Blogs

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Frédéric Chopin
Looking for Sex in Public Toilets
Every week tabloid journalism reports “true stories” on celebrities, entertainment, alien abductions or people doing unspeakable things to themselves or others. Granted, the divide between professional journalistic standards and reporting stepped in sensationalism, which encourages biased or emotionally loaded impressions,
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Why Rachmaninoff Wrote So Much Music in Minor Keys
You have to hand it to composer Sergei Rachmaninoff—his three symphonies, the Symphonic Dances, four piano concertos, and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini are all written in minor keys. Other favorites, perhaps less frequently performed, are also in
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Ukrainian Struggles for Identity
“Music is a splendid lawless land where no one can give orders” The Ukrainian region suffered considerable political instability and oppression during the early 20th century. In fact, Ukrainians entered World War I on the side of both the Central
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Women Composers You Should Know I
They’re out there, hidden in the background, pushed out of the way by not only male composers but also male programmers, male conductors, male artistic directors. You have to look deep to find them, but they’re there, all through history.
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Forgotten Cellist, Conductor, Heroine and LGBTQ advocate: Frieda Belinfante
Belinfante Quartet Plays Bosmans The Dutch cellist, conductor, and Nazi-resistance fighter Frieda Belinfante led an extraordinary life. Belinfante was born in Amsterdam in 1904, into a musical family, the third of four children. Her father was a prominent pianist who
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Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)
The Father of Ukrainian Music
Mykola Lysenko: String Quartet in D minor, “1st Movement” The political conditions in 19th century Europe spawned a rapid growth of Nationalism and Patriotism across the continent. “The pride of conquering nations and the struggle for freedom of suppressed ones
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Original Compositions and Transcriptions by Vladimir Horowitz
From his earliest days, the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz wanted to be a composer/performer in the great tradition of Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff. In fact, despite his early successes as a pianist, Horowitz always claimed “he wanted to be
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Two More Woman Composers Who Wrote Enduring Cello Music
Marie Jaëll and Dora Pejačević
How is it that we don’t know more about the astonishing talents Marie Jaëll (1846-1925) and Dora Pejačević (1885–1923)? Jaëll, a French pianist, composer, and teacher, composed works in several genres—solo piano, concertos, and quartets. Attuned to music from her
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