Robert Schumann’s Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17, opens with a passionate declaration of what scholars and performers often call the “Clara theme,” a five-note descending scale. But what is this melody, and why does it matter? To understand it, its

Great composers are often placed on pedestals, and it can be easy to forget that they spent their careers working alongside talented composer colleagues. Johannes Brahms was no exception. Today, we’re looking at the lives and music of five of

It’s easy to forget that many famous composers, despite their creative and professional productivity, lived with debilitating chronic illnesses. Sometimes these health issues sprang up after accidents, or were exacerbated by accidents. Today, we’re looking at four great composers whose

Max Steiner, hailed as the “father of film music,” is one of the most influential composers in the history of Hollywood. Over the course of a career that spanned half a century, Steiner crafted some of the most iconic scores

To mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, the Sitkovetsky Trio embarked on an ambitious project to record the complete set of the composer’s piano trios for BIS Records. This project, with the exception of a couple of small fragments,

Today we’re going to talk about symphonies. What exactly is a symphony? Is it different from a sinfonia? And, depending on your answer to that question, which composer has written the most symphonies of all time? And how many symphonies

How would you like to be part of a fabulous ride through the glittering world of Der Rosenkavalier? It’s Richard Strauss’ opulent opera that’s basically a Viennese pasty of romance, wit, and plenty of wigs! This 1911 masterpiece, with a

Franz Liszt, arguably the greatest pianist who ever lived, wasn’t keen on giving formal music lessons. He preferred to work with pianists one-on-one in mentor relationships instead. One of the rare exceptions was Polish pianist Karl Tausig, an outrageously talented