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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Love begins at home!
Charles Burney and his family September 27th, 2014In 1990, the average size of individual households in the industrialized word ranged from a low 2.1 individuals in Sweden to a high of 3.1 in Ireland. According to this study, the group of 7 countries that make up the -
A date with the Devil
Giacomo Meyerbeer: Robert the Devil September 26th, 2014The nice thing about going to an opera performance is that you get to have fictional dates with characters your mom would almost certainly disapprove of. Take for example Robert le diable (Robert the Devil), an opera in five acts -
Are Music Students Burying Their Heads in the Sand? September 25th, 2014 ‘So… I’m graduating in a year… I could get a job… or I could commence further study!’ ‘So… I’m finishing further study in six months… I could get a job… or I could commence FURTHER study!’ -
A Walk in a Japanese Garden
Tōru Takemitsu September 24th, 2014Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996) fell in love with western classical music via American forces radio broadcasts during the post-war U.S. occupation of Japan. In fact, he “considered the radio as his first real teacher.” Almost exclusively focused on Western musical styles -
Improvisation is Life September 23rd, 2014 Improvisation is one of the most important areas in which music can teach us how to live better. Because improvisation is life. Without improvisation, existence is not life; it is only the empty copying of old patterns – improvisation is -
Musical Instruments and Inventions: Adolphe Sax September 22nd, 2014 We don’t think of instruments as having been “invented” – they just have been there forever. In some cases, though, instruments do have a definite hand guiding them and none more so than the Saxophone. -
Why Are Male Harpists So Rare? September 21st, 2014 Music is, unfortunately, no stranger to sexism. Right through the pop world to the lands of orchestras and opera, gender bias occurs more often than people wish to admit. So why do more girls play the harp, and how did -
Tango Beyond Piazzolla
I. Introduction September 18th, 2014When Astor Piazzolla went to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, he was embarrassed by his non-classical music past, and that he played tango music with a bandoneón in a cabaret at night. No matter how hard he tried to