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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Alfred Schnittke: Moz-Art à la Haydn September 12th, 2015 During the 1970’s, the perceived elitism and dissonant sounds of atonal academic modernism were gradually giving way to artistic expressions that favored a synthesis of familiar styles. By reintroducing traditional elements of musical styles—openly influenced by popular music and world -
Sounds of Sorrow: Elegies and Laments III September 12th, 2015 As the 19th century idea of death as a close and regular companion faded away, the elegy in the 20th century began to change character. If we look at a work by the Hungarian composer Eugene Zádor (1894–1977), we can -
Applause is like Oxygen
Sergei Rachmaninoff and Marietta Shaginyan September 11th, 2015Sergei Rachmaninoff was deeply wounded when critics admired him as a pianist but never acknowledged him as a composer. Battling severe bouts of depression he dejectedly confided in Marietta Shaginyan “that he would concentrate fully on playing and would stop -
Linds and Clärchens: Women Musicians and National Currency September 10th, 2015 Who’s on your banknote? We took a survey of European bank notes and found a gratifying number of women singers and one composer who’ve appeared, past and present. Between 1996 and 2003, the Swedish Riksbank produced the Jenny Lind 50-kronor -
Music for Children: Russia September 9th, 2015 Russian composers have created some of the most memorable music for children, starting with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) created the ballet The Nutcracker for the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. It was given its premiere on 18 -
In Touch with Robert Lakatos September 8th, 2015 Serbian violinist Robert Lakatos was recently named as winner of the 12th Pablo Sarasate Violin Competition in Pamplona. He is an exciting new talent on the world stage with a string of international competitions under his belt and a rich -
No Merits, No Skills? No Problem! September 7th, 2015 So, you have decided to become a neurosurgeon? What an excellent choice, but before you can hope to get your hands on the subject matter, there are many, many years of education and training in front of you. Ideally, your -
Chinese Musical Instruments: Silk September 6th, 2015 We are very familiar with the instruments of Western classical music, most of which appear in Western orchestral music. This new series will look at musical instruments outside the American / European tradition, beginning with China.