August Stradal facts for kids
August Stradal (born May 17, 1860, in Teplice, Bohemia – died March 13, 1930, in Krásná Lípa) was a talented musician. He was a virtuoso pianist, meaning he was extremely skilled at playing the piano. He also worked as an arranger, composer, author, and music teacher.
An arranger takes music written for one instrument or group of instruments and changes it so it can be played by another. August Stradal was very good at this. He arranged music from many famous composers like Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt, Mozart, and Wagner. He made their pieces playable on the piano.
August Stradal was a student of the famous composer Anton Bruckner. He arranged Bruckner's symphonies (like big orchestral pieces) for solo piano. This meant one person could play these grand works on a single piano. He also studied piano with two other great teachers: Theodor Leschetizky and Franz Liszt. He learned from Liszt starting in 1884. He even played some of Liszt's most challenging pieces in Liszt's special master classes. Stradal also arranged all 13 of Liszt's Symphonic Poems for piano.
In 1928, August Stradal received the Czechoslovak State Award for his contributions to music.
What music did August Stradal arrange?
August Stradal arranged many different kinds of music for solo piano. He helped make complex orchestral or organ pieces available for pianists to play.
- He arranged pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, including parts of his famous Brandenburg Concertos.
- He also took a Beethoven String Quartet and arranged it for piano.
- From Anton Bruckner, he arranged the String Quintet in F major.
- He worked on several pieces by the Baroque composer Dieterich Buxtehude, like his Preludes and Fugues.
- He arranged many works by his teacher Franz Liszt, including the "Dante Symphony" and "Faust Symphony."
- He even arranged Mozart's Symphony No. 40.
- From Richard Wagner's operas, he arranged famous parts like "Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Walküre.
- He also arranged a concert paraphrase of a waltz by Johann Strauss.
See also
In Spanish: August Stradal para niños
