Beethoven’s friendship with Stephan von Breuning (1774-1827) lasted a lifetime. We will meet him in more detail in another episode. For now it suffices to say that Beethoven’s Violin Concerto was dedicated to him. Concurrently, Beethoven fashioned a piano transcription,

Celebrations for the 2020 New Year are already shifting into high gear, and a good many of us will be generously partaking in various delicious alcoholic refreshments. Around this time of year it is rather all too easy to get

Composing and solving musical riddles and puzzles has long been a popular brainy workout for composers and audiences alike. Amongst numerous others, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed some of the most

American Christmas celebration range from small town exhibits to world-famous events and sights. From light displays and firework shows, to month-long holiday markets and snowy train rides, these festivities have been shaped by a multitude of different cultures. Traditionally, however,

It’s been called the “world’s most annoying” Christmas carol. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a cumulative song, with each verse building on top of the previous verses. True to its name, there are twelve verses representing the twelve days

A cruise on the Seine, a climb on the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, a visit to the Musée du Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, and a stroll on the Champs-Élysées in the City of Lights. Maybe

“It is always fatal to have music or poetry interrupted” During her lifetime, she was as famous as Charles Dickens. Her novels, which appeared in rapid succession from 1859, held Victorian readership spellbound for decades. Most of her fiction dealt

You might be surprised of just how many unique Christmas traditions you can experience in Germany. A big part of the Christmas season starts at the end of November or early December with Advent celebrations in preparations for the arrival