Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky

ēˈgər fyôˈdərôˌvyĭch strəvĭnˈskē, 1882–1971, Russian-American composer. Considered by many the greatest and most versatile composer of the 20th cent., Stravinsky helped to revolutionize modern music.

Stravinsky's father, an actor and singer in St. Petersburg, had him educated for the law. Music was only an avocation for Stravinsky until his meeting in 1902 with Rimsky-Korsakov, with whom he studied formally from 1907 to 1908. Stravinsky's First Symphony in E Flat Major (1907) is pervaded by the influence of Rimsky-Korsakov's nationalistic style. The work of Stravinsky interested the ballet impressario Sergei Diaghilev, and Stravinsky's first strikingly original compositions—L'Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird, 1910) and Petrouchka (1911)—were written for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris.

In the ballet Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring, 1913) he departed radically from musical tradition by using irregular, primitive rhythms and harsh dissonances. The audience at the premiere of the ballet reacted with riotous disfavor. However, in the following year the work was performed by a symphony orchestra, and ever since it has been recognized as a landmark and masterpiece of modern music.

At the beginning of World War I, Stravinsky moved to Switzerland, where he composed several works based on Russian themes, including the ballet Les Noces (The Wedding, 1923). Influenced by 18th-century music, he embarked on an austere, neoclassical style in such works as the poetic dance-drama Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale, 1918), the opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex (1927; text by Jean Cocteau after Sophocles), and the choral composition Symphonie de psaumes (Symphony of Psalms, 1930).

In the 1930s, Stravinsky toured throughout Europe and the United States as a pianist and conductor of his own works. He became a French citizen in 1934, but five years later he moved to the United States, becoming an American citizen in 1945. Compositions of the 1940s include such diverse works as the Ebony Concerto (1946) for clarinet and swing band; the Third Symphony (1946) in three movements; the ballet Orpheus (1948); and a mass (1948) for voices and double wind quintet.

After composing the opera The Rake's Progress (1951; inspired by Hogarth's engravings, with libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman), Stravinsky turned to experiments with serial techniques (see serial music). In Cantata (1952) the new technique was evident, and in the chamber piece Septet (1953) he made the full transition to serialism. He continued to compose in this exacting style in the abstract ballet Agon (1957) and in Threni (1958), a work for voices and orchestra. His creative originality was undiminished in his late works, which display remarkable freshness, meticulous craftsmanship, and an experimental quality.

Stravinsky's influence on 20th-century music is immeasurable. He revitalized the rhythms of European music and achieved entirely new sonorities and blends of orchestral colors. A series of lectures he delivered at Harvard were published as Poétique musicale (1942, tr. Poetics of Music, 1948).

Bibliography

See his autobiography Chronicles of My Life (1935, tr. 1936); his Memories and CommentariesExpositions and Developments (1962), and Dialogues and a Diary (1963), all three written with R. Craft. See also biographies by R. Siohan (1959, tr. 1966), A. Dobrin (1970), P. Horgan (1972), R. Craft (1972), L. Libman (1972), and S. Walsh (1999); studies by J. Pasler (1986), P. van den Toorn (1987), S. Walsh (1988), and C. M. Joseph (2001 and 2002). (1960),

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

Gilberto Santa Rosa -. The Salsa Gentleman

"El Caballero de la Salsa" was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1962. For 12 years an organized group of fans in its infancy in the genre of tropical music. Two years later received master's Mario Ortiz the first opportunity to record professionally. Entering the music scene fully integrated professional orchestra La Grande for two years. There he met the master Elias Lopez, who helped him as a polished performer and with whom he went as a singer on recordings of other exponents of Afro-Caribbean song.

In 1980 you have an opportunity to participate in the recording "Homenaje a Eddie Palmieri" Puerto Rico with the All Star This experience is integrated into the popular Tommy Olivencia orchestra with whom he made several recordings to pass Willie Rosario's orchestra , with whom he recorded six additional disks.
In his 24 years made his debut as soloist and conductor with the support of the company's Combo Records maestro Rafael Ithier and producer Ralph Cartagena. Recorded four LP's Gilbertito was reaffirmed as one of the most important promises of the sauce to a century.

In 1990, he made his theatrical debut in "The couple uneven" with Rafa and Luis Muñiz Vigoreaux, son. Also, debuting in the Fine Arts Center in a concert near the Nicaraguan Luis Enrique, which confirmed its enormous roots and its gift to the Sone.
It was at that time it became part of the CBS family record, now known as Sony Discos. His first production for this stamp was "Viewpoint" in 1990, which received Platinum and Gold Record. But then it followed the successful launches of new products were like "Perspective" (1991), "A one time two times" (a tribute to Tito Rodriguez released in 1992), "Born Here" (1993), "Going Wind (1994), "The man and his music, production in 1995 reflects the live presentation of the artist at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York," Essence "(1996) and" De corazón "(1997).

His music and his style came to Japan, which he visited as a musical ambassador of Puerto Rico in 1995 and who managed to break the language barriers, in interpreting "Facing the Wind" in the difficult Japanese language.

Since then the international calling market making it one of the artists of the genre of tropical increased demand abroad. Proof of this, successful presentations at the First Festival "President" in Dominican Republic, the Lincon Center in New York with Andy Montañez in July 1997, at the Teatro Anayansi in Panama in September 1997 and the Universal Amphitheater Hollywood with Olga Tañon.

His career was very successful in founding the classical genre and tropical in the historic concert "Symphonic Salsa," presented at the Centro de Bellas Artes, San Juan. Accompanied by the Symphonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico, its production was made in the United States, that's how broke box office records at the Teatro Teresa Carreño in Caracas in February 1998. That historic moment, which was translated into compact, was recognized by the National Foundation for Popular Culture of Puerto Rico as one of the most important recordings of the year.

With the arrival of 2000 "Symphonic Salsa" is returned to Venezuela in Maracaibo to replenish their triumphant concert. With a sold as a whole, the singer with the accompaniment of the Orquestra Sinfónica de Maracaibo. There in the cradle of the bagpipes, Gilberto Santa Rosa shared the stage with one of the most important figures of this genre, Neguito. Act which completed its work in Caracas as the illustrious Simon Diaz rose to the dais at the Teatro Teresa Carreño to reinforce the interpretation of the classic "old horse".

The release of her album "Expression" strengthened the presence of Gilberto in the international music market. Certainly their offensive burst to the sound of "Let wanting." But the theme was "Somebody tell me," original Alfanno Omar, who held him for several weeks at the top of the Billboard lists. Similarly "Expression" was chosen by the National Foundation for Popular Culture as one of the 20 most outstanding productions of 1999.

In promotion for this album Gilberto went first to Buenos Aires while her concert at the Clemente Coliseum in San Juan was an artistic success.

By: Freshoutsourcing
Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

Tego Calderon - The Reggaeton King

(Santurce, Puerto Rico, 1972) Puerto Rican singer and composer, one of the reggaeton and Latin hip-hop highlights of the current scene.

On February 1, 1972 born in a wealthy family from the town of Santurce Tego Calderón. Over the years, that child would become one of the most famous reggaeton singers and music of his native country, Puerto Rico. His compositions have achieved considerable success in large part because they show a significant influence of salsa and rhythms characteristic of Antillean music. No doubt that is the result of his great admiration for the idol to generations of Latinos, Ismael Rivera.

The racism and life on the street are two of the themes which revolve around the compositions of Tego Calderón. African tradition of his people and his experience in prison will have made enough to reflect their feelings in many of their songs and dedicate his efforts to talk to young people about the evil that can be found on the street.

Tego Calderón's life can be defined as traveling as soon moved his family and he spent his youth first in Rio Grande, another city of Puerto Rico. It was precisely in those years when his parents took him to music lessons, which helped him to train in this area. He later moved to all United States.

Although the music did not fail to be present in your life at any time since teenager Tego Calderón was dedicated to many different jobs to survive. The now famous performer was still very young when he began to take its first steps as a percussionist music: at the time was engaged to play the drums in the group Escolquer. His artistic interests changed in 1988, while living in Miami. There he discovered the rap and started to penetrate this world.

The career of this singer known for its aesthetic Afro started when he participated in the recording Crazy Boricua 2. Then go through a time of silence, until the rapper Eddie Dee helped him back to sing. The result of this collaboration are the themes that appear in terror of lyric and Boricuas NY.


Tego Calderón began to have serious problems when he decided to return home. He had no luck in his facet as a musician and was doomed to delinquency. It was at that time when the singer ended up in Puerto Rico prison after being tried for possession of weapons. Far from being the start of its decline, this meant their recovery phase as an artist.

In 2002, after leaving prison, launched under the direction of the White Lion Records label debut album, El Abayarde. This album was a resounding success which has sold over 300,000 copies and led to Tego Calderón to start a spiral of tours, collaborations and concerts. Its impact was such that even then many fans know him as El Abayarde.

All titles of this work is true hits: The Abayarde, Cambumbo, Your eyes, Plant and Bonsai flag, among others. Later, on July 1 of 2003, the record company RCA began to distribute copies of Abayarde in various locations in the United States. Achieved in this country the same success as in Puerto Rico and this time was even nominated for the Latin Grammys. In addition to performing all of these recordings Tego Calderón has taken part in the film 45 and has had the privilege of working with prestigious musicians from different genres, such as Angel "cachet" Maldonado and Gilberto Santa Rosa.

In 2004 participated in a compilation of Latin hip-hop published under the title The Enemy of Guasíbiri and two years later, after signing a contract with the multinational Atlantic Records, released his second album: The Underdog / El underestimated. The new work rhythms merged from various sources (pump, reggae, blues, Cuban rumba and salsa NY) and maintained its lyrical quality and direct contact with the street. This album was followed Abayarde The counter-attack (2007), in a line similar to the one above, which received a Grammy nomination for 2008.

By: Freshoutsourcing
Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

David Foster - Award-winning Musician And Composer

Born November 1st, 1949, David Foster is an award winning producer, composer and musical arranger, and has won 14 Grammy awards – and been nominated for 42 – over the course of his career. As a member of the musical group Skylark during the 70s, Foster gained the opportunity to work closely with many high-level celebrities and musicians, including: John Lennon, Josh Groban, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Andrea Bocelli, Madonna, Gordon Lightfoot, and many, many more!

Foster was also asked to compose the score for the film St. Elmo’s Fire, and gained several additional hit singles off the movie’s soundtrack release. Through his own record label, Foster produced debut albums for several well-known musical artists who have since moved onward to very lucrative musical careers, such as: Josh Groban, The Corrs, and Michael Buble. His label is known as 143 Records.

Foster was married in 1991 to Linda Thompson, and although they are no longer together, Foster and Thompson worked together on several pieces such as the song “I Have Nothing” from the soundtrack to The Bodyguard in 1992. This song was nominated for both a Grammy and an Academy Award, and in 1996, Foster’s composition “The Power of the Dream” with Kenneth Edmonds became the official theme song for that summer’s Olympics.

As an attempt to get into television, Foster and his two step-sons began a reality TV show called The Princes of Malibu, where Foster played himself, trying to convince his sons to shape up and make their own way in the world. The show failed, and was canceled soon after its debut. More recently, Foster was featured as a guest on the television reality show American Idol, as a mentor to competitors. He was also a judge on the show Nashville Star, as well as Celebrity Duets, a show created and produced for Fox-TV.

By: Gabriel Adams

The Life of Memphis Musician B.B. King

B.B. King is an American blues guitarist and was born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925. His name is the most recognizable in the blues genre and he is arguably one of the most respected and admired blues guitarists of all time. He began his career as a Memphis musician in Tennessee in 1946.

B.B. King only worked as a Memphis musician for a few months and after struggling to make it he returned to Mississippi. King decided that it would be easier to go back to Mississippi and spend a few years getting prepared for the scene as a Memphis musician because he had learned quickly that it was much different then what he was used to. It did not take too long for him though because he ended up returning to Memphis only two years later. His very first job as a working Memphis musician was at the R&B local radio station WDIA as a singer. By 1949, he had begun to record songs for the RPM Records label that was based out of Los Angeles. B.B. King recorded most of his early songs with producer Sam Phillips who later became the founder of Sun Records. As a Memphis musician, King had a myriad of jobs in the area and one of them was working as a disc jockey which is where he got his nickname Beale Street Blues Boy. This nickname was later shortened to B.B. and is still what he goes by today.

Throughout the 1950s, B.B. King became on of the most important names in all of R&B music with hits like You Know I Love You, Woke Up This Morning, Please Love me, When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer, Whole Lotta Love, You Upset Me Baby, Every Day I Have the Blues, Bad Luck, Ten Long Years and Sweet Little Angel. By 1962, King was very popular and landed a music contract with ABC Paramount Records which later became part of MCA Records. Now, he works on his current label, Geffen Records, which is what became of MCA Records.

B.B. King has a lot of success outside of the blues market as well, but it was definitely his time working as a Memphis musician that claimed him his fame. This popularity was what allowed King to go into the mainstream parts of the music scene in the 1980s all the way through to today.

By: Phoenix Delray