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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16 May: Friedrich Gulda Was Born May 16th, 2022Pianist Friedrich Gulda is commonly regarded as the “cross-over” pioneer of his time. Known for his extraordinary interpretations of the music of Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven, he freely cultivated an interest in jazz and composition. Stylistic references to jazz -
Musicians and Artists: Carpenter and Braque May 15th, 2022 Gary Carpenter: After Braque The French painter Georges Braque (1882-1963) had a style that encompassed Fauvism from 1905 before he worked with Picasso on the development of Cubism (1908-1912). Where Picasso’s Cubism was more puzzling and confrontational, Braque’s Cubism was -
Musical Tributes: Chopiniana, Mozartiana, Vivaldiana and Bachiana May 15th, 2022 In 1892 Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) set to work on an orchestral suite with arrangements of piano music by Frédéric Chopin. Entitled Chopiniana it was introduced to the public in December 1893 by Rimsky-Korsakov, and published by Belyayev one year later. -
Bird Music May 14th, 2022 Birds in music are everywhere – even non-singing birds, such as Sibelius’ The Swan of Tuonela. There’s also Vaughan Williams’ Lark (ascending), and Delius’ First Cuckoo in Spring, and even Mussorgsky’s Ballet of Unhatched Chicks. Let’s explore some other birds. -
Thinking About Returning to the Piano? May 14th, 2022 Here are some tips to help you on your piano journey It may be two years or twenty since you last touched a piano, but however long the absence, taking the decision to return to playing is exciting, challenging and -
Presenting the Possibilities: The Life of VP Music Production Queenie Li May 13th, 2022 Hong Kong–born Queenie Li has taken her music training forward into a field that very few venture into with such success. She is VP of Music Production for 14th Street Music in Los Angeles, working on the post-production end for - The Dead Are Sad Enough
Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin May 12th, 2022The Great War, as World War I was known at the time, inspired many works of music, often set to poetry. Maurice Ravel took inspiration from his many dead friends to create a piano work, Le tombeau de Couperin (1914-1917), - On This Day
12 May: Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore Was Premiered May 12th, 2022L’Elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love) is one of the most beloved of all Donizetti’s operas. It combines touching romance and hilarious comedy with beautiful music. Donizetti composed the opera in a six-week period, and it went into rehearsal around
