Specific cities have inspired a huge amount of classical music over the years. Today, we’re looking at a selection of classical works explicitly connected to major cities, examining how each composer responded to each place. Some pieces reflect civic pride
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Benjamin Britten: Songs from the Chinese January 6th, 2022 Benjamin Britten was working on the full-length ballet The Prince of the Pagodas when he wrote to Edith Sitwell that he was “on the threshold of a new musical world.” This project, slated for Covent Garden, was set aside for -
The Practice Playground January 6th, 2022 “Do outrageous things in practising” – Leon Fleischer Practicing is the musician’s training and, like the successful sportsperson, a musician needs to ensure their training is structured, thoughtful and intelligent. The notion that musicians spend hours and hours practicing is -
Mozart and the Stuttering Dim-Witted Judge January 5th, 2022 Mozart operas are filled with commedia dell’arte stock characters, scenarios and situations that provide the framework for jokes, buffoonery, and just plain silliness! Some famous stock characters of the commedia include a pair of young people suffering from a wildly -
On This Day
5 January: Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand Was Premiered January 5th, 2022The promising career of pianist Paul Wittgenstein (1887-1961), older brother of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein was seemingly cut short by events of World War I. Paul had given his debut recital in December of 1913, an event that was enthusiastically -
The Disappearance of Musical Forms January 4th, 2022 It is commonly believed that creating with no constraints is what is most fruitful; what the artist seeks; ultimate freedom in his creative choices. Contrary to this belief, what is often more productive — and tends to breed creativity and -
On This Day
4 January: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Was Born January 4th, 2022The Baroque composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) was a leading figure in the rise of Italian comic opera. The crown of his achievement, according to the 19th century, however, was his Stabat Mater, composed “in a devotional frenzy on his -
Peter Cornelius: The Barber of Bagdad January 4th, 2022 When the writer, critic, poet, translator, and composer Peter Cornelius (1824-1874) approached his close friend and patron Franz Liszt with the idea of writing an opera based on a story from “The Arabian Nights,” Liszt strongly disapproved. Cornelius had written -
Why D-Flat Major Should Be One of Our Favorite Keys January 3rd, 2022 “What? D-Flat Major?” Most string players wail, “that’s a key signature with FIVE FLATS!” I don’t blame them. It’s so much more difficult to play in tune on string instruments without the resonance of the open strings. Pianists, though, will