Music as a Mirror of History

Grasp how Thomas Morley's madrigals engaged with English national self-perception and myth, and how Leon Janáček and Frédéric Chopin responded to political events in key works. Examine how the magnified emotions stirred by human conflicts feed artistic creation, and how artists have managed to convert the most terrible human experiences into transcendent art.

Discover how music and history intersect in the remarkable career of George Frederick Handel. Trace the extraordinary circumstances in which the German prince George Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneberg became King George I of England. Learn about his patronage of Handel, whose phenomenal success as a composer in England led to the creation of numerous musical masterpieces written for the English royals.

Discover how music and history intersect in the remarkable career of George Frederick Handel. Trace the extraordinary circumstances in which the German prince George Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneberg became King George I of England. Learn about his patronage of Handel, whose phenomenal success as a composer in England led to the creation of numerous musical masterpieces written for the English royals.

Learn how events in Europe shaped Mozart’s music and personal circumstances. Investigate the threat posed to Europe by the Ottoman Empire, and observe the paradoxical Turkish vogue in European art and fashion. Study the Turkish elements in Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Harem, and see how the economic fallout from Austria’s war with the Ottomans contributed to Mozart’s decline and death.

Learn how events in Europe shaped Mozart's music and personal circumstances. Investigate the threat posed to Europe by the Ottoman Empire, and observe the paradoxical Turkish vogue in European art and fashion. Study the Turkish elements in Mozart's opera The Abduction from the Harem, and see how the economic fallout from Austria's war with the Ottomans contributed to Mozart's decline and death.

Take stock of how events that began in revolutionary Paris inspired the expressive content of Haydn’s Mass in the Time of War. Delve into the drama of the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, and the threat his war machine posed to Vienna. Hear the dramatic, martial character of Haydn’s mass within this context-a triumphant musical exhortation to victory against Napoleon’s invading army.

Take stock of how events that began in revolutionary Paris inspired the expressive content of Haydn's Mass in the Time of War. Delve into the drama of the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, and the threat his war machine posed to Vienna. Hear the dramatic, martial character of Haydn's mass within this context - a triumphant musical exhortation to victory against Napoleon's invading army.

In the first lecture on Beethoven, learn how the composer identified with the figure of Napoleon. Study the clashes after the French Revolution, and witness the military conflicts between Napoleon and the Habsburg empire. Grasp the highly personal meanings in Beethoven’s Farewell Sonata, which depicts the departure and absence of the composer’s patron in the face of Napoleon’s march on Vienna.

In this first look at Beethoven, learn how the composer identified with the figure of Napoleon. Study the clashes after the French Revolution, and witness the military conflicts between Napoleon and the Habsburg empire. Grasp the highly personal meanings in Beethoven's Farewell Sonata, which depicts the departure and absence of the composer's patron in the face of Napoleon's march on Vienna.

Trace Beethoven’s increasing animosity toward the French, and observe the unfolding debacle of Napoleon’s Peninsular War against Portugal and Spain. Learn how Beethoven came to compose Wellington’s Victory, celebrating the British commander’s triumph over the French at Vitoria, which was both a phenomenal success for Beethoven and a major aberration in his musical output.

Trace Beethoven's increasing animosity toward the French, and observe the unfolding debacle of Napoleon's Peninsular War against Portugal and Spain. Learn how Beethoven came to compose Wellington's Victory, celebrating the British commander's triumph over the French at Vitoria, which was both a phenomenal success for Beethoven and a major aberration in his musical output.

Trace the evolution of Paris from the 17th century to the 19th, and grasp how the city became a magnet for artists and intellectuals, and the spawning ground for European revolutions. Witness the political events from the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy to the revolutionary movement of 1830, which inspired Berlioz’s marching song that ultimately became the French national anthem.

Trace the evolution of Paris from the 17th century to the 19th, and grasp how the city became a magnet for artists and intellectuals, and the spawning ground for European revolutions. Witness the political events from the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy to the revolutionary movement of 1830, which inspired Berlioz's marching song that ultimately became the French national anthem.

A failed political insurrection in Warsaw left a permanent mark on the music and spirit of Frédéric Chopin. Explore the history of invasions, “partitions,” and occupations of Poland by other European powers, which effectively destroyed the Polish Commonwealth. Learn about Chopin’s early life and the doomed “November Uprising” that fueled the writing of his revolutionary étude for piano.

A failed political insurrection in Warsaw left a permanent mark on the music and spirit of Frédéric Chopin. Explore the history of invasions, "partitions," and occupations of Poland by other European powers, which effectively destroyed the Polish Commonwealth. Learn about Chopin's early life and the doomed "November Uprising" that fueled the writing of his revolutionary étude for piano.

Glinka's A Life for the Tsar was a landmark in Russian language opera. Learn about the origins of the opera's storyline in Russia's "Time of Troubles," and consider Glinka's role in a community dedicated to bringing Russian art and literature to prominence. Through compelling excerpts from the opera, observe how A Life for the Tsar embodied the pride and patriotism of the Russian people.

Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar was a landmark in Russian language opera. Learn about the origins of the opera’s storyline in Russia’s “Time of Troubles,” and consider Glinka’s role in a community dedicated to bringing Russian art and literature to prominence. Through compelling excerpts from the opera, observe how A Life for the Tsar embodied the pride and patriotism of the Russian people.

Uncover the story behind Vienna's beloved Radetzky March. As background, track the historical triumphs and tribulations of the Habsburg dynasty, leading to the 1848 rebellion in which the musical Johann Strausses, Senior and Junior, took opposing sides. Experience Strauss Senior's rousing celebration of the Field Marshal Count Radetzky, whose exploits made him a hero to the imperial old guard.

Uncover the story behind Vienna’s beloved Radetzky March. As background, track the historical triumphs and tribulations of the Habsburg dynasty, leading to the 1848 rebellion in which the musical Johann Strausses, Senior and Junior, took opposing sides. Experience Strauss Senior’s rousing celebration of the Field Marshal Count Radetzky, whose exploits made him a hero to the imperial old guard.

As the prelude to a fateful episode in the life of Johannes Brahms, explore the 19th-century Hungarian nationalist movement. Witness how Brahms’s meeting with the Hungarian refugee and violinist Eduard Reményi ignited the composer’s longtime love affair with Hungarian gypsy music, epitomized in the electrifying finale to his G Minor Piano Quartet.

As the prelude to a fateful episode in the life of Johannes Brahms, explore the 19th-century Hungarian nationalist movement. Witness how Brahms's meeting with the Hungarian refugee and violinist Eduard Reményi ignited the composer's longtime love affair with Hungarian gypsy music, epitomized in the electrifying finale to his G Minor Piano Quartet.

Louis Moreau Gottschalk was the first truly American composer. Delve into his early life in New Orleans, and observe the diverse cultures that shaped his music. Follow his remarkable career as a touring composer-piano virtuoso, his tireless work for the Northern cause during the Civil War, and the events which sparked the creation of his celebrated piano piece, The Union.

Louis Moreau Gottschalk was the first truly American composer. Delve into his early life in New Orleans, and observe the diverse cultures that shaped his music. Follow his remarkable career as a touring composer-piano virtuoso, his tireless work for the Northern cause during the Civil War, and the events which sparked the creation of his celebrated piano piece, The Union.

In the creation of his opera Nabucco, Giuseppe Verdi played a key role in the movement for Italian unification. Study the 19th-century rebellions that led to the two Italian wars of independence. Observe how the music and poetry of Nabucco came to be identified with Italy's quest for nationhood, ultimately leading the composer to participate in the process of forging an independent Italy.

In the creation of his opera Nabucco, Giuseppe Verdi played a key role in the movement for Italian unification. Study the 19th-century rebellions that led to the two Italian wars of independence. Observe how the music and poetry of Nabucco came to be identified with Italy's quest for nationhood, ultimately leading the composer to participate in the process of forging an independent Italy.