The Classical Period

Franz Joseph Haydn was among the creators of the fundamental genres of classical music, and his influence upon later composers is immense. Haydn’s most celebrated pupil was Ludwig van Beethoven, and his musical form casts a huge shadow over the music of subsequent composers such as Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms.

Luigi Boccherini, in full Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (born February 19, 1743, Lucca [Italy]—died May 28, 1805, Madrid, Spain), Italian composer and cellist who influenced the development of the string quartet as a musical genre and who composed the first music for a quintet for strings, as well as a quintet for strings and piano. His approximately 500 works also include sacred music, symphonies, and concerti.

Antonio Salieri, (born Aug. 18, 1750, Legnago, Republic of Venice [Italy]—died May 7, 1825, Vienna, Austria), Italian composer whose operas were acclaimed throughout Europe in the late 18th century.

At the age of 16, Salieri was taken to Vienna by F.L. Gassmann, the imperial court composer and music director (Hofkapellmeister), and was introduced to Emperor Joseph II. During the same period, Salieri also fostered important friendships with both Pietro Metastasio and Christoph Gluck. Salieri’s first opera, Le donne letterate, was produced at the Burgtheater in Vienna in 1770. Four years later, the emperor made him the court composer, and in 1788 he became Hofkapellmeister, a position Salieri held for 36 years.

Mozart inspired very different reactions from his contemporaries. His liveliness and his detestation of hypocrisy and servility-which seem so attractive today-were not always appreciated, especially among the rival Italian clique, poisoned Mozart, but he was certainly jealous and may have helped make "The Marriage of Figaro" a failure when it was first performed.

Italian virtuoso violinist Niccolò Paganini may be the perfect example of nature meets nurture. Taught the violin by his father as a child and tutored by the best teachers, Paganini was considered a prodigy. The ferocity with which he played , coupled with his elongated fingers and extraordinary flexibility, gave him a mysterious, almost mythical reputation. Mobbed in the street and rumored to have a deal with the devil to achieve the heights of his virtuoso performances, he ultimately became considered the greatest violinist of all time.