WAPS COMPOSER OF THE WEEK

He is the most famous composer you've never heard of -- Scott Joplin was born near the end of 1867( the actual date is unknown) in Northern Texas. His parents were formerly enslaved and gave Scott some of his earliest music lessons. Scott taught himself to play the piano while his mother cleaned the houses of wealthy people who owned pianos (the Joplins did not have a piano at home). Later in his life, he began to write music and became known as "The King Of Ragtime" because of the style of music he created. An opera, music for ballet, and more than 44 ragtime dances for the piano are just a part of the music Joplin wrote in his life. Great story about Scot Joplin from NPR Here are some of his most well-known compositions: The Entertainer Maple Leaf Rag The Strenuous Life Easy Winners Treemonisha- Scott Joplin's Opera!  In English!

American composer Jennifer Higdon has earned a Pulitzer Prize and Grammy award! She is also a self-taught musician and did not study music with a teacher until she was in college. Ms. Higdon was born in New York City but lived in Atlanta for 10 years during her youth. Higdon has composed several pieces of music for The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she teaches music at The Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where she wrote "Blue Cathedral" one of her most popular compositions. She recently picked up her third Grammy award for "Harp Concerto"! Blue Cathedral (link has been fixed) Percussion Concerto (this is a short excerpt, for the entire work click here ) - Grammy Award Winner! Violin Concerto (Pulitzer Prize Winner) Harp Concerto - part three "Joy Ride" (Grammy 2020)

Born in Bonn, Germany in December of 1770 (Our home was still part of the British Empire)-- Beethoven re-defined what it meant to be a musician during his lifetime. At the time he was born, most musicians were in the employ of wealthy patrons who controlled what they created -- by the end of his life, Beethoven demonstrated that it was possible to create music that satisfied the composer and audiences would be happy to pay to hear it. His music is among some of the most well-known in the world. He wrote for voice, piano, orchestra, and many solo instruments. Listen to the following: Minuet in G Ninth Symphony (the theme you know begins at 1:06:30-it's over an hour of music!) Newly Completed 10th symphony using AI Rage Over A Lost Penny ( Humor from Beethoven) Beethoven Lives Upstairs (a great movie about Beethoven's life) Piano Sonata #31 in A-Flat (one of Mr. Montague's Favorites)