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
Latest article
Spotlight
-
The Supernatural in Music
II. Medieval Occultism: Defeating the Devil March 23rd, 2014One of the famous stories of demonic possession cured by music was David playing his harp to sooth King Saul (I Samuel). Although this is taken in modern times as the first instance of music therapy for the treatment of -
The Enlightened Revolutionary
Jean-Philippe Rameau March 22nd, 2014Voltaire rightfully called Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) “le premier musicien de France.” Simultaneously looking backward and forward over French musical history, Rameau’s compositions uniquely capture the spirit of the Enlightenment. In all, Rameau published four books of keyboard music. The collections -
Trains in a Classical Mode March 21st, 2014 Trains provide a nice rhythmic basis for music – the old chuga-chuga sound of a steam train might be replaced now with the smooth humming of electrics, but we can find music where the train meets the tracks. -
The rise and rise of the countertenor Part II March 20th, 2014 At the end of Part 1 of this article, the countertenor voice was in a sorry state. Gone were the days of the star castrati, Farinelli and Senesino; the changing philosophical landscape of the Enlightenment had allowed the female voice -
From Solemnity to Paganism
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture March 19th, 2014Franz Liszt famously proclaimed that instrumental music attempting to communicate or carry meanings, messages or concepts that originate from outside music itself, do need to carry a narrative or descriptive program in order to be understood. This program, essentially a -
György Sebők – Pianist, Artist, Alchemist March 18th, 2014 Have you ever had a teacher who was a great musician, mystic, mentor, statesman and alchemist all at once? Pianist, György Sebők was such a man. When I first met him at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana in the late -
Pipe Dreams
The instruments of Gottfried Silbermann March 17th, 2014Are you ready for your monthly instrument quiz? I think you’re going to like this one! Here it goes. What instruments did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have in mind when he wrote, “These instruments are magnificent beyond measure?” And in case -
The Supernatural in Music
I. The Interval of the Devil: Basic Musical Elements March 16th, 2014The Devil is incarnate in music! Or so the medieval musicians believed as they worked to develop the basics of sound. Some pitches, when sounded together, just seemed to make an organ howl, hence they were known as wolf tones.