Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

141 results found

Henschel, Sir George

(Encyclopedia)Henschel, Sir George hĕnˈshəl [key], 1850–1934, German-English conductor, composer, and baritone. His first appearance (1877) in England was as a singer, and there he and his wife inaugurated (c....

Gudrun

(Encyclopedia)Gudrun ko͝oˈ– [key], in Germanic literature. 1 Heroine of the Icelandic epic, the Volsungasaga. 2 Heroine and title person of an anonymous Middle High German epic written shortly after and strongl...

impressionism, in music

(Encyclopedia)impressionism, in music, a French movement in the late 19th and early 20th cent. It was begun by Debussy in reaction to the dramatic and dynamic emotionalism of romantic music, especially that of Wagn...

English horn

(Encyclopedia)CE5 English horn English horn, musical instrument, the alto of the oboe family, pitched a fifth lower than the oboe and treated as a transposing instrument. It has a pear-shaped bell, giving it a ...

Tatlin, Vladimir

(Encyclopedia)Tatlin, Vladimir tätˈlyĭn [key], 1885–1953, Russian painter and sculptor, known as the Father of Russian constructivism. After graduating (1910) from the Moscow Academy of Fine Arts, he traveled ...

Spohr, Ludwig

(Encyclopedia)Spohr, Ludwig or Louis lo͝otˈvĭkh shpōr, lo͞oˈē [key], 1784–1859, German composer, conductor, and violinist. After touring Europe extensively, he was (1822–57) court conductor in Kassel. Hi...

aria

(Encyclopedia)aria ärˈēə [key], elaborate and often lengthy solo song with instrumental accompaniment. In the 16th cent. it was a melody improvised over a strophic bass line, and a distinction was made between ...

Lohengrin

(Encyclopedia)Lohengrin lōˈən-grĭn [key], in medieval German story, a knight of the Holy Grail, son of Parzival. He is sent to rescue Princess Elsa of Brabant from an unwanted suitor. Led to Antwerp by a swan, ...

Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich

(Encyclopedia)Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich dēˈtrĭkh fĭshˈər-dēsˈkou [key], 1925–2012, German baritone. Possessed of a sensitive voice capable of a wide variety of range and expression, Fischer-Dieskau was th...

Wolfram von Eschenbach

(Encyclopedia)Wolfram von Eschenbach vôlˈfräm fən ĕshˈənbäkh [key], c.1170–c.1220, German poet. Perhaps the greatest of the German minnesingers, and one of the finest poets of medieval Europe. He was a kn...