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55-433: Stanisław Moniuszko ( Polish: [stãˈɲiswaf mɔ̃ˈɲuʃkɔ] ; May 5 (17), 1819 – June 4, 1872) was a Polish composer , conductor , organist and pedagogue . He wrote many popular art songs and operas , including The Haunted Manor and Halka , and his music is filled with patriotic folk themes of the peoples of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (mainly Poles, Lithuanians and Belarusians). He

110-532: A singer in a choir , as a player in a youth orchestra , or as a performer on a solo instrument (e.g., piano , pipe organ , or violin ). Teens aspiring to be composers can continue their postsecondary studies in a variety of formal training settings, including colleges, conservatories, and universities. Conservatories , which are the standard musical training system in countries such as France and Canada, provide lessons and amateur orchestral and choral singing experience for composition students. Universities offer

165-467: A breeze, to avant-garde music from the 20th century that uses graphic notation , to text compositions such as Aus den Sieben Tagen , to computer programs that select sounds for musical pieces. Music that makes heavy use of randomness and chance is called aleatoric music , and is associated with contemporary composers active in the 20th century, such as John Cage , Morton Feldman , and Witold Lutosławski . The nature and means of individual variation of

220-426: A composition professor , ensemble experience, and graduate courses in music history and music theory, along with one or two concerts featuring the composition student's pieces. A master's degree in music (referred to as an M.Mus. or M.M.) is often a required minimum credential for people who wish to teach composition at a university or conservatory. A composer with an M.Mus. could be an adjunct professor or instructor at

275-412: A culture eventually developed whereby faithfulness to the composer's written intention came to be highly valued (see, for example, Urtext edition ). This musical culture is almost certainly related to the high esteem (bordering on veneration) in which the leading classical composers are often held by performers. The historically informed performance movement has revived to some extent the possibility of

330-432: A given place is referred to as performance practice , whereas interpretation is generally used to mean the individual choices of a performer. Although a musical composition often has a single author, this is not always the case. A work of music can have multiple composers, which often occurs in popular music when a band collaborates to write a song, or in musical theatre , where the songs may be written by one person,

385-411: A national and patriotic manifestation. Moniuszko composed more than 300 individual songs, primarily to texts of Polish poets, and around two dozen operas. His series of twelve song books is notable and contains songs to the words of Adam Mickiewicz , Antoni Edward Odyniec , Józef Ignacy Kraszewski , Stefan Witwicki , Antoni Malczewski , and Wincenty Pol . Similarly to other prominent composers of

440-441: A performer of Western popular music creates a "cover" of an earlier song, there is little expectation of exact rendition of the original; nor is exact faithfulness necessarily highly valued (with the possible exception of "note-for-note" transcriptions of famous guitar solos ). In Western art music, the composer typically orchestrates their compositions, but in musical theatre and pop music, songwriters may hire an arranger to do

495-495: A point of reference for other Polish composers. The songs remain popular to this day and include such titles as Prząśniczka , Krakowiak , Znasz-li ten kraj or Świtezianka . According to director Ilaira Lanzino, the composer had always been interested in people excluded from society, a point of view which back in Moniuszko's times was often interpreted as Poland's oppression by foreign powers. However, she further observes that he

550-473: A range of composition programs, including bachelor's degrees, Master of Music degrees, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. As well, there are a variety of other training programs such as classical summer camps and festivals, which give students the opportunity to get coaching from composers. Bachelor's degrees in composition (referred to as B.Mus. or B.M) are four-year programs that include individual composition lessons, amateur orchestra/choral experience, and

605-453: A sequence of courses in music history, music theory, and liberal arts courses (e.g., English literature), which give the student a more well-rounded education. Usually, composition students must complete significant pieces or songs before graduating. Not all composers hold a B.Mus. in composition; composers may also hold a B.Mus. in music performance or music theory. Master of Music degrees (M.mus.) in composition consists of private lessons with

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660-459: A tendency to cluster in specific cities throughout history. Based on over 12,000 prominent composers listed in Grove Music Online and using word count measurement techniques, the most important cities for classical music can be quantitatively identified. Paris has been the main hub for western classical music in all periods. It was ranked fifth in the 15th and 16th centuries but first in

715-676: A university, but it would be difficult in the 2010s to obtain a tenure track professor position with this degree. To become a tenure track professor, many universities require a doctoral degree . In composition, the key doctoral degree is the Doctor of Musical Arts , rather than the PhD ; the PhD is awarded in music, but typically for subjects such as musicology and music theory . Doctor of Musical Arts (referred to as D.M.A., DMA, D.Mus.A. or A.Mus.D) degrees in composition provide an opportunity for advanced study at

770-487: A very difficult time breaking through and getting the credit they deserve." During the Medieval eras, most of the art music was created for liturgical (religious) purposes and due to the views about the roles of women that were held by religious leaders, few women composed this type of music, with the nun Hildegard von Bingen being among the exceptions. Most university textbooks on the history of music discuss almost exclusively

825-450: Is a loose term that generally refers to any person who writes music. More specifically, it is often used to denote people who are composers by occupation, or those who work in the tradition of Western classical music . Writers of exclusively or primarily songs may be called composers, but since the 20th century the terms ' songwriter ' or ' singer-songwriter ' are more often used, particularly in popular music genres. In other contexts,

880-577: Is an opera to a libretto written by Włodzimierz Wolski , a young Warsaw poet with radical social views. After being staged in Warsaw in 1858, it became the most widely known Polish opera and is part of the canon of Polish national operas. An English version of Straszny dwór ( The Haunted Manor , or The Haunted Castle ) was created and premiered by the student operatic society at Bristol University in 1970; this version has been performed since, specifically in 2001 by Opera South , which company also presented

935-627: Is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music , or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. The term is descended from Latin , compōnō ; literally "one who puts together". The earliest use of the term in a musical context given by the Oxford English Dictionary is from Thomas Morley 's 1597 A Plain and Easy Introduction to Practical Music , where he says "Some wil [ sic ] be good descanters [...] and yet wil be but bad composers". "Composer"

990-502: Is found in his use of and reference to traditional Polish dance rhythms like Polonaise , Mazurka , Kujawiak , and Krakowiak and the propagation of texts written by Polish national poets. The songbook contained sets of songs intended "for everyday use", which turned Moniuszko into a figure loved and admired by masses of his compatriots. The songs were often performed by the 19th-century Polish choirs in Austria, Germany, and Russia, and became

1045-560: Is generally referred to as "the father of Polish national opera ". Since the 1990s Stanisław Moniuszko has been recognized in Belarus as an important figure to Belarusian culture as well. Moniuszko was born into a noble landowning family in Ubiel , Minsk Governorate ( Russian Empire , now Belarus ). His father, Czesław, and his uncle, Ignacy, both served in Napoleon ’s army. His first piano teacher

1100-404: Is termed "interpretation". Different performers' interpretations of the same work of music can vary widely, in terms of the tempos that are chosen and the playing or singing style or phrasing of the melodies. Composers and songwriters who present their music are interpreting, just as much as those who perform the music of others. The standard body of choices and techniques present at a given time and

1155-589: The Baroque music era, many composers were employed by aristocrats or as church employees. During the Classical period , composers began to organize more public concerts for profit, which helped composers to be less dependent on aristocratic or church jobs. This trend continued in the Romantic music era in the 19th century. In the 20th century, composers began to seek employment as professors in universities and conservatories. In

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1210-519: The Renaissance music era, composers typically worked for aristocratic employers. While aristocrats typically required composers to produce a significant amount of religious music, such as Masses , composers also penned many non-religious songs on the topic of courtly love : the respectful, reverential love of a great woman from afar. Courtly love songs were very popular during the Renaissance era. During

1265-400: The orchestration of the accompaniment parts and writing of the overture is done by an orchestrator, and the words may be written by a third person. A piece of music can also be composed with words, images, or, in the 20th and 21st centuries, computer programs that explain or notate how the singer or musician should create musical sounds. Examples of this range from wind chimes jingling in

1320-427: The 17th to 20th centuries inclusive. London was the second most meaningful city: eighth in the 15th century, seventh in the 16th, fifth in the 17th, second in the 18th and 19th centuries, and fourth in the 20th century. Rome topped the rankings in the 15th century, dropped to second in the 16th and 17th centuries, eighth in the 18th century, ninth in the 19th century but back at sixth in the 20th century. Berlin appears in

1375-528: The 2019 Chopin and his Europe International Music Festival, marking the 200th anniversary of Moniuszko's birth. Paria was performed at Poznań Opera in June 2019, directed by Graham Vick and conducted by Gabriel Chmura. Moniuszko's operas are regularly performed at the Belarusian National Opera . [REDACTED] Category Composer A composer is a person who writes music . The term

1430-422: The 20th century, composers also earned money from the sales of their works, such as sheet music publications of their songs or pieces or as sound recordings of their works. In 1993, American musicologist Marcia Citron asked, "Why is music composed by women so marginal to the standard 'classical' repertoire?" Citron "examines the practices and attitudes that have led to the exclusion of women composers from

1485-601: The Moniuszko Opera Hall (53 seats), a rhythmics room, three music-recording and sound-track studios, a tuner's studio, a library and reading room, rector's offices, deans' offices, management offices, guest rooms, the GAMA cafeteria, and doctor's and dentist's clinics. There is also a music book shop and antiquarian book shop. The University also has its own dormitory , Dziekanka , at 58/60 Krakowskie Przedmieście . The latter has its own 150-seat concert hall. The University

1540-461: The Western world, before the Romantic period of the 19th century, composition almost always went side by side with a combination of either singing, instructing and theorizing . Even in a conventional Western piece of instrumental music, in which all of the melodies , chords , and basslines are written out in musical notation, the performer has a degree of latitude to add artistic interpretation to

1595-517: The definition of composition is broad enough for the creation of popular and traditional music songs and instrumental pieces and to include spontaneously improvised works like those of free jazz performers and African percussionists such as Ewe drummers . During the Middle Ages, most composers worked for the Catholic church and composed music for religious services such as plainchant melodies. During

1650-503: The guidance of faculty composition professors. Some schools require DMA composition students to present concerts of their works, which are typically performed by singers or musicians from the school. The completion of advanced coursework and a minimum B average are other typical requirements of a D.M.A program. During a D.M.A. program, a composition student may get experience teaching undergraduate music students. Some composers did not complete composition programs, but focused their studies on

1705-552: The highest artistic and pedagogical level, requiring usually an additional 54+ credit hours beyond a master's degree (which is about 30+ credits beyond a bachelor's degree). For this reason, admission is highly selective. Students must submit examples of their compositions. If available, some schools will also accept video or audio recordings of performances of the student's pieces. Examinations in music history, music theory, ear training/dictation, and an entrance examination are required. Students must prepare significant compositions under

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1760-405: The increased use by composers of more detailed scoring in the form of dynamics, articulation et cetera; composers became uniformly more explicit in how they wished their music to be interpreted, although how strictly and minutely these are dictated varies from one composer to another. Because of this trend of composers becoming increasingly specific and detailed in their instructions to the performer,

1815-412: The leading composers and musicians of Russia, including Mikhail Glinka , Alexander Dargomyzhsky , Cesar Cui , and Alexander Serov . In 1854, he established St Cecilia's Society with the assistance of Achilles Bonoldi, its amateur members giving two public concerts twice a year. Owing to the composer's good relations with Warsaw's bourgeoisie and aristocracy, such as Józef Sikorski, editor-in-chief of

1870-400: The mid-20th century was Nadia Boulanger . Philips states that "[d]uring the 20th century the women who were composing/playing gained far less attention than their male counterparts." Women today are being taken more seriously in the realm of concert music, though the statistics of recognition, prizes, employment, and overall opportunities are still biased toward men. Famous composers have

1925-419: The mind of the musician"—and subsequently written and passed through written documents . In the development of European classical music , the function of composing music initially did not have much greater importance than that of performing it. The preservation of individual compositions did not receive enormous attention and musicians generally had no qualms about modifying compositions for performance. In

1980-400: The music are varied, depending on the musical culture in the country and the time period it was written. For instance, music composed in the Baroque era , particularly in slow tempos, often was written in bare outline, with the expectation that the performer would add improvised ornaments to the melody line during a performance. Such freedom generally diminished in later eras, correlating with

2035-509: The music magazine Ruch Muzyczny , Moniuszko's career started to gain momentum. In 1858, he moved with his family to Warsaw where he was appointed conductor at the Warsaw Opera . During the Warsaw period, he composed his most famous musical works – the operas The Countess , Verbum nobile , The Haunted Manor and Paria . Between 1862–1864, Moniuszko worked on The Haunted Manor , arguably his greatest opera. The premiere performance of

2090-665: The opera was delayed by the outbreak of the January Uprising of 1863 and ultimately took place on 28 September 1865 at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw. In 1868, Moniuszko travelled to Prague where he met Bedřich Smetana in order to discuss the staging of Halka . The same year, the opera was performed at the National Theatre in Prague and was directed by Smetana himself. In 1869, his opera Paria premiered in Warsaw while Halka

2145-435: The orchestration. In some cases, a pop songwriter may not use notation at all, and, instead, compose the song in their mind and then play or record it from memory. In jazz and popular music, notable recordings by influential performers are given the weight that written scores play in classical music. The study of composition has traditionally been dominated by the examination of methods and practice of Western classical music, but

2200-561: The performance of voice or an instrument or on music theory , and developed their compositional skills over the course of a career in another musical occupation. Warsaw Conservatory Named for the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (whose birth name was Fryderyk Chopin and who studied there from 1826 to 1829), the University dates from the Music School for singers and theatre actors that

2255-408: The performer elaborating seriously the music as given in the score, particularly for Baroque music and music from the early Classical period . The movement might be considered a way of creating greater faithfulness to the original in works composed at a time that expected performers to improvise . In genres other than classical music, the performer generally has more freedom; thus for instance when

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2310-455: The premiere staging of Halka (the two-act version), considered one of his most notable operas, was more successful. It took place in Vilnius and was conducted by the composer himself. Moniuszko travelled to Sankt Petersburg in order to introduce its audiences to his music. They were received with acclaim and had favourable reviews. During his stay there, Moniuszko became acquainted with some of

2365-479: The received ' canon ' of performed musical works." She argues that in the 1800s, women composers typically wrote art songs for performance in small recitals rather than symphonies intended for performance with an orchestra in a large hall, with the latter works being seen as the most important genre for composers; since women composers did not write many symphonies, they were deemed to be not notable as composers. According to Abbey Philips, "women musicians have had

2420-430: The role of male composers. As well, very few works by women composers are part of the standard repertoire of classical music. In Concise Oxford History of Music , " Clara Shumann [ sic ] is one of the only female composers mentioned", but other notable women composers of the common practice period include Fanny Mendelssohn and Cécile Chaminade , and arguably the most influential teacher of composers during

2475-660: The school once again changed its name to the Chopin University of Music. The main building, at ulica Okólnik 2 in Central Warsaw , was constructed between 1960 and 1966. It contains 62 sound-proof classrooms; a concert hall (486 seats), the Szymanowski Lecture Theater (adapted for film projection; 155 seats), the Melcer Chamber Music Hall (196 seats and a Walcker organ sampled by Piotr Grabowski),

2530-416: The term 'composer' can refer to a literary writer, or more rarely and generally, someone who combines pieces into a whole. Across cultures and traditions composers may write and transmit music in a variety of ways. In much popular music, the composer writes a composition , and it is then transmitted via oral tradition . Conversely, in some Western classical traditions music may be composed aurally—i.e. "in

2585-428: The time, like Bedřich Smetana or Antonín Dvořák , Moniuszko wrote music based on his country's culture, reflecting the widespread rise of nationalism in 19th-century Europe, which aimed at asserting the national identities of various European nations. The composer himself noted that his songs, which were published under the collective title Śpiewnik Domowy ( Home Songbook ), had a national character. Their 'Polishness'

2640-440: The top ten rankings only in the 18th century and was ranked third most important city in both the 19th and 20th centuries. New York City entered the rankings in the 19th century (in fifth place) and stood at second rank in the 20th century. The patterns are very similar for a sample of 522 top composers. Professional classical composers often have a background in performing classical music during their childhood and teens, either as

2695-422: The work, by such means as by varying their articulation and phrasing , choosing how long to make fermatas (held notes) or pauses, and — in the case of bowed string instruments, woodwinds or brass instruments — deciding whether to use expressive effects such as vibrato or portamento . For a singer or instrumental performer, the process of deciding how to perform music that has been previously composed and notated

2750-416: The world premiere of a specially created new English version of Verbum Nobile in 2002. In 2009, Pocket Opera , of San Francisco, CA, USA, premiered Artistic Director Donald Pippin 's English language translation of The Haunted Manor ; and in 2010, Pippin's translation of Halka . Moniuszko's opera Flis ( The Raftsman ) was performed and recorded in the Grand Theatre of Polish National Opera at

2805-568: Was founded in 1810 by Wojciech Bogusławski . In 1820 it was transformed by Chopin's subsequent teacher, Józef Elsner , into a more general school of music, the Institute of Music and Declamation; it was then affiliated with the University of Warsaw and, together with the University, was dissolved by Russian imperial authorities during the repressions that followed the November 1830 Uprising . In 1861 it

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2860-727: Was his mother, Elżbieta (Elizabeth) Madżarska. He later continued his musical education in Warsaw and Minsk , and studied under Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen in Berlin . In 1840, he married Aleksandra Mueller, with whom he had ten children, and settled down in Vilnius , taking up the position of organist at the Church of St. John's . Moniuszko also offered private music lessons, which turned out to be an important source of income for his family. His first operettas Loteria (Lottery) and Żółta szlafmyca (Yellow Nightcap) were not very successful. However, in 1847,

2915-547: Was rather interested in the internal exclusion of people within society and never actually sought to become "the national composer". Moniuszko's opera style bears similarities to that of Daniel Auber and Gioachino Rossini , but with stronger emphasis on chorus and melodies inspired by Polish dances. Lithuanians stress, that Stanisław Moniuszko was eagerly using Lithuanian motifs – e.g. his cantatas " Milda ", " Nijolė ", based on Lithuanian mythology , were issued in Vilnius. Halka

2970-685: Was revived as Warsaw's Institute of Music. After Poland regained independence in 1918, the Institute was taken over by the Polish state and became known as the Warsaw Conservatory . The institution's old main building was destroyed during World War II , in the Warsaw Uprising . After the war, in 1946, the school was recreated as the Higher State School of Music. In 1979 the school assumed the name: Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy. In 2008

3025-598: Was staged for the first time in Moscow . He also served as a professor at the Warsaw Conservatory . In 1871, he published Pamiętnik do nauki harmonii (A Textbook for Studying Harmony). On 2 February 1878, the Grand Theatre in Warsaw staged his last operetta Beata . He died of a heart attack in Warsaw in 1872 and was buried at the Powązki Cemetery . His funeral was attended by up to 100,000 people and turned into

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