The viola may be the less flashy sibling of the violin, but in the hands of these seven great women composers, the viola truly shines as a solo instrument. From the bold modernism of Marga Richter and Peggy Glanville-Hicks to
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Christmas at the Piano December 20th, 2020 Gone are the days when the family would gather round the piano to sing carols or enjoy Christmas music. Now, such family time is more likely to involve watching a popular Christmas film together or a favourite TV show Christmas -
Winter Wonderland
The Best Versions of “Silent Night” December 19th, 2020The best thing about Christmas, besides getting nice presents and spending quality time with family, is to sing Christmas carols. And one of the most popular carols worldwide is “Silent Night,” a song written in a small village near Salzburg -
Behind the Curtain
Beethoven’s Funeral Music December 19th, 2020Ludwig van Beethoven suffered from a variety of medical conditions throughout his life. We all know about his struggle with deafness, and how it affected his mental health by creating a sense of deep isolation and frustration. However, he also -
Best Songs in G Major December 19th, 2020 When I took my first couple years of piano lessons, it seemed that every sonatina or beginner’s etude was written in the key of G major. Maybe that’s the reason I have never really paid special attention to that key, -
Gifts for Classical Music Lovers and Musicians December 18th, 2020 Music-themed gifts for music lovers and musicians – and not just for Christmas! Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring: Variations on a Shaker Hymn (London Symphony Orchestra; Walter Susskind, cond.) Mozart Kugeln Mozart ‘balls’ are delicious morsels of pistachio marzipan and praline, -
The Courtly Art of Dresden: An Interview with Javier Lupiáñez December 17th, 2020 The German city of Dresden in the late 17th and early 18th centuries was a center for music and the arts. The Elector and ruler of Saxony, Frederick Augustus I, brought together musicians, architects, and painters from all over Europe -
Beethoven’s High Priestess of Music
Dorothea Ertmann December 17th, 2020On 16 January 1817 the Wiener Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung announced the forthcoming publication of Beethoven’s A-major sonata op. 101. According to the newspaper, with reference to the title page, the sonata was dedicated to “Freyin Dorothea Ertmann née Graumann.” Beethoven -
Josef Strauss and Karoline Pruckmayer
“Always With You, Only Because of You, and Forever for You!” December 16th, 2020The musical Strauss family dynasty took full advantage of the pleasure-seeking and carefree spirit of Imperial Vienna. As members of the public piled into the great dancehalls of the city, the Strauss family gleefully provided the musical background that gaily