For as long as composers have been writing music, they’ve been inspired by the mystery, mood, and mythology of the night. We’ve gathered ten pieces of classical music about the night that explore themes associated with the hours after dark,
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Show Me the Money
Gioachino Rossini October 29th, 2023By the time Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) had penned his final opera at the tender age of 37, he had become one of the wealthiest and most influential musicians in Europe. Coming from very humble beginnings indeed, he composed up to -
The Most Expensive Violin in the World: The Locked-Up Messiah Stradivarius October 28th, 2023 The history of classical music is brimming with storied musical instruments. Chief among them is the Messiah Stradivarius, believed to be the most expensive violin in the world, celebrated for its pristine condition and astronomical value. Today we’re delving into -
Mauro and Emilia Giuliani
The Important Father and Daughter in the History of Guitar Music October 28th, 2023The Giuliani family produced two influential figures in the history of guitar music. Mauro Giuliani and his daughter Emilia Giuliani-Guglielmi were both Italian composers and guitarists. Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) played a crucial role in transforming the guitar from a mere -
Do You Know Daisy Bell? October 27th, 2023 Daisy Bell is a song that lives in popular culture. Don’t recognize the title? You might know it better by the final line of the chorus: ‘….a bicycle built for two.’ English composer Frank Dean (1857–1922) immortalized the tandem bicycle, -
When a New Music Director is a Call for Celebration
Thomas Søndergård and the Minnesota Orchestra October 27th, 2023Music directors of the major orchestras in the world do not typically come and go. A case in point, Eugene Ormandy was principal conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1938-1980 a total of 42 years. Not to be outdone, Zubin -
Rachmaninoff’s Last Student: 98-Year-Old Pianist Ruth Slenczynska October 26th, 2023 Ruth Slenczysnka must be one of the most interesting pianists alive today. She certainly has a story unlike any other: she studied piano with Rachmaninoff as a little girl – became an international musical sensation – abandoned her performing career -
On This Day
25 October: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 Was Premiered October 25th, 2023Pianist Hans von Bülow was called upon on 25 October 1875 to play the first performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 at the Music Hall in Boston. Tchaikovsky wrote to Bülow, “Thank you for the sympathetic attention you have -
Musical Instruments on the Title Pages of 16th- and 17th-Century Music October 25th, 2023 We were looking at some music title pages from a collection in the Bibliothèque Nationale and found some interesting representations of music as part of the title page designs. In this title page for a book of keyboard music from