The early Romantic Era, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the nineteenth century, brought an explosion of emotional depth and individuality to classical music. The stories we usually hear about the composers of the time focus almost entirely

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) and his older sister Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805–1847) shared an extraordinary musical bond. Trained together in childhood by the same teachers, the two prodigies developed strikingly similar foundations. As musicologist Angela Mace Christian told smithsonian.com in 2017,

In 1580, luthier John Rose created a new instrument that he named after the allegorical musicians Orpheus and Arion. Together, they personify the power of music, and in his new instrument, the orpharion, Rose created a rival for the lute.

Why do classical musicians play from memory, and when did the tradition begin? Believe it or not, during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, playing from memory was actually considered bad manners. Most performers read from sheet music, and even

During the golden age of eighteenth-century English music, no single family in the entire British Empire was more talented than the Linleys of Bath. Parented by the ambitious composer and impresario Thomas Linley the Elder and his wife Mary Johnson

Mark Hambourg (1879–1960) was born in Russia but made his career in England. His entire family was musical: his father was the pianist Michael Hambourg (1855–1916), a student of Anton Rubinstein, and three of his younger brothers, Boris, Jan, and Clement,

Let’s face it, trumpet players are stereotyped as confident, brash, adventurous, swaggering perfectionists driven by the obsession to excel at playing the highest notes. But they are so cool. With daring they can let rip brilliant sounds and attract attention

The Classical Era lasted roughly between 1730 and 1820. Most people know the marquee names of the era: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. However, their colleagues included dozens of gifted women composers who were also writing symphonies, concertos, and chamber works