Today, the classical music canon is extremely well-established. In fact, it can sometimes feel like it has been set in stone and passed down from a pantheon of gods. However, it’s important to remember that many of the works we

We remember Leopold Mozart today as the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but his life story includes many more chapters than just the ones on his son. Leopold’s story on its own is incredibly remarkable. He was born into modest

Czech composer Leoš Janáček is best remembered today for his operas Jenůfa and The Cunning Little Vixen. As it turns out, his marriage was just as dramatic as any of his operas. In 1876, he began teaching piano to his

A set of short anonymous poems in Boston’s Musical Herald did a poetical job of setting out the history in limericks, along with unique rhyming spellings. We started in the 18th century with Gluck and then Haydn. Next, we’ll advance

Russian pianist Youri Egorov (1954–1988) was one of the most brilliant and tragic figures in twentieth-century classical music. As a young man, he won prizes at major competitions before shocking the music world with his disappearance and eventual defection. He

Many classical music lovers are at least vaguely familiar with the name Lili Boulanger. In 1913, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome prize offered by the Paris Conservatoire. Boulanger shattered that particular glass ceiling.

From the Renaissance to the Romantic Era, royal patronage was vital in shaping the course of classical music history. Many of the great composers owed their success to their relationships with kings, queens, and courts, whether it was Domenico Scarlatti

The double piano concerto is a musical form that is seen relatively rarely in the classical music world. This type of concerto features two piano soloists and two pianos placed at the front of the orchestra. Double piano concertos offer