The love story between Robert and Clara Schumann is often regarded as one of the most romantic in classical music history. Happily for historians, many of their love letters survive. They document their inner thoughts and emotions, as well as
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Cellists and Their Composers
The Beethoven Sonatas: The Pinnacle December 12th, 2022Ludwig van Beethoven’s five Sonatas for Cello and Piano span the entirety of his life. From the lyrical Sonata in F Major Op. 5 No. 1, and the three sets of variations, to the grandiose Sonata Op. 102. No. 2 -
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12 December: Sabine Devieilhe Was Born December 12th, 2022The French coloratura soprano Sabine Devieilhe was born on 12 December 1985 in Ifs, near Caen, in the Calvados region of Normandy. Her parents are specialized educators, and music was not an integral part of the Devieilhe household. She received -
Classical Music Beyond the Concert Stage PART III: 9 More Classical Pieces Used in Commercials December 11th, 2022 Without a good piece of music, a commercial can never stand out, that’s why we always find classical music used in tv commercials. This article continues with the previous two articles highlighting 9 more commercials using classical repertoire. Karl Jenkins’ -
Why Is John Cage So Fascinating? December 11th, 2022 There is something about the American artist and composer John Cage that I find fascinating. Something that transcends his works, his music — in fact, many seem to know the man better than the music, thanks to his groundbreaking approach -
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11 December: Hector Berlioz Was Born December 11th, 2022Hector Berlioz was born at 5pm on Sunday, 11 December 1803 in the small village of La Côte-Saint-André in the département of Isère. His father, Louis-Joseph Berlioz was a hardworking town physician who advocated such progressive cures as hydrotherapy and -
Musical Tributes: Straussiana, Brahmsiana, Tartiniana and Tocatta Bachiana December 10th, 2022 Johann Strauss II was one of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s (1897-1957) musical idols. Korngold possessed considerable knowledge of the Waltz King’s works as he had arranged for the Theater an der Wien new performing versions of Nacht in Venedig, Cagliostro in -
Art into Sound II: George Crumb’s Metamorphoses, Book II December 10th, 2022 In his 2016-2017 collection, George Crumb metamorphosed art by 8 artists into 10 piano works. These weren’t music representations of the actions in the pictures, such as what was done in the past with tone poems, but a far more -
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10 December: Sarah Chang Was Born December 10th, 2022When it comes to awards there are very few artists in the same league as violinist Sarah Chang. And I am not just talking about musical awards, but commendations that transcend her professional accomplishments. Together with Pete Sampras, Wynton Marsalis,