Blogs

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What Parts of the Immortal Beloved Movie Are True?
The 1994 film Immortal Beloved, about the mysterious woman Beethoven called his “Immortal Beloved”, is one of the more famous composer biopic movies. It begins with the death of Beethoven and follows the journey of his secretary, Anton Schindler, as
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Classical Music September Anniversaries: A Guide
September’s classical music anniversaries span both continents and centuries – from a 12th-century abbess who preached at a time when women were forbidden to speak in church, to a 20th-century violinist who spent World War II translating for a government
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Who Was Marie Wieck? Clara Schumann’s Forgotten Pianist Sister
Many classical music lovers know the broad strokes of the life and career of Clara Wieck Schumann: she was a renowned prodigy, her father, Friedrich, tried to keep her from marrying her true love, Robert Schumann, and she went on
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How to Find a Music Teacher: 7 Ways to Connect with Private Instructors
If you’re wondering how to find a music teacher, you’re not alone – and it’s harder than it looks. A Google search will favour teachers with optimised websites, which means the best teacher in your community might not show up
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The Forgotten Danish Gem: Aksel Schiøtz Sings Carl Nielsen
The Danish tenor Aksel Schiøtz (1906–1975) is probably a name unfamiliar to most today, not least because this musician, whose career was repeatedly disrupted by misfortune, enjoyed a true “solo career” of perhaps less than ten years—possibly considerably less. In
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Lady Radnor: The Victorian Countess Who Conducted Her Own All-Women Orchestra
Lady Radnor, born Helen Matilda Chaplin, was a trailblazer in the world of classical music during the late Victorian era. At a time when societal expectations restricted women’s roles in public life, she defied convention by stepping up onto the
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Lina Ramann: The Woman Who Wrote the First Liszt Biography
Franz Liszt is one of the most celebrated figures of nineteenth-century music: a composer, conductor, mentor, and pianist who redefined modern virtuosity. The longest modern Liszt biography is Professor Alan Walker’s three-volume work, which was published between 1983 and 1996.
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Marco Enrico Bossi
Fame, Fall, and Revival
The Italian organist and composer Marco Enrico Bossi (1861-1925) was the first internationally famous Italian concert artist. The Kingdom of Italy bestowed on him the highest ranks, and he became an honorary member of the most prestigious foreign and Italian
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