From Salzburg to Vienna, from symphonies and operas, to concertos and chamber music: Mozart could do it all. Alas, he didn’t quite make it to his 36th birthday, but he’d already spent thirty years on the international scene, setting a standard that other composers...
Even people who don’t follow classical music know the opening of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5, but there’s so much more to the man and his music than just those four ever-so-famous notes. Even once you add the Ode to Joy, the list has still scarcely begun. What made...
Schubert may be best known for the symphony he didn’t finish. However, his widely admired Unfinished Symphony is only one part of the story. This Viennese native was also a master of songs, setting poems to music so that the words became even more powerful than they...
Ballroom dance styles, music for the ballet, and folk dance: All have their role in bringing danceable energies into the classical concert hall. Johann Strauss Jr.’s waltzes stand on their own, even outside the ballroom. Orchestral ballet suites need no choreography:...
From Pomp and Circumstance to Pirates of Penzance – and beyond – English composers have written some of the most beloved works in the world of classical music. Let’s sample some English classics! Along with Elgar and Sullivan, we’ll check in with Vaughan Williams and...
Few American composers are quite so singable as Gershwin! Even those who generally know better than to sing in public are still strongly tempted to croon along with his song Summertime. Then there’s the bounce and verve of I Got Rhythm, and so many other marvelous...
Even before Gershwin set foot in Carnegie Hall, American composers were making their mark in classical music: slow to arrive on the scene but eagerly accepted once they stepped through the door. But what makes their music sound American, and why didn’t they charge...
Vivaldi’s Winter from The Four Seasons is likely the most famous wintery expression of the snowy season. However, it is not the only choice. Both Wolfgang Mozart and his father Leopold composed sleigh-ride inspired music. Tchaikovsky brought winter to musical life...
Classical music isn’t just something written by white Euro-American guys. Other cultures have also made their mark, bringing individual cultural voices to the concert hall for all audiences to experience, even alongside Beethoven. Classical music historian and...
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