It’s always amazing how close the past can be. The Polish pianist Moriz Rosenthal (1862-1946) was one of the leading students of Franz Liszt, who we think of as the height of the Romantic era, and also saw some of

Influential as a performer and teacher as well as a composer, the Polish pianist Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938) was given the nickname the “Buddah of the Piano.” A rarity at a time of great piano tuition, Godowsky was almost entirely self-taught.

Musicians have long known that playing or singing in an ensemble can be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable musical experiences. The process of making music with friends or like-minded musicians provides the unique opportunity to discuss interpretative opinions,

When I mention that I play the cello, people say, “The cello is my favorite instrument.” Hollywood has picked up on that sentiment. No longer merely the provider of soulful background music, although it is not yet an Oscar category,

Russian pianist Grigory Ginzburg (1904-1961) and his older brother were the first musicians in their family. His older brother had been studying piano and the young Grigory started by imitating him. At age six, his talent was recognized and in

As amateur orchestral musicians, we deal with a lot: constant self-doubt – the gnawing knowledge that we’ll never sound as good as the big boys – balancing learning our music with our full-time day jobs – extremely tiny paychecks (if

Russian pianist Emil Gilels (1916-1985) was famous for his perfect pitch. He started his piano lessons at age 5 and a half, soon graduating to Clementi and Mozart sonatinas. He was matched by his sister Elizabeth Gilels (1919-2008), who made

Austrian pianist Artur Schnabel (1882-1951) became so famous for his recording of the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas that critic Harold C. Schonberg always referred to him as ‘the man who invented Beethoven.’ His performances of both Beethoven and Schubert had