Frédéric Chopin, arguably the most famous pianist in classical music history, suffered from stage fright and performance anxiety. In March 1830, when he was twenty years old and preparing to leave his beloved hometown to make his name beyond Poland,

Franz Liszt was many things: the most celebrated piano virtuoso of the nineteenth century, a prolific composer, a conductor, a teacher, and a Catholic abbé. He was also a prodigious letter-writer, and his correspondence reveals a mind that was restless,

In the summer of 1741, George Frideric Handel sat down at his desk in London and began setting a biblical text to music. Twenty-four days later, he was finished. The score he produced – 260 pages, 53 movements, running nearly

Poldowski is one of the more elusive figures in late Romantic music. Over the course of her life and career, she was known by many names, including Régine Wieniawski, Irène Wieniawska, and Lady Dean Paul. However, she has entered music

In the 19th century, Giuseppina Strepponi was one of the most famous sopranos in the world. She starred in the premieres of operas written specifically for her voice, supported her widowed mother and sisters with her earnings, and used her

Mozart died on 5 December 1791, at thirty-five years old. He is buried in an unmarked grave, and his Requiem was unfinished. These are the facts most people know. What’s less often told is how much he accomplished in the

Giacomo Puccini is one of the most beloved composers in the history of opera. La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly: his works have never left the repertoire, and his name is remembered today by music lovers around the world. But what

Not every work by the great composers finds a spot in the repertoire. There are many reasons why. Some are just uninteresting. Some are written for instrument combinations that never came into vogue. Some are early student attempts that are