Famous Biographies

Maurice Ravel Date/Place of Birth:      7 March, 1875 in Ciboure in the Basses-Pyrénées Personality:      A short, thin and dark man with the large head and prominent nose. He was a dandy throughout his life, who dressed natily and was extremely keen at the lastest fashions. Ravel was frie Continue reading the biography

Claude-Achille Debussy Date/Place of Birth:      22 August, 1862 at St Germain-en-Laye, near Paris. Personality:      A reserved, complicated man who did not like to socialize with people around him. Debussy hated to appear in public, hated to conduct, hated to play piano at concerts (this i Continue reading the biography

Bedrich Smetana Smetana’s Image Date/Place of Birth:      2 March, 1824 in Litomysl, Bohemia Personality:      A bespectacled, slender, grim and stoic-looking man, Smetana was one of the greatest Bohemian composers, a piano virtuoso, conductor and highly respected teacher. During his e Continue reading the biography

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky Date/Place of Birth:      21 March 1839 in Karevo, Pskov district Personality:      A member of ‘The Mighty Handful’. Mussorgsky never received any formal musical education during his childhood. After he graduated from the Cadet School of the Imperial Continue reading the biography

Edvard Grieg Date/Place of Birth:      15 June, 1843 in Bergen, Norway. Personality:      A humble, highly imaginative composer. Being a workaholic, under the influence of his admirable teacher, E.F. Wenzel, he studied music so enthusiatically and compulsively that he ruined his health. He Continue reading the biography

Johannes Brahms Date/Place of Birth:      7 May, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany. Personality:      A handsome bachelor. Although Brahms was a serious, sensitive man, like Schubert, he still managed to keep in touch with a wide circle of friends and enjoyed such a warm friendship. Besides that, whe Continue reading the biography

Franz Liszt Date/Place of Birth:      22 October, 1811 in Raiding (Doborján), Hungary. Personality:      A handsome, charismatic child prodigy. He was multi-talented – piano virtuoso, composer, conductor, teacher and critic. The young Liszt was well-known for his dalliances with sever Continue reading the biography

Frédéric Chopin Chopin’s Image Date/Place of Birth:      1st March, 1810 at Zelazowa Wola near Warsaw, Poland. Personality:      A handsome and courteous gentleman. With his pale and frail appearance, he was physically weak as the result of the tuberculosis, a lung disease. Besides t Continue reading the biography

Robert Schumann Date/Place of Birth:      8 June, 1810 at Zwickau, Germany. Personality:      A quiet, intelligent composer. Being a big-hearted and generous critic, Schumann liked to help and publicise new talents like Chopin, Brahms etc. Unfortunately, Schumann had a mental illness that he Continue reading the biography

Felix Mendelssohn Mendelssohn’s Image Date/Place of Birth:      3 February, 1809 in Hamburg, Germany. Personality:      A brilliant child prodigy. Mendelssoh’s gifts were phenomenal – a good painter, had wide literary and philosophy knowledge, a superb pianist, an inspiring Continue reading the biography