In November 1828, composer Franz Schubert died in his brother’s house, unmarried. The fact is somewhat ironic. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most emotionally expressive composers of his generation. He helped invent the Romantic-era art song,

In June 1933, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed a symphony by an American woman for the first time in its history. The composer was Florence Price – a Black woman from Little Rock, Arkansas, who had spent years navigating an

In our inaugural episode on forgotten Romantic piano concertos, we discovered unexpected and wonderful music by Bortkiewicz, Scharwenka, Beach, Potter and Widor. These much-neglected nineteenth- and early twentieth-century piano concertos and concertante works have been brought to light in 87

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most famous composers who ever lived – but how much do you really know about him? Beyond his iconic symphonies and the legendary deafness, he lived a life full of mystery, heartbreak, and

Stradivari violins may be the most thoroughly analysed musical instruments ever made. We have taken photographs and videos of them. We have put them into CT scanners and under electron microscopes. We have scientifically analysed the wood cell by cell,

In the world of string-instrument making, the 17th-century masters from Cremona, Stradivari and Guarneri, top the list. They made not just violins but also violas, cellos, and guitars, which have become legacy instruments passed down from generation to generation. To

In July 2020, a Japanese pianist named Hayato Sumino sat down at his piano to record a video for his YouTube channel, Cateen. In it, he performs “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” seven times in a row. Each time he ups

When we think of the world’s great pianists – names like Liszt, Horowitz, and Zimerman – we imagine packed concert halls, thunderous applause, and glamorous virtuosity. But behind the scenes, many of these musical legends shared their lives not just