Animals in music occur in everything from children’s pieces to great serious works. Their rhythm in the world is something that a composer can take up and develop and also their aspect: fierce or calming.

You may be surprised to learn how many cello concertos there are, more than most people think, from several eras, and they deserve to be heard. Of course, it’s a matter of taste, and one could include Lalo, Haydn C

Here are six more cello concertos a cellist should have in their repertoire. Robert Schumann studied the cello as a youngster and although he was unable to continue due to an injury to his right hand he developed a deep

Concert Favorites: Cello Concertos That You Should Learn My teacher János Starker used to say that cellist soloists have to be ready to play a greater number of concertos than our more brilliant sister, the violinist, who can play an

The ‘Song Without Words’, a work for solo piano with a distinctive lyrical or songful melody line, is most usually associated with the composer Felix Mendelssohn, who wrote over 50 Songs Without Words at various points throughout his life. These

Flowers show us the invisible world – they pop up to show us Spring, they dance in the wind, they bring happiness, and can mark occasions of solemnity. Composers, accordingly, use music to show us flowers – dancing, or something

Water, in music, is more than just a drop in the ocean. Composers imagine water in rivers, water falling from the sky, water jetting up to the sky, water as a single raindrop, or as the entire sea. Water creatures,

When we’re young and in dance class, we’re told to imitate trees – swaying in the wind, bowing down in a torrent of rain or just standing tall in the cold winter sun. Composers are equally inspired; they see trees