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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Five Pieces of Musical Advice from the Great Pianists December 27th, 2023 The world of classical music has been graced by a wide variety of truly legendary pianists. In addition to the example set by their astonishing playing, these giants have often shared insights about their art in interviews or in articles, -
Drought December 27th, 2023 The first modern experience many people had with drought was the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Decades of poor land management and the destruction of the topsoil meant that the fertile land just blew away in the wind. The -
Playing the Part December 26th, 2023 “…part of an actor’s task is to make the audience forget that they know the plot of a drama and surprise them with each event. The same applies in music: we have to play each piece as if it were -
5 Magnificent Choruses
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio December 25th, 2023Countless scholars, performers, and conductors have asked the almost impossible question of how Bach’s music sounded when it was performed for the first time. This question really caused a great stir some decades ago with Joshua Rifkin suggesting that what -
A 14th-Century Carol of Approaching Death
Coventry Carol December 25th, 2023Not all carols celebrate the birth of Jesus; some commemorate the other actions that resulted from the news of that birth. Starting in the 14th century, the English city of Coventry held annual mystery plays where stories from the Bible -
75 Quotes About Classical Music December 24th, 2023 From the cantatas of Bach to the sonatas of Mozart to the passion of Tchaikovsky to the extroversion of Bernstein, the centuries-old classical music tradition has gripped audiences for generations. In this collection of 75 quotes, we’re traveling across the -
Seven of the Most Famous Classical Music Concerts of All Time December 24th, 2023 The history of classical music stretches back hundreds of years. During that time, millions of concerts have been given and attended in every country of the world. Certain performances out of those millions have stood out as being particularly important, -
Peace on Earth
In Terra Pax December 24th, 2023In the gospel of Luke, a group of shepherds are tending their flocks in the countryside near Bethlehem when they are spotted by a group of angels. The shepherds are rather worried and terrified by such extraterrestrial apparitions, but the