11 questions · Music
Classical music starts not in the concert hall but with its building blocks. An octave spans eight natural notes, from c up to the next c: the word comes from the Latin 'octavus', the eighth. A modern piano with 88 keys covers just over seven of those octaves; the instrument was invented around 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy. Even the guitar has its fixed order: six strings, usually tuned E-A-D-G-B-E. From these building blocks the great composers created their worlds. In the Baroque era the Venetian Antonio Vivaldi wrote 'The Four Seasons', in which birdsong, storms and ice can be heard; the priest was nicknamed 'the Red Priest' for his red hair. Johann Sebastian Bach, master of counterpoint and father of 20 children, left behind 'The Well-Tempered Clavier', among much else. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composing by the age of five, wrote over 600 works including 'The Magic Flute', and died at just 35. Ludwig van Beethoven created some of his greatest works when he was almost deaf; the 'Ode to Joy' from his 9th Symphony is today the anthem of the European Union. In the 19th century everything grew bigger. Giuseppe Verdi filled opera houses with 'Aida', 'La Traviata' and 'Rigoletto', and the prisoners' chorus from 'Nabucco' became a kind of unofficial anthem of Italy. Richard Wagner had his own festival theatre built in Bayreuth for his music dramas; his 'Ring of the Nibelung' lasts around 15 hours. And Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky gave the world 'Swan Lake' and 'The Nutcracker': his '1812 Overture' even calls for real cannon fire.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven led music from the Classical era into Romanticism. Strikingly, he composed some of his greatest works when he was already almost deaf.
💡 Did you know? The 'Ode to Joy' from his 9th Symphony is today the anthem of the European Union.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart composed over 600 works (symphonies, operas, concertos) and died at just 35. He is regarded as one of the greatest geniuses in music history.
💡 Did you know? He was composing by the age of five and performed at princely courts across Europe.
Antonio Vivaldi
The Venetian Baroque composer wrote hundreds of instrumental concertos. 'The Four Seasons' musically depicts birdsong, storms and ice.
💡 Did you know? Vivaldi was also a Catholic priest: nicknamed 'the Red Priest' for his red hair.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach is seen as the culmination of Baroque music and a master of counterpoint. In his lifetime he was famous mainly as an organist; his compositions were rediscovered later.
💡 Did you know? He had 20 children: several became well-known composers themselves.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Russian composer created some of the most famous ballets ever, including 'Swan Lake' and 'The Nutcracker'. His music is famous for its melodies and emotion.
💡 Did you know? His '1812 Overture' calls for real cannon shots as an instrument.
Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi was the leading Italian opera composer of the 19th century. Works like 'Aida', 'La Traviata' and 'Rigoletto' still fill opera houses today.
💡 Did you know? The prisoners' chorus from 'Nabucco' became a kind of unofficial anthem of Italy.
six
The six strings of a standard guitar are usually tuned E-A-D-G-B-E. There are also variants with seven, twelve or more strings.
💡 Did you know? On a twelve-string guitar the strings are arranged in pairs: giving that full, shimmering sound.
88
A modern piano has 88 keys (52 white and 36 black) spanning just over seven octaves. Earlier instruments had far fewer.
💡 Did you know? The piano was invented around 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy.
Richard Wagner
Wagner revolutionised opera with vast 'music dramas'. His 'Ring of the Nibelung' consists of four operas and lasts around 15 hours in total.
💡 Did you know? For his works he had his own festival theatre built in Bayreuth.
eight
An octave spans eight natural notes (c-d-e-f-g-a-b-c). The top note sounds like the bottom one, only twice as high.
💡 Did you know? 'Octave' comes from the Latin 'octavus' = the eighth.
Guido of Arezzo
The syllables come from the hymn “Ut queant laxis”; each line of the verse starts one note higher than the last.
💡 Did you know? The hard-to-sing “ut” later became “do” in most countries.
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