The word “Authenticity” has a number of meanings and connotations in relation to music and musicians. Since the latter part of the twentieth century, it has been associated with performances using “period” instruments, which attempt to recreate period performance practices

As listeners, we’re pretty lucky these days: it seems like every second pianist is ‘one of the best pianists of their generation’! That is, according to their biographies.

When I was researching this article I thought of titling it, Is Music Supernatural? But I’ve always known inside me that music is mystical; my research just confirmed it. One of the problems in talking about music as being supernatural

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 (Murray Perahia) The notion of the “canon” of classical music developed about 200 years ago, when the patronage of composers and music by the aristocracy lost its stranglehold on what

No — music is not finished, but when you listen to a piece of music, you are hearing the history of music and the people who have lived and created it. The importance of music cannot be overstated. Yehudi Menuhin

Practice and practising is what musicians do. It’s the bulk of their “work” and must be undertaken with an almost clockwork regularity in order to learn new music, hone skills and keep existing repertoire going. The traditional view is of

Politicians in particular talk a lot about the “weight of history” or of feeling “the hand of history on our shoulders”, especially when faced with a serious national crisis or significant policy decision.

Musicians and composers should be good at puzzles, because music is like an enigma.