In the summer 1907, Gustav Mahler’s mother in law suffered a mild heart attack. When the district physician was called to examine her, Gustav Mahler invited the physician to also take a look at him. To everyone’s surprise, Mahler was

It is not clear when Giaochino Rossini and Olympe Pélissier first met, but by 1832 they were undoubtedly in a relationship. He had departed for Paris in 1830 and had left his wife Isabella Colbran unceremoniously behind. She was an

The most common form of popular music in India is film music – songs from the movies, and Sperry has not shied away from adapting this form for choirs. Popular Music in Choral Format As mentioned in Part I of

The Most Famous Competition for French Arts Students There can be no doubt that the most famous competition for French arts students, offering winners a funded period of study in Rome, was the “Grand Prix de Rome”. Established in 1663

On the most basic level, we practice to get better, to become proficient, to ensure we never play a wrong note. However, productive practising should never just be mindless “note bashing”. As pianist and renowned teacher Seymour Bernstein says in

What is classical music and why does it make some people tremble in their boots? “Do you like classical music?” I ask. Responses range from, “I don’t know anything about it!”, “I can’t sit still for that long…” and “I

In late September or early October 1828—two months before his death—Franz Schubert completed his C-major string quintet. He passed the work to his Leipzig publisher Heinrich Albert Probst on 2 October 1828, writing in the accompanying letter, “Among other things,

Octet in F Major, op. 166, D. 803 for clarinet, horn, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass From Schubert: Octet D. 803 (2018) Released by Harmonia Mundi Schubert: Octet in F Major, op. 166, D. 803A mysterious beauty