Last week, we began our quest to uncover how prolific composers of the past -- especially those of the high classical period -- wrote vast amounts of music in relatively little time. As we discovered, the existence of archetypal formal models provided general guidelines according to which one could build musical works, thus expediting the process of creation, at least to a certain extent. To reinforce a point I made last week, this is not to suggest that the music in question is formulaic in any pejorative sense; on the contrary, the astounding variety that composers were able to achieve with a common foundation speaks to their ingenuity.

This week, I'd like to discuss yet another 'familial skeleton' upon which composers cast infinitely varied skins: the 'period'...

ANDREW SCHARTMANN'S MUSICAL TIDBITS

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

ALFRED BRENDEL

MITSUKO UCHIDA

PIANO MUSIC