1. Pianist, Composer, Teacher

2. Born in Warsaw (Polish mother, French father) Mother was musical and his first teacher Child prodigy, published first polonaise by age 7 Almost his entire output was for solo piano THE PIANO MAN

3. Piano had grown to 88-keys (Liszt writing for all 88 by 1830s) Double-escapement action (Érard) of 1821 The sustain pedal (right) expanded harmonic and tonal possibilities Composers (esp. Liszt and Chopin) pushed virtuosity to its very limit INNOVATIONS IN PIANO BUILDING

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTnULry74dc&list=PLEyB2rXsXl96u8g TEw_bSNgJk8qOGRiz0&index=23 PIANO MECHANICS (ACTION)

5. Virtuoso: one who excels in the technique of an art; especially: a highly skilled musical performer (merriam-webster online dictionary) Examples: Liszt (piano), Chopin (piano), Paganini (violin), Rachmaninoff (piano) Who are the Virtuosi of today? ROMANTIC VIRTUOSI

6. Chopin in Radziwills Salon (Siemiradzki, Henryk) CHOPIN AND THE SALON

7. “Chopin, F., third year student, exceptional talent, musical genius.” – high school report card, 1829 (Kornel & Samson) “Hat’s off, gentlemen! A genius.” – Robert Schumann “A genius of the right-hand.” Ferruccio Busoni CHOPIN THE “GENIUS”

8. “He does not want any posters, he does not want any programs, he does not want a large audience. He does not want anyone to talk about it. He is frightened of so many things that I have suggested to him that he should play without candles or audience on a dumb piano.” – Sand in a letter to a friend (1841) “You cannot imagine a person who can be colder and more indifferent to everything around him….he is polite to excess, and yet there is so much irony, so much spite hidden inside it. Woe betide the person who allows himself to be taken in…he is heavily endowed with wit and common sense, but then he often has wild, unpleasant moments when he is evil and angry, when he breaks chairs and stamps his feet. He can be as petulant as a spoiled child, bullying his pupils and being very cold with his friends. Those are usually days of suffering, physical exhaustion or quarrels with Madame Sand.” – Chopin’s student in a letter to friend GOSSIP ON CHOPIN

9. Self-conscious (hated concert performance) Wore hand-gloves (white or lilac) Incredibly nervous/suffered from extreme anxiety Exquisite taste in clothes (expensive, elaborate) Anti-Semitic and anti-German CHOPIN THE PERSON

10. Though not the first to write Polish dances for solo piano, he was known for writing Mazurkas and Polonaises. Mazurkas (59) Polish dance in 3 Polonaises (17) also in 3 Poland’s most famous and patriotic dance. Polonaise means “Polish” in French CHOPIN THE NATIONALIST

11. GUSTAV MAHLER 1860-1911

12. Austrian late-Romantic Known for his lengthy symphonies (9) with large orchestration One of the most influential and important conductors during late 1800s early 1900s COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR

13. Mahler’s worked primarily as a conductor (Prague, Leipzig, Hamburg, Budapest, Vienna, New York) Frustrated with the anti-Semitic politics in Vienna, Mahler came to NYC to conduct the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera CONDUCTING AND MORE CONDUCTING

14. Death of Younger brother (1874) Death of youngest daughter at age 5 (1907) Wife cheated on him (repeatedly) Mahler went to Sigmund Freud for psychoanalysis Diagnosed with heart condition in 1907 MUCH SUCCESS, MUCH HEARTACHE Mahler’s wife, Alma Schindler

15. “The symphony must be like the world; it must embrace everything.” – Mahler Written in 1901-1902, enormous in scale and emotional scope 4 th movement written as a gesture or love to his new wife, Alma Movements: 1.Funeral March (trumpet solo) 2.Moving stormily, with greatest vehemence 3.Scherzo 4.Adagietto (harp and strings only) 5.Rondo-Finale THE 5 TH SYMPHONY

16. Large orchestration for the 5 th symphony includes: 6 horns 4 trumpets snare drum, tam-tam, whip, glockenspiel 4 flutes 3 of all other winds EVERYTHING + KITCHEN SINK My God, I’ve forgotten the motor horn! Now I shall have to write another symphony!

17. “How much I love you, you my sun, I cannot tell you that with words. I can only lament to you my longing and love.” MOV. 4 “ADAGIETTO”