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China and Opera: Discovery and Sublimation
Before the harpsichord was introduced into China in 1601 by Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), during the Ming Dynasty, no Chinese had heard Western music. We could say that Matteo Ricci and his successors drew royal attention merely by using these Western
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Chets: Inside Europe’s Biggest Summer School for Pianists
A shiny black Schimmel grand piano is stretched across the corner of a classroom normally reserved for French lessons. A small group of people sit in a semi-circle around the piano, some with musical scores opened on their laps, others
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Schubert: Mass in C major, D. 452
Premiered Today in 1825
Ferdinand Lukas Schubert (1794-1859)—older brother of Franz Schubert—was a schoolteacher, organist, and composer. He had some compositional talent, but frequently asked for his brother’s help in his daily work. On occasion, he appropriated his brother’s compositions and passed them off
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The Benefits of Music
I was looking at a listing on Buzzfeed, that news-site famous for its viral lists, on ’25 Cheat Sheets for Taking Care of Yourself Like an…Adult’ and noticed a recurring theme:
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Mozart: La clemenza di Tito
Premiered Today in 1791
The majority of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756-1791) serious operas were composed for occasions connected to the Austrian ruling house of Habsburg. At the tender age of fourteen, Mozart composed Mitridate, re di Ponto for Milan, a city governed by the
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Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra
Premiered Today in 1912
There is considerable debate across the entire scholarly and social spectrum as to what composer was most influential in the field of Western Classical music. It may, or may not surprise you to learn that Glenn Gould considered Arnold Schoenberg
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In Touch With Greatness @ Verbier
Picture this :- Eighteen days and nights of glorious music offered by a parade of world-class artists, talented Academy musicians and three Verbier Festival orchestras under the direction of renowned conductors; multiple masterclasses from 9:30am every day, held all day
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When you don’t feel like practising……
Practising is a habit. If we are serious about our music, our progress with our repertoire and our technical and artistic development, we need to establish good and regular practising habits, as regular as cleaning one’s teeth. No one, not
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