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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Musicians and Artists: Melchers and Rubens June 9th, 2023 Melcher Melchers: La Kermesse Inspired by Peter Paul Rubens In his frolicking picture La Kermesse, Peter Paul Rubens gives us a village festival that takes over the entire foreground of the painting. Though at one time to be a picture -
On This Day
8 June: Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe Was Premiered June 8th, 2023Set on the Greek isle of Lesbos, the ancient Greek novel Daphnis et Chloe is a pastoral tale of shepherds and shepherdesses authored by the Greek writer Longus. It tells the story of a boy and a girl, each abandoned -
Composer Erwin Schulhoff and How His Legacy Was Destroyed by the Nazis June 8th, 2023 Erwin Schulhoff is one of the most tragic, fascinating figures in twentieth century music. His promising career was halted by the rise of the Nazis, and he died in the Holocaust in 1942, before he could fulfill his true musical -
Words and Music and Imagination
An Interview With Evelyn Chang June 7th, 2023Inspired by her two boys, Taiwan pianist Evelyn Chang wrote some little pieces for children. All were based on the animals that they met in their stories or saw in their life and so her collection, Fantasies for Children was -
On This Day
7 June: Philippe Entremont Was Born June 7th, 2023Born on 7 June 1934 in Reims, the French pianist and conductor Philippe Entremont came from a musical family. His father was a violinist and conductor, and his mother a “Grand Prix” pianist and piano teacher. However, Entremont’s first instrument -
Let’s Not Be Brave
Margaret Brouwer’s I Cry—Summer 2020 June 6th, 2023The COVID lockdown of 2020–2022 affected composers and performers in many different ways. Some reported that, at least for the first few months, all of their activity stopped while the world reassessed itself. Many people found that their future lives -
On This Day
5 June: Carl Maria von Weber Died June 5th, 2023A veritable mania for Carl Maria von Weber’s (1786-1826) opera Der Freischütz swept London in 1824. Despite suffering from the advanced effects of tuberculosis, Weber accepted an offer from the impresario Charles Kemble to conduct the opera season and compose -
What is a Group of Classical Musicians Called? June 5th, 2023 A group of classical musicians performing together is called an ensemble. Some ensembles consist entirely of instrumentalists, while others consist of singers. Of course, there are also ensembles where instrumentalists and singers perform together. A variety of ensembles appear in