Over the centuries, many of history’s most important women composers were forced to publish under male pseudonyms. Across the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, dozens of women composers adopted masculine or gender-neutral identities so their work would be reviewed
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The Seven Most Popular Violin Concerto Videos on YouTube February 16th, 2026 Violin concertos have been popular for centuries, but thanks to YouTube, they’ve found a new global audience of millions. From Beethoven to Vivaldi to Paganini, these videos showcase not only the sheer beauty of the violin concerto repertoire but also -
The Chinese Zodiac for Children, Part II February 14th, 2026 As a continuation of his first book on the animals of the Chinese zodiac (Read more from The Chinese Zodiac for Children), Canadian composer Vincent Ho (b. 1975) wrote a book 2 that builds on Book 1 and takes a -
7 Pieces of Classical Music for Single People on Valentine’s Day February 14th, 2026 Valentine’s Day and the attendant glorification of coupledom can be a rough time for single people. Fortunately for those people, composers have written a number of compelling works about solitude, independence, withdrawal, and self-possession. For listeners spending Valentine’s Day single -
Playlist: Five Great Song Transcriptions for Solo Piano February 8th, 2026 I’ve been working with London-based Chinese pianist Siqian Li, whose debut disc is a selection of transcriptions for solo piano of works by, amongst others, Maurice Ravel, George Gershwin and Alexis Weissenberg. The Weissenberg transcriptions, in particular, have really caught -
The Seven Most Popular Piano Sonata Videos on YouTube February 2nd, 2026 YouTube is full of brilliant performances of all kinds of piano sonatas. A few of those brilliant performances have garnered millions and millions of views. Today, we’re looking at which seven piano sonata videos are the most popular as of -
MRI and Music January 30th, 2026 You know how it goes – you’re placed on the sliding gurney, the restrainer is put on top so you don’t wiggle, and you slide into the noisy tunnel. It’s a bit loud to fall asleep, and they want to -
The Ten Best Concertos for Double Bass of All Time January 12th, 2026 The double bass is often thought of as the foundation of the orchestra: deep, resonant, and usually playing a supportive role. In music as in architecture, foundations rarely find themselves in the spotlight. But over the centuries, a handful of -
Classical Music for the Dentist: Best Pieces to Mask Dental Drill Sounds January 12th, 2026 There are times when you just want sound to remove other sounds – most often when you’re in the dentist’s chair, and that high-pitched sound for cleaning your teeth is going to start. It sets your teeth on edge, but
