For centuries, many composers relied on royal patronage to make a living. Courts provided not only financial support but also a built-in audience, prestige, and much-needed stability. In France, Jean-Baptiste Lully rose from humble Italian beginnings to become one of

A set of short anonymous poems in Boston’s Musical Herald did a poetical job of setting out the history in limericks, along with unique rhyming spellings. We started in the 18th century with Gluck and then Haydn, and then looked

Today, the classical music canon is extremely well-established. In fact, it can sometimes feel like it has been set in stone and passed down from a pantheon of gods. However, it’s important to remember that many of the works we

We remember Leopold Mozart today as the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but his life story includes many more chapters than just the ones on his son. Leopold’s story on its own is incredibly remarkable. He was born into modest

Czech composer Leoš Janáček is best remembered today for his operas Jenůfa and The Cunning Little Vixen. As it turns out, his marriage was just as dramatic as any of his operas. In 1876, he began teaching piano to his

A set of short anonymous poems in Boston’s Musical Herald did a poetical job of setting out the history in limericks, along with unique rhyming spellings. We started in the 18th century with Gluck and then Haydn. Next, we’ll advance

Russian pianist Youri Egorov (1954–1988) was one of the most brilliant and tragic figures in twentieth-century classical music. As a young man, he won prizes at major competitions before shocking the music world with his disappearance and eventual defection. He

Many classical music lovers are at least vaguely familiar with the name Lili Boulanger. In 1913, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome prize offered by the Paris Conservatoire. Boulanger shattered that particular glass ceiling.