A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle. Many symphonies are tonal works in four movements with the first in sonata form, which is often described by music theorists as the structure of a "classical" symphony, although many symphonies by the acknowledged classical masters of the form, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven do not conform to this model.

Origins[link]

The word symphony is derived from Greek συμφωνία, meaning "agreement or concord of sound", "concert of vocal or instrumental music", from σύμφωνος, "harmonious" (Oxford English Dictionary). This Greek word was used to describe an instrument mentioned in the Book of Daniel, once identified by scholars as a bagpipe—the word was identified, for example, as the root of the name of the Italian zampogna (Stainer and Galpin 1914, 145–46). However, more recent scholarly opinion points out that the word in the Book of Daniel is siphonia (from Greek siphon, reed), and concludes that the bagpipe did not exist at so early a time, though the name of the "zampogna" could still have been derived from this word (Marcuse 1975, 501 & 597). In late Greek and medieval theory, the word was used for consonance, as opposed to diaphonia, which was the word for dissonance (Brown 2001). In the Middle Ages and later, the Latin form symphonia was used to describe various instruments, especially those capable of producing more than one sound simultaneously (Brown 2001). Isidore of Seville was the first to use the word symphonia as the name of a two-headed drum, and from ca. 1155 to 1377 the French form symphonie was the name of the organistrum or hurdy-gurdy. In late medieval England, symphony was used in both of these senses, whereas by the 16th century it was equated with the dulcimer. In German, Symphonie was a generic term for spinets and virginals from the late 16th century to the 18th century (Marcuse 1975, 501). In the sense of "sounding together," the word begins to appear in the titles of some works by 16th- and 17th-century composers including Giovanni Gabrieli's Sacrae symphoniae, and Symphoniae sacrae, liber secundus, published in 1597 and 1615, respectively; Adriano Banchieri's Eclesiastiche sinfonie, dette canzoni in aria francese, per sonare, et cantare, op. 16, published in 1607; Lodovico Grossi da Viadana's Sinfonie musicali, op. 18, published in 1610; and Heinrich Schütz's Symphoniae sacrae, op. 6, and Symphoniarum sacrarum secunda pars, op. 10 , published in 1629 and 1647, respectively. Except for Viadana's collection, which contained purely instrumental and secular music, these were all collections of sacred vocal works, some with instrumental accompaniment.

In the 17th century, for most of the Baroque period, the terms symphony and sinfonia were used for a range of different compositions, including instrumental pieces used in operas, sonatas and concertos—usually part of a larger work. The opera sinfonia, or Italian overture had, by the 18th century, a standard structure of three contrasting movements: fast, slow, fast and dance-like. It is this form that is often considered as the direct forerunner of the orchestral symphony. The terms "overture", "symphony" and "sinfonia" were widely regarded as interchangeable for much of the 18th century (Larue,
 Bonds,
 Walsh, and
 Wilson 2001).

Another important progenitor of the symphony was the ripieno concerto—a form resembling a concerto for strings and continuo, but with no solo instruments. The earliest-known ripieno concerti are Giuseppe Torelli's set of six, op. 5, published in 1698. Perhaps the best-known ripieno concerto is Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.

18th century[link]

Early symphonies, in common with both overtures and ripieno concertos, have three movements, in the tempi quick-slow-quick. However, unlike the ripieno concerto, which uses the usual ritornello form of the concerto, at least the first movement of these symphonies is in binary form. They are distinguishable from Italian overtures in that they were written to stand on their own in concert performances, rather than to introduce a stage work, although a piece originally written as an overture was sometimes later used as a symphony, and vice versa.

Symphonies at this time, whether for concert, opera, or church use, were not considered the major works on a program: often, as with concerti, they were divided up between other works, or drawn from suites or overtures. Vocal music was dominant, and symphonies provided preludes, interludes, and postludes.

The "Italian" style of symphony, often used as overture and entr'acte in opera houses, became a standard three-movement form: a fast movement, a slow movement, and another fast movement. Haydn and Mozart, whose early symphonies were in this form, eventually replaced it with a four-movement form through the addition of an additional middle movement (Prout 1895, 249). The four-movement symphony became dominant in the latter part of the 18th century and most of the 19th century. This symphonic form was influenced by Germanic practice, and would come to be associated with the classical style of Haydn and Mozart. "Normative macro-symphonic form may be defined as the four-movement form, in general, employed in the later symphonies of Haydn and Mozart, and in those of Beethoven" (Jackson 1999, 26).

The normal four-movement form became (Jackson 1999, 26; Stein 1979, 106):

1. an opening sonata or allegro
2. a slow movement, such as adagio
3. a minuet with trio or "Beethoven four-movement solo sonata": scherzo
4. an allegro, rondo, or sonata

Variations on this layout were common, for instance the order of the middle two movements, or the addition of a slow introduction to the first movement. Older composers such as Haydn and Mozart restricted their use of the four-movement form to orchestral or multi-instrument chamber music such as quartets, though since Beethoven solo sonatas are as often written in four as in three movements (Prout 1895, 249). Tchaikovsky's Third Symphony has a five-movement form through the addition of an "Alla tedesca" 'movement' between the first and the second (Jackson 1999, 26).

The composition of early symphonies was centred on Vienna and Mannheim. Early exponents of the form in Vienna included Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Wenzel Raimund Birck and Georg Monn, while the Mannheim school included Johann Stamitz.

Later significant Viennese composers of symphonies include Johann Baptist Vanhal, Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf and Leopold Hoffmann. The most important symphonists of the latter part of the 18th century are Joseph Haydn, who wrote at least 108 symphonies over the course of 36 years (Webster and Feder 2001), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote at least 56 symphonies in 24 years (Eisen and Sadie 2001).

19th century[link]

With the rise of established professional orchestras, the symphony assumed a more prominent place in concert life between approximately 1790 and 1820.

Beethoven dramatically expanded the symphony. His Symphony No. 3 (the Eroica), has a scale and emotional range that sets it apart from earlier works. His Symphony No. 5 is arguably the most famous symphony ever written. His Symphony No. 6 was a programmatic work, featuring instrumental imitations of bird calls and a storm, and a convention-defying fifth movement. His Symphony No. 9 takes the unprecedented step (for a symphony) of including parts for vocal soloists and choir in the last movement, making it a choral symphony (however, a minor composer, Daniel Steibelt had written a piano concerto with a choral finale four years earlier, in 1820). Hector Berlioz, who coined the term "choral symphony", built on this concept in his "dramatic symphony" Roméo et Juliette while explaining his intent in the five-paragraph introduction in that work's score (Berlioz 1857, 1). Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, a work famous for its innovative orchestration (Berlioz 2002, xv) is also a programme work and has both a march and a waltz and five movements instead of the customary four.

Notable early-romantic symphonists include Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. Late-romantic symphonists include Bruckner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Franck, and Dvořák.

By the end of the 19th century, some French organists (e.g., Charles-Marie Widor and his students Charles Tournemire and Louis Vierne) named some of their organ compositions symphony: Their instruments (many built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll) allowed an orchestral approach (Kaye 2001; Smith 2001; Thomson 2001).

20th century[link]

At the beginning of the 20th century, Gustav Mahler wrote long, large-scale symphonies. His Eighth Symphony, for example, was composed in 1906 and is nicknamed the "Symphony of a Thousand" because of the forces required to perform it. The 20th century also saw further diversification in the style and content of works that composers labeled symphonies (Anon. 2008). Some composers, including Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Carl Nielsen, continued to write in the traditional four-movement form, while other composers took different approaches: Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 7, his last, is in one movement, whereas Alan Hovhaness's Symphony No. 9, Saint Vartan—originally op. 80, changed to op. 180—composed in 1949–50, is in twenty-four.

There remained, however, certain tendencies: symphonies were still almost always orchestral works. Designating a work a "symphony" still implied a degree of sophistication and seriousness of purpose. The word sinfonietta came into use to designate a work that is shorter, of more modest aims, or "lighter" than a symphony, such as Sergei Prokofiev's Sinfonietta (Kennedy 2006; Temperley 2001).

There has also been diversification in the size of orchestra required. While Mahler's symphonies call for extravagant resources, Arnold Schoenberg's two Chamber Symphonies, opp. 9 and 38a, and the Chamber Symphonies by Franz Schreker, George Enescu, and John Adams, composed in 1906, 1906–39, 1916, 1954, and 1992, respectively, are scored for chamber groups.

The American composer Roger Sessions wrote nine symphonies. The first was composed in 1927, the ninth in 1978.

The Argentine composer Alberto Williams wrote nine symphonies. The first was composed in 1907, the ninth in 1939.

The Austrian-British composer Egon Wellesz wrote nine symphonies. The first was composed in 1945, the ninth in 1970–71, the fourth, op. 70 (1951–53), is subtitled "Austriaca".

The Austrian composer Franz Schmidt (referred to in Fischer 2003,^{[page needed]}, as "second only to Mahler in importance"), wrote four symphonies between 1896 and 1933, of which the Second and Fourth were not in the traditional four-movement form (although both of these symphonies made explicit reference to it).

The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos wrote twelve symphonies. The first was composed in 1916, the twelfth in 1957.

The Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů wrote six symphonies. The first was composed in 1942, the sixth (subtitled "Fantasies symphoniques") in 1953.

The English composer Peter Maxwell Davies has written eight symphonies, and is completing a ninth in 2012. The first was composed in 1974–76, the eighth (subtitled "Antarctic") in 2000.

The English composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji wrote, alongside orchestral and orchestral-choral symphonies (none of which had been performed by the end of the century), symphonies for organ in the French tradition, as well as seven symphonies for solo piano: six numbered ones and a Symphonie nocturne (Rapoport 2001).

The French composer Henri Dutilleux wrote two symphonies. The first was composed in 1951, the second (subtitled "Le Double") in 1959.

The German composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann wrote eight symphonies. The first was written in 1950, the eighth in 1960–62.

The German composer Hans Werner Henze has written ten symphonies. The first was written in 1947 (revised in 1963, 1991, and finally, renamed Kammerkonzert in 2005) the tenth in 1997–2000. Between the fourth (1955) and fifth (1962) he also composed a Vokalsimfonie (1955) derived from his opera König Hirsch.

The Mexican composer Carlos Chávez wrote six symphonies. The first (Sinfonía de Antígona) was written in 1933, the sixth in 1961.

The Polish composer Witold Lutosławski wrote four symphonies. The first was written in 1941–47, the fourth in 1988–92.

The Spanish composer Tomás Marco has composed six symphonies. The first was written in 1976, the sixth in 1992.

The Swiss composer Arthur Honnegger wrote five symphonies. The first was composed in 1930, the fifth (subtitled "Di tre re") in 1950.

In the 20th and early 21st century symphonies have been written for wind ensemble and band. Notable examples are Paul Hindemith's Symphony in B-flat for Band from 1951 (Hansen 2005, 95), and Alan Hovhaness's Symphonies No. 4, op. 165, No. 7, "Nanga Parvat", op. 175, No. 14, "Ararat", op. 194, and No. 23, "Ani", op. 249—composed in 1958, 1959, 1961, and 1972 respectively—which are symphonic works for school and college wind bands. Hovhaness is also notable for having written 67 numbered symphonies, whilst Englishman Havergal Brian wrote 32.

Media[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Symphonies

	Symphony 5, movement 1 Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 1st movement Symphony 5, movement 2 Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 2nd movement Symphony 5, movement 3 Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 3rd movement Symphony 5, movement 4 Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 4th movement
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See also[link]

• Choral symphony
• Organ symphony

Sources[link]

• Anon. 2008. "Symphony." The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed. rev., edited by Michael Kennedy, associate editor Joyce Bourne. Oxford Music Online (Accessed 24 July 2008) (Subscription access)
• Berlioz, Hector. 1857. Roméo et Juliette: Sinfonie dramatique: avec choeurs, solos de chant et prologue en récitatif choral, op. 17. Partition de piano par Th. Ritter. Winterthur: J. Rieter-Biedermann.
• Berlioz, Hector. 2002. Berlioz's Orchestration Treatise: A Translation and Commentary, translated by Hugh Macdonald. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-521-23953-2.
• Brown, Howard Mayer. 2001. "Symphonia". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
• Bukofzer, Manfred F. 1947. Music in the Baroque Era: From Monteverdi to Bach. New York: W. W. Norton.
• Eisen, Cliff, and Stanley Sadie. 2001. "Mozart (3): (Johann Chrysostum) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.
• Fischer, Jens Malte. 2003. Gustav Mahler: der fremde Vertraute: Biographie. Vienna: Zsolnay. ISBN 3-552-05273-9.
• Hansen, Richard K. 2005. The American Wind Band: A Cultural History. Chicago, Ill: GIA Publications. ISBN 1-57999-467-9.
• Jackson, Timothy L. 1999. Tchaikovsky, Symphony no. 6 (Pathétique). Cambridge Music Handbooks. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64111-X (cloth); ISBN 0-521-64676-6 (pbk).
• Kaye, Nicholas. 2001. "Tournemire, Charles (Arnould)". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
• Kennedy, Michael. 2006. "Sinfonietta". The Oxford Dictionary of Music, second edition, revised, Joyce Bourne, associate editor. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
• Larue, Jan,
 Mark Evan Bonds,
 Stephen Walsh, and
 Charles Wilson. 2001. "Symphony". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
• Marcuse, Sybil. 1975. Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary. Revised edition. The Norton Library. New York: W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-00758-8.
• Newman, William S. 1972. The Sonata in the Baroque Era. New York: W. W. Norton.
• Prout, Ebenezer. 1895. Applied Forms: A Sequel to 'Musical Form', third edition. Augener's Edition, no. 9183. London: Augener. Facsimile reprint, New York: AMS Press, 1971. ISBN 0-404-05138-3
• Rapoport, Paul. 2001. "Sorabji, Kaikhosru Shapurji [Leon Dudley]". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
• Schubert, Giselher. 2001. "Hindemith, Paul." The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.
• Smith, Rollin. 2001. "Vierne, Louis(-Victor-Jules)". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.
• Stainer, John, and Francis W Galpin. 1914. "Wind Instruments - Sumponyah; Sampunia; Sumphonia; Symphonia". In The Music of the Bible, with Some Account of the Development of Modern Musical Instruments from Ancient Types, new edition. London: Novello and Co.; New York: H.W. Gray Co.
• Stein, Leon. 1979. Structure & Style: The Study and Analysis of Musical Forms, expanded edition. Princeton, N.J.: Summy-Birchard Music. ISBN 0-87487-164-6.
• Temperley, Nicholas. 2001. "Sinfonietta." The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
• Thomson, Andrew. 2001. "Widor, Charles-Marie(-Jean-Albert)", 2. Works. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.
• Webster, James, and Georg Feder. 2001. "Haydn, (Franz) Joseph". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.

External links[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Symphony.

• A Chronology of the Symphony 1730-2005 A list of selected major symphonies composed 1800-2005, with composers of 18th century symphonies
• The Symphony - Interactive Guide
• A fairly detailed list of symphonists, mostly active after 1800 - Part 1
• A fairly detailed list of symphonists, mostly active after 1800 - Part 2
• A fairly detailed list of symphonists, mostly active after 1800 - Part 3
• A fairly detailed list of symphonists, mostly active after 1800 - Part 4

The Verve
The Verve performing at Madison Square Garden in 2008.
Background information
Origin	Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock, neo-psychedelia, Britpop, shoegazing, dream pop, space rock
Years active	1990–1995, 1997–1999, 2007–2009
Labels	EMI, Hut, Virgin, Parlophone, Vernon Yard
Associated acts	RPA & The United Nations of Sound, Richard Ashcroft, The Black Ships, The Shining
Website	www.theverve.co.uk
Past members
Richard Ashcroft Nick McCabe Simon Jones Peter Salisbury Simon Tong

The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. The guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space rock, by the mid-1990s the band had released several EPs and three albums. It also endured name and line-up changes, breakups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. Filter referred to them as "one of the tightest knit, yet ultimately volatile bands in history".^[1] The band's commercial breakthrough was the 1997 album Urban Hymns, one of the best-selling albums in UK Chart history, and the single "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which became a worldwide hit.^[2] In 1998, the band won two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in March, and in February 1999, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.^[3][4][5]

Soon after this commercial peak, The Verve broke up in April 1999, citing internal conflicts.^[6] During an eight year split, Ashcroft dismissed talk of a reunion, saying: "You're more likely to get all four Beatles on stage."^[6] The band's original line-up reunited in June 2007, embarking on a tour later that year and releasing the album Forth in August 2008. In 2009, the band broke up for the third time.^[7]

History[link]

[edit] Formation and Verve (1989–1992)

The founding members of Verve met at Winstanley Sixth Form College, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. The band's first gig was at a friend's birthday party at the Honeysuckle Pub, in Wigan, on 15 August 1990.^[8] Most of the band's early material was created through extensive jam sessions.^[9] Fronted by singer Richard Ashcroft, the band caused a buzz in early 1991 for its ability to captivate audiences with its musical textures and avant-garde sensibilities.

The group were signed by Hut Records in 1991^[10] and their first studio releases in 1992, "All In The Mind", "She's a Superstar", and "Gravity Grave" (along with the December 1992 Verve) saw the band become a critical success, making an impression with freeform guitar work by McCabe and unpredictable vocals by Ashcroft. Those first 3 singles reached the first spot in the UK Indie charts, and "She's a Superstar" did enter the UK Top 75 Singles Chart. The band saw some support from these early days in the United States in some music scenes in big cities like New York connected with psychedelic spacey music.

[edit] A Storm in Heaven (1993–1994)

1993's A Storm in Heaven was the band's full-length debut, produced by esteemed record producer John Leckie (of Radiohead, The Stone Roses, XTC and The Fall fame). "Blue" was released as the lead single and again managed to enter in the UK Top 75 at #69 and reached #2 in the Indie charts. The album was a critical smash, but was only a moderate commercial success, reaching #27 in the UK album chart that summer.^[10] The second single from the album, "Slide Away", topped the UK indie rock charts. During this period the band played a number of gigs with Oasis who, at the time, were relatively unknown.^[11]

In 1994, the band released the album No Come Down, a compilation of b-sides plus a live version of "Gravity Grave" performed at Glastonbury Festival in 1993. It was the band's first release under the name The Verve, following legal difficulties with the jazz label Verve Records.^[12]

The band then played on the travelling U.S. alternative rock festival, Lollapalooza, in the summer of 1994. A new mix of "Blue" was released in the U.S. to promote the band. The tour became notorious for the events of 11 July - Ashcroft was hospitalised for dehydration after a massive session of drinking,^[13] and Salisbury was arrested for destroying a hotel room in Kansas in a drug-fuelled delirium.^[14] However, the band were performing again the very next day.^[15] Ashcroft later recalled: "At the start, it was an adventure, but America nearly killed us."^[16]

[edit] A Northern Soul and first breakup (1995–1996)

The band's physical and mental turmoil continued into the chaotic recording sessions of the band's second album, 1995's A Northern Soul, produced by Owen Morris. The band departed from the neo-psychedelic sounds of A Storm in Heaven and focused more on conventional alternative rock, with Ashcroft's vocals taking a more prominent role in the songs, although reminiscent of some of the early work. Around this period, Oasis guitarist and friend of Ashcroft, Noel Gallagher, dedicated the song "Cast No Shadow" on the album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? to Ashcroft, and Ashcroft returned the gesture by dedicating the song "A Northern Soul" to Noel.

The band released the album's first single "This Is Music" in May, and it reached #35, their first single to reach the Top 40. It was followed by "On Your Own" in June which performed even better, reaching #28. This single was particularly new for The Verve as it was a soulful ballad. The album reached the UK Top 20 upon its release in July, but Ashcroft broke up the band three months later, just before the release of the third single "History", which reached #24 in September. Ashcroft later stated: "I knew that I had to do it earlier on, but I just wouldn't face it. Once you're not happy in anything, there's no point living in it, is there? But my addiction to playing and writing and being in this band was so great that I wouldn't do anything about it. It felt awful because it could have been the greatest time of our lives, with "History" doing well, but I still think I can look myself in the mirror in 30 years time and say, 'Yeah man, you did the right thing.' The others had been through the same thing. It was a mixture of sadness and regret, and relief that we would have some time away."^[17]

Ashcroft reunited with Jones and Salisbury just a few weeks after the breakup, but McCabe did not rejoin them. The new band hired former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, but he spent only a couple of days with the band. The band then chose Simon Tong, a school friend credited with originally teaching Ashcroft and Jones to play guitar. The band made no live appearances for all of 1996, apart from a solo performance from Ashcroft supporting Oasis in New York.^[18] The rest of the year was spent playing and recording songs for a new album.

Commercial success and second breakup (1997–1999)[link]

However, in early 1997, Ashcroft decided to ask McCabe to return, claiming "I got to the point where nothing other than The Verve would do for me".^[19] McCabe obliged and with the original lineup back together (Tong remained on guitar alongside McCabe), the group went through a "spiritual" recording process to finish their third album Urban Hymns which was completed by early summer.

	"Bitter Sweet Symphony" noicon The lead track on their album, Urban Hymns, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is renowned for its signature swirling orchestral melody.
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For the first time in their career, The Verve experienced widespread commercial success with their new material. The album's first single "Bitter Sweet Symphony" entered the UK charts at number 2 in June 1997, but the song's success was marred by legal problems regarding ownership of the song. Even though the group had secured permission to use a sample of 4 bars of an orchestral rendition of "The Last Time" by The Rolling Stones, it was successfully argued that the group had relied too heavily on the song's original vocal melody as well, and they were forced to surrender copyright and royalties to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.^[20][21] The music video for "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which received heavy rotation on MTV, focuses on Ashcroft lip-synching the song while walking down a busy London pavement, oblivious to what is going on around and refusing to change his stride or direction throughout.^[22][23] In August, the band began playing their first gigs in two years, beginning the Urban Hymns Tour. The next single, "The Drugs Don't Work" gave the band their first UK number 1 single in September.^[24] The album immediately reached number 1 on the charts later that month, knocking off Oasis' highly anticipated album Be Here Now in the process.^[24] The band saw an overwhelming increase in popularity overseas, and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" reached number 12 on the U.S. charts, the band's highest ever American position.^[25] The album reached the US Top 30, going platinum in the process.^[10]

Critic Mike Gee of iZINE said of this time, "The Verve, as he (Richard Ashcroft) promised, had become the greatest band in the world. ...The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition."^[26] By November the band released "Lucky Man" in the UK and reached number 7.^[24] At the 1998 Brit Awards in February, The Verve won the awards for Best British Group and Best British Album (Urban Hymns).^[27] The band's singles were given extensive airplay on US rock stations and Ashcroft, and band mates, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in March 1998.^[4] Then, as the band was on a successful tour to promote the album, Jones collapsed on stage. This was the first of many problems to come for the band in the next months. In 1998, McCabe, Tong, Jones and drummer Leon Parr formerly with Mr. So & So and Mosque were commissioned for a soundtrack for a Jonny Lee Miller film which was recorded in Kilburn. These never made it to the final film due to delays on their part. At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video.^[28]

On 24 May of that year, the band played a homecoming concert in front of 33,000 fans in the grounds of Haigh Hall & Country Park, Aspull, supported by Beck and John Martyn. The band then played gigs in mainland Europe. However, on 7 June a post-show bust-up at Düsseldorf-Philipshalle left McCabe with a broken hand and Ashcroft with a sore jaw. After this, McCabe decided he could not tolerate the pressures of life on the road any longer and pulled out of the tour, leaving the band's future in jeopardy, with rumours of disbandment circulating in the press.

Despite this, the band continued with established session guitarist B. J. Cole replacing McCabe. McCabe's guitar work was heavily sampled and triggered on stage. The band played another American tour, which was riddled with problems as venues were downsized^[29] and the support act Massive Attack dropped out.^[30] The band then returned to England for two headline performances at the V Festivals, which received poor reviews, with NME stating "where songs used to spiral upwards and outwards, they now simply fizzle tamely."^[31] In February 1999, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.^[32] The Verve played their last gig at Slane Castle in Ireland on 29 August. A long period of inactivity followed. Finally, in April 1999, it was announced that The Verve had split up.^[33]

Post-breakup activities (2000–2006)[link]

By the time the band had split, Ashcroft had already been working on solo material accompanied by, among others, Salisbury and Cole. In 2000, he released his first solo album, Alone with Everybody, which reached number 1 in the UK album charts.^[24] Ashcroft's next album Human Conditions was released to less positive reviews and poorer sales in 2002, and Ashcroft was subsequently absent from the music business for several years. During this time Salisbury was the drummer for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's UK tour in 2004, after their original drummer briefly left due to alcohol and drug abuse. Salisbury also owns a drum shop in Stockport. Ashcroft appeared with Coldplay at Live 8 in 2005, followed by the release of Keys to the World in 2006 and a particularly successful tour that included gigs as the support act for Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour.

Tong and Jones formed a new group called The Shining, which initially included former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire; however Squire left the band before recording and touring had begun. The band released one album, True Skies, before disbanding in 2003. Jones went on to join the band of Irish artist Cathy Davey. Tong appeared as a live replacement for ex-guitarist Graham Coxon in Blur, and as additional guitarist for Gorillaz (both Jones and Tong played guitar for Demon Days Live). Tong is also a member of an unnamed supergroup formed by Damon Albarn of Blur which released its first album The Good, the Bad & the Queen in January 2007. McCabe worked in different projects like the London-based Neotropic project and played with some established artists, including John Martyn, Leeds-based band The Music, The Beta Band and Faultline.

The Verve's members sometimes expressed bitter sentiments about the band's later years. In his only interview after the split, McCabe said of Urban Hymns: "By the time I got my parts in there it's not really a music fan's record. It just sits nicely next to the Oasis record",^[34] though conceding, "I'm not going to say it was bad. I mean, we were good as far as pop goes".^[34] During his solo career, Ashcroft expressed regret at having asked McCabe to return for the album instead of releasing it under his own name, saying: "Imagine being the guy that's written an album on his own, bottles it near the end, feels like there's unfinished business, rings Nick McCabe up who adds some guitars, puts it out as The Verve and the same problems arise again. Imagine being that mug. I've now got to rewrite history. Everyone thinks those songs are somehow associated with another bunch of people that I'm not with now".^[35] Jones claimed that "The Verve were going off in a direction of strings and ballads, and that's not where I was coming from at all. Loud guitars is it for me",^[36] though noting that this was not why the band split up.^[37]

[edit] Reunion and Forth (2007–2008)

The Verve performing in Greenwich, London on 13 December 2007.

Ashcroft had been adamant that The Verve would not reform, once remarking: "You're more likely to get all four Beatles on stage".^[38] However, after Ashcroft learned that Salisbury was in contact with McCabe over a possible side project, Ashcroft contacted McCabe and Jones, making peace with them, and the band reformed. Tong was not asked to rejoin, so as to keep the internal issues that split the band up a decade ago to an absolute minimum. Jones explained this decision by stating: "It would have been too hard, it's hard enough for the four of us. If you bring more people to it, it's harder to communicate and communication has always been our difficulty".^[39] On 26 June 2007, the band's reunion was announced by Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 1. The band, reuniting in their original line-up, announced they would tour in November 2007, and release an album in 2008. The band stated: "We are getting back together for the joy of music",^[40] though they turned down a multi-album deal offer "because the "treadmill" of releasing albums and touring marked the beginning of the end for the band a decade ago".^[41]

Tickets for their six-gig tour in early November 2007 sold out in less than 20 minutes. The tour began in Glasgow on 2 November, and included 6 performances at the Carling Academy Glasgow, The Empress Ballroom and the London Roundhouse.^[42] Since the 6-gig tour went extremely well in sales, the band booked a second, and bigger tour for December. They played at O2 arena, the SECC in Glasgow, the Odyssey in Belfast, the Nottingham Arena and Manchester Central. Each show from the first and second part of the tour were sold out immediately. The band continued touring in 2008. They played at most of the biggest summer festivals and a few headline shows all over North America, Europe, Japan and the UK between April and August. Including shows at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, also at the Madison Square Garden Theater, and the Pinkpop festival, T in the Park, the V Festival, Oxegen Festival, Rock Werchter, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park and The Eden Project Sessions.^{[43][44][45][46][47]}

The Verve at Pinkpop, Netherlands in 2008.

The band's new single, "Love Is Noise", was premiered by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 on 23 June.^[48] They performed at the coveted Sunday night slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on 29 June, closing the show with the new song. The Verve released a free download of a non-album track, "Mover", on 30 June. The song had been performed by the band in 1994, but had never seen a proper recording until the reunion. The track was available for download from their official website for one week only.

The band announced the new album's title: Forth, which was released in the UK on 25 August and the following day in North America. The album reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart on 31 August. The lead single "Love Is Noise" was released in the UK on 3 August digitally and one week later (11 August) on its physical form, peaking at #4 in the UK.^[49] The song was a moderate success in Europe, charting at #16 in the European chart (with 6 weeks in the Top 20). "Rather Be", the second single from the album, was released in November 2008 but did not become as successful as "Love Is Noise" was, peaking at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Verve on holiday (2009–present)[link]

In August 2009 The Guardian speculated that The Verve have broken up for a third time,^[50] with Jones and McCabe no longer speaking to Ashcroft as they felt he was using the reunion as a vehicle to get his solo career on track.^[50] Being asked about the supposed split, Ashcroft told The Daily Telegraph, "I can confirm we did what we set out to do [...] Right now there are no plans to be doing anything in the near future."^[7]

McCabe and Jones have since started their own project, The Black Ships, along with electric violinist and arranger Davide Rossi and drummer Mig Schillace.^[50][51] Nick McCabe says "The Verve seems to be on holiday" on his MySpace page.

On July 7, 2010 Ashcroft confirmed that the band "is over for good",^[52] though some weeks later did not rule out another Verve reunion.^[53]

Band members[link]

Official members[link]

• Richard Ashcroft – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion (1990–1995, 1996–1999, 2007–2009)
• Nick McCabe – lead guitar, piano, keyboards, accordion (1990–1995, 1997–1998, 2007–2009)
• Simon Jones – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1990–1995, 1996–1999, 2007–2009)
• Peter Salisbury – drums, percussion (1990–1995, 1996–1999, 2007–2009)
• Simon Tong – guitar, keyboards (1996–1999)

Live or session members[link]

• Bernard Butler – lead guitar (1996) (Session member, considered for becoming a full time member before McCabe returned to the band to record Urban Hymns)
• B. J. Cole – lead guitar (1998) (Live member in the final months of 1998 after McCabe's second quit)

Discography[link]

• A Storm in Heaven (1993)
• A Northern Soul (1995)
• Urban Hymns (1997)
• Forth (2008)

Legacy[link]

After The Verve split in 1999, many of their songs have been covered or reinterpreted in recent years, such as in these examples:

• Limp Bizkit created a mashup of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" on their Greatest Hitz album.
• Singer/songwriter Ben Harper covered the song "The Drugs Don't Work" in a live show, which is found on the live album Live From Mars.
• The string section of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" has been sampled by artists such as Madonna and Kanye West in live concerts.
• Moby has created a remix of the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony".^[54]
• In the movie Cruel Intentions, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is played at the final scene.
• The music video for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was parodied by Fat Les for the 1998 World Cup song "Vindaloo".
• Also notably Vernon Kay is a big fan of The Verve, and conducted his last interview on T4 with Richard Ashcroft.
• Noel Gallagher of Oasis has covered "Bitter Sweet Symphony" on a few occasions, most recently on the 2006 Acoustic Stop The Clocks Tour. Also, the song "Cast No Shadow" was written as a homage to Richard Ashcroft, who in turn wrote "A Northern Soul" from the band's second album for Noel Gallagher.
• Both "Lucky Man" and "Rather Be" are featured in the film Marley & Me.
• "Lucky Man" is featured in the 2004 film The Girl Next Door.
• "Slide Away" is featured in the film The New Age, during the jacuzzi/party scene, and has also been featured in the House M.D. episode "Ugly".
• "Star Sail", the opening track of A Storm In Heaven, is featured in the 1993 film Sliver and is featured on the Virgin Records US release of the soundtrack.
• "Appalachian Springs" is featured in season 4, episode 19 of the show The Unit.
• "Lucky Man" is featured in the 6th season premiere of HBO's Entourage.
• In 2009, Bitter Sweet Symphony was voted number # 14 in Triple Js Hottest 100 of all time.^[55]
• "One Day" and "The Drugs Don't Work" are played on BBC Two comedy-drama Home Time.
• Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier did an Acoustic Cover of The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• The Verve on Myspace
• The Verve at the Internet Movie Database

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Derek Gleeson
Background information
Origin	Dublin, Ireland.
Genres	Orchestral/Contemporary
Occupations	Conductor/Composer
Instruments	Piano, Timpani & Percussion
Website	http://www.derekgleeson.com

Derek Gleeson: Irish/American dual Citizen. Music Director, Conductor, Composer, Music Producer, Timpanist, Percussionist, Pianist and Educator. Born in Dublin, February 28, 1964.

Music Director & Conductor of the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra.^[1] (1997–Present). Conductor at the Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival. (Founded by Bernadette Greevy). Composer of the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) (2005–Present).^[2] Director of Ceoil Productions Ireland/Screen Training Ireland's^[3] film scoring program.(1996–Present). Composer of musical scores for Film and Television^[4] and of symphonic music for the concert hall.(1997–Present)

DPO Conductor Derek Gleeson

Music education[link]

Music Director & Conductor Derek Gleeson

(1970–1984) Gleeson studied Piano, Music Theory/Composition, Timpani and Percussion at both the College of Music, Dublin, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, additional private timpani studies with Martin Metrustry, principal timpanist of the RTE Symphony Orchestra (now the: RTE National Symphony Orchestra), and with Alan Cumberland, principal timpanist (at the time,) of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Later,(1981–1984) Gleeson attended the Royal Academy of Music, London.

(1984–1988) Continued further studies in Conducting in London with Harry Newstone^[5] at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and with Karl Oesterreicher^[6] at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Wien, (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna)

(1990–1994) Gleeson studied Film Scoring at UCLA (the University of California at Los Angeles), with Don Brandon Ray and Robert Drasnin.

(2000–2004) Opera Conducting studies continued in Easter Europe with Valeri Vachev and Milen Nachev, a protege of Ilya Musin.^[7]

Early musical life[link]

Gleeson's early musical life was an eclectic one. At age twelve, he was Timpanist of the Irish Youth Orchestra, (IYO). (Now the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland).^[8] At age fifteen, as a Percussionist and Timpanist, he joined the European Community Youth Orchestra (ECYO) (now the European Union Youth Orchestra, EUYO)^[9] where he had the opportunity to work under the great conducting masters of the day, including Herbert Von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Sir Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim, whilst performing, amongst others, at the Salzburg Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, Lucerne Festival as well as at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. In parallel, he was also a member of "EuroJazz"^[10] The European Community Youth Jazz Orchestra and NYJO, The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Great Britain,^[11] with whom he featured as Vibraphone soloist in the CD release of Paul Hart's Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Orchestra, written for Guitarist John Williams, released on CBS Records.

At 15 years old, as freelance timpanist and percussionist, Gleeson began working with the RTE Concert Orchestra and the RTE Symphony Orchestra while still attending High School. Between 1979 and 1989 he performed as a freelance orchestral player with many of the prominent British Orchestras, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.^[12] In 1984 he was a prize winner in the Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Music Scholarship. During this period he also worked as a Studio Session Musician, principally as a Keyboardist and Piano player for pop/rock and commercial recording sessions.

Whilst living and studying conducting in Vienna at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Wien(University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna) Gleeson sang second bass with Gunther Theuring's,^[13] Wiener Jeunesse-Chor,^[14] with whom he performed with the Wiener Philharmoniker^[15] at the Musikverein.^[16] (Gleeson also studied Voice periodically with the famed Irish vocal teacher Veronica Dunne at the College of Music, Dublin. Now called, the DIT-Conservatory of Music & Drama,^[17] Dublin)

In 1989, Gleeson "won" a U.S. Green Card (NP-5 Visa) in the U.S. Donnelly Visa lottery and moved to Los Angeles where he attended UCLA, studying Film Scoring and Composition.

Conducting[link]

Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra

In December 1989, Gleeson moved to Los Angeles, left the world of the freelance orchestral musician, and directed his time exclusively to Conducting and Composition.

Amongst others, Gleeson has conducted: The Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra; The London Philharmonic Orchestra; The RTÉ Concert Orchestra (RTÉ = Raidió Teilifís Éireann; Ireland's national broadcaster); The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland; Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, (Italy); The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, (Czech); The Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, (Czech); RTL Orchestra, (Luxembourg); The NOS Nederlandse Omroep Stichting Orchestra, (Holland); The Danish Radio Concert Orchestra (Denmark); Orchestra of the Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet, (England); Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, (Bulgaria); Philharmonia Bulgarica; The Vratza Philharmonic Orchestra, (Bulgaria); The Los Angeles Composers Guild Chamber Orchestra; The Ruckert Chamber Orchestra, (Ireland); and the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, (Iran). Opera repertoire includes: Verdi's La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto and Un Ballo in Maschera. Mozart's, La Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Magic Flute. Bizet's Carmen. Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.

Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival "Conductor Derek Gleeson kept perfect pace and never overwhelmed the action...I doubt there has been a better Rigoletto in Dublin. The President of Ireland led a prolonged standing ovation, and deservedly so" The Sunday Business Post, September '08

"His Mahler's Fifth Symphony was glorious" The Irish Times

"Thanks to the authority & dynamism of the young and talented conductor Derek Gleson, the orchestra excelled itself," The Irish Times.

To great acclaim, Derek Gleeson conducted the premier CD recording of Tchaikovsky's Ode to Joy,^[18] The original Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and Prokofiev's Zdravitsa (Prokofiev) with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. (Carlton Classics/IMP Masters)^[19]

"Performances are entirely convincing, polished and stylsh under Irish conductor Gleeson's able leadership." In Tune Magazine

"Derek Gleeson conducted with spirit....striking detail...A must for anyone who loves Russian music" Classic CD Magazine

In 2009, Gleeson and the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra made the largest orchestral tour of the U.S.A. that year, to over 49 cities, under the auspices of Columbia Artists Management, Inc.^[20]

In 2010, Gleeson and the DPO toured China, performing at the Shanghai Grand Theatre's World Expo Program,^[21] and two concerts opening the Beijing Summer Festival "Roam about the Classics"^[22] from the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) at the Opera House, televised throughout China to over 400 million people.

Composition[link]

Gleeson composed Film Scores for the feature films The White Pony^[23] (Director Brian Kelly); Irish Whiskey^[24] (Director Jon Stevens); Moving Target^[25] (Director Paul Ziller); The Doorway^[26] (Director Michael Druxman); Kitchen^[27] (Director Kieron J Walsh) and additional music on The Suicide Club^[28] (Director Rachel Samuels).

In addition to composing music for film, Gleeson is Director of Ceoil Productions Ireland/Screen Training Ireland's Film Scoring Program. He served as composer advisor to Moonstone^{[disambiguation needed ]} International and as Music Jury Chairman and Composer of the Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Derek Gleeson at Allmusic
• Derek Gleeson at the Internet Movie Database
• Music Director Website

Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820

Ludwig van Beethoven (ⁱ/ˈlʊdvɪɡ væn ˈbeɪt.hoʊvən/; German pronunciation: [ˈluːtvɪç fan ˈbeːt.hoːfən] ( listen); baptized 17 December 1770^[1] – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers.

Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven moved to Vienna in his early 20s, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His hearing began to deteriorate in his late twenties, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.

Biography[link]

Background and early life[link]

House of birth, Bonn, Bonngasse 20, now the Beethoven-Haus museum

Beethoven was the grandson of a musician of Flemish origin named Lodewijk van Beethoven (1712–73) who moved at the age of twenty to Bonn.^[2][3] Lodewijk (Ludwig is the German cognate of Dutch Lodewijk) was employed as a bass singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne, eventually rising to become Kapellmeister (music director). Lodewijk had one son, Johann (1740–1792), who worked as a tenor in the same musical establishment, and gave lessons on piano and violin to supplement his income.^[2] Johann married Maria Magdalena Keverich in 1767; she was the daughter of Johann Heinrich Keverich, who had been the head chef at the court of the Archbishopric of Trier.^[4]

Prince-Elector's Palace (Kurfürstliches Schloss) in Bonn, where the Beethoven family had been active since the 1730s

Beethoven was born of this marriage in Bonn. There is no authentic record of the date of his birth; however, the registry of his baptism, in a Roman Catholic service at the Parish of St. Regius on 17 December 1770, survives.^[5] As children of that era were traditionally baptised the day after birth in the Catholic Rhine country, and it is known that Beethoven's family and his teacher Johann Albrechtsberger celebrated his birthday on 16 December, most scholars accept 16 December 1770 as Beethoven's date of birth.^[6][7] Of the seven children born to Johann van Beethoven, only Ludwig, the second-born, and two younger brothers survived infancy. Caspar Anton Carl was born on 8 April 1774, and Nikolaus Johann, the youngest, was born on 2 October 1776.^[8]

Beethoven's first music teacher was his father. Although tradition has it that Johann van Beethoven was a harsh instructor, and that the child Beethoven, "made to stand at the keyboard, was often in tears,"^[2] the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians claimed that no solid documentation supported this, and asserted that "speculation and myth-making have both been productive."^[2] Beethoven had other local teachers: the court organist Gilles van den Eeden (d. 1782), Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer (a family friend, who taught Beethoven the piano), and Franz Rovantini (a relative, who instructed him in playing the violin and viola).^[2] Beethoven's musical talent was obvious at a young age. Johann, aware of Leopold Mozart's successes in this area (with son Wolfgang and daughter Nannerl), attempted to exploit his son as a child prodigy, claiming that Beethoven was six (he was seven) on the posters for Beethoven's first public performance in March 1778.^[9]

Some time after 1779, Beethoven began his studies with his most important teacher in Bonn, Christian Gottlob Neefe, who was appointed the Court's Organist in that year.^[10] Neefe taught Beethoven composition, and by March 1783 had helped him write his first published composition: a set of keyboard variations (WoO 63).^[8] Beethoven soon began working with Neefe as assistant organist, at first unpaid (1781), and then as a paid employee (1784) of the court chapel conducted by the Kapellmeister Andrea Luchesi. His first three piano sonatas, named "Kurfürst" ("Elector") for their dedication to the Elector Maximilian Frederick (1708–1784), were published in 1783. Maximilian Frederick noticed Beethoven's talent early, and subsidised and encouraged the young man's musical studies.^[11]

A portrait of the 13-year-old Beethoven by an unknown Bonn master (c. 1783)

Maximilian Frederick's successor as the Elector of Bonn was Maximilian Franz, the youngest son of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and he brought notable changes to Bonn. Echoing changes made in Vienna by his brother Joseph, he introduced reforms based on Enlightenment philosophy, with increased support for education and the arts. The teenage Beethoven was almost certainly influenced by these changes. He may also have been influenced at this time by ideas prominent in freemasonry, as Neefe and others around Beethoven were members of the local chapter of the Order of the Illuminati.^[12]

In March 1787 Beethoven traveled to Vienna (possibly at another's expense) for the first time, apparently in the hope of studying with Mozart. The details of their relationship are uncertain, including whether or not they actually met.^[13] After just two weeks Beethoven learned that his mother was severely ill, and returned home. His mother died shortly thereafter, and the father lapsed deeper into alcoholism. As a result, Beethoven became responsible for the care of his two younger brothers, and he spent the next five years in Bonn.^[14]

Beethoven was introduced to several people who became important in his life in these years. Franz Wegeler, a young medical student, introduced him to the von Breuning family (one of whose daughters Wegeler eventually married). Beethoven often visited the von Breuning household, where he taught piano to some of the children. Here he encountered German and classical literature. The von Breuning family environment was less stressful than his own, which was increasingly dominated by his father's decline.^[15] Beethoven also came to the attention of Count Ferdinand von Waldstein, who became a lifelong friend and financial supporter.^[16]

In 1789 Beethoven obtained a legal order by which half of his father's salary was paid directly to him for support of the family.^[17] He also contributed further to the family's income by playing viola in the court orchestra. This familiarised Beethoven with a variety of operas, including three by Mozart that were performed at court in this period. He also befriended Anton Reicha, a flautist and violinist of about his own age who was a nephew of the court orchestra's conductor, Josef Reicha.^[18]