Frederic Chopin ( ) Polish pianist and composer Relationship with novelist “George Sand” (Aurore Dudevant) Personal Style –Preferred salon performances –Short pieces that would often evoke either a mood or a dance Polish dance forms (based on the meter and dance feel, not melodies) Mood music: nocturnes, preludes, etudes, etc. –Characterized by either grace and elegance, or explosions of virtuosity

Franz Liszt ( ) Hungarian pianist and composer Teens- moved to Paris to perform –Age 19 – witnessed Paganini and became a recluse –Worked on technique to become the “Paganini of the piano” A new type of virtuoso – overwhelming talent, wowed audiences, one of the first musical “sex symbols” –My 10 fingers have the power to reproduce harmonies created by 100 performers” –His compositions were intense, loud, thick, and often considered vulgar

Felix Mendelssohn ( ) Led Bach revival –St. Matthew’s Passion Violin Concerto –One of the most commonly performed –Reversed and altered ‘double exposition’ –Cadenza-like passages through-out