Musical notation is a fascinating and multifaceted thing. In previous articles, we’ve explored the beguiling ambiguity of graphic scores and the quirky potential of performance directions as exemplified in the works of Erik Satie. Today, we explore so-called “text scores”

Many modern listeners are fascinated by the love triangle of Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Johannes Brahms. If Interlude’s analytics are anything to go by, so are you! This musical trio has been sparking fascination for generations, so much so

Classical musicians and listeners tend to take it for granted that great pianists have two working hands. But some of the most remarkable piano careers of the past two centuries were built under radically different circumstances. From the nineteenth century

Few composer biographies contain as much romanticised mythology as Frédéric Chopin. Over time, selective anecdotes, early biographies, and nineteenth-century ideals of the “suffering artist” have hardened into familiar clichés: the frail invalid, the melancholic recluse, the salon dilettante undone by

The twentieth century transformed the role of conductor from timekeeper into a powerful cultural figure: not just an orchestra leader, but an authority figure that loomed increasingly large in mass media and pop culture. (Think Stokowski’s silhouette in Fantasia.) As

You may not know that the tuba has quite an expressive range and versatility, with a sound that is deep, rich, and full-bodied. The tuba, the big boy of the brass section, will sometimes throw its weight around. The tuba

Ludwig van Beethoven may be one of the most famous composers in Western music history, but he’s also one of the most misunderstood. Over the past two centuries, a powerful mythology has grown around Beethoven: the image of a lonely,

The first opera I ever saw live on stage was Carl Maria von Weber’s masterpiece Euryanthe. It was all a bit confusing at first, because there was just so much going on. I tried to follow everything, including the story,