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Graupner, Christoph

(Encyclopedia)Graupner, Christoph krĭsˈtôf groupˈnər [key], 1693–1760, German composer, studied at Leipzig with Johann Heinichen and Johann Kuhnau. After playing harpsichord at the Hamburg opera (1706–9) u...

Arnstadt

(Encyclopedia)Arnstadt ärnˈshtät [key], city, Thuringia, E Germany, on the Gera River. Known for its glove-manufacturing industries, Arnstadt also has glassworks, wood-finishing work...

Arrau, Claudio

(Encyclopedia)Arrau, Claudio clawdēō ărˈrō [key], 1903–91, classical pianist, b. Chile. In 1911 he was sponsored by the Chilean government to study with Martin Krause in Berlin, where his talent attracted at...

chaconne and passacaglia

(Encyclopedia)chaconne päˌsəkälˈyə [key], two closely related musical forms popular during the baroque period. Both are in triple meter time and employ a characteristic recurring harmonic pattern or actual ba...

Buxtehude, Dietrich

(Encyclopedia)Buxtehude, Dietrich dēˈtrĭkh bo͝oksˌtəho͞oˈdə [key], c.1637–1707, Danish composer and organist. From 1668 until his death he was organist at Lübeck, where he established a famous series of...

counterpoint

(Encyclopedia)counterpoint, in music, the art of combining melodies each of which is independent though forming part of a homogeneous texture. The term derives from the Latin for “point against point,” meaning ...

Widor, Charles Marie

(Encyclopedia)Widor, Charles Marie shärl märēˈ vēdōrˈ [key], 1845–1937, French organist and composer. He was organist at St. Sulpice from 1869 until his retirement in 1934. In 1891 he succeeded César Fran...

chorale

(Encyclopedia)chorale kōrălˈ, –rälˈ [key], any of the traditional hymns of the German Protestant Church. The form was developed after the Reformation to replace the plainsong of the earlier service and as a ...

Mitropoulos, Dimitri

(Encyclopedia)Mitropoulos, Dimitri dēmēˈtrē mētrôˈpo͞olôs [key], 1896–1960, Greek-American conductor. A piano pupil of Busoni, in 1930 he substituted for an indisposed piano soloist and simultaneously co...

toccata

(Encyclopedia)toccata təkäˈtə, tō– [key] [Ital.,=touched], type of musical composition. Early examples were written for various instruments, but the best-known form of toccata originated about the beginning ...