Chester Hintz The 100 most Influential Musicians Of All Time – Richard Wagner (b. May 22, 1813, Leipzig [Germany]—d. Feb. 13, 1883, Venice, Italy) German dramatic composer and theorist Richard Wagner revolutionized the course of Western music through the harmonic and melodic intensity of his operatic works. Among his major works are The Flying Dutchman (1843), Tannhäuser … Read more
The 100 most Influential Musicians Of All Time – Franz Liszt (b. Oct. 22, 1811, Raiding, Hung.—d. July 31, 1886, Bayreuth, Ger.) Hungarian musician Franz Liszt was one of the greatest piano virtuosi of all time and also was a respected composer of the Romantic period. Among his many notable compositions are his 12 symphonic … Read more
The 100 most Influential Musicians Of All Time – FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (b. March 1, 1810, Żelazow, near Warsaw, duchy of Warsaw [now in Poland]—d. Oct. 17, 1849, Paris, France) Frédéric François Chopin, a Polish-French composer and pianist of the Romantic period, is best known for his solo pieces for piano and for his piano concerti. … Read more
The 100 most Influential Musicians Of All Time – Felix Mendelssohn (b. Feb. 3, 1809, Hamburg [Germany]—d. Nov. 4, 1847, Leipzig) Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy—or Felix Mendelssohn—was a German composer, pianist, musical conductor, and teacher who was among the most celebrated figures of the early Romantic period. In his music Mendelssohn largely observed Classical models … Read more
The 100 most Influential Musicians Of All Time – Franz Schubert (b. Jan. 31, 1797, Himmelpfortgrund, near Vienna [Austria]—d. Nov. 19, 1828, Vienna) Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer who bridged the worlds of Classical and Romantic music. Although especially noted for his songs (lieder) and chamber music, he also wrote symphonies, masses, and … Read more
The 100 most Influential Musicians Of All Time – Ludwig Van Beethoven (baptized Dec. 17, 1770, Bonn, archbishopric of Cologne [Germany]—d. March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria) As the creator of some of the most influential pieces of music ever written, German composer Ludwig van Beethoven bridged the 18th-century Classical period and the new beginnings of … Read more
Pottery (c13,000BC) – 1000 Inventions and Discoveries Having harnessed the power of fire, people were able to make pottery. The first potters only needed to find some soft clay, shape it, and then heat it in a fire. Because an ordinary fire did not heat the clay very evenly, the resulting pots were fragile and … Read more
Boomerang (c19,000BC) – 1000 Inventions and Discoveries Used by hunters in Africa, India, and Australia, the boomerang was originally just a heavy stick thrown at an animal to injure it and make it easier to catch. Over the centuries, the stick was reshaped so that it would fly farther and faster, and even return to … Read more
House (c28,000BC) – 1000 Inventions and Discoveries People started to build houses about 30,000 years ago, but most people lived in shelters or caves. They also built simple huts, in which they probably lived for some time before moving on to find food. At Dolnì Vestonice in the Czech Republic, archaeologists have found the remains … Read more
Rope (c30,000BC) – 1000 Inventions and Discoveries It is difficult to say exactly when people first started to make rope because few early examples have survived, except in bogs, where the acid water has stopped it from rotting. But some early drawings and sculptures show it in use. It has also sometimes been preserved as … Read more
