In the first part of this article, we considered the vastly different experiences associated with classical concerts and concerts of other genres. We saw that “common sense” reasons for concert etiquette can veil much more intricate and meaningful matters, and

Everyone loves a great comeback story, and classical music is full of them. Some of today’s most beloved symphonies and ballets were disasters at their premieres. Critics have hissed; audiences have walked out; and even fellow musicians have tossed around

During the nineteenth century, syphilis was rampant in Europe, and quite a few composers are believed to have had it. The 2024 article “The Syphilis Pandemic Prior to Penicillin: Origin, Health Issues, Cultural Representation and Ethical Challenges” estimates that during

Frédéric Chopin’s brief engagement to Maria Wodzińska, a young Polish countess and gifted artist, is one of the most overlooked moments of his love life. Born in 1819 to an aristocratic family, Maria first met Chopin when she was just

History remembers Rose and Ottilie Sutro not only as America’s first internationally recognised piano duo, but also as two schemers who stole the score of one of the most beloved violin concertos ever. Born in Baltimore in the 1870s into

In a piano sonata for four hands dedicated to her father, American composer Judith Lang Zaimont (b. 1945) created a dance world of the US from over a century of music. In her youth, she studied with Rosina Lhevinne at

23 January 2020. A day the earth seemed to stand still. A day that will be remembered for generations to come. Just twenty-four hours before the Chinese New Year’s Eve, when the population of the world’s most populous country was

From Strauss’s Salome to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and beyond, some of the most famous pieces in classical music history began as scandals. (Read “The Most Controversial Classical Music Ever Written, Part 1”.) When these five works first hit the