Franz Schubert was in dire straits in the mid-1820s. He was very ill and this seems to have crept into his music. His String Quartet No. 14 in D minor was called ‘the most morose instrumental work’ in the Viennese

A Short Summery of American Classical Music and Its Leading Figures A recent visit to Los Angeles triggered the intensification of my curiosity of American art in general, but particularly American classical music. While quite aware of many American composers

For a good many of his contemporaries, Claude Debussy was considered unsociable and reserved. Some writers even describe him as having “little strength of character.” To be sure, he frequently distanced himself from most musicians and tended to mingle with

Our Guide to The Gavotte Dance Coming from the area of the Gavot in Brittany, the gavotte is a dance in duple time usually of a moderate tempo. In the late 16th century, the Gavotte was usually associated with the

Over the course of 40 years, Leonard Bernstein crafted a series of short compositions to honor close friends, relatives, family members, and professional colleagues. He started writing his “Anniversaries” in the 1940s and composed the last group in 1988, two

In 1498, in response to the announcement of the end of the world that the European Christian world believed would happen in 1500, the 27-year-old Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) completed his sixteen designs for the Apokalyse (Apocalypse). Dürer was born in

As a child, Andris Nelsons desperately wanted to become a football player. However, he soon got interested in playing the piano, the trumpet, and singing before turning his attention towards conducting. Nelsons was born in the Latvian capital Riga on

“A must for every lover of the romantic cello” British Cellist Dr. Sophie Webber is not only an internationally accomplished soloist, chamber musician, and educator, she is an artist who believes in the healing power of music. She creates innovative