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
Latest article
Spotlight
-
History of Classical Music
Minority Report April 21st, 2022The history of classical music is essentially populated and written by Caucasian white males. Everybody knows the names Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but do you know Margaret Bonds, Eleanor Alberga, Bright Sheng, Isang Yun, Priti Paintal and -
The Delphic Mysteries
Annie Bélis and Mark Edwards Wilson April 20th, 2022Zeus sent out two eagles and where their paths crossed was the center of the world. At that center, Delphi the Oracle, made her pronouncements. You could seek guidance from her, but the interpretation of what she said was up -
On This Day
20 April: John Eliot Gardiner Was Born April 20th, 2022John Eliot Gardiner, born on 20 April 1943, is revered as “one of the world’s most innovative and dynamic musicians, constantly in the vanguard of enlightened interpretation and standing as a leader in contemporary musical life.” He founded and artistically -
On This Day
19 April: Murray Perahia was Born April 19th, 2022Armed with consummate technical skills, boundless imagination and near-mystical eloquence, American pianist Murray Perahia’s “artistry connects with their freedom of expression and nobility of sound.” Widely considered one of the greatest living pianists, “his interpretations project above all a compelling -
The Chromatic Master: Bach’s Fantasy and Fugue, BWV 903 April 19th, 2022 Schoenberg, the master of the Second Viennese School, called him the first 12-tone composer. It was his treatment of chromatic themes that prompted that statement. It’s J.S. Bach, of course, and one of the works that prompted that label was -
A New Book by David Francis Urrows
François Ravary SJ and a Sino-European Musical Culture in Nineteenth-Century Shanghai April 18th, 2022François Ravary SJ and a Sino-European Musical Culture in Nineteenth-Century Shanghai is a recent publication written by Dr. David Francis Urrows. Following Keys to the Kingdom: A History of the Pipe Organ in China, this book turns the discussion of -
Performing Artistry of Ukraine
Top Pianists and Violinists April 18th, 2022The Ukrainian lands have given rise to some of the most exceptionally gifted artists on the planet. Steeped in musical traditions established well over 1,000 year ago, Ukrainian composers and performers have significantly contributed to the world of classical music. -
On This Day
18 April: Ottorino Respighi Died April 18th, 2022Ottorino Respighi was working on his last opera Lucrezia when he unexpectedly died of congestive heart failure on 18 April 1936. Respighi had not yet reached his 57th birthday, and his wife Elsa suspected that the cause of his early