They’re the only member of the orchestra who stands with their back to the audience; nonetheless, every member of the orchestra keeps an eye on them…just in case. It’s the conductor, of course. The English historian Charles Burney quotes Jean-Jacques

Before modern concert halls and subscription series, classical music performances in Europe mostly took place behind closed doors at courts, in churches, or in private salons. But by the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a new idea began to take shape:

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