JANE AUSTEN

Jane Austen acclaimed by Virginia Woolf as the greatest women writers of her times was born on 16 December 1775 and blessed the lovers of literature with her mortal presence till the 18th day of July 1817, but her literary presence on mother earth is eternal. The reigning queen of English literature of her times was a novelist whose works of romantic fiction made her one of the most loved writers in English literature. Austen's strengths are her realism and her ability to mirror the society through her works.

Austen came from a middle class family or so to say the lower fringes of English gentry of those times with naturally inherited family values and always conscious of their respectable social status. The credit for her education goes primarily to her father as well as her keen interest in self study. A critical factor for Austen blossoming as a professional writer was the constant support of her family. She tried her hand at a number of different literary styles, including the epistolary novel which she tried and then abandoned. With the release of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1811), ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (1813), ‘Mansfield Park’ (1814) and ‘Emma’ (1816), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, ‘Northanger Abbey’ and ‘Persuasion’, both published posthumously in 1818, and began a third, which was eventually titled ‘Sanditon’, but died before completing it.

Austen's plots, though fundamentally comic, highlight the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security. During Austen's lifetime, because she chose to publish anonymously, her works brought her little personal fame and only a few positive reviews. Through the mid-nineteenth century, her novels were admired mainly by members of the literary elite. However, the publication of her nephew's A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1869 introduced her to a far wider public as an appealing personality and kindled popular interest in her works. By the 1940s, Austen had become widely accepted in academia as a "great English writer". By the second half of the 20th century a greater emphasis began to be placed on the artistic, ideological, and historical aspects of Jane Austen’s novels. Today Jane Austen has an ardent fan following all around the globe and many cinematic tributes are being paid to her work through film adaptations of her novels and her life history.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Elizabeth I was the Queen of England when Shakespeare was born in 1564. He was the son of a tradesman who made and sold gloves in the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon, and he was educated at the grammar school in the same town. When Shakespeare left school, he did not go to University as was expected of him. He worked probably in his father’s business. When he was 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who became the mother of his daughter, Susanna in 1583 and twins in 1585.

From 1585 until 1592 there are no documents that can tell us anything at all about Shakespeare. But we know that in 1592 he was known in London and he had become both an actor and a playwright.

We do not know when Shakespeare wrote his first play and indeed we are not sure of the order in which he wrote his works. His initial plays were on subjects taken from the history of England. It was partly because he was a very patriotic man, and partly because he was a shrewd businessman. He could see that theatre audiences enjoyed being shown their own history, and it was certain that he would make a profit from this kind of drama.

The plays in the next group are mainly comedies; With Romantic stories of young people who fall in love with one another and at the end of the play marry and live happily ever after.

At the end of the 16th century the happiness disappears and Shakespeare’ splays become melancholy, bitter and tragic. This change may have been caused by some sadness in the writer’s life due to the death of one of his twins children in 1596. Shakespeare, however, was not the only writer whose works at this time were very serious. The whole of England was facing a crisis. Queen Elizabeth I was growing old. She was greatly loved and the people were sad to think that she must die soon; they were also afraid, for the queen had never married and so there was no child to succeed her.

When James I came to throne in1603, Shakespeare continued to write serious drama-the great tragedies and plays based on Roman history (such as Julius Caesar) for which he is most famous. Finally, before he retired from the theatre, he wrote another set of comedies. All these have the same theme: they tell of happiness which is lost and then found again.

Shakespeare returned to Stratford, a rich and successful man. He owned one of the largest houses in town. He died in 1616.

Shakespeare also wrote two long poems and a collection of 154 sonnets other than his 37 plays. The sequence of sonnets describes two love affairs but we do not know who the lovers were.

Although there are many public documents concerned with his career as a writer and a businessman, Shakespeare has hidden his personal life from us. There is not even a trustworthy portrait of the world’s greatest dramatist.

'Shakespeare in Love' is a 1998 fictional romantic comedy based on the playwrite and the known people of that era. It is amust watch andwinner of seven academy awards. To watch a clip from the movie click on this link.

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http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=016A88566C185688&search_query=shakespeare+in+love

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), was a very prolific and greatly influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over six hundred works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers and one of the greatest musicians in history.

His parents were Leopold Mozart, a business-minded composer, brilliant violinist and an assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court , Maria Anna Pertl. Of the seven children, only Mozart and his older sister, Maria Anna or "Nannerl" as family called her, survived infancy.

Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg and his father encouraged and pushed his son. He began to play the harpsichord at the age of three. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five , and wrote his first minuet at six.At seven, he went on his First European Tour with his family. Before his ninth birthday, Mozart composed his first symphony, wrote his first oratorio at age eleven, and his first opera the following year. His teenage years were productive years as he forged more travels, compositions and early performances.

During Mozart's formative years, his family made several European journeys in which he and Nannerl were shown as child prodigies. These tours included Munich, Vienna, Prague, Mannheim, Paris and London. During these trips Mozart met a great number of musicians and acquainted himself with the works of other composers. A particularly important influence was Johann Christian Bach, whom Mozart visited in London.

After coming from the tour of Vienna, Wolfgangus tried to concentrate on improving and learning new skills in music, for this reason he did not plan any tour till 1770. In next three years from 1770 to 1773, Mozart toured Italy three times and gave many outstanding performances. While on tour of Italy, Mozart even wrote two of his famous operas 'Mitridate' and 'Lucio Silla'. Mozart showcased his talent and astonished his audience when he adopted Italian style in his music.

As a young man, while in one of his European travels in Mannheim, Mozart fell in love with a young soprano, Aloysia Weber. His love was not reciprocated. A year laterhis beloved mother died in Paris. With double heartache of his mother and first love, he returned to Salzburg. He found work at the court but was unhappy with its restrictions. He left Salzburg for Vienna in 1781, and decided to go solo, a freelance musician.

Here also Wolfgangus could not get any suitable post for himself. After Wolfgangus's all the unsuccessful trials, Leopold called him back to Salzburg, where he managed to arrange a high level post for his son. For next two years, Wolfgangus, worked at Court and played concerts at Courts and Cathedrals. He actively participated in concerts, serenades and also composed music for dramas.

At the end of two years Mozart was sent to the court at Vienna where he was not allowed to work for the post he wanted the most, he finally gave up trying to perform at the court in Vienna and got out of the job around 1781. After that period, Mozart received many golden opportunities to make a fortune when he created music while he was not at any post. Soon, Mozart started going in public, he played music in public functions, published his work and also started teaching music.

Mozart always learned voraciously from others, and developed a brilliance and maturity of style that encompassed the light and graceful along with the dark and passionate—the whole informed by a vision of humanity "redeemed through art, forgiven, and reconciled with nature and the absolute". His influence on all subsequent Western art music is profound. Beethoven wrote his own early compositions in the shadow of Mozart.

Mozart usually worked long and hard, finishing compositions at a tremendous pace as deadlines approached. He often made numerous sketches and drafts.

Mozart gained a reasonable popularity by publishing some beautiful sonatas music compositions, by performing in concerts and Operas and managing concerts on his own, without any assistance. He not only composed music for the concert but he also managed the orchestra. He married Constanze Weber, Aloysia's younger sister. Mozart earned enough to live a comfortable life, but because of his improper management of money and expenses, and frequent gambling, he was never able to save money for future and always had to borrow from others when was in need of money. The final years in Vienna yielded many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and the Requiem. The circumstances of his early death have been much mythologized. He was survived by his wife Constanze and two sons.

Mozart composed hundreds of beautiful and unique music works which include over 20 operas, about 14-15 Masses, 30-40 concerts (piano and violin), 50-60 symphonies, and 20 sonatas etc. Even after his death, Mozart remained and will remain one of the most favorite musicians for millions of his fans.

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Mozart's symphony no. 40 is one of his most famous and most people will recogonise it even if they cannot name it. Here is a video of the immortal composition.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mChJmHWLpII&feature=PlayList&p=0D06BE806CF84F1D&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

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Divya Gurnay

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet and Poet Laureate. He was a close friend of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and together they are credited with launching the Romantic age in poetry.

Wordsworth, born in his beloved Lake District, was the second of five children. He was very close to his elder sister Dorothy who was also a poet and a diarist. Their father was the legal representative of the first Earl of Lonsdale and through his connections; they lived in a large mansion in a small town. Wordsworth Sr. had little involvement with his children and remained a distant father till the end. Although rarely present, Wordsworth’s father did teach him poetry including Milton, Shakespeare and Spencer, in addition to giving him access to his huge private library.

As a boy, Wordsworth would stay at his mother’s house many times but he never got along with his grandparents and uncle. Harsh treatment and Hostile interactions with them distressed him to a point of contemplating suicide.

He went to college in Cambridge. In 1790 he went with friends on a walking tour to France, the Alps and Italy, before arriving in France where Wordsworth was to spend the next year. Whilst in France he fell in love twice over: once with a young French woman, Annette Vallon, who subsequently bore him a daughter, and then, once more, with the French Revolution. Returning to England he wrote, and left unpublished, his Letter to the Bishop of Llandaff - a tract in support of the French Revolutionary cause. In 1795, after receiving a legacy, Wordsworth lived with his sister Dorothy first in Dorset and then at Alfoxden, Dorset, close to Coleridge. In these years he wrote many of his greatest poems and also travelled with Coleridge and Dorothy, in the winter of 1798-79, to Germany. Two years later the second and enlarged edition of the Lyrical Ballads appeared in 1801. One year later Wordsworth married his childhood friend Mary Hutchinson.

This was followed, in 1807, by the publication of Poems in Two Volumes, which included the poems 'Resolution and Independence' and 'Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood'. During this period he also made new friendships with Walter Scott, Sir G. Beaumont and De Quincy, wrote such poems as 'Elegaic Stanzas suggested by a Picture of Peele Castle' (1807), and fathered five children. Sadly, three of their children predeceased William and Mary. He quit writing poetry when his daughter Dora died.

After Wordsworth’s death, his widow Mary published his lengthy autobiographical poem “The Prelude” several months after his death and it has been come to be known as his masterpiece.

Today Wordsworth's poetry remains widely read. Its almost universal appeal is perhaps best explained by Wordsworth's own words on the role, for him, of poetry; He called it "the most philosophical of all writing" whose object is "truth...carried alive into the heart by passion"

'"The Solitary Reaper" is one of Wordsworth's most famous post-Lyrical Ballads lyrics. The words of the reaper's song are incomprehensible to the speaker, so his attention is free to focus on the tone, expressive beauty, and the blissful mood it creates in him. The poem functions to 'praise the beauty of music and its fluid expressive beauty, the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling" that Wordsworth identified at the heart of poetry.'

THE SOLITARY REAPER

Behold her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!

Reaping and singing by herself;

Stop here, or gently pass!

Alone she cuts and binds the grain,

And sings a melancholy strain;

O listen! for the Vale profound

Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt

More welcome notes to weary bands

Of travellers in some shady haunt,

Among Arabian sands:

A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard

In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,

Breaking the silence of the seas

Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow

For old, unhappy, far-off things,

And battles long ago:

Or is it some more humble lay,

Familiar matter of to-day?

Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,

That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang

As if her song could have no ending;

I saw her singing at her work,

And o'er the sickle bending;--

I listened, motionless and still;

And, as I mounted up the hill,

The music in my heart I bore,

Long after it was heard no more.

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Here is a recitation of the poem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0T13tSoQYI

Divya Gurnay

ROBERT BROWNING

Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright of the 19th century whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.

Robert’s father was a man of fine intellect and character who loved collecting books. He amassed a library of around 6000 books and encouraged his son to read and take interest in literature and art. His mother, with whom he shared a close bond, was a talented musician and a devout non-conformist.

In his childhood, Robert was distinguished by his love for poetry and natural history; however he demonstrated a strong dislike for institutionalized education. Realising this, his parents arranged a suitable tutor for their son to be educated at home.

Browning was a fast learner and by the age of 14 was fluent in French, Greek, Italian, Latin as well as his native English. He quit college after one year of studying and his parents, understanding his decision, supported him well into his 30’s.

Browning became a great admirer of Romantic poets, especially Shelley. Following Shelley’s precedence, he became a vegetarian and an atheist, both of which he gave up later.

Browning fell in love with Elizabeth Barret with whom he shared deep love for poetry. The two married secretly because of her father’s disapproval and settled down in Italy. He wrote comparatively little poetry in the next 15 years. Until this time Browning had a relatively low profile. It was only after Elizabeth’s death that he moved back to England and wrote some of his most acclaimed poetry and finally got the recognition he deserved. He and Tennyson are now mentioned together as the foremost poets of the age.

Browning’s influence continued to grow and led to the forming of the Browning society in 1881. He died in 1889 on the same day as his final volume of verse, Asolando, was published. He lies buried in the poet’s corner of Westminster Abbey.

One of his famous poems is " Incident of the French Camp." It is based on a true incident which took place during Napoleon's war with Austria. It is a salutation to modest heroism .

I
You know, we French stormed Ratisbon:

A mile or so away,

On a little mound, Napoleon

Stood on our storming-day;

With neck out-thrust, you fancy how,

Legs wide, arms locked behind,

As if to balance the prone brow

Oppressive with its mind.

II
Just as perhaps he mused, "My plans

That soar, to earth may fall,

Let once my army-leader Lannes

Waver at yonder wall."

0ut 'twixt the battery-smokes there flew

A rider, bound on bound

Full-galloping; nor bridle drew

Until he reached the mound.

III
Then off there flung in smiling joy,

And held himself erect

By just his horse's mane, a boy:

You hardly could suspect

(So tight he kept his lips compressed

Scarce any blood came through)

You looked twice ere you saw his breast

Was all but shot in two.

IV
"Well," cried he, "Emperor, by God's grace

"We've got you Ratisbon!

"The Marshal's in the market-place,

And you'll be there anon

To see your flag-bird flap his vans

Where I, to heart's desire,

Perched him--" The chief's eye flashed; his plans

Soared up again like fire.

V
The chief's eye flashed, but presently

Softened itself, as sheathes

A film the mother-eagle's-eye

When her bruised eaglet breathes,

"You're wounded!" "Nay," the soldier's pride

Touched to the quick, he said:"I'm killed, Sire!" And his chief beside,

Smiling the boy fell dead.

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Here is a link to a beautiful recital of this poem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heu-QhAM_rA

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Divya Gurnay

BEETHOVEN

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770 to Johann van Beethoven and his wife, Maria Magdalena. He took his first music lessons from his father, who was tenor in the choir of the archbishop-elector of Cologne. His father was an unstable, yet ambitious man whose excessive drinking, rough temper and anxiety surprisingly did not diminish Beethoven's love for music.

When, despite his father's brutal teaching methods, Ludwig began to show signs of promise, other teachers were called in. By the age of seven he was advanced enough to appear in public. A year or so later the composer Christian Gottlob Neefe took over his musical training. Ch. G. Neefe introduced Beethoven to the works of Bach and Mozart.

He studied and performed with great success, despite becoming the breadwinner of his household by the time he was 18 years old. His father's increasingly serious alcohol problem and the earlier death of his grandfather in 1773 sent his family into deepening poverty.

At first, Beethoven made little impact on the musical society, despite his father's hopes. When he turned 11, he left school and became an assistant organist to Neefe at the court of Bonn. In 1783 he became the continuo player for the Bonn opera and accompanied their rehearsals on keyboard. In 1787, he was sent to Vienna to take further lessons from Mozart. Two months later, however, he was called back to Bonn by the death of his mother.

He started to play the viola in the Opera Orchestra in 1789, while also teaching in composing. He met Haydn in 1790, who agreed to teach him in Vienna, and Beethoven then moved to Vienna permanently. He received financial support from Prince Karl Lichnowsky, to whom he dedicated his Piano Sonata in C minor, better known as ‘The Pathétique’. He performed publicly in Vienna in 1795 for the first time, and published his Op. 1 and Op. 2 piano sonatas. His works are traditionally divided into three periods. The first is called the Viennese Classical, the second is the Heroic, and the third is Late Beethoven. In the first period, his individuality and style gradually developed, as he used many methods from Haydn, including the use of silence. He composed mainly for the piano during this period. These works include Symphony no. 1 in C (1800), his first six string quartets, and the Pathétique (1799). His Moonlight Sonata in C# minor (1801) is known as the first of Heroic Beethoven.

Beethoven learned that he would become deaf in 1802 and suffered sever depression. His composing skills were not affected by his deafness, but his ability to teach and perform was inhibited. It is said that he became deaf from his habit of pouring cold water over his head while composing, to refresh himself, and then not drying his massive amounts of hair afterwards. He wrote his only opera, Fidelio in 1805. The main theme of the opera revolves around fidelity, which reflects his personal desire to marry.

After 1813, during his Late period, Beethoven composed inwardly. He was totally deaf, as this is sometimes known as the "silent period." Some say that Beethoven was composing music for a different age. His life became more chaotic and he composed less and less. In his works, he used more miniaturization and expansion. The music began to become "odd" as he began to experiment with the number of movements, contrast in volume and dynamics, harmonic predictability, sonata movements and trills in his works. Beethoven became increasingly argumentative as he was further tormented by his deafness. Goethe described his attitude as aggressive, and perhaps understandable, but not easy to live with. He gave his last performance in 1814, on the piano, but continued to be a respected composer in Viennese society.

At Beethoven's death in 1827, Franz Grillparzer best described him during his funeral address when he said: "despite all these absurdities, there was something so touching and ennobling about him that one could not help admiring him and feeling drawn to him."

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To listen to Beethoven's fifth click on this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9fROt8h44c

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Marin Alsop leading the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra about her concert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qeODIQFcvk

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Divya Gurnay

ROBERT FROST

Robert Frost was a highly regarded American poet. He attended several schools but never got a degree although sixteen honorary degrees were conferred upon him later by many universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard.

Professional success came to Frost very late in life. He pursued many avocations. He was in turn a teacher, cobbler, editor, and farmer. He received several awards in his lifetime including four Pulitzers and in the end was made America’s national poet.

His personal life however was plagued with grief and loss. His father died when he was 11 years old and his mother died of cancer later. His sister had to be admitted into a mental hospital where she lived for 9 years. Mental illness seemed to run in the family.

Frost and his mother suffered from chronic depression and his wife too experienced frequent bouts of depression.

Frost had 6 children two of whom committed suicide and two died of disease. Only two children survived him.

Frost summed up his life with these words on his epitaph “I had a lover’s quarrel with the world.”

"Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening" was Frost's favourite of his own poems. The last stanza of this poem is very famous and often quoted.

STOPPING BY THE WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

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Here is a beautiful recitation of this poem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjozQHEqXNs

Divya Gurnay