The solo violin has long been acknowledged as the perfect instrument to express emotions like love, longing, heartbreak, rapture, and romance. The Romantic era lasted from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century and produced numerous works that
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In a Galaxy far away!
Joseph Haydn: Il mondo della luna November 8th, 2013We all know that the first successful manned landing on the moon occurred on 20 July 1969, when Apollo 11 delivered Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the surface of Earth’s lone satellite. The first robotic moon landing happened a -
Medieval Music is SO Boring!
Le remède de fortune November 7th, 2013Qui n’aroit autre deport – Lai Tels rit au main qui au soir pleure – Complainte Joie, plaisence et douce norriture – chanson roial En amer a douce vie – Rondelet Dame de qui toute ma joie – Ballade Dame, -
Parisian Sexuality.
Francis Poulenc and Friends November 6th, 2013“You have changed my life, you are the sunshine of my thirty years, a reason for living and for working.” This is how Francis Poulenc openly inscribed the score to his Concert champêtre, a work that is dedicated to the -
Musical Mentors November 5th, 2013 To become a successful performer takes more than raw talent, someone to mold that talent and diligent practice. If you’re lucky, as I was, on the road to becoming a musician you encounter in addition to a good teacher, musical -
Bohemian Recipe.
The Poulenc Sound November 4th, 2013Poulenc’s musical style, thematic materials and even tonal structures build from established musical practices, which are transformed into something unique. The American composer and essayist Ned Rorem concocted an amusing little recipe to explain the Poulenc sound. “Take Chopin’s dominant -
Andreas Ottensamer November 3rd, 2013 As a clarinettist myself, it was fairly nerve-wracking phoning up the principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the best orchestras in the world. “Hello? Hello? Is that Mr. Ottensamer? I’m very sorry, it’s a bit crackly at my -
Music and Religion: Silence the Organ!
Benedictus November 2nd, 2013The Second Vatican Council, colloquially known as “Vatican II” and held in the early 1960’s, sought to address the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and a society living in a modern and industrialized world. Bishops around the world had -
Autobiographical Meditations
Camille Saint-Saëns, Symphony No. 3 (with organ) November 1st, 2013Most of us associate the pipe organ with liturgical, that is, religious use. But did you know that the instrument was originally associated with gladiatorial combat during the time of the Romans? Gladiatorial games usually began with an elaborate procession