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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Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
“In Order to Attain the Impossible, One Must Attempt the Absurd” September 19th, 2022“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.” This line from Don Quixote could well have originated from the biography -
Musical Tributes: Brahmsiana, Rossiniana, Segoviana and Telemanniana September 18th, 2022 For American composer Paul Reale—born in 1943 in New Jersey—the “most significant element which is under the control of the composer is time. By controlling the way the listener perceives time, a well-written musical composition garners the full attention of -
The High Art of the High Voice
Lakmé: The Bell Song and Faust: The Jewel Song September 18th, 2022At the beginning of Act II of Delibes’ tale of forbidden love in British India, our heroine Lakmé sings a highly virtuosic aria, ‘Où va le jeune Indoue,’ which carries the informal title of The Bell Song. Lakmé produces one -
The Funeral of Reynard the Fox September 17th, 2022 The character of the trickster fox is everywhere in folktales from around the world. Sometimes he’s evil, but most often he’s a trickster, known for being cunning, wily, and resourceful. Their first mention comes in the fables of Aesop, in -
Théâtre du Châtelet
From Ballet to Broadway September 17th, 2022It sits on the right bank of the Seine in Paris’ 1st arrondissement and was built on the orders of Napoleon III’s chief architect, Baron Haussmann. The Théâtre du Châtelet towers above the busy Place du Châtelet, directly opposite its -
Dance, Dance, Dance: The Saltarello September 16th, 2022 Although the source of the name is clear, the history of the dance itself is not. The Saltarello takes its name from the Italian verb saltare, meaning ‘to jump’, and it was the peculiar jumping step used in the saltarello -
On This Day
16 September: Nadia Boulanger Was Born September 16th, 2022A scholar and former student writes, “To measure the potency of Nadia Boulanger’s influence is impossible. As a tree is rooted firmly to the earth, she was rooted in the history and grammar of Western music. She was gifted with -
Musicians and Artists: Leisner and Bellows September 15th, 2022 David Leisner: Dances in the Madhouse American realist painter George Bellows (1882–1925) is best known for his realist paintings of New York City. Before that, while still in his student years in the Midwest, he made a drawing based on