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
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Music and Religion:
Long Live the Queen! May 14th, 2013If you were hoping to read an article on a particular female monarch, I must disappoint you, because the title refers to the pipe organ, famously called the “Queen of Instruments” by the French composer and writer Guillaume de Machaut. -
Verdi’s Footstool May 11th, 2013 Imagine writing sixty operas over a period of fifty years, and having them performed to great acclaim at the most important opera houses of Europe. Yet the only thing history actually remembers are the infamous words by Amintore Galli, who -
Music and Art in the Age of the Pre-Raphaelites May 10th, 2013 A recent exhibition of major works by the Pre-Raphaelite painters at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. brings into focus the close relationship between painting, poetry and music which existed throughout much of the 19th century. -
Mysteries of the Late Beethoven May 9th, 2013 Watch Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110Stephen Kovacevich Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111Michelangeli Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a revolutionary man who lived and worked in revolutionary and tumultuous times. Much of -
Ravel’s Boléro May 8th, 2013 Music lovers and musicians adore the music of Frenchman Maurice Ravel. Whether it’s his moving Pavane for a Dead Princess or his more esoteric String Quartet, his colorful orchestral work La Valse or his dazzling piano concertos (one of which -
The Colour of Love May 7th, 2013 Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551, “Jupiter” IV. Molto Allegro Berlin Philharmonic OrchestraHerbert von Karajan There are certain events in the history of humankind that must have been utterly magical. Take for example 23 September 1964, and picture -
Souls Without Music
The Condition of Congenital Amusia May 6th, 2013“A man that hath no music in himself, nor is not mov’d with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.” This is how Shakespeare described a soul without music. To most of us, music appreciation, like -
Freddy Kempf May 5th, 2013 From a charming hero to a perfect dad In any high school drama movie, there is always a scene like this: when a handsome boy walks pass, all the girls would turn their heads, look, and giggle. It happens in