The Divertimento K. 138 in F major was written in 1772, a date which carries various social, political, and musicological connotations – but more fundamentally that Wolfgang Amadè* Mozart was only 15 years old at the time. Then, he was… Read More »Mozart: Divertimento K. 138
One of the hidden gems in peeking though the annals of history is discovering the things we take for granted. It was only in the early 1900s that Pablo Casals discovered the Bach cello suites in a second-hand shop. Likewise,… Read More »Monuments of Music: Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
With thanks, as always, to Anthony Devroye, Lim Soon Lee, Choochart Pitaksakorn, Khitikhun Sodprasert, Dr Robert Kolt, James Dunham and Leonard Atherton. There are three categories: about the instrument, about interpretation, and about musicianship. THE INSTRUMENT: THE VIOLA 1. If… Read More »Some of the Best Things I’ve Learned About Music… So Far.
Take a moment to recall what you did yesterday. Now, think about your recollection. Chances are that the majority of it is visual, and out of what remains is probably aural. We have the five senses – what you see,… Read More »Tomatoes and Swimming Pools: Methods of “Touch” for the Bow Hand
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuVDyyxJJJA&hl=en&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Giry004BM1M&hl=en&fs=1] We should also note that with the Dancla, we should focus on keeping the fingers close to the string, and that each moment of contact is like a “soft hammer”. If that particular study is proving too difficult,… Read More »Playing Off the String – Two Video Lessons
Overture to Carmen by Georges Bizet The titles of operas from the Romantic Era have a rather uncanny frequency of acting as an announcement of who will die by the time the curtain falls. Turandot is a notable exception, but… Read More »Enter the Bullfighter
Overture to Carmen by Georges Bizet The titles of operas from the Romantic Era have a rather uncanny frequency of acting as an announcement of who will die by the time the curtain falls. Turandot is a notable exception, but… Read More »Enter the Bullfighter
Exploring the context of Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony and Jacques Offenbach’s Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld The use of surprise in the armory of the composer likely goes back as far as it has been part of the… Read More »Wake Up and Listen: A Little History of Musical Surprise
The ‘Hebrides’ Overture by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy From one of the two original sketches of Mendelssohn’s dated 7 August 1829; the other is a pen and ink drawing titled “A Look at the Hebrides and Morven” Composers have for centuries been… Read More »The Call of the Sea
Overtures from The Barber of Seville, The Thieving Magpie and William Tell, by Gioachino Rossini. Flamboyance, dynamic drama, and a sense of youthful vigor – it is little wonder that Gioachino Rossini’s overtures are long-standing classical favourites of orchestras around… Read More »Championing a Lasting Youth of Melody