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 Fantasy About a Fantasia: Henry Purcell and Elliott Carter May 7th, 2021 In the summer of 1680, Henry Purcell (1659-1695) started to experiment with an older musical form, the fantasia. The basic structure of a fantasia is the construction of several musical phrases, or points, each of which is given a contrapuntal -
Pure Class – and in a Class of Her Own: Christa Ludwig (1928-2021) May 6th, 2021 Ottavia’s Torment (Christa Ludwig) I never had the privilege of experiencing Christa Ludwig perform live. But I saw her year after year in the audience of the Salzburg Festival. Statuesque, elegant, attractive and humble, this true operatic diva was content -
Eugène Ysaÿe May 5th, 2021 “The King of the Violin” Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) was, without doubt, one of the most important and towering violinists of his time. Born in Liège on 16 July 1858, he received his initial violin instructions from his father at the -
Discover Piano Four-Hand Music by Franz Schubert May 4th, 2021 “It is no coincidence that the literature of ‘original compositions’ for four hands is limited to this period….its true master is Schubert.” Quoted from Theodor Adorno’s article, “Four Hands, Once Again.” Music for piano four hands came to popularity almost -
More on Musical Quotation May 3rd, 2021 Musical quotation is the art of integrating one’s musical words and sentences into another one’s work. It is quite similar to how quoting works in spoken languages, but differs in the capacity in which the quote can adapt and almost -
The Most Famous Classical Clarinet Pieces May 3rd, 2021 The clarinet often feels a bit left out when sitting next to its windy friends in the orchestra. There they all are, the flute, oboe, and bassoon, sitting high and mighty, all firm fixtures in the group when the new -
The Music of Poetry
Pablo Neruda: “Body of a Woman” May 2nd, 2021Pablo Neruda published his “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair” in 1924. “Daringly metaphorical and sensuous, this collection juxtaposes youthful passion with the desolation of grief.” It is drawn from the poet’s most intimate and personal associations, and -
Rekindling the Love for Music May 2nd, 2021 Few people would dispute that the last year has been difficult. Many of us have lived under extraordinary restrictions for months, unable to see family and friends. Largely confined to our homes, we have had to adapt to new ways