George Frideric Handel: He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd Messiah Part I Context George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has remained one of the composer’s most beloved works. Incredibly, Handel completed this 260-page oratorio in just 24 days during the summer of 1741. The scriptural text was compiled by Charles Read more…
Interview with Bridget Yee BBC Young Musician 2020 Keyboard Finalist Bridget Yee has been studying music in the UK since the age of 11. A multi-instrumentalist, Bridget has performed around the world in countries such as Germany, China and Japan. We were excited to chat to Bridget about her time Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings Context Composed in 1880, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s popular Serenade for Strings received its premiere at a private event at Moscow Conservatory in December of the same year. The first public performance of the piece was in October of 1881 in St Petersburg. The four-movement Read more…
Ruth Gipps: Horn Concerto Context By the time of her death in 1999, Ruth Gipps had an incredible oeuvre of music to represent her career throughout the 20th century. A pupil of Gordon Jacob, Arthur Alexander and Ralph Vaughan Williams whilst at the Royal College of Music, Gipps multitasked as Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.5 Context Often known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’, Joseph Haydn’s legacy as a symphonist stays strong today. Haydn composed 104 symphonies over the course of his long and fruitful life, and we at Classicalexburns want to help you discover the stories and music behind all Read more…
Peter Warlock: Capriol Suite Context Composed in 1926, Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite is one of his most popular orchestral works. Although originally composed as a piano duet, Warlock soon orchestrated the suite for both a string orchestra and a full orchestra set up. Based on a manual of Renaissance dances, Read more…
Ernst Toch: Geographical Fugue Context Ernst Toch’s spoken chorus work Geographical Fugue has remained one of his most inspired pieces of music. Toch’s legacy lies in the 1920s when he lived in Berlin and began exploring the idea of using a spoken chorus. He composed a number of works to Read more…
George Frideric Handel: Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind Be Open’d Messiah Part I Context George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has remained one of the composer’s most beloved works. Incredibly, Handel completed this 260-page oratorio in just 24 days during the summer of 1741. The scriptural text was compiled by Read more…
Ruth Gipps: Symphony No.4 Context By the time of her death in 1999, Ruth Gipps had an incredible oeuvre of music to represent her career throughout the 20th century. A pupil of Gordon Jacob, Arthur Alexander and Ralph Vaughan Williams whilst at the Royal College of Music, Gipps multitasked as Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.10 Context Johannes Brahms completed his 21 Hungarian Dances by 1879, and they still remain one his most popular collections of music. All of the dances are based on traditional Hungarian folk tunes and range from c.1 minute to 6 minutes in duration. Some of the Read more…