Franz Liszt: Liebestraum No.3 Context Franz Liszt was born in 1811 in Hungary, into an already well-established musical family. His father, Adam Liszt, had been in service for Prince Nikolaus II Esterházy. This meant he was in direct contact with prolific composers such as Haydn, Beethoven and Hummel. Liszt was an Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Fantasy for Trumpet Context Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England in October 1921. He took up playing the trumpet at age 12, and after studying and practising intensely for five years, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. Whilst at RCM, Read more…
Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Vagabond Context Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Vagabond was originally set for voice and piano and is part of a larger song cycle entitled Songs of Travel. Composed between 1901-1904, this was Vaughan Williams’ first major offering in the world of vocal music. Songs of Travel is Read more…
Dobrinka Tabakova: Spinning a Yarn Context Dobrinka Tabakova was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria to a music-loving family in 1980. At age 11, Tabakova moved to London and has since stayed there. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, specialising in composition, piano and conducting. From there, Tabakova Read more…
Igor Stravinsky: Elegy for Solo Viola Context Composed in 1944 on a commission from Germain Prevost, Igor Stravinsky’s sombre Elegy for Solo Viola was written for the ProArte Quartet. The piece was written in memory of the quartet’s first violinist, Alphonse Onnou, who had died some four years before. The Read more…
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata) Context Composed in 1801, Beethoven’s fourteenth piano sonata is perhaps his most famous. Now known as the Moonlight Sonata, this solo work for piano is regularly performed around the world in recitals, exams, and in homes. The work was dedicated to the Austrian Read more…
David Del Tredici: Farewell Context American composer David Del Tredici has composed a number of works in a range of different genres, from symphonic to chamber and solo. Farewell for solo violin was commissioned by virtuoso Hilary Hahn, which she often uses as her encore work. This serene work is Read more…
Florence Price: Dances in the Canebrakes Context Born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1887, Florence Beatrice Smith Price received early musical training from her mother. Price went to study at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1906 with a Soloist’s Diploma in Organ Performance, and a Teacher’s Read more…
Claude Debussy: Suite bergamasque Context Composed between the years 1890 and 1905, Suite bergamasque has remained one of Claude Debussy’s most popular works for the piano. The suite was heavily revised before its publication in 1905, and many of the names were changed. Debussy used names that came from Paul Read more…
Florence Price: The Deserted Garden Context Born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1887, Florence Beatrice Smith Price received early musical training from her mother. Price went to study at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1906 with a Soloist’s Diploma in Organ Performance, and a Teacher’s Diploma Read more…