Blogs

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Rise of the Musico-Mechanist
George Antheil’s Airplane Sonata
For American composer George Antheil, the mechanisms of the modern age were the future of the world. He thought that ‘The environment of the machine has already become a spiritual thing…’ and wrote music that tried to capture both the
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My favorite Canons and other Musical Puzzles II
Bach: Goldberg Variations
In his Goldberg Variations, Musical Offering, and the canonic variations on “Vom Himmel hoch,” Bach pursued canonic procedure to its absolute limits. The use of canon no longer merely serves to lend emphasis or cogency to the composer’s part-writing, but
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The Samuel Dushkin-Igor Stravinsky Collaborations
“Lyricism with rules”
During his long performing career, the Polish-American violinist and composer Samuel Dushkin (1891-1976) was never considered a flashy virtuoso violinist but rather a highly respected musician. In his recordings, Dushkin reveals a powerful vibrato on the lower strings. Possibly attributed
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My Favorite Canons and Other Musical Puzzles
When musicians and composers get together to have a little brainy fun, they generally turn towards counterpoint. But not just any counterpoint, as composers throughout the ages have looked towards imitative counterpoint as practiced in canons and rounds. So, what
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Seven Best Works by Clara Schumann, According to YouTube
Have you ever wanted a primer on Clara Wieck Schumann‘s works but didn’t know where to begin? Have you ever been curious about which of her works has resonated the most with listeners? Today, we’re going to YouTube for answers:
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Composers in the Court Room
Elvira Puccini vs. Emilia Manfredi
On 1 February 1908 Emilia Manfredi filed a formal lawsuit charging Elvira Puccini with causing the suicide of her daughter Doria. Subjected to continual and blatant defamation, the lawsuit read, Doria Manfredi had swallowed a lethal amount of sublimate, a
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30 Best Classical Music Movies As Rated by Rotten Tomatoes
Looking for a movie about classical music to watch? You’re in luck! Today we’ve not only assembled a list of thirty movies about classical music, but we’ve also checked in with movie review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes to see which
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The Perils of Playing and Instrument Drops- it’s a Thing
As if we musicians don’t have more than our share of challenges to contend with, we heard the recent story of the energetic and exultant conductor who kicked a soloist’s violin right out of his hands. The Czech violinist, classical,
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