In classical music, the Romantic Era lasted from around 1810 to around 1910. That century gave us some of the most famous symphonies in the repertoire. Nineteenth-century composers like Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvořák, Schubert, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and others elevated the symphony
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A Book As String Quartet
Elena Ruehr’s Bel Canto September 8th, 2022American author Ann Patchett’s 2001 book Bel Canto, which used the 1996-97 Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis in Lima, Peru, as its inspiration, was, in turn, inspiration for American composer Elena Ruehr (b. 1963) to write her String Quartet No. 5, -
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8 September: Antonín Dvořák Was Born September 8th, 2022Since all of Antonín Dvořák’s predecessors were butchers or innkeepers, it was automatically assumed that he would inherit the business. However, in addition to the butcher’s trade the Dvořák family also cultivated another talent, namely, a flair for music. However, -
The Invisible Force: Wind September 7th, 2022 The elements of nature frequently are represented in music: water, snow, and, of course, wind. We looked at a number of different works that might, literally, blow us away. We never see the wind but only the effect of the -
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7 September: Angela Gheorghiu Was Born September 7th, 2022The Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu, born on 7 September 1965 in the small town of Adjud, certainly isn’t afraid to speak out. “I hate directors who want to express their own fantasies, forgetting about the characters. What they put on -
Other Melodies of Death September 6th, 2022 We looked at how the Dies Irae melody was used in music from the 18th to the 21st centuries. Now let’s look at how the Dies Irae text was used. Composers didn’t always choose to use the melody regularly associated -
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6 September: Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Was Premiered September 6th, 2022Although Ralph Vaughan Williams was an avowed atheist, he greatly bemoaned the state of church music in England. As he writes, “It ought no longer to be true anywhere that the most exalted moments of a church-goer’s week are associated -
Let’s Fly to the Moon!! September 5th, 2022 Operatic Works Inspired by the Moon and Space Last year, I shared some music inspired by the moon to celebrate the moon festival. This year, I have compiled a collection of operatic works inspired by the moon and space. Il -
On This Day
5 September: Marc-André Hamelin Was Born September 5th, 2022Pianist Marc-André Hamelin has been called “a performer of near-superhuman technical prowess.” In a world of pianism populated by countless aspiring virtuosos, Hamelin stands at the head of the class. Critics have described him “as one of the marvels of