Theflute is a member of a family of musical instruments in thewoodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes areaerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In theHornbostel–Sachs classification system, flutes areedge-blown aerophones. A musician who plays the flute is called aflautist orflutist.

Paleolithic flutes with hand-bored holes are the earliest known identifiable musical instruments. A number of flutes dating to about 53,000 to 45,000 years ago have been found in theSwabian Jura region of present-dayGermany, indicating a developed musical tradition from the earliest period of modern human presence inEurope. While the oldest flutes currently known were found in Europe, Asia also has a long history with the instrument. A playable bone flute discovered in China is dated to about 9,000 years ago. The Americas also had an ancient flute culture, with instruments found inCaral,Peru, dating back 5,000 years and inLabrador dating back about 7,500 years. (Full article...)

Aharpsichord is a keyboard instrument that makes its sound by plucking a set of strings. In a harpsichord, depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn lifts one or more jacks, each a thin strip of wood holding a smallplectrum made fromquill orplastic; each plectrum plucks a single string. The strings are under tension on a soundboard, which is mounted in a wooden case; the soundboard amplifies the vibrations from the strings so that the listeners can hear them. Harpsichord often include more than one choir of strings. Various devices are used to select which choir will sound when playing; these can include simple levers, or in more elaborate instruments the deployment of more than one keyboard.

The term denotes the whole family of similar plucked-keyboard instruments, including the smallervirginals,muselar, andspinet. The harpsichord was widely used inRenaissance andBaroque music, both for purposes of accompaniment and as a solo instrument. During the Baroque era, the harpsichord was a standard part of thecontinuo group. During the late 18th century, with the spread of thepiano, the harpsichord gradually disappeared from the musical scene (except in opera, where it continued to be used to accompany recitative). In the 20th century, it made a resurgence, being used inhistorically informed performance of older music, in new compositions, and in certain styles of popular music. (Full article...)

Aconcerto (/kənˈtʃɛərtoʊ/; pluralconcertos, orconcerti from the Italian plural) is, from thelate Baroque era, mostly understood as aninstrumental composition, written for one or moresoloists accompanied by anorchestra or otherensemble. The typical three-movement structure, a slow movement (e.g.,lento oradagio) preceded and followed by fast movements (e.g.,presto orallegro), became a standard from the early 18th century.

The concerto originated as a genre ofvocal music in the late 16th century: the instrumental variant appeared around a century later, when Italians such asArcangelo Corelli andGiuseppe Torelli started to publish their concertos. A few decades later,Venetian composers, such asAntonio Vivaldi, had written hundreds ofviolin concertos, while also producingsolo concertos for other instruments such as acello or awoodwind instrument, andconcerti grossi for a group of soloists. The first keyboard concertos, such asGeorge Frideric Handel'sorgan concertos andJohann Sebastian Bach'sharpsichord concertos, were written around the same time. (Full article...)

Therecorder is a family ofwoodwindmusical instruments and a member of the family ofduct flutes that includestin whistles andflageolets. It is the most prominent duct flute in thewestern classical tradition. A recorder can be distinguished from other duct flutes by the presence of a thumb-hole for the upper hand and holes for seven fingers: three for the upper hand and four for the lower.

Recorders are made in various sizes and ranges. The sizes most commonly in use today are the soprano (also known as descant, lowest noteC₅), alto (also known as treble, lowest note F₄), tenor (lowest note C₄), and bass (lowest note F₃). Recorders were traditionally constructed from wood or ivory. Modern professional instruments are wooden, oftenboxwood; student and scholastic recorders are commonly made of moulded plastic. The recorders' internal and external proportions vary, but the bore is generally reverse conical (i.e. tapering towards the foot) to cylindrical, and all recorder fingering systems make extensive use offorked fingerings. (Full article...)

Thevioloncello (/ˌvaɪələnˈtʃɛloʊ/VY-ə-lən-CHEL-oh,Italian pronunciation:[vjolonˈtʃɛllo]), commonly abbreviated ascello (/ˈtʃɛloʊ/ ^ⓘCHEL-oh), is a medium-low pitched bowedstring instrument of theviolin family. Its four strings are usuallytuned inperfect fifths: from low to high,C₂, G₂, D₃ and A₃. Theviola's four strings are each anoctave higher. Music for the cello is generally written in thebass clef; thetenor clef andtreble clef are used for higher-range passages.

Played by acellist orvioloncellist, the instrument enjoys a large solo repertoirewith andwithout accompaniment, as well as numerousconcerti. As a solo instrument, the cello uses its whole range, from bass to soprano, and inchamber music, such asstring quartets and theorchestra'sstring section, it often plays the bass part, where it may be reinforced an octave lower by thedouble basses.Figured bass music of theBaroque era typically assumes a cello,viola da gamba orbassoon as part of thebasso continuo group alongside chordal instruments such asorgan,harpsichord,lute, ortheorbo. Cellos are found in many other ensembles, from modernChinese orchestras (as a replacement of Gehu革胡）tocello rock bands. (Full article...)

Breitkopf & Härtel (German pronunciation:[ˈbraɪtkɔpfʔʊntˈhɛrtəl]) is a Germanmusic publishing house. Founded in 1719 inLeipzig byBernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher. (Full article...)

Joseph Anton Bruckner (/ˈbrʊknər/;German:[ˈantoːnˈbʁʊknɐ]^ⓘ; 4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for hissymphonies andsacred music, which includesMasses,Te Deum andmotets. The symphonies are considered emblematic of the final stage ofAustro-GermanRomanticism because of their rich harmonic language, stronglypolyphonic character, and considerable length. Bruckner's compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to theirdissonances, unpreparedmodulations, and rovingharmonies.

Unlike other musical radicals such asRichard Wagner andHugo Wolf, Bruckner showed respect, even humility, before other famous musicians, Wagner in particular. This apparentdichotomy between Bruckner the man and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music. The German conductorHans von Bülow described him as "half genius, half simpleton". Bruckner was critical of his own work and often reworked his compositions. There are several versions of many of his works. (Full article...)

Carmen (French:[kaʁmɛn]^ⓘ) is an opera in four acts by the French composerGeorges Bizet. Thelibretto was written byHenri Meilhac andLudovic Halévy, based on thenovella of the same title byProsper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by theOpéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalised its first audiences. Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work would achieve international acclaim within the following ten years.Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classicalcanon; the "Habanera" and "Seguidilla" from act 1 and the "Toreador Song" from act 2 are among the best known of all operatic arias.

The opera is written in the genre ofopéra comique with musical numbers separated by dialogue. It is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fierygypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamoroustorero Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, and the murder of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial. (Full article...)

Symphony No. 40 inG minor,K. 550, was written byWolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1788. It is one of his most celebrated and widely performed works. (Full article...)

Finlandia,Op. 26, is atone poem by the Finnish composerJean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from theRussian Empire, and was the last of seven pieces performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes fromFinnish history. The premiere was on 2 July 1900 inHelsinki with theHelsinki Philharmonic Society conducted byRobert Kajanus. A typical performance takes between7+1⁄2 and 9 minutes. (Full article...)

Musical notation is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of apiece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition. The process of interpreting musical notation is often referred to asreading music.

Distinct methods of notation have been invented throughout history by various cultures. Much information aboutancient music notation is fragmentary. Even in the same time frames, different styles of music and different cultures use different music notation methods. (Full article...)

Theviola (/viˈoʊlə/vee-OH-lə, (^ⓘ)Italian:[ˈvjɔːla,viˈɔːla]) is astring instrument of theviolin family, and is usuallybowed when played. Violas are slightly larger thanviolins, and have a lower sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle oralto voice of theviolin family, between the violin (which is tuned aperfect fifth higher) and thecello (which is tuned anoctave lower). The strings from low to high are typically tuned toC₃, G₃, D₄, and A₄.

In the past, the viola varied in size and style, as did its names. The wordviola originates from the Italian language. The Italians often used the termviola da braccio, meaning, literally, 'of the arm'. "Brazzo" was another Italian word for the viola, which the Germans adopted asBratsche. The French had their own names:cinquiesme was a small viola,haute contre was a large viola, andtaile was atenor. Today, the French use the termalto, a reference to its range. (Full article...)

Valerie Muriel Rodway (February 12, 1919 – August 1970) was aGuyanese composer of cultural and patriotic songs, inspired by the events leading up to Guyana'sindependence in 1966. She is best known for composing music to accompany Guyana national poetry, likeArise, Guyana,Kanaïma, and theMartin Carter's Guyanese Independence poemLet Freedom Awaken. For the next two decades, school children were taught the songs she and others composed to inspire patriotism and cultural affinity. She selected the poetry for her compositions based upon her principles and values, first developed among her parents and siblings.

She has been considered Guyana's greatest composer of patriotic and national music, and among the best composers from Guyana of the 20th century, generally and among composers of classical music. She was awarded theWordsworth McAndrew Awardposthumously in 2002. In 2019, she was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honor, one of the highest honors of Guyana. The National Trust of Guyana building inCummingsburg, Georgetown, has been renamed the Valerie Rodway House in her honor. (Full article...)

Between 1769 and 1773, the youngWolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his fatherLeopold made threeItalian journeys. The first, an extended tour of 15 months, was financed by performances for thenobility and by public concerts, and took in the most importantItalian cities. The second and third journeys were toMilan, for Wolfgang to complete operas that had been commissioned there on the first visit. From the perspective of Wolfgang's musical development, the journeys were a considerable success, and his talents were recognised by honours which included apapal knighthood and memberships in leading philharmonic societies.

Leopold Mozart had been employed since 1747 as a musician in theArchbishop of Salzburg's court, becoming deputyKapellmeister in 1763, but he had also devoted much time to Wolfgang's and his sisterNannerl's musical education. He took them on aEuropean tour between 1763 and 1766, and spent some of 1767 and most of 1768 with them in theimperial capital,Vienna. The children's performances had captivated audiences, and the pair had made a considerable impression on European society. By 1769, Nannerl had reached adulthood, but Leopold was anxious to continue 13-year-old Wolfgang's education in Italy, a crucially important destination for any rising composer of the 18th century. (Full article...)

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (French:[fʁɑ̃sisʒɑ̃maʁsɛlpulɛ̃k]; 7 January 1899 – 30 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions includesongs,solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-known are the piano suiteTrois mouvements perpétuels (1919), the balletLes biches (1923), theConcert champêtre (1928) forharpsichord and orchestra, theOrgan Concerto (1938), the operaDialogues des Carmélites (1957), and theGloria (1959) forsoprano, choir, and orchestra.

As the only son of a prosperous manufacturer, Poulenc was expected to follow his father into the family firm, and he was not allowed to enrol at a conservatoire. He studied with the pianistRicardo Viñes, who became his mentor after the composer's parents died. Poulenc also made the acquaintance ofErik Satie, under whose tutelage he became one of a group of young composers known collectively as "Les Six". In his early works Poulenc became known for his high spirits and irreverence. During the 1930s a much more serious side to his nature emerged, particularly in the religious music he composed from 1936 onwards, which he alternated with his more light-hearted works. (Full article...)

Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (Ukrainian:Микола Дмитрович Леонтович,pronounced[mɪˈkɔlɐˈdmɪtrowɪtʃleonˈtɔwɪtʃ]^ⓘ; 13 December [O.S. 1 December] 1877 – 23 January 1921) was aUkrainian composer, conductor,ethnomusicologist, and teacher. His music was inspired by the Ukrainian composerMykola Lysenko and theUkrainian National Music School. Leontovych specialised ina cappellachoral music, ranging from original compositions tochurch music to elaborate arrangements offolk music.

Leontovych was born and raised inMonastyrok in thePodolia province of theRussian Empire (now inVinnytsia Oblast, west of Ukraine). He was educated as apriest in theKamianets-PodilskyiTheological Seminary. With the independence of theUkrainian State in the1917 revolution, he moved toKyiv, where he worked at theKyiv Conservatory and theMykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama. He composed"Shchedryk" in 1914 (premiered in 1916), now known to the English-speaking world as "Carol of the Bells". He was murdered by aSoviet agent in 1921 and is known as amartyr in theEastern Orthodox Ukrainian Church, where he is also remembered for hisliturgy, the first composed in the vernacular, specifically in themodern Ukrainian language. (Full article...)

PanditRavi Shankar (Bengali pronunciation:[ˈrobiˈʃɔŋkor]; bornRobindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled asRavindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indiansitarist and composer. A sitarvirtuoso, he became the world's best-known exponent ofIndian classical music in the second half of the 20th century, and influenced many musicians in India and throughout the world. Shankar was awarded India's highest civilian honour, theBharat Ratna, in 1999. He is also the father of American singerNorah Jones and British-American musician andsitar playerAnoushka Shankar.

Shankar was born to aBengali family in India, and spent his youth as a dancer touring India and Europe with the dance group of his brotherUday Shankar. At age 18, he gave up dancing to pursue a career in music, studying the sitar for seven years under court musicianAllauddin Khan. After finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a composer, creating the music for theApu Trilogy bySatyajit Ray, and was music director ofAll India Radio, New Delhi, from 1949 to 1956. (Full article...)

TheMozart family grand tour was a journey throughwestern Europe, undertaken byLeopold Mozart, his wifeAnna Maria, and their childrenMaria Anna (Nannerl) andWolfgang Theophilus (Wolferl) from 1763 to 1766. At the start of the tour the children were aged eleven and seven respectively. Their extraordinary skills had been demonstrated during a visit to Vienna in 1762, when they had played before the EmpressMaria Theresa at theImperial Court. Sensing the social and pecuniary opportunities that might accrue from a prolonged trip embracing the capitals and main cultural centres of Europe, Leopold obtained an extended leave of absence from his post as deputyKapellmeister to thePrince-Archbishopric of Salzburg. Throughout the subsequent tour, the children'sWunderkind status was confirmed as their precocious performances consistently amazed and gratified their audiences.

The first stage of the tour's itinerary took the family, via
Munich andFrankfurt, to Brussels and then on to Paris where they stayed for five months. They then departed for London, where during a stay of more than a year Wolfgang made the acquaintance of some of the leading musicians of the day, heard much music, and composed his firstsymphonies. The family then moved on to the Netherlands, where the schedule of performances was interrupted by the illnesses of both children, although Wolfgang continued to compose prolifically. The homeward phase incorporated a second stop in Paris and a trip through Switzerland, before the family's return toSalzburg in November 1766. (Full article...)

John Thomas Douglass (1847–1886) was an Americancomposer,virtuoso violinist,conductor and teacher. He is best known for composingVirginia's Ball (1868), which is generally regarded as the firstopera written by aBlack American composer. The work is now lost, and his onlyextant composition isThe Pilgrim: Grand Overture (1878) for piano. His biography fromJames Monroe Trotter'sMusic and Some Highly Musical People (1878)—in whichThe Pilgrim survives—reports that he wrote many now lost pieces for piano, orchestra and particularly guitar, which he was known to play.

A highly regarded violinist, Douglass's violin playing received high praise during his lifetime. In addition to his solo career, he traveled with various groups throughout the 1870s, including theHyers Sisters. He settled in New York by the 1880s and conducted both a music studio and string ensemble. Later in life he led a teaching studio, and among his students wasDavid Mannes who became theconcertmaster of theNew York Symphony Orchestra. Nearly 30 years after Douglass's death at age 38–39, Mannes founded theColored Music Settlement School in the memory of his teacher. (Full article...)

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer,choirmaster andstring player. A composer of bothsecular andsacred music, and a pioneer in thedevelopment of opera, he is considered a crucialtransitional figure between theRenaissance andBaroque periods of music history.

Born inCremona, where he undertook his first musical studies and compositions, Monteverdi developed his career first at the court ofMantua (c. 1590–1613) and then until his death in theRepublic of Venice where he wasmaestro di cappella at the basilica ofSan Marco. His surviving letters give insight into the life of a professional musician in Italy of the period, including problems of income, patronage and politics. (Full article...)

Guto Pryderi Puw (born 1971) is a Welsh composer, university lecturer andconductor. He is considered to be one of the most prominent Welsh composers of his generation and a key figure in current Welsh music. Puw's music has been broadcast onBBC Radio 3 and been featured on television programmes for theBBC andS4C. He has twice been awarded the Composer's Medal at theNational Eisteddfod.

Puw's works include pieces for unusual combinations of instruments, such as atuba quartet or a trio consisting ofharp, cello anddouble-bass, as well as more traditional forces such as solobaritone and piano,choir or orchestra. He was associated with theBBC National Orchestra of Wales as its Resident Composer, the first holder of this title, from 2006 to 2010. Puw's own Welsh identity is a recurrent theme in his music: some of his pieces set Welsh-language poetry to music and one of his pieces,Reservoirs, is written about the flooding of Welsh valleys to provide water for England. (Full article...)

Nobuo Uematsu (植松 伸夫,Uematsu Nobuo; born March 21, 1959) is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to theFinal Fantasy video game series bySquare Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriterElton John as one of his biggest influences in pursuing a musical career.

Uematsu joinedSquare in 1986, where he first metFinal Fantasy creatorHironobu Sakaguchi. The two later worked together on many games at the company, most notably in theFinal Fantasy series. After nearly two decades with Square, Uematsu left in 2004 to create his own production company and music label,Dog Ear Records. He has since composed music as afreelancer for other games, including ones developed by Square Enix and Sakaguchi's studioMistwalker. (Full article...)

Julius Allan Greenway Harrison (26 March 1885 – 5 April 1963) was an English composer and conductor who was particularly known for his interpretation of operatic works. Born in Lower Mitton,Stourport in Worcestershire, by the age of 16 he was already an established musician. His career included a directorship of opera at theRoyal Academy of Music where he was a professor of composition, a position asrépétiteur at theRoyal Opera House, Covent Garden, conductor for theBritish National Opera Company, military service as an officer in theRoyal Flying Corps, and founder member and vice-president of theElgar Society. (Full article...)

Jeremy Soule (/soʊl/SOHL) is an American composer of soundtracks for film, television, and video games. He has composed soundtracks for over 60 games and over a dozen other works during his career, includingThe Elder Scrolls,Guild Wars,Total Annihilation, and theHarry Potter series.

He became an employee ofSquare in 1994 after several years of private composition studies. After finishing the soundtrack toSecret of Evermore in 1995, he left to joinHumongous Entertainment, where he composed for several children's games as well asTotal Annihilation, his first award-winning score. In 2000, he left to form his own music production company, Soule Media, later called Artistry Entertainment. In 2005, he founded DirectSong, a record label that published digital versions of his soundtracks as well as those of classical composers. DirectSong remained active until 2019. (Full article...)

Khosrovidukht (Armenian:Խոսրովիդուխտ,lit. 'daughter of Khosrov';fl. early 8th century) was an Armenianhymnographer andpoet who lived during the early 8th century. After her slightly earlier contemporarySahakdukht, she is the first known woman ofArmenian literature and music, and among the earliest woman composers in thehistory of music.

Daughter of the ruler ofGoghtn,Khosrov Goghtnatsi [hy], her father was killed and she was imprisoned in a fortress of Ani-Kamakh (modern-dayKemah) for twenty years. Her brother was imprisoned and eventually killed; Khosrovidukht's only surviving work, thesharakan (chant) "Zarmanali e indz" (More astonishing to me) was dedicated to him. Its authenticity has occasionally been doubted, with some scholars attributing it to Sahakdukht. The work did not enter the general repertory ofsharakan liturgy but was eventually approved by theArmenian Church for religious use. (Full article...)

Egardus (fl. 1400; alsoEngardus orJohannes Echgaerd) was a EuropeanMedieval composer ofars subtilior. Almost no information survives about his life, and only three of his works are known. A certain "Johannes Ecghaerd", who heldchaplaincies inBruges andDiksmuide, may be a possible match for Egardus. The extant works—a canon and twoGlorias—appear to be less complex than music by mid-century composers, possibly because they date from either very early or very late in Egardus' career. (Full article...)

Percy Aldridge Grainger (bornGeorge Percy Grainger; 8 July 1882 – 20 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest inBritish folk music in the early years of the 20th century. Although much of his work was experimental and unusual, the piece with which he is most generally associated is his piano arrangement of thefolk-dance tune "Country Gardens".

Grainger left Australia at the age of 13 to attend theHoch Conservatory inFrankfurt. Between 1901 and 1914 he was based in London, where he established himself first as a society pianist and later as a concert performer, composer, and collector of original folk melodies. As his reputation grew he met many of the significant figures in European music, forming important friendships withFrederick Delius andEdvard Grieg. He became a champion ofNordic music and culture, his enthusiasm for which he often expressed in private letters, sometimes in crudelyracialist oranti-Semitic terms. (Full article...)

Abust of the Germancomposer andpianistLudwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), made from hisdeath mask. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between theClassical andRomantic eras inWestern classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time. Born inBonn, of theElectorate of Cologne and a part of theHoly Roman Empire of the German Nation in present-dayGermany, he moved toVienna in his early twenties and settled there, studying withJoseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as avirtuoso pianist. Hishearing began todeteriorate in the late 1790s, yet he continued to compose,conduct, and perform, even after becomingcompletely deaf.

Johann Christian Bach (5 September 1735 – 1 January 1782) was a composer of the Classical era, the eighteenth child ofJohann Sebastian Bach, and the youngest of his eleven sons. Bach was taught by his father and then, after the latter's death, by his half-brotherC. P. E. Bach. Bach moved to Italy in 1754, and then to London in 1762, where he became known as the "London Bach". Bach's compositions include eleven operas, as well as chamber music, orchestral music and compositions for keyboard music. In 1764 Bach metWolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was eight at the time, and spent five months teaching him composition. He had considerable influence on Mozart, and was later described by scholars as his "only, true teacher".

This portrait of Bach was painted in 1776 byThomas Gainsborough, as part of a collection started by Bach's former teacherPadre Martini. It now hangs in theNational Portrait Gallery, London.

Billy Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an Americanjazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, best remembered for his long-time collaboration with bandleader and composerDuke Ellington that lasted nearly three decades. Though classical music was Strayhorn's first love, his ambition to become a classical composer went unrealized because of the harsh reality of a black man trying to make his way in the world of classical music, which at that time was almost completely white. He was introduced to the music of pianists likeArt Tatum andTeddy Wilson at age 19, and the artistic influence of these musicians guided him into the realm of jazz, where he remained for the rest of his life. This photograph of Strayhorn was taken byWilliam P. Gottlieb in the 1940s.

Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the ItalianStradivari family, particularlyAntonio Stradivari.

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TheTeatro alla Scala (orLa Scala, as it is known), inMilan,Italy, is one of the world's most famousopera houses. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778, under the nameNuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala withSalieri'sEuropa riconosciuta.

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Jules Massenet (12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of theRomantic era, best known for his operas. Between 1867 and his death, he wrote more than forty stage works in a wide variety of styles, fromopéra comique to grand depictions of classical myths, romantic comedies and lyric dramas, as well as oratorios, cantatas and ballets. Massenet had a good sense of the theatre and of what would succeed with the Parisian public. Despite some miscalculations, he produced a series of successes that made him the leading opera composer in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the time of his death, he was regarded as old-fashioned; his works, however, began to be favourably reassessed during the mid-20th century, and many have since been staged and recorded. This photograph of Massenet was taken by French photographerEugène Pirou in 1875.

The anatomy of a Périnetpiston valve, this one taken from aB♭trumpet. When depressed, the valve diverts the air stream through additional tubing, thus lengthening the instrument and lowering theharmonic series on which the instrument is vibrating (i.e., it lowers thepitch). Trumpets generally use three valves, with some variations, such as apiccolo trumpet, having four. When used singly or in combination, the valves make the instrument fullychromatic, or capable of playing all twelve pitches ofclassical music. Trumpets may also userotary valves instead.

Ballet is a formalized form ofdance with its origins in the French court, further developed inFrance andRussia as aconcert dance form.

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TheRoyal Albert Hall is a concert hall, seating a maximum of 5,272, on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. Constructed beginning in 1867, the hall was inaugurated on 29 March 1871. Since 1941 it has heldThe Proms, an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events.

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Sheet music for thePolonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, a solopiano piece written byFrédéric Chopin in 1842. This work is one of Chopin's most admired compositions and has long been a favorite of the classical piano repertoire. The piece, which is very difficult, requires exceptional pianistic skills and greatvirtuosity to be interpreted. A typical performance of thepolonaise lasts seven minutes.