Inspiration

“Every great inspiration is but an experiment.”

Charles Ives

Unconscious bursts of creativity that engender significant artistic endeavors are not necessarily inspired by passionate romantic love alone. Greek mythology believed that this kind of stimulus came from nine muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. Muses were long considered the source of knowledge embodied in poetry, lyric songs and ancient myths. Throughout the history of Western art, artists, writers and musicians have prayed to the muses, or alternately, drawn inspiration from personified muses that conceptually reside beyond the borders of earthly love. True to life, however, composer inspiration has emerged from the entire spectrums of existence and being. Nature has always played a decidedly important role in the inspiration of various classical composers, as did exotic cities, landscapes or rituals. Composer inspiration is also found in poetry, the visual arts, and mythological stories and tales. Artistic, historical or cultural expressions of the past are just as inspirational as is the everyday: the third Punic War or the contrapuntal mastery of Bach is inspirationally just as relevant as are the virulent bat and camel. Composer inspiration is delightfully drawn from heroes and villains, scientific advances, a pet, or something as mundane as a hangover. Discover what fires the imagination of people who never stop asking questions.

954 Posts
  • Seven Pieces of Classical Music About Bees Seven Pieces of Classical Music About Bees
    Over the generations, composers have written a surprising number of pieces of classical music about bees. Today, to celebrate World Bee Day, we’re looking at seven examples of classical music inspired by bees – and ending with an amusing bit
  • Which Composers Were Influenced by Jazz? Which Composers Were Influenced by Jazz?
    Jazz, a catch-all term for a musical style that began to emerge from Black communities in the American South during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, revolutionized the international musical landscape around the turn of the century and beyond.
  • Fluttering Through Music: Classical Pieces Inspired by Butterflies Fluttering Through Music: Classical Pieces Inspired by Butterflies
    Butterflies have long symbolised transformation, grace, and fleeting beauty. Their delicate flight and vibrant colours have inspired poets, painters, and composers alike. In classical music, several works echo the elegance and unpredictability of these creatures—sometimes in title, sometimes in spirit.
  • Air(s) on the G String Air(s) on the G String
    Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) wrote 4 Overtures (as he called them), known as his four Orchestra Suites between 1724 and 1731. Each of these suites consists of several movements that are dance-pieces. The form was extremely popular in Bach’s time,
  • Variations on the Goldberg V Variations on the Goldberg V
    The Goldberg Variations, published by Bach in 1741, is beloved by musicians. Those who don’t play a keyboard instrument have been quick to arrange it for their own specialties. We’ll now look at very large ensembles and a few surprises.