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
Latest article
Spotlight
-
Henry Vieuxtemps April 8th, 2020 “Not runs for the sake of runs” Henry Vieuxtemps (1820-1881) was undoubtedly one of the greatest violinists of his time, combining superb technical command with a deep musical understanding. As a performer he was praised for his “flawless and expressive -
Chris’ 10 All-Time Favourite Music Pieces April 7th, 2020 Top 10 lists are hard, especially when your limitations are ‘the last four hundred or so years of classical music in any form’. But then again, they’re also quite fun and require a bit of thought, so here goes – -
Beethoven’s Lairs
“Tiefer Graben 10” April 7th, 2020It comes as no surprise that Beethoven moved dozens of times during his time in Vienna. Never a homeowner, he did not have much furniture to carry around, and finding lodgings was somewhat easier than it is now. However, he -
Music and the Plague and Other Dilemmas April 6th, 2020 The Plague was the Medieval world’s pandemic. The 20th and 21st century pandemic is the flu. No black swellings of the lymph nodes for the modern patient, we get lung problems with fever. St. Sebastian, he of the arrows, was -
The Music of Poetry
Paul Verlaine: “Clair de lune” April 5th, 2020In 1911 Claude Debussy was questioned in the journal “Musica” on the ideal text to set to music. Having skeptically illustrated a number of possibilities, the composer declared his preference for rhythmic prose, adding that the composer himself should write -
Understanding Performance Anxiety April 5th, 2020 In this, the first of a series of articles, I will look at the origins and causes of Performance Anxiety. Subsequent articles will offer strategies for managing anxiety. For many musicians, “stage fright” or Performance Anxiety is the fear which -
Music Under Quarantine
A Dash of Flavor April 4th, 2020Being stuck at home during this Coronavirus Pandemic is not all bad. For one, it is returning something the modern world has brutally stolen from us; time! We finally have enough time to leisurely read a book, watch a movie -
Musicians for Troubling Times
QuaranStreaming April 4th, 2020Music and artists to the rescue. As we are quarantining, as perhaps never before, we are experiencing the value of music and the arts. We’re finding ways to collectively enjoy it virtually, by QuaraStreaming concerts, opera, chamber music, and individuals