The history of opera has a relatively short duration within the context of the history of music in general. It appeared in 1597, when the first opera, Dafne, by Jacopo Peri, was created. Since then it has developed parallel to the various musical currents that have followed one another over time up to the present day, generally linked to the current concept of classical music. Opera (from the Latin opera, plural of opus, "work") is a musical genre that combines symphonic music, usually performed by an orchestra, and a written dramatic text—expressed in the form of a libretto—interpreted vocally by singers of different tessitura: tenor, baritone, and bass for the male register, and soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto for the female, in addition to the so-called white voices (those of children) or in falsetto (castrato, countertenor). Generally, the musical work contains overtures, interludes and musical accompaniments, while the sung part can be in choir or solo, duet, trio, or various combinations, in different structures such as recitative or aria. There are various genres, such as classical opera, chamber opera, operetta, musical, singspiel, and zarzuela. On the other hand, as in theater, there is dramatic opera (opera seria) and comic opera (opera buffa), as well as a hybrid between the two: the dramma giocoso. As a multidisciplinary art form, opera combines music, drama, dance, scenography, costume, and makeup, relying on collaborative work between the composer, librettist, performers, conductor, and production team. Designed for live audiences, opera has historically reflected prevailing cultural, philosophical, religious, and political ideas. Opera originated with the Florentine Camerata, a group of late 16th-century humanists who sought to revive the musical and dramatic traditions of Ancient Greek theater. This led to early works by Jacopo Peri, including Dafne (1597) and Euridice (1600), and Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (1607), which helped define the genre by introducing structured arias and instrumental sinfonias. The genre evolved through major musical periods. The Baroque era (17th–mid-18th century) established many operatic conventions and was marked by elaborate vocal and scenic elements, accessible mainly to elites. The Classical period emphasized clarity and balance, with major contributions from Mozart and Beethoven. In the 19th century, Romanticism elevated the status of composers and vocalists, reflecting bourgeois tastes and giving rise to national operatic traditions. Later developments included French impressionism and Italian verismo. The 20th century introduced Modernist approaches and new technologies—radio, phonograph, and television—which expanded opera’s reach, while earlier works remained central to repertory. During the course of history, within opera there have been differences of opinion as to which of its components was more important, the music or the text, or even whether the importance lay in the singing and virtuosity of the performers, a phenomenon that gave rise to bel canto and to the appearance of figures such as the diva or prima donna. From its beginnings until the consolidation of classicism, the text enjoyed greater importance, always linked to the visual spectacle, the lavish decorations and the complex baroque scenographies; Claudio Monteverdi said in this respect: "the word must be decisive, it must direct the harmony, not serve it." However, since the reform carried out by Gluck and the appearance of renowned composers such as Mozart, music as the main component of opera became more and more important. Mozart himself once commented: "poetry must be the obedient servant of music". Other authors, such as Richard Wagner, sought to bring together all the arts in a single creation, which he called "total work of art" (Gesamtkunstwerk).

The Double Concerto by German composer Hans Werner Henze is a double concerto for oboe and harp, better known by its original Italian title Doppio concerto. It was completed and first performed in Zurich in 1966, and published by Schott.

The Double Concerto by German composer Hans Werner Henze is a double concerto for oboe and harp, better known by its original Italian title Doppio concerto. It was completed and first performed in Zurich in 1966, and published by Schott.

This is a list of notable solo cello pieces. It includes arrangements and transcriptions.

Fantasia for Strings (German: Fantasia für Streicher) is a composition by German composer Hans Werner Henze. It was finished in 1966, as part of the soundtrack for Volker Schlöndorff's film adaptation of Robert Musil's novel The Confusions of Young Törless. This composition has been published by Schott Music.

This is a list of musical compositions for cello and orchestra ordered by their authors' surnames.

This is a list of musical compositions for keyboard instruments such as the piano, organ or harpsichord and orchestra. See entries for concerto, piano concerto, organ concerto and harpsichord concerto for a description of related musical forms.

In Britain, a brass band (known regionally as a silver band or colliery band) is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around communities and local industry, with colliery bands being particularly notable. The Stalybridge Old Band, for example, first performed in 1815 and is still in existence, although it did not become a brass band until the 1840s. Bands using the British instrumentation are the most common form of brass band in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and are also widespread in continental Europe, Japan and North America. The tradition for brass bands in the UK is continuing, and local communities and schools have brass bands. British band contests are highly competitive, with bands organized into five sections much like a football league. Competitions are held throughout the year at local, regional, and national levels, and at the end of each year there are promotions and relegations. The 2019 holder of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain was the Cory Band from South Wales. A selection of brass bands can be experienced at the annual Durham Miners' Gala. There are also hotly-contested annual events held on Whit Friday in the Saddleworth area of Greater Manchester in which hundreds of bands compete.

Sebastian im Traum (The Dream of Sebastian) is an orchestral composition by the German composer Hans Werner Henze. Based on the poem of the same name by Georg Trakl, it is a fifteen-minute composition for large orchestra. Composed in 2004, it was a joint commission by the Eduard van Beinum Foundation, the New York Philharmonic, the Zurich Tonhalle and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. According to Henze: The music tried to follow the traces of the poet's words (as someone with a movie camera tries to capture the course of events or as another perhaps takes down the communication of subject matter in shorthand) and it has a deep relationship to Salzburg - to the ... temperatures and perfumes, to the rustic Baroque, to the biblical, to the wooden crucifix, to the nearness of death, to the moonlight, to Traklish evening sonatas... we continually hear different characters, new ones always come and go, appear, shine, and disappear. It was premiered on 22 December 2005 at the Concertgebouw, with Mariss Jansons conducting. The same forces later recorded it as part of a two-disc set featuring Mahler's Sixth Symphony on the orchestra's own label.

Hans Werner Henze's Symphony No. 1 was premiered in Darmstadt in 1947. The premiere was hit by Henze's accustomed bad luck. The orchestral parts, handwritten by the composer himself, had become illegible during photocopying in Schott’s offices and despite the young composer’s best efforts to ink in the parts throughout the night, only the slow movement was performed. The whole symphony was eventually premiered a year later, although Henze himself conducted the work only after comprehensive revision. The revision of the First Symphony was part of Henze’s first great purge on his early work during 1963. The revised sheet music contains a number of rhythmic, harmonic and melodic cells from the original version, and the slow movement is largely unaltered. Otherwise everything is, in the composer’s own words, ‘different and better.’ A fourth, theme and variation movement has completely disappeared, and the work was re-scored for chamber orchestra. Further revision followed in 1991. The first movement is in a contorted sonata form, in which the few melodic and rhythmic cells upon which the work is built gradually swell up to an unnerving climax high in the orchestra’s range, followed by a brief recapitulation. The only music to survive Henze's revision, the second movement reveals the heavy influence of Hindemith on the composer, especially given the lyrical viola solo. The final movement develops the same material, now with an aggressive rhythm, the texture building to a true climax before fading around eerily repeating harp harmonics. In 2005, a fourth version of the work was prepared, for fifteen players, as Kammerkonzert 05, an eightieth-birthday commission from the Bavarian State Opera. This version had its world premiere at Munich on July 6, 2006, and now has titles for the three movements: Allegretto con grazia Notturno Allegro con moto Henze himself recorded the work (in the 1963 revision) for Deutsche Grammophon as part of a survey of his five early symphonies. These were subsequently released on CD along with a later recording of his Sixth Symphony. The revised 1991 version has been recorded by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra under Marek Janowski.

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and musicologists as a masterpiece of Western classical music and one of the greatest and most influential musical works in history. One of the best-known works in common practice music, it stands as one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world. The Ninth was the first example of a major composer scoring vocal parts in a symphony. The final (4th) movement of the symphony, commonly known as the Ode to Joy, features four vocal soloists and a chorus in the parallel key of D major. The text was adapted from the "An die Freude (Ode to Joy)", a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additional text written by Beethoven. In the 20th century, an instrumental arrangement of the chorus was adopted by the Council of Europe, and later the European Union, as the Anthem of Europe. In 2001, Beethoven's original, hand-written manuscript of the score, held by the Berlin State Library, was added by UNESCO to its Memory of the World International Register, becoming the first musical score so designated.

Hans Werner Henze's Symphony No. 3 was written between 1949 and 1950. It was premiered at the Donaueschingen Festival on 7 October 1951 by the South German Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Rosbaud.

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and musicologists as a masterpiece of Western classical music and one of the greatest and most influential musical works in history. One of the best-known works in common practice music, it stands as one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world. The Ninth was the first example of a major composer scoring vocal parts in a symphony. The final (4th) movement of the symphony, commonly known as the Ode to Joy, features four vocal soloists and a chorus in the parallel key of D major. The text was adapted from the "An die Freude (Ode to Joy)", a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additional text written by Beethoven. In the 20th century, an instrumental arrangement of the chorus was adopted by the Council of Europe, and later the European Union, as the Anthem of Europe. In 2001, Beethoven's original, hand-written manuscript of the score, held by the Berlin State Library, was added by UNESCO to its Memory of the World International Register, becoming the first musical score so designated.

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and musicologists as a masterpiece of Western classical music and one of the greatest and most influential musical works in history. One of the best-known works in common practice music, it stands as one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world. The Ninth was the first example of a major composer scoring vocal parts in a symphony. The final (4th) movement of the symphony, commonly known as the Ode to Joy, features four vocal soloists and a chorus in the parallel key of D major. The text was adapted from the "An die Freude (Ode to Joy)", a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additional text written by Beethoven. In the 20th century, an instrumental arrangement of the chorus was adopted by the Council of Europe, and later the European Union, as the Anthem of Europe. In 2001, Beethoven's original, hand-written manuscript of the score, held by the Berlin State Library, was added by UNESCO to its Memory of the World International Register, becoming the first musical score so designated.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest orchestra in the United States and one of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, the BSO performs most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at Tanglewood. Since its founding, the orchestra has had 17 music directors, including George Henschel, Serge Koussevitzky, Henri Rabaud, Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch, Erich Leinsdorf, William Steinberg and James Levine. Andris Nelsons is the current music director of the BSO. Seiji Ozawa had held the title of BSO music director laureate. Bernard Haitink had held the title of principal guest conductor of the BSO from 1995 to 2004, then conductor emeritus until his death in 2021. The orchestra has made gramophone recordings since 1917 and has occasionally played on soundtrack recordings for films, including Schindler's List.

The Seventh Symphony by the German composer Hans Werner Henze was written in 1983–84. It was commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker as part of the orchestra's centenary celebrations in 1982. Unlike its immediate predecessors, Henze has stated that this work is very much a 'German' symphony, in the Beethovenian tradition. Accordingly, it is cast in four movements and is broadly analogous to the 'classical' form: Introduction, slow movement, Scherzo and Finale. However Henze uses even more traditional German motifs across the movements: an allemande (a German dance) in the first and Liedform in the second. For the two final movements he focuses on the eighteenth-century poet Friedrich Hölderlin, incarcerated at Tübingen where he was subjected to what amounted to torture in the name of medical intervention. The final movement is a deeply lyrical orchestral setting of Hölderlin's late poem Hälfte des Lebens (Half of Life).

The Eighth Symphony by the German composer Hans Werner Henze was composed in 1992–93. Using Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as inspiration, it has a lighter theme than the major work it immediately follows, the Requiem of 1992. Each movement is inspired by a short section of the play: the first derives in part from Puck's line "I'll put a girdle round the earth/ In forty minutes". Henze depicts Puck's global journey in pitch variation: the East is middle C, the South Pole is the lowest notes in the modern symphony orchestra's range, while the North Pole is naturally at the opposite end of the range. The second movement depicts Titania's attempted seduction of Bottom, whilst the Adagio final movement takes Puck's If we shadows have offended speech at the end of the play. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who commissioned the piece (and to whom Henze dedicated it) under Seiji Ozawa on 1 October 1993.

This is a list of works by German composer Hans Werner Henze (1926–2012). Many of them are published by Schott Music. Source:

Tristan is a six-movement orchestral work by the German composer Hans Werner Henze. Scored for piano, tape and full orchestra, its form is innovative for an instrumental concert: solo pieces for piano ("preludes") alternate with orchestral passages, which are played partly without, partly with the participation of the piano. It takes the form of a homage to Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde, with the piano providing preludes to a series of widely divergent material, both live and on tape, including direct quotations from Brahms's First Symphony and Chopin's Funeral March, a birdsong-like treatment on tape of a recording of a soloist singing Isolde's part and a child reading extracts from Hilaire Belloc's English translation of Joseph Bédier's account of the death of Isolde, as well as a recording of a human heartbeat. Henze was both attracted to and repelled by aspects of 19th century culture, and so the passages of Wagner, Chopin and Brahms represent musical romanticism, which can be described in terms of progress, virtuosity and historicism. The tape has its own system in the score, which indicates the actual sound by means of graphic lines. The twelve-tone-set c#-d-a-d#-e-h-f-a#-f#-g#-c-g can be traced back to the three-tone constellation of major-third and minor-second, which also determine the first three notes of Richard Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" (a-f-e). Commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, it was premiered on 20 October 1974 under Colin Davis at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The piano soloist was Homero Francesch, who later recorded it with the composer conducting. The six movements are: Prologue Lament Prelude and Variations Tristan's Folly Adagio Epilogue

This is a list of musical compositions for violin and orchestra. See entries for concerto and violin concerto for a description of related musical forms.

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1959.

This is a list of musical compositions for violin and orchestra. See entries for concerto and violin concerto for a description of related musical forms.