Name: ____________________________________
Date: _________________________
ALL ABOUT COMPOSERS
Hildegard von Bingen
1098 – 1179
A COMPOSER OF THE MIDDLE AGES
Though Hildegard von Bingen lived years
ago, we know a great deal about her because
she kept journals and wrote many letters to
many people. Hildegard was the tenth child
born to her parents, and as was practiced at the
time, the tenth child was to have a life
dedicated to the Roman Catholic Church. At
the age of 8, Hildegard was sent to a convent to
live, and at the age of 15, became a nun.
At the age of 38, Hildegard became
Mother Superior of her order. Within a few
years, she claimed to have visions from God
and eventually began writing them down. The church considered her a visionary and many
church members began to seek her advice on personal and religious matters.
Between 1147 and 1150 Hildegard founded a new monastery near Rudesheim, Germany.
She wrote about many topics and exchanged letters with popes, kings, dukes, archbishops and
politicians. Additionally she wrote an entire encyclopedia describing herbal medicines that she
had developed.
During Hildegard’s time, music for the church consisted of chants which were sung by
male monks. Hildegard composed her music to be sung by the female nuns of her order; no
other composer of the time period wrote music for female voices. Much of her music was
composed between 1150 and 1160.
HILDEGARD FACTS
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Hildegard claimed her music came to her in visions
One of her many books was based on a secret language with she invented
Hildegard was an expert on herbs and their healing powers. Many of the texts for her
music included references to plants, animals and minerals
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Although Hildegard was one of the most remarkable women of her time, she did not
consider herself to be particularly important
TIMELINE OF ERA
1098: Birth of Hildegard von Bingen
1100: Native Americans are regularly using canoes
1131: Pope Innocent II crowns Louis VII as king of France.
1154: Henry II is crowned as King of England
1179: Death of Hildegard von Bingen; before her death she writes Physica, an encyclopedia of
natural history
Review!
(Submit answers on attached sheet for extra credit)
1.
Hildegard was born in __________________.
a. 998
b. 1098
c. 1198
d. 1298
2. True or False: During Hildegard’s lifetime many composers wrote for female voices.
3. True or False: Hildegard claimed to have mystical powers.
4. Hildegard wrote a book on: ___________________.
a. Opera
b. Politicians
c. Herbal Medicines
d. Religion
5. True or False: Hildegard also wrote the words for some of the music she composed.
6. Which of following is a type of chant?____________________.
a. Gregorian Chant
b. Baroque Chant
c. Middle Ages Chant
d. Renaissance Chant
7. True or False: Hildegard lived during the middle ages.
8. True or False: Chant is a type of vocal music that is sung without any words.
Johann Sebastian Bach
1685 - 1750
A COMPOSER OF THE Baroque Era
Both of Johann Sebastian Bach’s parents died before he was 10. After their deaths,
Johann lived with his older brother, Christoph, who was a church musician. Christoph taught
Johann the Harpsichord and Organ. For the majority of
his life, he was a church musician, starting as a boy
soprano, then as a violinist, and later as an organist and
composer. Bach spent his entire life in Germany.
As a teenager Bach often traveled to the city of
Hamburg to hear concerts and to take organ lessons. At
the age of 18, he became the organist for the city of
Arnstadt. It was in this position that he first began
writing music. Four years later he married and then
became the organist and violinist for the Duke of
Weimar.
In 1717, the Prince of Cöthen hired Bach as court
choirmaster. It was at this time that he had time to
compose works for the clavier, strings, instrumental
ensembles and concertos. He remained in Cöthen until
1723, when the Prince’s wife he that she no liked music
as serious as Bach’s. He then moved to Leipzig, Germany. In Leipzig, he worked for a private
choir school as choirmaster and for two smaller churches. He taught endlessly in Leipzig,
teaching music, Latin and conducting, while also composing music for both churches and the
choir school.
JOHANN FACTS
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Bach had 20 children, several of whom became composers
Although he wrote thousands of pieces of music, less than a dozen were published
during his lifetime
Bach never composed an opera; he thought they were frivolous
Bach enjoyed the music of Antonio Vivaldi
Composer Richard Wagner said Bach’s music “is that most stupendous miracle in all
music.”
TIMELINE OF ERA
1685: Birth of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel
1704: Boston News Letter is published and is the first newspaper in America
1709: The piano is invented by the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori
1718: Yale University moves to New Haven, Connecticut
1750: Death of Johann Sebastian Bach; the minuet becomes Europe’s fashionable dance
Review!
(Submit answers on attached sheet for extra credit)
1. Bach was born in __________________.
a. 1658
b. 1685
c. 1755
d. 1758
2. True or False: Bach lived in Germany his entire life.
3. True or False: Bach wrote several operas.
4. Which instrument did Bach NOT play?: ___________________.
a. Harpsichord
b. Organ
c. Clavier
d. Oboe
5. True or False: Bach never took music lessons; he was completely self-taught.
6. During his life, Bach composed____________________.
a. Less than 100 musical works
b. More than 100 musical works
7. True or False: Bach became a wealthy man because hundreds of his compositions were
published during his lifetime.
8. True or False: At one point in his life, Bach was a school teacher.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756 - 1791
A COMPOSER OF THE classical Era
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began playing the clavier
at the age 4. By 5, he began composing, 10 he had written
his first concerto, and by the age of 15 he had written his
first opera. Mozart was considered to be a musical prodigy.
His father, a violinist, recognized his talent and guided
young Mozart as a touring concert artist at a young age.
Between touring, both Mozart and his father worked
as musicians for the Archbishop of Salzburg, Wolfgang as a
violinist and his father as the conductor. Due to frequent
touring and looking for other work, Mozart was eventually
fired from the post, though his father continued there. In
1781, Mozart moved to Vienna, Austria and to work full
time as a composer and music teacher. Though many of his
compositions were published, Mozart earned less money as
a composer than as a performer. After marrying in 1782,
his new wife, Constanze, tried to persuade him to seek a position as a court musician to ease
their financial hardship.
In 1787, he took a position as private musician for the emperor of Austria, composing
music for public performances and private affairs. The income from this job was small, but
steady. Mozart held this position until his death in 1791. Over the course of his life he wrote
hundreds of musical works including symphonies, operas, concertos, oratorios and solo works.
His music appreciated and admired by audiences in Salzburg and throughout Europe.
Wolfgang FACTS
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One of Mozart’s friends was Johann Christian Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach
Mozart was considered a musical genius his entire life, even as a child
Mozart wrote many pieces for the glass harmonica. The glass harmonica was invented
by Benjamin Franklin and became very popular in Europe.
Mozart was very influenced by the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, also referred to as
“Papa Haydn”
TIMELINE OF ERA
1756: Birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1764: London, England introduces the practice of numbering houses
1765: British Parliament passes the Stamp Act for taxing American colonies
1770: George Frederic Handel’s Messiah first performed in New York
1783: American Revolutionary War ends
1787: The Constitution of the United States is signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1789: Beginning of the French Revolution
1791: Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Franz Joseph Haydn composes Surprise Symphony
Review!
(Submit answers on attached sheet for extra credit)
1. Mozart was born in __________________.
a. 1758
b. 1785
c. 1756
d. 1768
2. True or False: Mozart did not complete his first composition until the age of 40.
3. True or False: Mozart’s music was widely performed and appreciated during his lifetime.
4. Mozart composed: ___________________.
a. Operas
b. Oratorios
c. Symphonies
d. All of the above
5. True or False: At one point in his life, Mozart was a court musician.
6. Mozart was influenced by the music of____________________.
a. Antonio Vivaldi
b. Franz Joseph Haydn
c. Hildegard von Bingen
d. George Frederic Handel
7. True or False: Mozart composed the libretto for the opera, The Marriage of Figaro
8. True or False: Mozart composed music for the Glass Harmonica, an instrument invented by
Benjamin Franklin.
Giuseppe Verdi
1813 - 1901
A COMPOSER OF THE ROMANTIC Era
Giuseppe Verdi’s parents were innkeepers in the town of Le Roncole, Italy, and started
him with organ lessons as a child. By the age of 10, he had become the town organist, and
eventually, his father sent him to live with a friend in the town of Busseto to continue his study
of the organ there, at the town cathedral. At the age of 23 he married, also in the town , of
Busseto.
At the age of 25, Verdi finished writing his first
opera, Oberto, and moved to the city of Milan where the
opera was performed. His first opera was so popular, he
was asked to write three more, however, at the same time
his wife and two children became sick and died. As a
result of his personal tragedy, the following opera was a
failure.
Verdi traveled to the cities of London, England and
Paris, France writing operas in each city. The next operas
that he wrote, Rigoletto (1851), Il Trovatore (1853) and
La Traviata (1853) were so successful that he immediately
became Italy’s most famous composer.
By the 1860’s, Verdi had developed a traditionally Italian
style for his operas: they were long, with a large cast of singers and a large orchestra.
With the construction of a new opera house in Cairo, Egypt and the completion of the
Suez Canal, Verdi was commissioned to write a new opera, Aida. Due to transportation of
scenery to Egypt and the ongoing war in Europe, Aida finally premiered at the end of 1871.
Following the success of Aida, Verdi’s reputation as an opera composer was solidified, his fame
and wealth also increased. He took 15 years off from composing to spend time with new wife,
Giuseppina Strepponi. In the last few years of his life, he wrote his final operas, Otello and
Falstaff.
GIUSEPPE FACTS
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Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner are considered to be the finest opera composers of
the 19th century.
His musical style changed little over the years; he grew better and better as a composer.
When Verdi died, he left his money to a home for elderly musicians in Milan, Italy.
Verdi’s operas had great drama and singable melodies which appealed to the audiences.
TIMELINE OF ERA
1813: Birth of Giuseppe Verdi; James Madison begins second term as President of the U.S.
1825: World’s first passenger train system opens in England
1836: Davy Crockett, American politician, killed at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas
1839: Abner Doubleday conducts the first baseball game in Cooperstown, New York
1847: Gold discoveries in California lead to gold rush
1863: President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address
1879: Thomas Edison invents the electric light bulb
1901: Death of Giuseppe Verdi
Review!
(Submit answers on attached sheet for extra credit)
1. Verdi was born in __________________.
a. 1858
b. 1885
c. 1836
d. 1813
2. True or False: Verdi always wrote the libretto for his operas.
3. True or False: Most audiences enjoy Verdi’s operas today.
4. Verdi composed two operas with the librettos adapted from the plays of which British
playwright?: ___________________.
a. William Blake
b. William Shakespeare
c. Richard Wagner
d. George Frederic Handel
5. True or False: Verdi’s operas usually had a large cast of singers and a large orchestra.
6. Which of the following is NOT performed by singers? ____________________.
a. An Opera
b. Choral Music
c. Vocal Music
d. Orchestral Music
7. True or False: An aria is a song from an opera.
8. True or False: Verdi’s opera Aida was composed for the opening of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris,
France.
Name: ____________________________________
Date: _________________________
ALL ABOUT COMPOSERS
Review!
 Submit answers on THIS SHEET for extra credit before taking exam. 
Hildegard
Wolfgang
von Bingen
Amadeus Mozart
1. ____________________
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
4. ____________________
5. ____________________
5. ____________________
6. ____________________
6. ____________________
7. ____________________
7. ____________________
8. ____________________
8. ____________________
Johann
Giuseppe
Sebastian Bach
Verdi
1. ____________________
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
4. ____________________
5. ____________________
5. ____________________
6. ____________________
6. ____________________
7. ____________________
7. ____________________
8. ____________________
8. ____________________