Johann Ernst died at age 18, in 1715, but in his few years, wrote 19 concertos and a trumpet sonata. Two of his concertos were arranged for keyboard by no less a composer than J.S. Bach. His importance lies in

One of the most prestigious piano competitions worldwide, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2022 has finally come to an end after an enduring 17 days, in which competitors had to go through 4 rounds and prepare solo recitals of

English theatres had a special way of celebrating important performances. Gala, royal, anniversary, benefit, charity, or visits of foreign dignitaries called for the use of a silk programme. This programme was made for the grand opening night of the London

Antonín Rejcha, later Antoine or Anton Reicha (1770-1836) came from a hard childhood. His father, Simon, the town piper of Prague, died when he was 10 months old and at age 11, he ran away from his mother who couldn’t

We have a variety of images of Henry VIII, King of England (1491-1547). The majority of them come from late in his life, when he was overweight and suffering from a sequential wife problem. Or maybe it was a sequence

One of the most exquisite of the stringed instruments were the little violins that were designed, it is thought, to fit in a pocket. Its name, pochette, is French for ‘small pocket.’ Intended for adults, despite their compact size, these

“The hills are alive with the sound of music” is a verse taken from a well-known Rodgers and Hammerstein’s song in the 1965 Hollywood movie “The Sound of Music”. At the opening scene, Julie Andrews made her first appearance twirling

I really enjoy reading biographies of historical figures, authors, scientists, and musicians. And while it is fascinating to read a detailed description of a person’s life, biographies are not just presentations of facts and figures. We get to know a