Blogs

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“Resurrection” in Classical Music
Biber to Penderecki
The Christian festival of Easter is sometimes called “Resurrection Sunday.” It is at the heart of Christian belief that Jesus Christ was killed on the cross, but after three days came back to life. I think different branches of Christianity
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Artist Suzanne Valadon, Why Was She Satie’s One True Love?
She was composer Erik Satie’s one true love. But artist Suzanne Valadon was so much more than that. Here are thirteen facts you may not know about Suzanne Valadon: 1. She was born Marie-Clémentine Valadon in Haute-Vienne, France, in 1865.
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Hallelujah for Easter
Handel Messiah Part II
Listening to a performance of Handel’s Messiah has long been an Easter tradition in many parts of the world. It is undoubtedly one of the composer’s most popular and enduring works, as it features three distinct parts: the Prophecy of
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Song and Mime: The World of Cantomimes
Building on the French mime tradition, traditionally done with white face and in white Pierrot dress, 19th-century mime Georges Wague expanded this to include song. Predating modern lipsynching by nearly a century, ‘cantomimes’ were created with a singer and instrumentalists
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Challenging Transcriptions of Famous Melodies
Very recently, I attended a recital by a rather well known pianist. After the programme proper had concluded, it was time for the encore ritual. Audience members were clapping furiously, cheering, standing up from their seats, and demanding that the
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Robert and Clara Schumann’s Children: What Happened to Them?
The love story of Robert and Clara Schumann is one of the most famous in classical music history. Over the course of their marriage, Clara carried eight pregnancies to term. Today we’re looking at the remarkable stories of those children,
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Who’s the Maddest of them All?
Lucia di Lammermoor
Opera is a unique mixture of music and theatre; singing and acting each plays an important role in the success of a production. One of the most testing roles is that of the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor. In
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The Self-Teaching Musician
I admit it, I’m a fervent auto-didact, a “self-teacher” whose answer to “how do I do that?” is to either reach for a book or more likely these days, look it up on Google or YouTube. For me, self-teaching goes
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