age, but for all time. In the 20th and 21st centuries, his works have been adapted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship. His plays remain highly popular and are studied, performed. William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden and he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised there on 26 April 1564. His actual date of birth unknown, but is traditionally observed on 23 April. This date, which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholars mistake, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and he was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester issued a marriage licence on 27 November 1582. The next day, two of Hathaways neighbours posted bonds guaranteeing that no lawful claims impeded the marriage, twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later and were baptised 2 February 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 August 1596, after the birth of the twins, Shakespeare left few historical traces until he is mentioned as part of the London theatre scene in 1592. The exception is the appearance of his name in the bill of a law case before the Queens Bench court at Westminster dated Michaelmas Term 1588 and 9 October 1589
William Shakespeare
–
The
Chandos portrait, artist and authenticity unconfirmed.
National Portrait Gallery, London.
William Shakespeare
–
John Shakespeare's house, believed to be
Shakespeare's birthplace, in
Stratford-upon-Avon.
William Shakespeare
–
Shakespeare's coat of arms, as it appears on the rough draft of the application to grant a coat-of-arms to John Shakespeare. It features a spear as a
pun on the family name.
William Shakespeare
–
Shakespeare's funerary monument in Stratford-upon-Avon.
3.
Othello
–
Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. It is based on the story Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio, Roderigo is upset because he loves Desdemona and had asked her father for her hand in marriage. Iago hates Othello for promoting a younger man named Cassio above him, whom Iago considers less capable a soldier than himself, Iago convinces Roderigo to wake Brabantio and tell him about his daughters elopement. Meanwhile, Iago sneaks away to find Othello and warns him that Brabantio is coming for him. Brabantio, provoked by Roderigo, is enraged and will not rest until he has beheaded Othello, but he finds Othellos residence full of the Duke of Venices guards, who prevent violence. News has arrived in Venice that the Turks are going to attack Cyprus, Brabantio has no option but to accompany Othello to the Dukes residence, where he accuses Othello of seducing Desdemona by witchcraft. Othello defends himself before the Duke of Venice, Brabantios kinsmen Lodovico and Gratiano, Othello explains that Desdemona became enamoured of him for the sad and compelling stories he told of his life before Venice, not because of any witchcraft. Iago, still in the room, takes note of Brabantios remark, the party arrives in Cyprus to find that a storm has destroyed the Turkish fleet. Othello orders a celebration and leaves to consummate his marriage with Desdemona. In his absence, Iago gets Cassio drunk, and then persuades Roderigo to draw Cassio into a fight, Montano tries to calm an angry and drunk Cassio down, but end up fighting one another. Montano is injured in the fight, Othello reenters and questions the men as to what happened. Othello blames Cassio for the disturbance and strips him of his rank, Iago persuades Cassio to importune Desdemona to convince her husband to reinstate Cassio. Iago now persuades Othello to be suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona, when Desdemona drops a handkerchief, Emilia finds it, and gives it to her husband Iago, at his request, unaware of what he plans to do with it. Othello reenters and vows with Iago for the death of Desdemona and Cassio, after which he makes Iago his lieutenant. Act III, scene iii, is considered to be the point of the play as it is the scene in which Iago successfully sows the seeds of doubt in Othellos mind. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassios lodgings, then tells Othello to watch Cassios reactions while Iago questions him. Iago goads Cassio on to talk about his affair with Bianca, a local courtesan, later, Bianca accuses Cassio of giving her a second-hand gift which he had received from another lover. Othello sees this, and Iago convinces him that Cassio received the handkerchief from Desdemona, enraged and hurt, Othello resolves to kill his wife and asks Iago to kill Cassio
Othello
–
The Russian actor and
theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski as Othello in 1896
Othello
–
Desdemona and Othello, by
Antonio Muñoz Degrain
Othello
–
Othello costume - illustration by Percy Anderson for Costume Fanciful, Historical and Theatrical, 1906
Othello
–
Painting by
William Salter of Othello weeping over Desdemona's body. Oil on canvas, ca. 1857.
4.
Fife (instrument)
–
A fife /ˈfaɪf/ is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute, that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is used in military. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer, the word fife comes from the German Pfeife, or pipe, which comes from the Latin word pipare. The fife is an instrument usually consisting of a tube with 6 finger holes. Some have 10 or 11 holes for added chromatics, the fife also has an embouchure hole, across which the player blows, and a cork or plug inside the tube just above the embouchure hole. Some nineteenth-century fifes had a key pressed by the finger of the right hand in place of a seventh finger hole. Fifes are made mostly of wood, grenadilla, rosewood, mopane, pink ivory, cocobolo, boxwood and other woods are superior, maple and persimmon are inferior. Some Caribbean music makes use of bamboo fifes, Military and marching fifes have metal reinforcing bands around the ends to protect them from damage. Fifes used in strenuous conditions sometimes have a lathe-turned, knob-like decoration at the ends for similar reasons. Some fifes are entirely made of metal or plastic, some modern fifes are of two-piece construction with a sliding tuning joint similar to some recorders. The standard fife is an A-flat transposing instrument, meaning that prevailing scoring conventions dictate that the C position on a fife-part staff should correspond to a concert A-flat, the standard fife sounds a minor sixth above written. Fifes pitched in the keys of D and of C are also common, fifes in various other keys are sometimes played in musical ensembles. A common convention specific to fife music and contradictory to those above is for music to be written in the key of D regardless of the key in which the fife in question sounds. Like the Irish flute and the tinwhistle, the fife is a simple system flute. These flutes are unable to play all chromatic pitches, while many of the pitches they can play are grossly out of tune. This tuning irregularity is part of the sound of the fife. An experienced fife player can play 3 full octaves although the fingering patterns necessary for playing in the octave can be daunting to a beginner. Marching bands typically play only in the second and third octave since these are the loudest and most penetrating, in medieval Europe, the fife was used in some folk music traditions to accompany dancing by all social classes
Fife (instrument)
–
Crosby-style fife made by George and Frederick Cloos
Fife (instrument)
–
19th century fife
Fife (instrument)
–
Édouard Manet: Young Flautist, or The Fifer, 1866
Fife (instrument)
–
Fife made of black wood with 1 1/2" sterling silver end pieces. The fife was used by 3rd Minnesota Regiment during the Civil War. From the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society.
5.
Banner
–
A banner can be a flag or other piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or other message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms is called a banner of arms, also, a bar shape piece of non-cloth advertising material sporting a name, slogan, or other marketing message. Church banners commonly portray the saint to whom the church is dedicated, the word derives from French word bannière and late Latin bandum, a cloth out of which a flag is made. Banns has the same origin meaning an official proclamation, and abandon means to change loyalty or disobey orders, the vexillum was a flag-like object used as a military standard by units in the Ancient Roman army. The word vexillum is a diminutive of the Latin word, velum, meaning a sail, which confirms the historical evidence that vexilla were literally little sails i. e. flag-like standards. In the vexillum the cloth was draped from a crossbar suspended from the staff. A heraldic banner is usually square or rectangular, a distinction exists between the heraldic banner and the heraldic standard. The distinction, however, is often misunderstood or ignored, for example, the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is in fact a banner of the royal arms. The prophet Isaiah was commanded to raise a banner and exalt his voice, habakkuk received a similar order to write a vision upon tables that could be read by one who runs past it. Banners in churches have, in the past, been used mainly for processions, however, the emphasis has, in recent years, shifted markedly towards the permanent or transient display of banners on walls or pillars of churches and other places of worship. A famous example of large banners on display is Liverpool R. C, cathedral, where the banners are designed by a resident artist. Banners are also used to communicate the testimony of Jesus Christ by evangelists, the same kind of banners are also used in many other countries. Many, but not all of them, have red as a dominant colour and these marches were one of the most prominent annual celebrations staged in Australia by any group. Most of these banners have not survived, the Labour Council of NSW has the largest surviving collection at Sydney Trades Hall Sydney Trades Hall in Sussex Street, Sydney. The Federated Society of Boilermakers, Iron & Steel Shipbuilders of Australia was formed in 1873, the reverse of the banner shows the warship Australia at sea. The banner is canvas and was painted by Sydney firm Althouse & Geiger, master painters and decorators, founded in 1875, the company is still in operation. The banner is a powerful tool in communicating the experience. For more on the design and making of these banners, see Banner-making, sports fans often buy or make banners to display in the grandstands
Banner
–
Banners of
Knights of the Thistle displayed in
St. Giles' Cathedral
Banner
–
Banner of
Cardinal Wolsey
Banner
–
Russian Orthodox Crucession with
lantern,
processional cross and
Khorugvi (banners).
Banner
–
Banners of
AUT,
NATFHE, Cambridge
TUC and
Cambridge University Students' Union.
6.
John Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley
–
John Byrne Leicester Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley was an English poet, numismatist, botanist and an authority on bookplates. He was eldest son of George Fleming Leicester, Lord de Tabley, by his wife Catherina Barbara, second daughter of Jerome, in the autumn of 1858 he went to Turkey as unpaid attaché to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. In 1860 he was called to the bar from Lincolns Inn and he was commissioned as a part-time Lieutenant into the Cheshire Yeomanry and unsuccessfully contested Mid-Cheshire in 1868 as a Liberal. After his mother died and his fathers re-marriage in 1871 Warren removed to London, Tennyson once said of him, He is Faunus, he is a woodland creature. From 1877 until his succession to the barony and estates in 1887, Warren was lost to his friends and it was not until 1892, five years after becoming Lord de Tabley, that he returned to London life and enjoyed a renaissance of reputation and friendship. He was buried at Little Peover in Cheshire, although his reputation will live almost exclusively as that of a poet, Tabley was a man of many studious tastes. Poetry, however, was his first and last passion, Fortescue was killed by falling from the mast of Lord Droghedas yacht in November 1859, and this gloomy event plunged Tabley into a deep depression. Between 1859 and 1862 he issued four volumes of pseudonymous verse. Once more he assumed a pseudonym, his Praeterita bearing the name of William Lancaster, in the next year he published Eclogues and Monodramas, followed in 1865 by Studies in Verse. These volumes all displayed technical grace and much natural beauty, Philoctetes bore the initials M. A. which, to the authors dismay, were interpreted as meaning Matthew Arnold. He at once disclosed his identity, and received the congratulations of his friends, among whom were Tennyson, Browning, in 1867 he published Orestes, in 1870 Rehearsals and in 1873 Searching the Net. These last two bore his own name, John Leicester Warren, the genuine interest with which these volumes were welcomed did much to lighten the last years of a somewhat sombre and solitary life. His posthumous poems were collected in 1902, the characteristics of Tableys poetry are pre-eminently magnificence of style, derived from a close study of Milton, sonority, dignity, weight, and colour. He was always a student of the poets, and drew much of his inspiration directly from them. His ambition was always for the heights, a region naturally ice-bound at periods, see an excellent sketch by Edmund Gosse in his Critical Kit-Kats. In a fair meadow set with tulip-heads, a water-mill rolls little crested falls Of olive torrent, broken in grey threads. A grave-yard crowds black crosses in square walls, and up behind in a still orchard close The apples ripen, crushing down the trees, In millions, russet-green and amber-rose, Fit for the gardens of the Hesperides. Such colour as the morning brings the skies, Such mirage as our dreams in childhood gave, Infinite cadence of ethereal dyes, quaint pastoral Arcadia, where are set Thy rainy lands and reddish underwoods
John Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley
–
Portrait of Lord de Tabley, (48 x 40 inches), by John Hanson Walker (1844–1933)
John Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley
–
Bookplate from Poems, Dramatic and Lyrical (1893)
John Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley
–
Two of de Tabley's sisters. Eleanor Lady Leighton and Meriel Bathurst
John Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley
7.
Ensign
–
Ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern of the ship, the naval ensign, used on warships, may be different from the civil ensign or the yacht ensign. Large versions of naval ensigns called battle ensigns are used when a warship goes into battle, the ensign differs from the jack which is flown from a jackstaff at the bow of a vessel. In its widest sense, an ensign is just a flag or other standard, the European military rank of ensign, once responsible for bearing a units standard derives from it. In contrast, the Arab rank of ensign, liwa, derives from the command of a unit or units with an ensign, not the carrier of such a units ensign, and is a general officer. In Arab armies, ensign is a title equivalent to a Western brigade. In nautical use, the ensign is flown on a ship or boat to indicate its appartenance, while this includes its nationality, it may well indicate more information rather than being the national flag itself. This is particularly common for commonwealth and European countries, ensigns are usually at the stern flagstaff when in port, and may be shifted to a gaff or mast amidships when the ship is under way, becoming known as a steaming ensign. Vexillologists distinguish three varieties of a national flag used as an ensign, A civil ensign is worn by merchant. In some countries the yacht ensign, used on boats or ships instead of merchant vessels. A state ensign or government ensign is worn by government vessels, a naval ensign is used by a countrys navy. Such ensigns are strictly regulated and indicate if the vessel is a warship, a merchant ship, several Commonwealth countries national flags had their origin in the ensigns of their original colonising power, the United Kingdom. Most notable of these flags are those of Australia, New Zealand. It is also likely that the original design from which the flag of the United States developed was strongly influenced by the British Red Ensign or the flag of the East India Company. With the creation of independent air forces and the growth in aviation in the first half of the 20th century. These may be divided into air force ensigns and civil air ensigns, in heraldry, an ensign is the ornament or sign, such as the crown, coronet, or mitre, borne above the charge or arms. Distinguishing mark Maritime flag Znamierowski, Alfred, the world encyclopedia of flags, The definitive guide to international flags, banners, standards and ensigns
Ensign
–
National civil ensign of New Zealand flown from the stern of
Hikitia
Ensign
Ensign
8.
Targe
–
Targe was a general word for shield in late Old English. Its diminutive, target, came to mean an object to be aimed at in the 18th century, the term refers to various types of shields used by infantry troops from the 13th to 16th centuries. The design was first developed in Spain, more specifically, a targe was a concave shield fitted with enarmes on the inside, one adjustable by a buckle, to be attached to the forearm, and the other fixed as a grip for the left hand. These shields were made of iron or iron-plated wood. From the 15th century, the term could refer to special shields used for jousting. A fair number were created wholly for show, from the early 17th century, until the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the Scottish Highlanders main means of defence in battle was his targe. After the disastrous defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden, the carrying of the targe had been banned and those that remain have intricate patterns, and are decorated, indicating that they would have originally belonged to important people. Targes are generally, but not always, round shields between 18 in and 21 in in diameter, the inside of the targe was formed from two very thin layers of flat wooden boards, with the grain of each layer at right angles to the other. They were fixed together with wooden pegs, forming plywood. The front was covered with a tough cowhide, which was decorated with embossed Celtic style patterns. This was fixed to the wood with brass, or in some cases, silver, nails. Some targes had center bosses of brass, and a few of these could accept a long steel spike, when not in use, the spike could be unscrewed and placed in a sheath on the back of the targe. A Highlander was usually armed with a broadsword or dagger in one hand, the back of the targe was commonly covered in deerskin, and a very few had some packing of straw etc. behind this. Some targes, usually those actually used in battle, had their backs covered in a piece of red cloth taken from the uniform of a government soldier that the owner had killed in battle. The face of a targe typically used two general patterns - concentric circles, or a boss with subsidiary bosses around this. There are a few exceptions, such as a targe in Perth Museum in Scotland that is of a star design. Although some targe designs appear to have more popular than others. The nearest that one might come to finding a clan design is four identical targes from the armoury at Castle Grant
Targe
–
A Highland targe exhibited in the National Museum of Scotland
Targe
–
Charles Edward Stuart 's highly decorated targe
Targe
–
Scottish reenactor with a targe.
9.
World War I
–
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history and it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the worlds great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war, Italy, Japan, the trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This set off a crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, the powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1 August. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, after the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, in November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. In 1915, Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, Romania joined the Allies in 1916, after a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives. By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, national borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Germanys colonies were parceled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four imposed their terms in a series of treaties, the League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings of humiliation eventually contributed to World War II. From the time of its start until the approach of World War II, at the time, it was also sometimes called the war to end war or the war to end all wars due to its then-unparalleled scale and devastation. In Canada, Macleans magazine in October 1914 wrote, Some wars name themselves, during the interwar period, the war was most often called the World War and the Great War in English-speaking countries. Will become the first world war in the sense of the word. These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria, when Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation. Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany
World War I
–
Clockwise from the top: The aftermath of shelling during the
Battle of the Somme,
Mark V tanks cross the
Hindenburg Line,
HMS Irresistible sinks after hitting a
mine in the
Dardanelles, a British
Vickers machine gun crew wears
gas masks during the Battle of the Somme,
Albatros D.III fighters of
Jagdstaffel 11
World War I
–
Sarajevo citizens reading a poster with the proclamation of the
Austrian annexation in 1908.
World War I
–
This picture is usually associated with the arrest of
Gavrilo Princip, although some believe it depicts Ferdinand Behr, a bystander.
World War I
–
Serbian Army
Blériot XI "Oluj", 1915.
10.
D major
–
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F♯, G, A, B, and C♯. Its key signature consists of two sharps and its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. D major is well-suited to violin music because of the structure of the instrument, the open strings resonate sympathetically with the D string, producing a sound that is especially brilliant. This is also the case all other orchestral strings. It is appropriate for music, with drop D tuning making two Ds available as open strings. Even so, the clarinet in B-flat is still used for music in D major. The vast majority of tin whistles are in D, since they are used in music with fiddles. It is a key for Pub session playing. Many trumpet sonatas were in D major, too, such as those by Corelli, Petronio Franceschini, Purcell, the Trumpet Shall Sound and the Hallelujah chorus from Handels Messiah, and his coronation anthem Zadok the Priest are in D major. 23 of Haydns 104 symphonies are in D major, making it the most often used main key of his symphonies, the vast majority of Mozarts unnumbered symphonies are in D major, namely K. 66c, 81/73, 97/73m, 95/73n, 120/111a and 161/163/141a. The symphony evolved from the overture, and D major was by far the most common key for overtures in the half of the eighteenth century. Famous symphonies written in D major include Mozarts symphonies No.31,38, Beethovens No.2 Op.36, Brahmss No.2 Op.73, Sibeliuss No.2 Op.43, Mahlers No.9 and Prokofievs No.1 Op.25. Scriabin considered D major to be golden in color and, in a discussion with Rimsky-Korsakov, key Major and minor Chord Chord names and symbols Media related to D major at Wikimedia Commons
D major
–
D major
11.
A minor
–
A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps, however the harmonic minor scale raises the G to G♯. A minors relative major is C major, and its parallel major is A major, changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. Johann Joachim Quantz considered A minor, along with C minor, Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV1041 – Johann Sebastian Bach Violin Sonata No. 4, Op.23 – Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No,6, RV356 – Antonio Vivaldi Key Major and minor Chord Chord names and symbols List of symphonies in A minor Media related to A minor at Wikimedia Commons
A minor
–
A minor
12.
C minor
–
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, and B♭. The harmonic minor raises the B♭ to B♮, changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary. Its key signature consists of three flats and its relative major is E-flat major, and its parallel major is C major. In the Baroque period, music in C minor was written with a two-flat key signature. Of the two concertos that Mozart wrote in a minor key, one of them is in C minor. C minor has been associated with heroic struggle since Beethovens time, Beethoven wrote some of his most characteristic works in the key of C minor, including the Symphony No.5 and no fewer than three piano sonatas. Brahmss first symphony and first string quartet were composed in C minor, three of Anton Bruckners ten numbered symphonies are in C minor, as are two of Dmitri Shostakovichs symphonies. Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV582 – Bach Cello Suite No. 5, BWV1011 – Bach The Musical Offering, BWV1079 – Bach Great Mass in C minor – Mozart Piano Concerto No.24 – Mozart Piano Sonata No.8 – Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 – Beethoven Symphony No
C minor
–
C minor
13.
G major
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G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯. Its key signature has one sharp, F♯, G majors relative minor is E minor, and its parallel minor is G minor. For orchestral works in G major, the timpani are typically set to G and D, in the Baroque era, G major was regarded as the key of benediction. Of Domenico Scarlattis 555 keyboard sonatas, G major is the key for 69. Pianist Jeremy Denk observes that the Goldberg Variations are 80 minutes in G major, twelve of Joseph Haydns 104 Symphonies are in G major. See also, List of symphonies in G major, likewise one of Haydns most famous piano trios, No. 39, and one of his last two complete published string quartets, are in G major, G major is the home key of Mozarts Eine kleine Nachtmusik, serving as the tonic for three of its four movements. However, almost none of his works such as his symphonies or concertos are in this key. 17, Flute Concerto No.1 and his String Quartet No,14, along with some examples among his juvenilia. G sometimes called the key, is one of the most frequently-employed keys across classical. It is the key stipulated by Queen Elizabeth II to be used for God Save the Queen in Canada, the music to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, was originally written in G major. God Defend New Zealand was originally composed by John Joseph Woods in A-flat, key Major and minor Chord Chord names and symbols Media related to G major at Wikimedia Commons
G major
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G major
14.
C major
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C major is a major scale based on C, with the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps, C majors relative minor is A minor and its parallel minor is C minor. C major is one of the most common key signatures used in western music, most transposing instruments playing in their home key are notated in C major, for example, a clarinet in B♭ sounding a B-flat major scale is notated as playing a C major scale. The white keys of the piano correspond to the C major scale, among brass instruments, the contra-bass tuba is in C. A pedal harp tuned to C major has all of its pedals in the middle position, there are no black keys in the C major scale, thus it doesnt fit the natural positions of the fingers well. Twenty of Joseph Haydns 104 symphonies are in C major, making it his second most often used key, of the 134 symphonies mistakenly attributed to Haydn that H. C. Robbins Landon lists in his catalog,33 are in C major, more than any other key. Before the invention of the trumpet, Haydn did not write trumpet and timpani parts in his symphonies. H. C. Robbins Landon writes that it wasnt until 1774 that Haydn uses trumpets, most of Haydns symphonies in C major are labelled festive and are of a primarily celebratory mood. Many Masses and settings of Te Deum in the Classical era were in C major, mozart wrote most of his Masses in C major and so did Haydn. Of Franz Schuberts two symphonies in the key, the first is nicknamed the Little C major and the second the Great C major, many musicians have pointed out that every musical key conjures up specific feelings. This idea is explored in a radio program called The Signature Series. American popular songwriter Bob Dylan claimed the key of C major to be the key of strength, french composers such as Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Rameau generally thought of C major as a key for happy music, but Hector Berlioz in 1856 described it as serious but deaf and dull. Ralph Vaughan Williams was impressed by Sibeliuss Symphony No.7 in C major, however, C major was a key of great importance in Sibeliuss previous symphonies. Claude Debussy, noted for composing music that avoided a particular key center, once said, in musical catalogs that sort the musical pieces by key, whether they go by semitones or along the circle of fifths, they almost always begin with those pieces in C major. A notable modern use of the key is Terry Rileys In C, johann Sebastian Bach Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV564 Cello Suite No. 3, BWV1009 Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No,1, Op.21 Piano Sonata No. 21, K.467 Piano Concerto No,25, K.503 Piano Sonata No. 16, K.545 String Quartet No,41, K.551 Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 Maurice Ravel Boléro Franz Schubert Wanderer Fantasy, Op.15 D.760 Symphony No
C major
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C major
15.
G minor
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G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, and F. For the harmonic scale, the F is raised to F♯. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major, changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. G minor is one of two flat key signatures that require a sharp for the leading-tone, though Mozart touched on various minor keys in his symphonies, G minor is the only minor key he used as a main key for his numbered symphonies. In the Classical period, symphonies in G minor almost always used four horns, two in G and two in B-flat alto
G minor
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G minor
16.
Piccolo
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The piccolo /ˈpɪkəloʊ/ is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The modern piccolo has most of the same fingerings as its sibling, the standard transverse flute. This gave rise to the name ottavino, the name by which the instrument is referred to in the scores of Italian composers, piccolos are now manufactured in the key of C or D♭. It was for this D♭ piccolo that John Philip Sousa wrote the solo in the final repeat of the closing section of his march The Stars. In the orchestral setting, the player is often designated as piccolo/flute III. The larger orchestras have designated this position as a position due to the demands of the literature. Piccolos are often orchestrated to double the violins or the flutes, adding sparkle, in concert band settings, the piccolo is almost always used and a piccolo part is almost always available. Historically, the piccolo had no keys, and should not be confused with the fife, the piccolo is used in conjunction with marching drums in traditional formations at the Carnival of Basel, Switzerland. It is a myth that one of the earliest pieces to use the piccolo was Beethovens Symphony No.5 in C Minor, although neither Joseph Haydn nor Mozart used it in their symphonies, some of their contemporaries did, including Hoffmeister, Süssmayr and Michael Haydn. Also, Mozart used the piccolo in his opera Idomeneo, opera orchestras in Paris sometimes included small transverse flutes at the octave as early as 1735 as existing scores by Rameau show. Finely made piccolos are often available with a variety of similar to the flute. Most piccolos have a body with a cylindrical head, which is like the Baroque flute. There are a number of pieces for piccolo alone, by composers as Samuel Adler, Robert Dick, Michael Isaacson, David Loeb, Polly Moller, Vincent Persichetti. Additionally, there is a selection of chamber music that uses the piccolo. One example is the Quintet for Piccolo and String Quartet by Graham Waterhouse, another is Stockhausens Zungenspitzentanz, for piccolo and two euphoniums, with optional percussionist and dancer. Bryn Mawr, Theodore Presser Company,2008, the Symphonic Debutante Piccolo, Was it Really Beethovens Fifth. The Woodwind Fingering Guide, with piccolo fingerings
Piccolo
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A Yamaha piccolo. The body is made of
ABS resin, and the head is plated with
silver.
Piccolo
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The piccolo sounds one
octave higher than written. Sounding:
Piccolo
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A piccolo being played
17.
Western concert flute
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The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute, a musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, flute player, or fluter. This type of flute is used in ensembles including concert bands, military bands, marching bands, orchestras, flute ensembles. Other flutes in this include the piccolo, alto flute. A large repertory of works has been composed for flute, the flute is one of the oldest and most widely used wind instruments. The precursors of the concert flute were keyless wooden transverse flutes. These were later modified to include one and eight keys for chromatic notes. The most common pitch for keyless wooden traverse flutes is six-finger D, keyless traverse flutes continue to be used in folk music and in historically informed performances of Baroque music. Throughout the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, transverse flutes were very uncommon in Europe, the transverse flute arrived in Europe from Asia, via the Byzantine Empire, where it migrated to Germany and France. These flutes became known as German flutes, to them from others. The flute became used in music, along with the viol. It would not spread to the rest of Europe for nearly a century, the first literary appearance of the transverse flute was made in 1285, by Adenet le Roi in a list of instruments he played. After this, a period of 70 years ensues, where there are few references to the flute, beginning in the 1470s, a military revival in Europe led to a revival in the flute. The Swiss army used flutes for signaling, and this helped the spread to all of Europe. In the late 16th century, flutes began to appear in court and theatre music, following the 16th century court music, flutes began appearing in chamber ensembles. These flutes were used as the tenor voice. However, flutes varied greatly in size and range and this made transposition necessary, which led flutists to use Guidonian hexachords to transpose music more easily. At this stage, the flute was usually made in one section and had a cylindrical bore
Western concert flute
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Flute
Western concert flute
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(B3) C4–C7 (F7)
Western concert flute
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A flute player playing a Western concert flute
Western concert flute
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A modern copy of an 18th-century French traverso, by flute-maker Boaz Berney
18.
Oboe
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Oboes /ˈoʊboʊ/ OH-boh are a family of double reed woodwind musical instruments. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range, oboes are usually made of wood, but there are also oboes made of synthetic materials. A soprano oboe measures roughly 65 cm long, with keys, a conical bore. Sound is produced by blowing into the reed and vibrating a column of air, the distinctive oboe tone is versatile, and has been described as bright. When the term oboe is used alone, it is taken to mean the standard treble instrument rather than other instruments of the family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called a hautbois, hoboy. The spelling of oboe was adopted into English c.1770 from the Italian oboè, a musician who plays the oboe is called an oboist or simply an oboe player. In comparison to other woodwind instruments, the treble oboe is sometimes referred to as having a clear. The Sprightly Companion, a book published by Henry Playford in 1695, describes the oboe as Majestical and Stately. Humorously, the sound of the oboe is described in the play Angels in America as like that of a if the duck were a songbird. The rich timbre of the oboe is derived from its conical bore, as a result, oboes are readily audible over other instruments in large ensembles. The highest note of the oboe is a lower than the nominally highest note of the B♭ clarinet. Since the clarinet has a range of notes, the lowest note of the B♭ clarinet is significantly deeper than the lowest note of the oboe. Music for the oboe is written in concert pitch. Orchestras normally tune to a concert A played by the oboe, according to the League of American Orchestras, this is done because the pitch of the oboe is secure and its penetrating sound makes it ideal for tuning purposes. The pitch of the oboe is affected by the way in which the reed is made. The reed has a significant effect on the sound of the instrument, Variations in cane and other construction materials, the age of the reed, and differences in scrape and length all affect the pitch of the instrument. German and French reeds, for instance, differ in many ways, weather conditions such as temperature and humidity also affect the pitch
Oboe
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A modern oboe with a reed
Oboe
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Classical oboe, copy by Sand Dalton of an original by Johann Friedrich Floth, c. 1805
Oboe
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The members of the oboe family from top:
heckelphone,
bass oboe,
cor anglais,
oboe d'amore, regular oboe, and
piccolo oboe
Oboe
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Oboist
Albrecht Mayer preparing reeds for use. Most oboists scrape their own reeds to achieve the desired tone and response
19.
Clarinet
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The clarinet is a musical-instrument family belonging to the group known as the woodwind instruments. It has a mouthpiece, a straight cylindrical tube with an almost cylindrical bore. A person who plays a clarinet is called a clarinetist, the word clarinet may have entered the English language via the French clarinette, or from Provençal clarin, oboe. It would seem however that its roots are to be found amongst some of the various names for trumpets used around the renaissance. Clarion, clarin and the Italian clarino are all derived from the medieval term claro which referred to a form of trumpet. This is probably the origin of the Italian clarinetto, itself a diminutive of clarino, according to Johann Gottfried Walther, writing in 1732, the reason for the name is that it sounded from far off not unlike a trumpet. The English form clarinet is found as early as 1733, while the similarity in sound between the earliest clarinets and the trumpet may hold a clue to its name, other factors may have been involved. The trumpet parts that required this speciality were known by the term clarino, Johann Christoph Denner is generally believed to have invented the clarinet in Germany around the year 1700 by adding a register key to the earlier chalumeau. Over time, additional keywork and airtight pads were added to improve the tone and these days the most popular clarinet is the B♭ clarinet. However, the clarinet in A, just a lower, is commonly used in orchestral music. Since the middle of the 19th century the clarinet has become an essential addition to the orchestra. The clarinet family ranges from the BBB♭ octo-contrabass to the A♭ piccolo clarinet, the clarinet has proved to be an exceptionally flexible instrument, equally at home in the classical repertoire as in concert bands, military bands, marching bands, klezmer, and jazz. The cylindrical bore is primarily responsible for the clarinets distinctive timbre, the tone quality can vary greatly with the musician, the music, the instrument, the mouthpiece, and the reed. The most prominent were the German/Viennese traditions and the French school, the latter was centered on the clarinetists of the Conservatoire de Paris. The proliferation of recorded music has made examples of different styles of clarinet playing available, the modern clarinetist has a diverse palette of acceptable tone qualities to choose from. The A clarinet and B♭ clarinet have nearly the same bore, orchestral players using the A and B♭ instruments in the same concert could use the same mouthpiece for both. The A and the B♭ instruments have nearly identical tonal quality, the tone of the E♭ clarinet is brighter than that of the lower clarinets and can be heard even through loud orchestral or concert band textures. The bass clarinet has a deep, mellow sound, while the alto clarinet is similar in tone to the bass
Clarinet
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Bass clarinet
Clarinet
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Written range (though it is possible to play higher):
Clarinet
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Sound wave propagation in the soprano clarinet
Clarinet
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Schüller's quarter-tone clarinet
20.
Bass clarinet
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The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B♭ clarinet, it is pitched in B♭. Bass clarinets in other keys, notably C and A, also exist, Bass clarinets regularly perform in orchestras, wind ensembles/concert bands, occasionally in marching bands, and play an occasional solo role in contemporary music and jazz in particular. Someone who plays a clarinet is called a bass clarinetist. Most modern bass clarinets are straight-bodied, with a small upturned silver-colored metal bell, Early examples varied in shape, some having a doubled body making them look similar to bassoons. The bass clarinet is fairly heavy and is supported either with a strap or with an adjustable peg attached to its body. While Adolphe Sax imitated its upturned metal bell in his design of the larger saxophones, Bass clarinet bodies are most often made of grenadilla or plastic resin, while saxophones are typically made entirely of metal. More significantly, all including the bass have a bore that is basically the same diameter along the body of the instrument. This cylindrical bore differs from the saxophones conical one and gives the clarinet its characteristic tone, causing it to overblow at the twelfth compared with the saxophones octave. A majority of modern bass clarinets, like other clarinets in the family, have the Boehm system of keys and fingering, most modern Boehm system bass clarinets have an extension key allowing them to play to the E♭. This key was added to allow easy transposition of parts for the relatively rare bass clarinet pitched in A. A significant difference between soprano and bass clarinet key work is a key pad played by the index finger with a vent that may be uncovered for certain high notes. This allows a form of half-hole fingering that allows notes in higher registers to be played on the instrument, in addition, older bass clarinets have two register keys, one for middle D♯ and below, the other for middle E and higher. Newer models typically only have one, the second register key makes the altissimo range much easier to play. In addition to differences in keywork, many professional and advanced bass clarinetists own instruments with extensions down to a C a full two octaves below written middle C. At concert pitch this note is the B♭ below the second ledger line below the bass staff, overall, the instrument sounds an octave lower than the B♭ soprano clarinet. As with all instruments, the upper limit of the range depends on the quality of the instrument. According to Aber and Lerstad, who give fingerings up to written C8, the bass clarinet has been regularly used in scoring for orchestra and concert band since the late 19th century, becoming more common during the middle and latter part of the 20th century
Bass clarinet
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Four modern bass clarinets, from left to right
Leblanc L400,
Signet Selmer 1430P, E. M. Winston, Leblanc 330S.
Bass clarinet
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B ♭ bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
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Michael Lowenstern playing bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
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Edmund Welles, a quartet of bass clarinetists based in the San Francisco Bay Area
21.
Bassoon
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The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor clefs, and occasionally the treble. Appearing in its form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band. The bassoon is an instrument known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, variety of character. Listeners often compare its warm, dark, reedy timbre to that of a baritone voice. Someone who plays the bassoon is called a bassoonist, the word bassoon comes from French basson and from Italian bassone. However, the Italian name for the instrument is fagotto. B♭1–C5 The range of the bassoon begins at B♭1 and extends upward over three octaves, roughly to the G above the treble staff, higher notes are possible but difficult to produce, and rarely called for, orchestral and concert band parts rarely go higher than C5 or D5. Even Stravinskys famously difficult opening solo in The Rite of Spring only ascends to D5, a1 is possible with a special extension to the instrument—see Extended techniques below. The bassoon disassembles into six pieces, including the reed. Bassoons are double reed instruments like the oboe and the English horn, a modern beginners bassoon is generally made of maple, with medium-hardness types such as sycamore maple and sugar maple preferred. Both bore and tone holes are precision-machined, and each instrument is finished by hand for proper tuning and this ensures coverage by the fingers of the average adult hand. Wooden instruments are lined with hard rubber along the interior of the wing and boot joints to prevent damage from moisture, the end of the bell is usually fitted with a ring, either of metal, plastic or ivory. The joints between sections consist of a tenon fitting into a socket, the tenons are wrapped in either cork or string as a seal against air leaks. The bocal connects the reed to the rest of the instrument and is inserted into a socket at the top of the wing joint, bocals come in many different lengths and styles, depending on the desired tuning and playing characteristics. Folded upon itself, the bassoon stands 1.34 m tall, there are also short-reach bassoons made for the benefit of young or petite players. The origins of the dulcian are obscure, but by the century it was available in as many as eight different sizes. Otherwise, dulcian technique was rather primitive, with eight finger holes, the dulcian came to be known as fagotto in Italy. However, the etymology that equates fagotto with bundle of sticks is somewhat misleading
Bassoon
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Two views of a Renard model 220 bassoon
Bassoon
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Dulcians and
racketts, from the Syntagma musicum by
Michael Praetorius.
Bassoon
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Heckel system bassoon from 1870
Bassoon
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Edgar Degas, L'Orchestre de L'Opera, (1868)
