Classical Breakdown

She was America's first woman composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra and the first American composer fully educated in the United States. She was praised and recognized but her journey to success was an uphill battle with obstacles and challenges.Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's go on a musical deep dive of Haydn's final symphony. With musical examples we can breakdown Sonata Form, hear influences of other composers, and folk song!Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beethoven changed all ideas and expectations about the Symphony. Bill Bukowski joins me as we figure out what happened to the symphony after Beethoven through the 21st century.Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life was kind of complicated. His childhood as a musical prodigy was filled with practicing, writing music, and performing for royalty throughout Europe. He later struggled at times finding suitable employment and wanted to find his own path. It was a life lived under the watchful eye of his father, Leopold Mozart, and cut short at the age of 35.Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover music by Holst that was inspired by the gods our planets are named after in our solar system. This seven-movement orchestral suite includes the terrifying sounds of war, the comfort of peace, jollity, and so much more.Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get into the new year with a work that has music for every month! Tchaikovsky's The Seasons also includes poetry and gives us a glimpse into Russian life, month by month in 1876.Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waving a baton is just a small part of being a conductor. Michelle Merrill tells what it's like to prepare a concert with an orchestra, from the year before to the downbeat of the concert.Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Delve into Handel's Messiah to explore intriguing aspects like bringing swords to the premiere, hidden meanings behind key signatures, musical theft, and Handel's penchant for adapting his own music. Discover the transition from somberness to comfort in the opening of Handel's Messiah and the various versions of 'Rejoice greatly'. Explore the themes of loneliness in the crucifixion scene and the dramatic portrayal of shame and spitting. Uncover the theft between Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Requiem. Journey through the vivid imagery and standing ovations of Handel's music and analyze the third part's themes of eternal life and judgment. Lastly, discover the impact and power of the soprano's statement in Handel's Messiah and its significance in Christian gospel music.

Discover one of the more colorful genres of classical music, the Symphonic Poem, which can depict animals, landscape, literature, and even football players!Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liz demonstrates musical terms on the violin, we talk about bringing sheet music to life and a special guest joins for an experiment with foreign language.Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.