Unconscious bursts of creativity that engender significant artistic endeavors are not necessarily inspired by passionate romantic love alone. Greek mythology believed that this kind of stimulus came from nine muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. Muses were long considered the source of knowledge embodied in poetry, lyric songs and ancient myths. Throughout the history of Western art, artists, writers and musicians have prayed to the muses, or alternately, drawn inspiration from personified muses that conceptually reside beyond the borders of earthly love. True to life, however, composer inspiration has emerged from the entire spectrums of existence and being. Nature has always played a decidedly important role in the inspiration of various classical composers, as did exotic cities, landscapes or rituals. Composer inspiration is also found in poetry, the visual arts, and mythological stories and tales. Artistic, historical or cultural expressions of the past are just as inspirational as is the everyday: the third Punic War or the contrapuntal mastery of Bach is inspirationally just as relevant as are the virulent bat and camel. Composer inspiration is delightfully drawn from heroes and villains, scientific advances, a pet, or something as mundane as a hangover. Discover what fires the imagination of people who never stop asking questions.
In July 1884, Edward MacDowell (1860–1908) married his pupil Marian Nevins (1858–1956), and they immediately left for England for their honeymoon. Daughter of a Wall Street banker, Marian had gone to Europe to study with Clara Schumann at the Hoch
In Greek mythology, Orpheus, the greatest of all musicians and poets, lost his new bride Eurydice when she stepped on a viper and died from the bite. At the news, Orpheus wept so bitterly and sang so mournfully that all
As a continuation of his first book on the animals of the Chinese zodiac (Read more from The Chinese Zodiac for Children), Canadian composer Vincent Ho (b. 1975) wrote a book 2 that builds on Book 1 and takes a
Canadian composer Vincent Ho (b. 1975) looked at the music his children were learning and found very little that would support their Asian ancestry. Asian-themed pieces were rare and often involved stereotypes when written from a non-Asian background. His first
It’s that quiet time of the day. The day is ending, and the sun sets, leaving the sky filled with colour. Of course, in the winter, for those in northern climes, this happens far too early, and for those even
For some composers, the piano is a difficult instrument for which to compose. As one writer said, it’s more like a piece of ‘finely tuned machinery’ than a subtle instrument like the voice. For Danish composer Bent Sørensen (b. 1958),
As the days draw in, twilight becomes a special time of the day – the light is going, and the dark is coming, but we’re between the two times. The sky may flame with colour, and the trees around us
From the very beginning, the idea of flight has intrigued composers, whether they’re writing about Icarus or the Wright Brothers. We’ll look at some music inspired by planes – some positive and some less so. George Antheil, who brought a
