Category Archives: Music History
The horrors live on
From The Leading Tone on Tumblr: Sometimes I just don’t know. Part of me believes that I would have been pretty comfortable living and working in the XIX century, but then I come across horrors like this: I was merely … Continue reading
Posted in Music History, Music Humour, Pianos
Tagged arpeggios, church music, Dvorak, Music, piano music
12 Comments
I would have towered over Beethoven
… by an inch and a smidge. _____________________________________________________________ Image: via Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Posted in Beethoven, Music History, Music Humour
Tagged Classical music, Composers, Music Humour
12 Comments
… and don’t blame the page-turner
“What is it to be musical? You will not be so, if your eyes are fixed on the notes with anxiety and you play your piece laboriously through; you will not be so if, supposing that someone should turn over … Continue reading
Posted in Music History, Performance, Practice Tips, Quotes, Technic
Tagged classical piano, music quotes, Piano Lessons, piano music, Piano teaching, Schumann
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It means just as much as living
Cellist Janos Starker died on Sunday, at the age of 88. He was renowned as a soloist, for his work with orchestras, and his commitment to teaching. Born in Budapest, his path to becoming an international star included surviving life … Continue reading
Posted in Inspirational, Music History
Tagged Budapest, Cello Suites (Bach), János Starker, Pablo Casals
2 Comments
It’s okay to not love Beethoven
Tchaikovsky didn’t. He adored Mozart. And considered Bach, Handel, Gluck and Haydn mere forerunners to Mozart. From his diaries (1886): “… I shall start with Beethoven, whom it is usual to praise unconditionally and whom it is commanded to worship … Continue reading
Language is unable to explain music
“No matter how painfully exact music might be notated nor how carefully protected from double meanings by indications of tempi, dynamics, phrases, accents, etc., it always contains hidden elements which cannot be clearly defined, for language is unable to explain … Continue reading
Posted in General, Inspirational, Music History, Quotes
Tagged Art, Carl Orff, Classical music, composing, Language, Music, Stravinsky
2 Comments
With Shining Eyes
Conductor Benjamin Zander “has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it – and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, and new connections.” This 20-minute video is packed … Continue reading
Posted in Mozart, Music History, Performance, Videos
Tagged Benjamin Zander, Chopin, classical eyes, inspiration, Mozart, TED
11 Comments
Never give up
When he was 2 years old, he fell out of a second story window and fractured his skull When he was 6 years old, he mistakenly drank boric acid. When he was 9 years old, he fell over a small … Continue reading
Beethoven. Pushing us beyond our limits.
Beethoven gave us some fast – sometimes obscenely fast – metronome markings. These speeds have been debated for almost 200 years already. What was he thinking? Was his metronome faulty? Were there clerical errors at the publishing house? He was … Continue reading
Posted in Beethoven, General, Music History, Performance
Tagged Beethoven, Classical music, Ludwig van Beethoven, metronome, Radiolab, String quartet, symphonies, Tempo
4 Comments
A bit early for summer though…
The Muser is a wonderful newish music blog by Mimis, an amateur musician / full-time music lover based in Amsterdam. (I always like knowing where bloggers live – just sayin’). Mimis writes informative, easy-to-read posts about a wide variety of … Continue reading
Posted in Music History, Music Videos, Performance, Videos
Tagged Antonio Vivaldi, four seasons, music blogs, music videos, Nigel Kennedy, Piano trio, Ray Charles, The Muser
2 Comments
