The solo violin has long been acknowledged as the perfect instrument to express emotions like love, longing, heartbreak, rapture, and romance. The Romantic era lasted from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century and produced numerous works that
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Books for Pianists and Pianophiles December 27th, 2020 There is a wealth of books for pianists and pianophiles, from detailed analyses of repertoire to books on technique and practising, pianists’ memoirs and novels featuring pianists. Here is a brief selection of books to satisfy the pianist and pianophile, -
Exploring the Most Relaxing Classical Music Pieces for the Cello December 26th, 2020 The voice of the cello touches us deeply. Perhaps it speaks to us in a special way as it is the closest sound to the human voice. Due to the fantastic range of the cello, from the brilliant high tones -
Beethoven in the Background December 26th, 2020 We’ve looked at Monumental Beethoven where Beethoven is a presence that overwhelms everything – he’s depicted in statuary all over the world. There’s another type of artwork, however, where Beethoven appears, but not front and center. He’s used as a -
The Sacred Celebration December 25th, 2020 Once you get away from the commercialization and implied coziness of Christmas, we come to the backbone of Christmas – the celebration and the reason why it’s a season of generosity and the family. Carols started out as basic songs -
Having A Merry Little Christmas December 24th, 2020 Christmas music comes in two varieties – the secular, which includes jingling bells and sleigh rides, and the sacred, which involves travel by donkey and stables, with the appearance of a few camels. The language of the secular Christmas, even -
William Henry Fry’s Santa Claus: Christmas Symphony December 23rd, 2020 William Henry Fry (1813-1864) has rather fallen off our musical horizon, but he was the first native-born American to write for a symphony orchestra, and the first to write a grand opera. He was the first music critic (remember those?) -
Composers of the Zodiac
Tropic of Capricorn December 22nd, 2020The astrological sign Capricorn is one of the four cardinal signs, and it is ruled by the planet Saturn. The sun transits this constellation from about December 22 to January 20, and people born under this sign are said to -
Beethoven’s Lairs
“Altes Schwarzspanierhaus” December 22nd, 2020In October 1825 Ludwig van Beethoven moved into his final lodgings at the Schwarzspanierhaus, the old monastery of the “Black Spaniards,” where he remained until his death in 1827. His apartment was located on the upper floor of the building