What made Theodor Leschetizky one of the most impressive piano pedagogues of all time? Supposedly, his success was based on the so-called “Leschetizky Method,” a method of instruction that relied on several distinct influences. As part of an unbroken chain

The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat on 7 May 1915 off the coast of Ireland, leaving over 1,100 dead. The US had not yet entered WWI but was an active part of the supply

The story of Haydn’s funeral and last remains is complicated and pretty macabre. It all starts in 1771, when Haydn was director of the Esterházy court orchestra. He conducted and wrote music for that ensemble for many, many years, and

The piano seems to me to be the perfect instrument to convey the patter of raindrops, downpours and showers, the play of water in fountains, the shimmering sea lit by the sun, and the serenity of calm waters…..as these water-inspired

On 28 September 1886 something special happened in the town of Arlon, just west of the Belgium-Luxembourg border. On that memorable day, the violin superstar and newly appointed professor at the Brussels Conservatory Eugène Ysaÿe married the singer Louise Bourdau

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) met the singer Johann Michael Vogl (1768-1840) in March 1817 at the house of a mutual friend, Franz von Schober. Schober was an Austrian poet and writer and supplied Schubert with the libretto for his opera Alfonso

Between 21 May and 21 June, the sun transits the constellation of Gemini. This third astrological sign represents the twins Castor and Pollux. In Greek and Roman mythology, they are twin half-brothers. Their mother was Leda, but they had different

In 1923, Eugène Ysaÿe attended a performance by the great violinist Joseph Szigeti. The entire concert was dedicated to Ysaÿe’s favorite composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Deeply moved and inspired, Ysaÿe went to work and over the course of twenty-four hours