| Contents |
Part I: Stories of music. Johannes Brahms. "Academic festival overture": Overture for orchestra in C minor, op. 80 -- Frederic Chopin. "Aeolian harp": Étude for piano in A♭ major, op. 25, no. 1 -- Anton Dvořák. "American quartet": Quartet for strings in F major, op. 96 -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "Appassionata": Sonata for piano in F minor, op. 57 -- "Archduke trio": Trio for piano, violin and 'cello in B♭ major, op. 97 -- "The battle": Symphony, op. 91 -- Joseph Haydn. "The bear": Symphony no. 82 in C major -- "The bird": String quartet no. 3 in C major, op. 33 (Russian quartets) -- Frederic Chopin. "Black key étude": Étude for piano in G♭ major, op. 10, no. 5 -- Johann Sebastian Bach. "Brandenburg concertos": Six concertos for orchestra -- Frederic Chopin. "Butterfly": Étude for piano in G♭ major, op. 10, no. 5 -- Domenico Scarlatti. "Cat's fugue": Fugue for harpsichord in D minor -- Aaron Copland. "The cat and the mouse": Scherzo humoristique, piece for piano -- Frederic Chopin. "Cat's waltz": Waltz for piano in F major, op. 34, no. 3 -- Joseph Haydn. "The clock": Symphony no. 101 in D major -- Johann Sebastian Bach. "Coffee cantata" no. 211 "Schweigt stille plaudert nicht" ("Be silent, don't chatter) -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. "Coronation": Concerto for piano and orchestra in D major, K. 537 -- Sergei Rachmaninoff [Rachmaninov]. "Crème de Menthe": Twenty-fourth variation of "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" -- Giuseppe Tartini. "Devil's trill sonata": Sonata for violin and piano in G major -- Joseph Haydn. "Drum roll": Symphony no. 103 in E♭ major -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "The emperor": Concerto for piano no. 5 in E♭ major, op. 73 -- Joseph Haydn. "The emperor": Quartet for strings in C major, op. 76, no. 3 -- Edward Elgar. "Enigma variations": Variations on an original theme, op. 36 -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "Eroica": Symphony no. 3 in E♭ major, op. 55 -- Joseph Haydn. "Farewell symphony": Symphony no. 45 in F♯ minor (sometimes called "Candle symphony") -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "Fate symphony": Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67 -- Anton Dvořák. "From the New World": Symphony in E minor, op. 95 -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "Für Elise": Bagatelle for piano in A minor -- "The ghost trio": Trio in D major, op. 70 -- Johann Sebastian Bach. "Goldberg variations": Air and thirty variations for harpsichord -- Frederic Handel. "The harmonious blacksmith": Air and variations for harpsichord (from Suite no. 5) -- Joseph Haydn. "The hunt": Symphony no. 73 in D major -- Felix Mendelssohn. "Italian symphony": Symphony no. 4 in A major, op. 90 -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. "Jupiter": Symphony in C major, K. 551 -- "Linz symphony": Symphony in C major, K. 425 -- Frederic Chopin. "Military polonaise": Polonaise for piano in A major, op. 40, no. 1 -- "Minute waltz": Waltz for piano in D♭ major, op. 64, no. 1 -- Joseph Haydn. "The miracle": Symphony no. 96 in D major -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "Moonlight sonata": Sonata for piano in C♯ minor, op. 27, no. 2 -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. "A musical joke": Divertimento in F major, K. 522 -- Joseph Haydn. "Ox minuet": Minuet for orchestra -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "Pastorale": Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68 -- "Pathetique": Sonata for piano in C minor, op. 13 -- Peter Ilich Tchaikowsky [Tchaikovsky]. "Pathetique": Symphony no. 6 in B minor -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "The rage over the lost penny": Rondo a capriccio in C major, for piano op. 129 -- Frederic Chopin. "Raindrop prelude": Prelude no. 15 for piano in D♭ major -- Joseph Haydn. "Razor quartet": String quartet in F minor, op. 55, no. 2 -- "Revolutionary étude": Étude for piano in C minor, op. 10, no. 12 -- Felix Mendelssohn. "Spinning song": Piano piece op. 67 no. 4 in C major, from "Songs without words" -- Joseph Haydn. "Surprise symphony": Symphony no. 94 in G major -- "Toy symphony": Symphony in C major -- Franz Schuber symphony": Symphony no. 8 in B minor -- Frederic Handel. "Water music": Suite for orchestra -- Ludwig van Beethoven. "With two eyeglasses obligato": Duet for viola and 'cello in E♭ major -- |
| Abstract |
Once, if you were a king, you might have asked a great composer to write you a symphony. And if the composer's work pleased you, you might have given him a snuff box filled with gold. The composer, to honor you, might then have nicknamed the composition The Snuff Box Symphony. Many of the world's great pieces of music received their nicknames in just this way and more than 50 stories behind such names are told here. Stories of pieces cannot be separated from composers, however. So, added to the stories, are sixteen musical biographies, from Scarlatti to Copland, that show how music theory developed in the last 250 years. Included are the compositions and composers that beginning musicians and listeners are most likely to know. But even advanced learners will find the accounts lively and the music samples and the careful glossary valuable. |
| Biographical note | Freda Pastor Berkowitz started to study the piano at the age of seven in Newark, New Jersey. She displayed an outstanding musical talent and from 1926 through 1927 she studied privately with David Saperton. The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia accepted her in 1928 where she continued her studies with Mr. Saperton and took additional lessons from Joseph Hofmann, Director of the Institute and internationally known pianist. Mrs. Berkowitz graduated from the Institute with a Bachelor of Music degree and has remained there as a member of the faculty since 1936. Now, in addition to her work at Curtis, she teaches privately in Philadelphia. She has two daughters, Ellen and Joan, and two grandchildren, Gregory and Peter. This is Mrs. Berkowitz's first book. |
