Cindy McTee: Adagio for String Orchestra Context Cindy McTee was born in 1953 in Washington. Her father played the trumpet and her mother played the clarinet, so from an early age, McTee was involved with music. By age six she was receiving piano lessons, and her teacher at the time encouraged her Read more…
Pauline Oliveros: A Love Song Context Born in May 1932 in Texas, Pauline Oliveros began participating in music at a very young age. In the 1940s, she received her mother’s accordion, as they were a fairly popular instrument in America at the time. Whilst at school she also learned to play Read more…
Max Richter: Dream 13 (minus even) Dream 13 (minus even) is part of Max Richter’s latest album From Sleep. It aims to aid people establish a much more peaceful sleeping routine, and also a more peaceful thinking regime in the daytime. This way of thinking has intrigued Richter throughout his career, with questions like ‘How Read more…
Toru Takemitsu: Requiem for String Orchestra Biography Toru Takemitsu was born in 1930 in Tokyo. At a very young age, Takemitsu was called into military service. However, during his time in the military, Takemitsu became aware of Western classical music. During the post-war U.S. occupation of Japan, Takemistu was taken ill for a long Read more…
Karl Jenkins: Palladio Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins (CBE), was born on 17th February, 1944, in Penclawdd, Wales. He first received music training from his father, who was a choirmaster and chapel organist. Jenkins began to learn the oboe, and subsequently played in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Further to Read more…
Erich Urbanner: Emotions Born on March 26th, 1936 in Austria, Erich Urbanner has had a fruitful career in music, specifically composition. Studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, between 1955-1961, Urbanner was able to work with a wealth of different composers. He studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky, piano with Read more…
Antonio Vivaldi: Le quattro stagioni Antonio Vivaldi composed his ever-popular collection of violin concerti The Four Seasons around the year 1721. The conception of what we can now deduce as an early form of programme music was revolutionary in the Baroque period. It has been speculated that the music from each concerti was Read more…
Arnold Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 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 his innovative Read more…
It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog for you all today. It has recently been announced that Icelandic composer, Jóhann Jóhannsson has passed away, age 48. He was perhaps best-known for his original film soundtrack for the 2016 blockbuster, The Theory of Everything. As well as film soundtracks, Jóhannsson Read more…
Welcome to Day ‘P’ of my Alphabet Challenge! After the intense and powerful forces of Carl Orff’s O Fortuna, this blog is taking it down a few notches to a serene and absolutely beautiful work by Estonian composer, Avro Pärt. Spiegel im Speigel is perhaps one of Pärt’s most well-known compositions, and I am looking forward Read more…