Florence Price - 13

Florence price was the first African-American female composer to have her music performed by a major symphony orchestra. She also was the head of the music department at Clark Atlanta University for many years. Her most well known compositions include:

Symphony No.1 in e minor

Piano Sonata No.1 in e minor

Dance: Nimble Feet

John Corigliano - 12

 

American composer John Corigliano lives in New York City. He has written more than 100 major compositions, many of them award winning. He is also a well respected music teacher at the Julliard School and has influenced many composers of the 20th and 21st century. Here are some examples:

The Red Violin ( music composed for the movie)

Symphony No. 3 (Circus Maximus) the music begins at 8:20 , however the introduction is interesting.

Fern Hill

Lera Auerbach

Lera Auerbach - 11

Award winning composer Lera Auerbach was born in Russia in 1973 and gave her first public performance on the piano at the age of eight. She graduated from the Julliard School with degrees in piano and composition and has written music for piano, orhestra, and voice. Listen to the following examples of a living composer:

Sonata for Violin and Piano

Sonata for Cello and Piano (Auerbach  is playing piano)

First Symphony

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven - 10

Born in Bonn, Germany in 1770, Beethoven transformed what it meant to be a musician during his lifetime. Before Beethoven most musicians were in the employ of wealthy patrons who controlled what they created -- by the end of his life Beethoven demonstrated that it was possible to create music that satisfied the composer and audiences would be happy to pay to hear it.

His music is among some of the most well known in the world- he wrote for voice, piano, orchestra, and many solo instruments. Listen to the following:

Minuet in G

Ninth Symphony (the theme you know begins at 3:50)

Rage Over A Lost Penny ( Humor from Beethoven)