Explore

archive-post-image
Haydn for Beginners: Eleven Pieces to Make You Love Haydn
Joseph Haydn was born in the village of Rohrau, Austria, in 1732. Haydn overcame a difficult childhood to become one of the most influential composers in the history of classical music. Here are a few biographical tidbits about him: Haydn
Read more
archive-post-image
Unique Concertos II
Works by Piazzolla, Aho, Huber, Tower, and Tan Dun
Let’s continue to explore more concertos for unique instruments. The Argentinian composer and virtuoso performer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) revolutionized the tango by turning disreputable and downright earthy folk music into a sophisticated form of art. Considered the father of the
Read more
archive-post-image
Music Quiz: Are You Familiar With Antonio Salieri’s Life and Music?
Read more
archive-post-image
Music at the Hotel II
The Marlborough-Blenheim in the 1910s and ‘20s
After the programme on Friday, Saturday was for dancing in the Ballroom. The dancing started at 9 pm, and the first two dances were for children. After that, the adults could take the floor. The music would have been provided
Read more
archive-post-image
Do It Again!
Credit: Bill Whitehead
Read more
archive-post-image
The Elegant Strings: The Violin
The violin, the best known of the instruments of classical music, is known by its shape – an hour-glass waist and an arched bridge. These are our first clues that this is a bowed instrument – the waist on the
Read more
archive-post-image
Verdi for Beginners: Nine Pieces to Make You Love Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi was born 10 October 1813 in Le Roncole, Italy. Here are a few facts about his life to get you started: Verdi is most famous for his operas. Over the course of his six-decade-long career, he wrote twenty-eight
Read more
archive-post-image
Unique Concertos
Works by Glière, Daetwyler, Horovitz, Villa-Lobos, Diemer, and Akiho
In its simplest form, a concerto is defined as a musical composition in which one or more solo instruments interact with an orchestra or ensemble. The term concerto is ambiguous because it originated from splicing together two Latin words. “Consere”
Read more