In classical music, the Romantic Era lasted from around 1810 to around 1910. That century gave us some of the most famous symphonies in the repertoire. Nineteenth-century composers like Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvořák, Schubert, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and others elevated the symphony
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Minors of the Majors
Franz Peter Schubert: Mass No. 1 in F Major, D.105 August 22nd, 2016“Minors of the Majors” invites you to discover compositions by the great classical composers that for one reason or another have not reached the musical mainstream. Please enjoy, and keep listening! -
Movers and Shakers of Music World
Paul Sacher: Plutocrat and Patron August 21st, 2016Without the extraordinary generosity of legendary conductor, patron, and impresario Paul Sacher, a myriad of masterworks by twentieth-century composers would simply not exist. An artist of unusual stature and one of the world’s richest men—he married the heiress of the -
“If music be the food of love, play on.” Shakespeare and Music IX – King Lear August 21st, 2016 You may be surprised how many quotes come from the 1606 play King Lear, perhaps William Shakespeare’s greatest of tragedies—a work, which continues to electrify and has stirred composers Debussy, Shostakovich, and Berlioz as well as some popular music. The -
Nobody Does It Better: An Interview with Graham Ross August 20th, 2016 Although the title of this piece seems to reflect an overarching ego, viz James Bond, it’s meant more of a statement about the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge. Interlude spoke with the CCC’s Director of Music, Graham Ross, in a -
Should certain repertoire be “off limits” to amateur pianists? August 20th, 2016 Occasionally I come across the suggestion from other professional musicians and even some teachers that certain repertoire is the exclusive preserve of the professionals and should be left well alone by “amateurs”. This includes the final piano sonatas of Beethoven -
Music á la “Mode”
Mixolydian Delight August 19th, 2016The Mixolydian mode is somewhat of a paradox! Ancient tradition used it for lamentations, while modern authors ascribed erotic and joyous qualities to it. And to make it even more confusing, Plato entirely shunned the Mixolydian mode because he claimed -
From Children’s Tales to Scenes from Childhood
Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen August 18th, 2016Written about children, but not written for children, the collection of short piano pieces entitled Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) by Robert Schumann was a gift to Clara Wieck in 1838, two years before they were finally married. The final 13 -
Johann Sebastian Bach: Laß Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl, BWV 198 (Ode of Mourning) August 17th, 2016 Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Electress of Saxony and titular Queen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, was a bit of a religious celebrity. For years she resisted the pressure of the court to embrace the Roman Catholic faith, which her husband had