Where can you find passionate stories about love and hate, horrible stories about rape and dismemberment, accounts of slave trafficking, tales of high honor, and cruel treachery of war? The answer is very simple, as you only need to turn

Just in case we need reminding, the “Dean of American Composers,” Aaron Copland was born on 14 November 1900. In his teens, Stravinsky studied theory and composition with Rubin Goldmark, who was considered one of New York’s most eminent composition

One of my all-time feel-good movies is the animated musical fantasy film “The Little Mermaid.” Originally released in 1989 by Walt Disney Pictures, the movie takes us to the kingdom of Atlantica. Princess Ariel, a 16-year-old mermaid, is unhappy with

It seems like we have a “World Day” for everything these days. From hugging a teddy bear to LGBT Center Awareness Day, the entire spectrum of social causes and cultural cheerleading is filling up our daily calendar. I was very

Classical music can be the perfect choice of genre for funeral music. Its association with beauty, dignity, and tradition – along with its ability to comfort or evoke feelings of nostalgia – makes it appealing to many. But there’s so

Very few people are actually born to become composers, and composers frequently struggle financially in society. In fact, the starving artist was a popular trope in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It was suggested that artists lived in poverty

The illicit child of Pasiphaë, wife of King Minos of Crete, and a snow-white bull intended for sacrifice to Poseidon, the Minotaur, half-man half-bull, actually had the given name of Asterius (star). He was ungovernable, so Minos created a labyrinth

The saxophone is a relatively young instrument in the world of classical music. (It was originally invented in 1846.) But its unique sound and versatility have captured the hearts of composers and audiences alike. Today we’re spotlighting twenty essential pieces