Over the centuries, many of history’s most important women composers were forced to publish under male pseudonyms. Across the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, dozens of women composers adopted masculine or gender-neutral identities so their work would be reviewed
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Georges Bizet’s Hidden Gems
The Playful and Poetic World of His Piano Music June 7th, 2025It’s not really common knowledge, but Georges Bizet was an absolutely brilliant pianist. He entered the class of Antoine-François Marmontel at the Paris Conservatoire at the age of nine, eventually winning Premiers Prix for piano, organ, fugue, and composition. In -
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
A Legacy of Innovation and Vision May 31st, 2025At the time of his death on 31 May 1809, Joseph Haydn was a cultural hero, venerated as the first of the three “Viennese Classics.” He started his career in the traditional patronage system of the late Austrian Baroque and -
Niccolò Paganini’s Devilish Genius
10 Tracks that Conjure his Violin Sorcery May 27th, 2025In the 19th-century concert hall, Niccolò Paganini emerged like a figure plucked from a dark fairy tale. His tall, gaunt frame was cloaked in black, with his long jet-black hair trailing like a shadow. He moved with quiet intensity, and -
Ten of the Best Nocturnes by Women Composers May 25th, 2025 Nocturnes in classical music are known for their dreamy moods and quiet introspection. The most famous were written by canonical composers like John Field, Chopin, and Debussy. However, many women composers outside the traditional canon have also crafted stunning nocturnes, -
Richard Wagner’s Secret Keys
The Story of His Piano Music May 22nd, 2025When we think of Richard Wagner, born on 22 May 1813, we envision grand operas, mythic tales, and orchestral splendour. Works like The Ring Cycle, Tristan and Isolde, or Lohengrin thrived in the theatre, where he could blend music, drama, -
Oboe and Harp Mastery
Dedicated to Heinz and Ursula Holliger May 21st, 2025Heinz Holliger, born on 21 May 1939, achieved worldwide fame as an oboist, performing and recording some of the earworm pieces from the Baroque and Classical periods. Yet, as he explained on the occasion of his 80th birthday, “composing has -
Ten Sublime Mélodies by Gabriel Fauré May 12th, 2025 Gabriel Fauré’s mélodies represent a pinnacle of French art song, distinguished by their lyrical refinement, harmonic subtlety, and profound sensitivity to poetic texts. Fauré’s vocal compositions number over 100, and they demonstrate a melodic inventiveness that balances emotional expressivity with -
Playlist: A Beginner’s Guide to Messiaen April 26th, 2025 I’ve always felt Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) was something of a “Marmite composer”: you either love his music or you don’t. It’s not the easiest music to listen to. I remember playing one of the movements from Messiaen’s extraordinary Vingt Regards