Leonora von Stosch Speyer is a particularly fascinating figure in the history of classical music. Not only was she a celebrated violin soloist, but also a noted patroness of many composers in the early 1900s. She also became a celebrated

In the summer of 1976, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, the cathedral of sound built by Richard Wagner himself, witnessed something extraordinary. The Green Hill had crowned Germanic sopranos for a century, including Lilli Lehmann, Kirsten Flagstad, and Astrid Varnay. And then

She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields, and the first woman to become a professor at

Robert and Clara Schumann were never going to be a normal couple. She was one of the greatest pianists in Europe, and he was one of the greatest composers. From the beginning, their love story was a turbulent one. Clara’s

In addition to writing about classical music for this site and my blog, The Cross-Eyed Pianist, I am a publicist/PR working with a number of musicians and music organisations. I have no formal training for this role, but I spend

In this entry, we’re sharing more of the history behind Tchaikovsky’s heir. To sum up the story so far, in late 1883, Tchaikovsky’s young niece Tatyana came to the composer for help when she became pregnant out of wedlock. Tchaikovsky

In the October 1922 issue of La revue musicale, the musical supplement contained an Hommage to Gabriel Fauré. The 7 piano pieces were all to be written using Fauré’s name, done into pitches. His entire name came out as GABDBEE

Pyotr Tchaikovsky never had children. He was a gay man, and his only marriage fell apart within weeks. His wife would go on to have children with other men that legally he could have claimed as his own, but he