Composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig in 1813. He became arguably the greatest opera composer of all time. Here are some tidbits about his life and career: Wagner’s reputation rests almost entirely on his operas. Wagner advocated for a

With the rise of the home piano in the 19th century, there was an enormous demand for piano music both for the home and for the concert hall. Just as today, when we love to hear the Boston Pops play,

Making and having friends is one of the great joys of the human experience. Not surprisingly, many classical composers have been deeply inspired by their friendships with other people, and especially with other creative people. Today, we’re looking at ten

The accordion works on a bellows system. As the instrument is pulled apart and pushed together, air is forced passed reeds held in a frame. Other instruments like this include the concertina, the harmonica, and the bandoneon. The keyboards on

“The curse of the ninth” is an eerie quirk of classical music history. The phrase refers to a superstition that a composer will die after writing his ninth symphony. The superstition sounds silly, but the fact remains that a good

Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote countless gorgeous and unforgettable melodies, none more famous than his “Vocalise.” That particular earworm comes from a collection of 14 songs, but the Vocalise has no text. As Rachmaninoff explained to a singer, “What need is there

The percussion section has to be the biggest section of the orchestra, not in terms of the number of players but of the number of instruments played. To start with the basic definition, a percussion instrument is one that is

Robert Schumann was born in the town of Zwickau in present-day Germany in 1810. Along with his wife, the great pianist and composer Clara Schumann, he went on to become one of the leading figures of Romantic Era music. Here