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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Music That Brings up Sad Memories March 22nd, 2021 Music can guide our emotions and sometimes we really want to wallow in sadness. Evoking sad memories can be a cathartic experience that leaves us feeling better at the end. We surveyed our writers to find out their music for -
James Joyce (1882-1941)
“Mistakes Are the Portals of Discovery” March 21st, 202180 years ago, on 13 January 1941, the Irish author, novelist and poet James Joyce died in Zürich, Switzerland. One of the most influential and innovative writers of the 20th century, “his innovative language, use of dialogue, characteristic modernist forms, -
“There Are Many Works I Love That Do Not Love Me Back!” March 21st, 2021 This quote from an interview I did with pianist Antoine Préat perfectly expresses my relationship with many composers and their music. When I returned to playing the piano seriously in my later 30s, after a break of some 20 years, -
Composers of the Zodiac
Tropic of Aries March 20th, 2021Aries is one of the oldest constellations of the zodiac. It has been described by a number of ancient cultures, including astronomers in Babylonian, Egypt, Persia, and China. In Greek mythology, it is associated with the golden ram and particularly -
Where Does Music Come From? March 19th, 2021 Does music come from some place other than through a musician or a composer? When I first started making music, much of it flowed through me by what I had learnt from other composers. Now, that is still part of -
From Winter to Spring: Britten’s Spring Symphony March 19th, 2021 Britten’s Spring Symphony, completed in 1949, is a unique song-symphony. Not with just one movement set to words, as in Beethoven’s Ninth, but with English texts throughout. Most of the sources are from the 16th and 17th century, but a -
What Is a ‘Picardy Third’? March 18th, 2021 You’ll recognise it instantly: that happy “lift” at the end of a piece in a minor key, an unexpected lightening of the mood, like a ray of sunshine peeping through the rain clouds. That expressive “lift”, an expression of happiness -
Symphonies You Don’t Want To Miss In Your Life, Ever March 17th, 2021 I have always enjoyed participating in team sports. Although I am naturally happy in my own company there are times when I want to be part of a team moving towards a shared goal and objective. Volleyball is my favorite