It’s 18 September, and we all know what that means! Yes, it’s National First Love Day, a day dedicated to that fizzy, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling of your very first crush. It’s a day to toast those heart-pounding moments that tasted like

The Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895–1968) made his career as an active pianist, critic, and composer starting in the 1920s. In 1922, at the first International Festival of Contemporary Music, he joined fellow Italian composers Gian Francesco Malipiero (1882-1973), Ferruccio

Johann Strauss II, known as the Waltz King, is one of the most famous composers of all time. His wife, Henrietta (Jetty) Treffz, was an integral inspiration behind her husband’s music, including the famous Blue Danube waltz. There isn’t much

Saddle up, folks, because every September 17, the world tips its cowboy hat to International Country Music Day! It’s a day to crank up the twang, strum a guitar, and celebrate the heart and soul of country music. Now, some

People wonder what classical musicians do all day. Do they spend every waking hour, when not performing, closeted in a practice room, isolated from the world, their only companions dead composers? The reality is, of course, rather different. And memoirs

Elfrida Andrée is one of the most remarkable women composers of the nineteenth century. She campaigned to become the first professional woman organist in Sweden, paving the way for countless women after her. But she didn’t stop there: she also

Born in December 1851, Eugenie Schumann was the seventh of Robert and Clara Schumann’s eight children. In 1920, she wrote a memoir about her life and family. It offers priceless insight into the genius of her mother and their entire

Following on from her Essential Piano Technique Primers and Level 1, acclaimed pedagogue and pianist Professor Penelope Roskell continues this excellent series with Levels 2 and 3, aimed at Grades 1 to 2 and 3 to 4, respectively. These volumes