In his 6th book of madrigals of 1614, Claudio Monteverdi was showing that he’d finally arrived. The title page proudly indicates his new position in Venice: ‘by Claudio Monteverdi, Maestro di Cappella of the Most Serene Signoria of Venice in

Who was the first woman conductor? There are several candidates, but one of the best-known early ones was a woman from present-day Slovakia named Josephine Amann-Weinlich. Over the course of her brief career, she founded multiple women’s orchestras, toured the

Music lovers aren’t very familiar with her name, but Countess Anna Maria Erdődy was one of the most devoted and influential patrons in Ludwig van Beethoven’s life. Today, we’re looking at the countess’s early (doomed) marriage, the health troubles that

The 2025 Chopin Piano Competition has garnered tremendous attention in the classical piano arena this 19th term of its existence. The pressure of high expectations conveyed to participants at every round of the competition could certainly rival that of the

Many classical musicians play the great composers’ works without knowing which musicians inspired them. Which is a shame, because so many great composers were directly inspired or influenced by great performing musicians! Some influential musicians even inspired multiple great works

The great composers are not particularly famous for their faithfulness. Many had extramarital affairs. The stories of those relationships provide intriguing glimpses into their complicated personal lives. Today, we’re looking at the relationships between four composers and their mistresses: how

There are three well-known French composers who have changed the direction of music forever. With their works, they have broken traditions, connected cultures and brought innovation to how music is perceived, composed and experienced. We are, of course, talking about

Most people think of classical music as being very serious. But in reality, classical music is often bizarre, sarcastic, or just plain weird. Today, we’re looking at eight compositions with particularly weird titles, from Mozart’s cheeky “Leck mir den Arsch”