May, 2023

76 Posts
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Children’s Play or Adult Play: Jumping Rope and Skipping
When composers are seeking to broaden their reach, they often look backwards to music for children or, their personal circumstances change so that children enter their adult world. Such was the case for Robert Schumann when he created his Album
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On This Day
12 May: Gabriel Fauré Was Born
Gabriel Fauré was born on 12 May 1845 in the small town of Pamiers, in the department of Ariège, in the south of France. He was the youngest of six children born to Toussaint-Honoré Fauré (1810–85) and Marie-Antoinette-Hélène Lalène-Laprade (1809–87),
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On This Day
11 May: Emmanuelle Haïm Was Born
The English press has affectionately dubbed Emmanuelle Haïm “The Ms Dynamite of the French Baroque.” Born on 11 May 1962 in Paris, she grew up in a highly musical household. Her father’s family hailed from Istanbul, and all of them
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The Power of Quiet
It’s still quite unusual these days to attend a concert where the programme begins with a quiet and/or slow piece. Often performers have a favourite “warm up” piece, one with which they feel very comfortable, which is a helpful way
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Pianist Angela Lau and Her Project Sharing Hong Kong Piano Music
Angela Lau is a Hong Kong pianist pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). In this interview, we discuss her latest performing project promoting music written by Hong
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A Concert of Hot Air: Dr Puff Finds Some Instruments
In his ground-breaking pre-Surrealist drawings, the French illustrator Grandville (born Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard) (1803–1847) created worlds of anthropomorphic vegetables and zoomorphic figures that would influence artists up through the 20th century. His 1843 book Un autre monde (Another World),
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On This Day
9 May: Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1 Was Premiered
On 9 May 1868, Anton Bruckner stepped onto the podium in the Austrian town of Linz. He stood in front of an orchestra consisting of members of the Linz theatre, regimental bands, and some local amateur musicians, and the premiere
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Famous Quotes About Violins and Violinists
The violin is one of the most perfect instruments! It is the soprano member of the family of string instruments and has extraordinary musical versatility. The beauty and emotional appeal of the instrument are close to the human voice, and
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