Niccolò Paganini: dazzling Italian virtuoso and violin technique pioneer
One of the most dazzling musical showmen of all time, the great Italian violinist and composer Paganini cast a spell over all those who heard his music, as Julian Haylock…
Michael Praetorius: composer, organist, theorist, Renaissance man extraordinaire
Best known for a moment of festive perfection, the music of the German composer Michael Praetorius was, explains Paul Riley, shaped by the Lutheran era in which he lived It’s…
Hubert Parry Was At The Heart Of The Renaissance Of British Music In The Early 20Th Century, Says Jeremy Dibble
Parry, Hubert Hubert Parry is one of England’s most eminent composers who rose to prominence during the latter half of the 19th century. He is perhaps most famous for composing…
The Prodigious English Composer Is A True Master Who Deserves To Be Known For More Than His Much-Loved Carols
Rutter, John For millions of people around the world, Christmas begins with that ethereal treble voice floating into a darkened chapel in the opening solo verse of Once in Royal David’s…
Stravinsky: style-conscious visionary, 20th-century composing colossus
Learn all about Igor Stravinsky, the style-conscious visionary and perhaps the 20th century’s most seminal composer ‘Stravinsky demeure.’ This is how Pierre Boulez, one of the leaders of the post-war musical avant…
Antonio Vivaldi: so much more than The Four Seasons
The composer of The Four Seasons was also one of the Baroque era’s busiest and most influential musicians. Meet Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Vivaldi was one of the most important composers of the…
Mieczysław Weinberg: how the scars of war and Soviet politics shaped his music and life
The powerful work of Mieczysław Weinberg, a composer who lived through war and imprisonment, is at last being celebrated, says Erik Levi The life of composer Mieczysław Weinberg was irretrievably…
Puccini: the Italian opera maestro who added Wagner to Verdi
Opera’s craftsman of emotion Christopher Cook No composer of opera has assaulted hearts and provoked tears more readily than Giacomo Puccini. For millions Puccini’s music is Italian opera. Who…
Meet Monteverdi, Early Opera Pioneer And Classical Music’s First Great Dramatist
Monteverdi, Claudio When was Monteverdi born? Claudio Monteverdi was born in 1567 in Cremona, the northern Italian town also well known as a production centre for violins, home of Antonio Stradivari,…
Luke Bryan Surprised Onstage By Young Fan Who Knows All The Words To His Music, And Joins In With Him!
Fans getting the chance to interact with their favorite artists is, for the most part, a dream come true that is fulfilled more often than we realize. For some, it’s…