A set of short anonymous poems in Boston’s Musical Herald did a poetical job of setting out the history in limericks, along with unique rhyming spellings. We started in the 18th century with Gluck and then Haydn, and then looked

For centuries, many composers relied on royal patronage to make a living. Courts provided not only financial support but also a built-in audience, prestige, and much-needed stability. In France, Jean-Baptiste Lully rose from humble Italian beginnings to become one of

Christa Ludwig (1928-2021), born in Berlin on 16 March 1928, would establish herself as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Her voice had an extraordinarily beautiful timbre allied with highly refined musicianship, and she filled each of

A set of short anonymous poems in Boston’s Musical Herald did a poetical job of setting out the history in limericks, along with unique rhyming spellings. We started in the 18th century with Gluck and then Haydn, and then looked

Today, the classical music canon is extremely well-established. In fact, it can sometimes feel like it has been set in stone and passed down from a pantheon of gods. However, it’s important to remember that many of the works we

We remember Leopold Mozart today as the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but his life story includes many more chapters than just the ones on his son. Leopold’s story on its own is incredibly remarkable. He was born into modest

Ten years ago, on 14 March 2016, one of the most significant figures of British postwar music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016), died of leukaemia at the age of 81. His finest achievements “have a depth of symbolism and historical

Czech composer Leoš Janáček is best remembered today for his operas Jenůfa and The Cunning Little Vixen. As it turns out, his marriage was just as dramatic as any of his operas. In 1876, he began teaching piano to his