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: Wood October 11th, 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 -
What are Concerts for? October 10th, 2015 Concert noun 1. a public musical performance in which a number of singers or instrumentalists, or both, participate. 2. a public performance, usually by an individual singer, instrumentalist, or the like; recital: Earlier this year, I took part in a -
Music and Art: Bacon October 10th, 2015 When art becomes distortion, we think of the 20th century as the time and place for this to become an art form. The British artist Francis Bacon (1909-1992) was a figurative painter who created bold images against isolated backgrounds. In -
A Revolutionary Union
César Franck and Eugénie-Félicité-Caroline Saillot-Desmousseaux October 9th, 2015César Franck had a rather ambitious and overbearing father! Determined to make the most profitable use of his son’s musical talents, he forced him into a career as a virtuoso pianist. Studies at the Liège and Paris Conservatory set the -
Where Did the Name Come From? Musical Names and Nicknames II October 8th, 2015 In the 19th century and later musical names, titles and new forms were used to replace traditional classical music structures to allow composers to expand their music into deeper realms—Symphonie Fantastique Resurrection, Enigma Variations, Schelomo, Age of Anxiety. Music in -
Let’s be Franck! October 7th, 2015 César Franck’s reputation primarily rests on a few large-scale orchestral and instrumental works of his later years. Among his most respected and finest works is the Violin Sonata composed in 1886 as a wedding present for the Belgian violinist Eugène -
What Music Does Your Favorite Fictional Character Like? October 6th, 2015 As much as pop music seems to be part of everyone’s life today, classical music also has its place, although it may be much more difficult to find. Often it’s a writer’s reflections on the place of classical music in -
Transfigured Brahms October 4th, 2015 When Johannes Brahms delivered his Clarinet Sonatas Op. 120 to Richard Mühlfeld, he basically apologized for not having written a clarinet concerto. And what a glorious addition to the repertoire it would have been! As such, however, it was left