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Wellesz, Egon

(Encyclopedia)Wellesz, Egon āˈgŏn vĕlˈĕs [key], 1885–1974, Austrian composer and musicologist. Wellesz studied with Schoenberg at the same time as Berg and Webern. His early compositions show the influence ...

Medici, Giuliano de'

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Giuliano de' dā mĕˈdĭchē, Ital. māˈdēchē [key], 1479–1516, duke of Nemours (1515–16); younger son of Lorenzo de' Medici (Lorenzo il Magnifico) and brother of Pope Leo X. He enter...

Gaza, Theodore

(Encyclopedia)Gaza, Theodore gāˈzə, gäˈ– [key], c.1398–c.1478, Greek scholar, b. Salonica. When the Turks attacked Constantinople, he went to Italy, where he became one of the greatest classical scholars a...

Abd al-Malik

(Encyclopedia)Abd al-Malik äbˌdo͝ol-mälĭkˈ [key], c.646–705, 5th Umayyad caliph (685–705); son of Marwan I. At his accession, Islam was torn by dissension and threatened by the Byzantine Empire. With the ...

Gregory I, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Gregory I, Saint (Saint Gregory the Great), c.540–604, pope (590–604), a Roman; successor of Pelagius II. A Doctor of the Church, he was distinguished for his spiritual and temporal leadership. Hi...

Medici, Piero de', 1471–1503, Italian merchant prince

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Piero de', 1471–1503, Italian merchant prince. He succeeded his father, Lorenzo de' Medici (Lorenzo il Magnifico), as head of the Medici family and as leader of the Florentine state. In 1494...

Rheinberger, Josef

(Encyclopedia)Rheinberger, Josef yōˈzĕf rīnˈbĕrgər [key], 1839–1901, German composer; studied at the Munich Conservatory, where he later taught. An eclectic, late romantic composer, he wrote 20 organ sonat...

René

(Encyclopedia)René rənāˈ [key], 1409–80, king of Naples (1435–80; rival claimant to Alfonso V of Aragón and Ferdinand I of Naples), duke of Anjou, Bar, and Lorraine, count of Provence. He was also called R...

Yasnaya Polyana

(Encyclopedia)Yasnaya Polyana yäˈsnīə pəlyäˈnə [key], village, central European Russia, just S of Tula. It was the birthplace and residence of Leo Tolstoy, who is buried at his estate there. The writer's ho...

Bakocz, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Bakocz or Bakacs, Thomas tŏˈmäsh [key], c.1442–1521, Hungarian politician, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is often called the Hungarian Wolsey. Of unbounded ambition, he rose from serv...