Duke Ellington: Mastermind Behind the Jazz Melodies
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C., was a pioneering American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader. Over the course of his illustrious career, spanning more than…
Exploring The Romantic Era in Classical Music Part 2
The Romantic Era of the Western classical tradition, corresponding roughly to the 1800s, represented a radical shift in how composers saw themselves. In Exploring The Romantic Era in Classical Music…
Exploring The Romantic Era in Classical Music Part 1
What comes to mind when you hear the word “romantic”? A sunset walk on the beach? Wine and candles? Classical music history has a whole style period known as the…
Top Recordings of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Discover the best recordings of Rachmaninov’s variations for piano and orchestra based on Paganini’s 24 Caprices Written in 1934 in Lucerne, Rachmaninov created these variations based on a theme from the last…
Heinrich Schütz: The most significant German composer before Bach?
While Schütz is best known today for his choral masterpiece The Christmas Story, he also played a vital role in shaping German music with a little help from abroad, says Paul…
The Top 10 Most Expensive Instruments in History: These Are the Instruments That Command Outrageous Costs
Most expensive instruments ever 1. Louis XV special harp Inspired by the rococo style of French King Louis XV’s time, this ornate harp from Lyon & Healy has been nicknamed the Rolls…
Meet ‘Mini-Mozart,’ Who Passed Highest Exam in Piano and Violin and Became Britain’s Youngest Composer… At the Age of SEVEN
When Edward Tomanek was given a toy tennis racket at three and started playing it like a violin, his parents took the hint. Although he had just taken up piano,…
Ludovico Einaudi’s Amazing Airport Surprise: Stuns Fan by Joining Him on The Piano!
Ludovico Einaudi stunned a young fan at an airport when he joined him on the piano over the weekend. The Italian pianist stood alongside the fan to play his track “Nuvole Bianche” while…
Allegri’s Miserere’s Top Recordings
We have decided to don the sackcloth and ashes and search out the best recordings of Allegri’s haunting setting of Psalm 51. The title ‘Allegri’s Miserere’ only tells half the…
What Led the Pope to Confer Papal Knighthood and the Order of the Golden Spur upon Mozart?
The train of events which led to Mozart being awarded the Order of the Golden Spur by Pope Clement XIV in July 1770 seems scarcely believable today. It all began the previous…