Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Sonata No.4 ‘Die Befreit Sonate’ Context Born in 1899, Russian-Canadian composer Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté began learning the piano when she was just five years old. She went on to study at the Paris Conservatoire, where she studied under the tutelage of Vincent d’Indy and Alfred Brun. Throughout her Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons August: Harvest Context Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his twelve character pieces for piano, The Seasons, at the same time that he was writing his popular ballet, Swan Lake. Each piece in The Seasons depicts a different month of the year in Russia. Although originally composed Read more…
Steve Reich: Piano Phase Context Steve Reich is known for his contributions to the minimalist movement of the twentieth century. As the title suggests, minimalism is a form of art music that uses minimal musical material to achieve maximum effects. Reich, with other composers such as Philip Glass and John Adams, Read more…
Camille Saint-Saëns: Bassoon Sonata in G Context Saint-Saëns’ Bassoon Sonata in G was composed in 1921, and was one of the composer’s last works before his death later that year. Throughout his career, Saint-Saëns only composed three sonatas for solo wind instruments, the others being for oboe and clarinet. Although Read more…
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne Op.15, No.3 Context Chopin’s catalogue of music reaches around 235 compositions, most of which are for solo piano. He was educated in the tradition of Beethoven, Mozart and Clementi, and was also very much influenced by Haydn and Hummel. Chopin was the first to compose ballades and scherzi Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons July: Song of the Reaper Context Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his twelve character pieces for piano, The Seasons, at the same time that he was writing his popular ballet, Swan Lake. Each piece in The Seasons depicts a different month of the year in Russia. Read more…
Harry Thacker Burleigh: Southland Sketches Context Composed in 1916, Harry Thacker Burleigh’s Southland Sketches is a great example of Burleigh’s quintessential American style. Scored for violin and piano, Southland Sketches takes the listener on a journey through various quirks of the American style that Burleigh pioneered in the early 1900s. Read more…
Charles Villiers Stanford: Fantasia and Toccata Context Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) remains one of Ireland’s most popular composers. After studying at the University of Cambridge, Stanford went to Leipzig in Germany to pursue his musical studies. In 1882, when Stanford was just 29 years old, he became one of Read more…
Michael Torke: Blue Pacific Context Commissioned by the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation for their Third New York Piano Competition back in 2006, Michael Torke’s Blue Pacific is a dazzling work for solo piano. Torke explains the inspiration for the work: “Blue Pacific was written on a cliff side overlooking Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons June: Barcarolle Context Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his twelve character pieces for piano, The Seasons, at the same time that he was writing his popular ballet, Swan Lake. Each piece in The Seasons depicts a different month of the year in Russia. Although originally composed Read more…