Nikolaus Simrock was one of the most important figures in classical music history, lending his name to a storied company that published some of the century’s most important music. One of Simrock’s early clients was Ludwig van Beethoven himself. Decades

The Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s concert, performed since 1939, is a beloved holiday tradition for classical music lovers around the world. In 2025, the orchestra programmed the first work by a woman to ever appear on the program of this

Father/son duos loom large in the history of classical music: Johann Sebastian Bach and his multiple composer sons – Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti – Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart – Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II. But were there ever

The violin is one of the most recognisable instruments in the world – but it is far from the only instrument of its kind. Across cultures and centuries, musicians have developed bowed string instruments that share the violin’s basic logic:

What makes a piano worth millions? The answer, it turns out, varies wildly. The most expensive pianos in the world include instruments commissioned for billionaires, built for charity, and used to compose some of the most beloved songs ever written.

Since the passing of the twentieth century, Western classical music has continued to evolve through a wide range of movements and aesthetics, much like the world of visual arts. Impressionism, Modernism, Futurism, Expressionism, Experimentalism, Postmodernism and Minimalism all shaped the

A Confluence of Traditions When Joseph Haydn attended the monumental Handel Festival at Westminster Abbey toward the end of May 1791, he encountered something far grander than mere musical entertainment. He witnessed an entire nation unified by a collective historical

Mozart had many students over the course of his career – but some of his most gifted pupils were women. He wrote music for them, dedicated sonatas to them, and even relied on them financially during the years he was