Music and dance

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  Classical music

  Music is the organization of sounds and silences to produce a work that is designed to give pleasure to the listener. Music can be written down in advance or improvised (made up on...

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  Johann Sebastian Bach

  The German composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) is one of the most-loved and admired composers of all time. He composed during the first half of the 18th...

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  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91) was an Austrian composer. He began to compose at a very early age and performed in public from the age of six. His many compositions include...

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  Ludwig van Beethoven

  Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a German composer and pianist. His symphonies and other works are among the greatest and most popular classical compositions ever written...

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  Orchestra

  An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing instruments usually from different families, such as strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. A classical symphony orchestra...

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  String instruments

  The string section of the modern orchestra are all members of the violin family and consist of the violin, viola, cello (short for violoncello) and double bass. The violin family...

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  Woodwind instruments

  The woodwind section of the modern orchestra consists of flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. Often added to these instruments are the piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet and...

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  Brass instruments

  A brass instrument makes its sounds when the player presses his or her lips against a cup-shaped mouthpiece and forces air through them, causing the lips to vibrate or “buzz”...

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  Opera

  An opera is a work in which singers, musicians and sometimes dancers perform a drama. An opera combines a text, known as a libretto ("little book"), and a musical score. The...

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  Ballet

  Ballet is a classic form of dance that began about 400 years ago in Italy. It became popular in France in the 17th century, which is why so many ballet steps have French names. The...

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