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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The Non-Meeting of Two Masters: Schoenberg’s Book of the Hanging Garden September 16th, 2021 The German symbolist poet Stefan George (1868-1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) probably never met – as one commentator said, ‘One reason could be that as charismatic leaders of cults, they too much resembled each other.’ In Paris in 1889, Stefan -
Josquin
The Making of a Superstar September 15th, 2021A good many performing artist today are known by a single name. There is Beyoncé and Lola, Madonna and Sting, Cher and Hauser. And we might make an exception and include Lang Lang in this list. These celebrities are so -
Composing 2.0
The Purpose of Computers in the World of Creative Music September 15th, 2021Throughout the history of music, there have been a couple of events and inventions that have revolutionised both how music was created and how it was experienced. The invention of musical notation, the keyboard and later the piano, the development -
Music in View: The Metropolitan Museum of Art September 14th, 2021 One of the great things to do in an art museum is to go through the collection to see what’s being pictured. This may sound a bit obvious, but for those with a musical bent, it’s an interesting exercise to -
Ten Movies About Musicians September 13th, 2021 Classic films such as Amadeus, Immortal Beloved, and Lisztomania have brought the stories of our legendary composers to life. While these movies are known widely, I want to share some lesser-known movies about the music world that you might want -
The Last Rose of Summer II
Flotow, Mendelssohn, Franchomme, and Glinka September 12th, 2021“The Last Rose of Summer” reached a world audience as part of the romantic opera Martha by Friedrich von Flotow (1812-1883), premiered in Vienna on 25 November 1847. Adapted from a ballet to a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, -
Cello Music by Women Composers IV
Keal, Soulage and Kaprálová September 11th, 2021British composer Minna Keal (1909-1999) was born Minnie Nirenstein of Russian Jewish parents. By the age of 12 she had already begun composing and subsequently she was offered a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music. When in -
Symphonies by Women Composers
Smyth, Auerbach, Holmès, Chen, and Taaffe Zwilich September 11th, 2021Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) was determined to devote her life to music and thus she studied at the Leipzig Conservatory. There she met Dvořák, Grieg and Tchaikovsky, and later through her private teacher Heinrich von Herzogenberg, became acquainted with Clara Schumann