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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Your Music Stinks!
Poulenc and the Parisian Conservatory October 25th, 2013The composer Ned Rorem suggested that, Francis Poulenc never penned an original note. “Every measure can be traced to Chopin, or Mussorgsky, or Ravel, or Stravinsky, or even Faure whom he reviled. Yet every measure can be instantly identified as -
The number games: chamber music vs orchestral playing October 24th, 2013 During my time at Cambridge, I was lucky enough to get many opportunities to play in both chamber music and orchestral projects. Now, on the brink of beginning a masters course devoted to orchestral playing, I’ll have a chance to -
Is This How They Turn Out? October 23rd, 2013 From The Mozart Effect to The Cage Effect Perhaps you didn’t realize that if your child or student listens to classical music then they might exhibit some of those character traits! Teachers especially like #13 – The Cage Effect! Does -
Mechanical Mozart! October 22nd, 2013 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantasia in F minor for Mechanical Organ, K. 608, arr. Fortepiano duet We should never forget that the supposedly rarefied air and sterile environment of classical music is numerously inhabited by an incredible number of colourful personalities. -
In touch with Carol Lin October 21st, 2013 Carol Ho-Yan Lin is one of Hong Kong’s leading mezzo-sopranos. A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), she furthered her studies with the American mezzo-soprano Delores Ziegler at the New England Conservatory in Boston where she -
An inconvenient proposal!
Francis Poulenc and Raymonde Linossier October 20th, 2013Invariably, Francis Poulenc is described as a man of constant contradictions. A sense of ambivalence and ambiguity is readily found in his compositions, but it also extends to his sexual behavior and preferences. Poulenc was a devout Catholic and homosexual -
Practice makes perfect…but what makes perfect practice? October 19th, 2013 There’s one word that many musicians fear, a word that strikes terror (or boredom) into their hearts. Of course, I can only be talking about practice. Why do we hate it so much? It’s a necessary part of every musician’s -
Horatio Parker October 18th, 2013 The New Haven Conservative In the United States, Charles Ives is revered as a cultural messiah who provided musical identity to a country desperately searching for a classical musical tradition of its own. Ives went to school at Yale University,