Cocktail Party Fact: Telemann got to visit Paris because of a copyright violation. A collection of his quartets appeared in Paris in a pirated edition. The pirated quartets made him so popular he was invited to the French capital and spent eight months enjoying the acclaim — and patronage — of his fans.
Commitment Factor: About [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: Carl Nielsen wrote his Fifth Symphony soon after the First World War ended. Bordering on expressionism in places, it’s the most “modern” of his symphonies, and caused a riot when it was first performed in Stockholm.
Commitment Factor: About 33 minutes.
Vital Statistics: Late Romantic Period. A symphony in two long movements.
What to [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: Probably the most famous violin concerto ever written–you’ll recognize it immediately.
Commitment Factor: About 25 minutes
Vital Statistics: Romantic Period (1844). This concerto employs the usual, three-movement form (fast-slow-fast), but with a couple of unique features: first, the violin begins immediately, without the usual long orchestral introduction. This innovation set the pattern for virtually [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: The Concerts Royaux entertained Louis XIV near the end of his reign, when he was coping with two hardships: military defeat and an exceptionally pious wife.
Commitment Factor: About ten to eighteen minutes per suite
Vital Statistics: Baroque Period (1715) Four suites composed for Louis XIV’s Sunday chamber concerts. Each suite includes a prelude [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: The third movement of this trio and the fifth movement of the German Requiem were both written in response to the death of Brahms’ mother.
Commitment Factor: About 25 minutes
Vital Statistics: Late Romantic Period (1865). The trio is probably the only important piece written for this combination of instruments. Its four movements include [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: The Septet for Strings and Winds became so popular Beethoven complained that it was obscuring his other works.
Commitment Factor: About forty minutes.
Vital Statistics: Classical Period (1800). Beethoven’s Opus 20 is a six movement piece which resembles the serenades and divertimentos that were popular in Mozart’s time. It is scored for violin, viola, [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven’s friend and staunchest supporter among the nobility, was also a very decent composer in his own right.
Commitment Factor: About 37 minutes
Vital Statistics: Classical Period (1811). Composed for piano, violin and cello in four movements. Beethoven’s Trios are the greatest written for this combination of instruments, alongside those of Schubert, [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: The Mass in B Minor has been called one of the greatest resumes ever written. Bach sent two sections of it to the ruler of Saxony because he wanted a court appointment. He got the job.
Commitment Factor: About two and a half hours.
Vital Statistics: High Baroque Period (1740). This is probably the [...]

Active Years: 1770-1827
Position: Great German composer
Career Highlights: Fifth Symphony, Ninth Symphony, “Emperor” Concerto.
Career Totals: 9 Symphonies, 9 overtures, 16 quartets, various concertos, 10 sonatas for violin, dozens for piano, 1 opera, 2 masses, various songs and incidental music.
Scouting Report: Not a child prodigy, but a tireless worker, a man of quick temper, did not suffer [...]

Active Years: 1910-1981
Position: American Composer
Career Highlights: Adagio for Strings, Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto, Vanessa.
Career Totals: Three operas; two ballets; two symphonies; one each of string quartet, violin concerto, cello concerto, cello sonata, piano concerto and piano sonata; three “essays” for orchestra; miscellaneous orchestral and chamber pieces; dozens of songs and other vocal works.
Scouting Report: The [...]