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…
Joan Trimble: The Green Bough Context Joan Trimble was born in 1915 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. She, from a young age, learnt to play the piano, read music and then compose her own music. She studied piano with Annie Lord at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin. She continued her Read more…
Sheila Silver: Nocturne Context Sheila Silver is an American-born composer who grew up in Seattle. She began receiving piano lessons from the age of 5 and her love and passion for music grew and grew until she earned her place at the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated with a Bachelor 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…
Franz Liszt: Liebestraum No.3 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. At a young age, Liszt Read more…
Rebecca Clarke: Sonata for Viola and Piano 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 praised Read more…
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata) 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 countess, Read more…
Dearest readers, welcome to Day ‘R’ of my Alphabet Challenge, and I have been so very excited to share this next composer and work with you! For Day R, this blog will be looking into the brilliant Maurice Ravel and his work (originally for piano, but for this blog we Read more…
Dearest readers, we have made it to Day ‘I’ of my jam-packed October Alphabet Challenge! Today, I shall be delving into the musical world of John Ireland, and his set of three miniatures for piano – Decorations. John Ireland was born in Bowdon, Cheshire in 1879, and was the youngest of Read more…
Dearest readers, it has been a couple of weeks since my last post, but my Masters degree has had to take priority. Not long until I can blog much more regularly! Today’s blog is based on a wonderful Nocturne by Polish composer, Frédérich Chopin. This piece was chosen by my Read more…