The love story between Robert and Clara Schumann is often regarded as one of the most romantic in classical music history. Happily for historians, many of their love letters survive. They document their inner thoughts and emotions, as well as
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The Jigsaw Puzzle of Music May 24th, 2019 Musicians and composers should be good at puzzles, because music is like an enigma. -
The Ferment of Life: Schubert’s Last Piano Sonatas May 23rd, 2019 Ignored for years, their composer regarded as Beethoven‘s poor relation, Schubert‘s last three piano sonatas now enjoy a special place in the piano repertoire, ranking alongside Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas, and they hold a particular fascination for pianists, audiences, -
Music for the Royal Babies May 22nd, 2019 Fans of the Royal Family were once again over the moon in May 2019. Enthusiasts around the world celebrated the birth of the newest Royal Baby named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The son of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and -
Carl Loewe: Impressions from the Orient May 21st, 2019 Carl Loewe was strongly attracted to poetry reflecting an oriental influence. And he took a particular liking to a collection of books by the German writer Heinrich Wilhelm Stieglitz (1801-1849). The son of a wealthy Jewish merchant, Stieglitz had published - Mozart’s Musical Journey
19 May 1789: “Spanking on your little kissable arse” May 19th, 2019Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart married Constanze Weber on 4 August 1782. Their courtship had not been smooth, as the couple briefly broke up in April 1782. Apparently, Constanze had permitted a young man to measure her calves in a parlor game, -
In the Ear of the Beholder: Music Composed by Artificial Intelligence May 19th, 2019 Music composed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) is enjoying a resurgence of interest, in part due to the completion of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony by Chinese tech firm Huawei. The international harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani has also performed music -
What Else Do You Do? May 18th, 2019 People often ask me what an average day is like. For those who have more regular jobs, what we musicians do from day to day can often be a mystery – especially since they know we give concerts in the -
The Magic of Music May 17th, 2019 Music may not be the oldest profession in the world, but it still hasn’t lost its magic. At five I received a fife as a birthday present. I thought it was a flute, it sounded like one. It gave me
