Oswald Russell: Jamaican Dances Context Oswald Russell (1933-2012) was a Jamaican composer who wrote a number of important pieces of music during the 20th and 21st centuries. As well as a composer, Russell was also a talented pianist, with some of his recordings really standing the test of time. His Read more…
Leroy Anderson: Blue Tango Context Composed in 1951, Leroy Anderson’s’ Blue Tango is perhaps most well-known for being a popular song with original lyrics by Mitchell Parish. Anderson’s original orchestral version, however, is a hidden gem in the world of light orchestral music. Similar in style to other Anderson works Read more…
Clara Wieck-Schumann: Scherzo No.2 Context Clara Josephine Wieck was born on 13th September 1819 in Leipzig. Her mother was a famous singer in the city at the time. When Wieck was five, her parents divorced and she stayed with her father. Friedrich Wieck saw the potential in Wieck’s musical ability Read more…
Ennio Morricone: Gabriel’s Oboe Context Ennio Morricone’s work Gabriel’s Oboe is chiefly known for being the main theme of the 1986 film The Mission. The film is a period drama about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in South America. The film starred big names such as Robert De Niro, Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.12 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…
Leoš Janáček: Sinfonietta Context Born is 1854 in Hukvaldy, Moravia (a large area within the Czech Republic) Janáček was seen as a gifted child within a family that had little means. As a choir boy Janáček sung at the Abbey of St. Thomas in Brno, where he also nurtured and Read more…
Arnold Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 Context Born into a lower-middle class Jewish family in Vienna in 1874, Schoenberg was a mostly self-taught composer. He learnt counterpoint with composer and pedagogue, Alexander Von Zemlinsky and was also taken under the wing by Gustav Mahler. Schoenberg is perhaps most famous for Read more…
Joan Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman Context Joan Tower was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1938. When Tower was nine, her family moved to Bolivia, which she describes as an integral part of her compositional style. Upon her father’s insistence, she learnt the piano and had consistent musical Read more…
Antonín Dvořák: The Water Goblin Context Antonín Dvořák composed his symphonic poem, The Water Goblin in 1896. He was inspired by Karel Jaromír Erben’s collection of poems under the title Kytice. Out of the six poems in this set, Dvořák uses four for the basis of The Water Goblin. The Read more…
Ennio Morricone: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Context Ennio Morricone composed his highly popular soundtrack for the 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and by 1968 the album was a big hitter in the charts. Regarded as Morricone’s most successful film soundtrack, the main Read more…