Blogs

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The Pulitzer Prize in Music
1960s, 1970s, and 1980s
See here for the history of the prize. 1960s When we look at the awards for the 1960s, we see a distinct turn away from large symphonic works towards quartets and works that include new technology, such as electronic tape.
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Cello Music by Women Composers VI
Price, Beamish, Higdon, and Larsen
We are now delving into the 20th and 21st century with a few more outstanding women composers who wrote cello music. Florence Price (1887-1953), an American pianist, composer, organist, and teacher, is not only the first African American woman to
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Forgotten Pianists: Monique de La Bruchollerie
Following the line from Franz Liszt, through his pupil Emil von Sauer, French pianist Monique de La Bruchollerie (1915-1972) was one of the great pianists of her day, which ended far too quickly. Her family was one of musicians, with
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The Pulitzer Prize in Music
1940s and 1950s
The Pulitzer Prize was first awarded in 1917, following instructions left by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer in his 1904 will. The Pulitzer Prize in Music was established in 1943 after being converted from an annual scholarship for “the student of
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Making It Easier for Audiences
As concert life begins to return to something resembling “normal” after months of silence – the result of government restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic – venues, promoters and indeed the performers themselves can do a great deal to
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Chamber Music by Women Composers II
Mendelssohn, Lombardini, Bonis, Smith, and Tailleferre
Musicologists have suggested that “the life of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847) is compelling proof that women’s failure to compete with men on the compositional playing-field has been the result of social prejudice and patriarchal mores, which in the nineteenth century
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Folk Instruments Blossom in the Concert Hall
Creativity never ends! Our predecessors contributed a lot of fantastic musical compositions using what have become known as “standard” orchestral instruments. Our contemporary composers continue to build on this tradition. However, “folk” and “classical” music has become more blended in
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Forgotten Pianists: Vladimir Krainev
Little known in the West, Vladimir Krainev (1944 – 2011) was an exceptional yet criminally underrated pianist and pedagogue. Born in Krasnoyarsk, Krainev displayed musical talent at a precocious age and gave his debut performance at 7 with piano concertos
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