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piano

Blogs

Modest Mussorgsky ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’: A Grand Musical Illustration

Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Context Modest Mussorgsky was born in 1839 in Karevo (south of Saint Petersburg). His family owned lots of land, which made them incredibly wealthy. His mother was a self-taught pianist, who began teaching him the piano at age 6. Mussorgsky thrived learning the piano, and he soon Read more…

By Alex Burns, 2 months2 months ago
Blogs

Alban Berg ‘Vier Stücke’: Charismatic Miniatures

Alban Berg: Vier Stücke Context Vier Stücke was composed in 1913 and are perhaps Berg’s only true miniatures. His wife Helene writes that he composed them in June, which means it was in the same month as his fateful visit to his tutor, Schoenberg. It is recorded that this meeting Read more…

By Alex Burns, 3 months3 months ago
Blogs

Franz Liszt ‘Liebestraum No.3’: The Purest Kind of Love

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…

By Alex Burns, 6 months6 months ago
Blogs

Ludwig van Beethoven ‘Piano Sonata No. 14’: The Moonlight Sonata

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…

By Alex Burns, 7 months5 months ago
Blogs

Clara Schumann ‘Three Romances for Violin and Piano’: Rippling Waves of Emotion

Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Violin & Piano 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 Clara was five, her parents divorced and she stayed with her father. Friedrich Wieck saw the potential Read more…

By Alex Burns, 8 months1 month ago
Blogs

Rebecca Clarke ‘Sonata for Viola and Piano’: Championing the Underdog

Rebecca Clarke: Sonata for Viola and Piano Context Remembered today as one of the finest chamber music composers of the twentieth century, Rebecca Clarke’s (1886-1979) Sonata for Viola and Piano is a staple in viola repertoire. Although her compositional output wasn’t large like some of her contemporaries, the works that were composed were Read more…

By Alex Burns, 9 months1 month ago
Blogs

Maurice Ravel ‘Le Tombeau de Couperin’: A Whimsical Memory

Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin Context Originally a six-movement solo composition for piano, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin was composed between 1914 and 1917. ‘Tombeau’ is a musical term from the Baroque era meaning ‘a piece written as a memorial.’ Every movement of Le Tombeau de Couperin is dedicated to the memory of Read more…

By Alex Burns, 9 months5 months ago
Blogs

John Ireland ‘Decorations’: The Finest English Impressionism

John Ireland: Decorations Context John Ireland was born in Bowdon, Cheshire in 1879, and was the youngest of five children. It has been widely documented that Ireland had a rough childhood. His mother and father died within a year of each other in 1893 and 1894, when he was just 14/15 Read more…

By Alex Burns, 1 year5 months ago
Blogs

Alma Mahler ‘Five Songs for Voice and Piano’: Light Lieder

Alma Mahler: Five Songs for Voice and Piano Context Composed between 1899-1910 and published around the year 1911, Alma Mahler’s Five Songs for Voice and Piano have stood the test of time. Each of the five songs are based on a poem that Mahler liked: Die stille Stadt (The Quiet Read more…

By Alex Burns, 2 years1 month ago
Blogs

Dana Suesse ‘Concerto in Three Rhythms’: An Exotic Fusion

Dana Suesse: Concerto in 3 Rhythms Context Dana Suesse was born in 1909 in Kansas City. There is not much information on Suesse’s earlier life, but we know that whilst she was still young she travelled around the Midwest Vaudeville circuit, performing both on the piano and as a dancer. Read more…

By Alex Burns, 2 years1 month ago

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