Biography of pianist and composer Amy Beach. Amy Marcy Beach (September 5, 1867 – December 27, 1944), was a American pianist and composer of classical music. She was the first successful female American composer. Many of her composition and performances were under the name Mrs. H.H.A. Beach. She was born Amy Marcy Cheney in Henniker, […]
Biography of composer Arthur Bliss. Born in 1891 of an English father and American mother, Arthur Bliss was destined to display characteristics of both nations, his profound romanticism balanced by an unquenchable energy and optimism. After studying at the Royal College of Music under Stanford, he served as an infantry officer in the First World […]
Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680) was a German Jesuit priest and polymath.Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680) was a German Jesuit priest and polymath who spent most of his life in Rome. Kircher published a large number of large books on a very wide variety of subjects, such as Egyptology, geology, and music theory. Kircher’s greatest work is Oedipus Aegyptiacus […]
Erasmus Darwin (December 12, 1731 – April 18, 1802) trained as a physician and wrote extensively on medicine and botany, as well as poetry. Erasmus Darwin (December 12, 1731 – April 18, 1802) trained as a physician and wrote extensively on medicine and botany, as well as poetry. Living in Birmingham and Lichfield, England. He […]
Biography ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (March 19, 1872 – August 19, 1929), often known as Serge, was a Russian ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes from which many famous dancers and choreographers would later arise. Born in Perm, Russia, in 1910 Diaghilev organised the first of 20 ballet seasons in […]
Definition of synaesthesia. Synaesthesia is the neurological mixing of the senses. A synaesthetic may, for example, hear colors, see sounds, and taste tactile sensations. While this may happen in a person who has autism, it is by no means exclusive to autistics. Synaesthesia is a common effect of some hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD. Synaesthetics […]
History of Serge Diaghilev’s ballet company. The ballet company Ballets Russes created a sensation in Western Europe in the early years of the 20th century, due to the great vitality of Russian ballet, as compared with what was current in France at the time. It became the most influential ballet company in 20th century, and […]
Plato (c. 427 BC – c. 347 BC) was an immensely influential classical Greek philosopher, student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. His most famous work is The Republic (Greek Politeia, ‘city’) in which he outlines his vision of “an ideal” state. He also wrote the Laws and many dialogues in which Socrates is the […]
Aristotle, known as Aristoteles in most languages other than English (Aristotele in Italian), (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher. Along with Plato, he is often considered to be one of the two most influential philosophers in Western thought. Introduction The three greatest ancient Greek philosophers were Aristotle, Plato, who was […]
Archytas (428 BC – 347 BC), was a Greek philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, statesman, strategist and commander-in-chief. Archytas was born in Tarentum, Magna Graecia (now Italy) and was the son of Mnesagoras or Histiaeus. He was taught for a while by Philolaus and he was a teacher of mathematics to Eudoxus of Cnidus. He was scientist […]
