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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Chinese Musical Instruments: Hide November 28th, 2015 Musical instruments in China were traditionally classified into 8 groups delineated by the material used in the instrument: Silk, Bamboo, Wood, Stone, Metal, Clay, Gourd and Hide. We will look at selected instruments in six of these groups in this -
Muses and Musings
Edvard Grieg and Teresina Tua November 27th, 2015“To all appearances,” Edvard Grieg wrote in 1882,”I am living a more peaceful life than ever before, but in reality it is a life full of inward struggle. I am both spiritually and bodily unwell and decide every other day -
Violent and Unnatural Deaths in Opera II November 26th, 2015 In general, weddings tend to be rather happy occasions. This was certainly true, at least initially, for Orfeo and Euridice. The master musician and the most radiant beauty of the ancient world were passionately in love. But on the wedding -
Revered Cellist Aldo Parisot full of ‘Fogo’ November 25th, 2015 “The master classes are extraordinary – Aldo Parisot has that enormous, rare gift of translating musical feeling into solid information about what to do with a set of fingers and a bow… as a teacher, he is an object of -
Estonia Grand Piano: A Tradition Reborn November 24th, 2015 For the average citizen of the Soviet Union, anything with the exception of plain breads, cabbage, potatoes and vodka was a luxury item. Soviet leadership, however, did produce a number of cultish consumer items of frequently questionable quality. A reflector -
John Williams and the Sound of Our Lives November 23rd, 2015 Film music has always tread that fine line between classical and not-classical. Should it be considered ‘light’ classical or not classical at all? But film music itself is an interesting genre. There are so many films for which the music -
Voices of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing I November 22nd, 2015 Although a relatively young institution, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing has seen its fair share of highly talented composers. Founded in 1950, the department of composition—for better or for worse—has been the cornerstone of its academic endeavours. Guo -
That Swingin’ Jazz Thing November 22nd, 2015 Does jazz music make you want to tap your feet and dance? For many, those catchy swing beats can somehow drive our troubles away. In fact, that is one of the reasons why jazz became so popular in the early