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
Latest article
Spotlight
-
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 -
On This Day
24 October: Franz Lehár Died October 24th, 2023With his operetta The Merry Widow, the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár crafted one of the most popular and enduring works in the genre. In fact, it was the favourite work of Adolf Hitler, who called it “equal to the best -
10 Fun and Exciting Clarinet Sonatas From the 20th Century October 23rd, 2023 The 20th century really fell in love with the clarinet. I always get goosebumps listening to the opening of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with the clarinet sounding the delicious penetrating low trill followed by that long glissando. The technical demands -
On This Day
23 October: Kirill Gerstein Was Born October 23rd, 2023Pianist Kirill Gerstein was the youngest student ever to enter the Berklee College of Music in Boston at the age of 14. Several decades later, he is considered one of the most distinguished classical artists of his generation, engaging in -
What Happened to Chopin’s Beloved Composer Sister Ludwika Jędrzejewicz? October 22nd, 2023 Throughout the history of classical music, it’s common to find examples of talented sibling pairs. (In fact, we wrote about some of the forgotten musical siblings) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart worshiped his older sister Maria Anna Mozart as a child, and -
On This Day
22 October: Xavier de Maistre Was Born October 22nd, 2023The French harp virtuoso Xavier de Maistre has been called a musician of the highest order, “capable of realizing a remarkable range of nuance.” A profoundly creative musician, he has decisively broadened the harp repertoire by commissioning new works, and -
Mythical Creatures: Unicorns October 22nd, 2023 The concept of a unicorn has re-entered modern conversation, but instead of referring to an animal with a single horn (uni-corn), it now means ‘a person or thing that is rare or highly valued’ or ‘a privately-owned startup company worth -
Isn’t it Time for More Entertaining Musical Puns? October 21st, 2023 Becoming a musician takes years of serious practice, discipline, motivation, concentration, and dedication. We spend countless hours alone to perfect our playing. When we get together it always helps to laugh a little. Musicians are the first to admit they