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Hear the Voices of the Great Composers: Stravinsky, Bartók, and More
What did Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, and Béla Bartók really think about their work and the world around them? Today, we’re looking at some of the most revealing interviews with some of the most influential composers of the twentieth century,
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What String Players Look for in a Musical Instrument
Ever fall in love? It’s the best way to describe how we string players feel about our cellos, violins, violas, and basses. After all, we will spend much more time with our instruments than even our spouses. And often, it
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Valentine’s Dinner
A Creation for the Senses
Dinner is the most important meal of the day. It doesn’t have to be fancy all the time, but it is the perfect occasion for letting the air out of your day. It is a time to leave the tensions
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Dragon, Gods, and Glittering Gold
A Guide to Wagner’s Leitmotifs (Died on February 13, 1883)
Richard Wagner was the manliest of composers. He was a titan who looked at opera and demanded more gods, added dragons, and maidens to guard the cursed gold. Wagner’s stories are not dainty salon entertainments; they are mythic endurance tests
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Chopin on Fire
Leopold Godowsky’s Magical Makeovers (Born on February 13, 1870)
I just love the piano music of Frédéric Chopin. It makes me laugh, it makes me sigh, it makes me feel as if the world has suddenly become brighter, softer, and a little more magical. There is something in the
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The Mélodies of Henri Duparc (Died on February 12, 1933)
Fragments of Perfection
The legacy of Henri Duparc (1848-1933), who died at Mont-de-Marsan on 12 February 1933, rests on a remarkably small body of works. Although he only composed a limited number of French mélodies, either sixteen or seventeen, depending on the source,
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The Red Horse of 2026
As the last days of the wood snake wind down, we can look forward to the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse. Starting on 17 February, the Year of the Horse is part of the 12-year Chinese Zodiac cycle.
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Hélène Jourdan-Morhange: The Great Violinist Who Ravel Loved
The name Hélène Jourdan-Morhange may be obscure today, but she was the dedicatee of a handful of the most beloved violin works in the repertoire. She was also a muse, interpreter, and chronicler of a golden era of French music.
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