Is ‘Claire de Lune’ Apollonian or Dionysian?
Before we plunge headlong into the question posed by the title of this piece, I feel it is extremely important to understand a little about … Read more
Dr Justin Wildridge
What Instruments Are Used In Vallenato?
This is a true cultural voyage of discovery that asks us to travel to the rarest of countries, Columbia. If you listen to music from … Read more
What Instruments Did Beethoven Play?
Beethoven’s date of birth meant that he was destined to live between two major eras of musical history; the Classical and the Romantic. He was … Read more
Perfect vs Imperfect Authentic Cadences: What’s The Difference
Cadence in music is a little like cadence in speech. It is not dissimilar to the form of a sentence, just like this one. Human … Read more
How Did Beethoven Support Himself Financially?
Beethoven did not immediately rise to stardom and the ranks of the rich and the famous. Like many musicians at that time, life was a … Read more
Classical vs Popular Music (Differences Between Classical And Popular Music)
In this article, I am going to take a long hard look at the key differences between what broadly can be described as classical and … Read more
Zither vs Guzheng: What’s The Difference?
Before we can hope to unravel the mysteries contained in this thought-provoking title, let’s take a moment to explore each instrument in turn. From this … Read more
What Instruments Did Claude Debussy Play?
If you are not familiar with the music of French composer Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918), I’d like to think you are in for a … Read more
What Instruments Did Chopin Play?
Often the early lives of composers and performers, especially the further back in time we search, is challenging to capture the full set of facts. … Read more
Why Are Soap Operas Called Soap Operas?
Operas as a musical form stretch back many hundreds of years. Here in the 21st Century, the idea of music without opera may seem strange … Read more
Impressionist Music Characteristics: An Introduction
Like so many artistic movements that have evolved in Western Art Music, Impressionism was an organic extension of what was developing in the fine art … Read more
Characteristics of Claude Debussy Music: An Introduction
Claude Debussy was almost certainly one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th Century. He arrived at a time in musical history … Read more
Characteristics of Country Music: An Introduction
A little like so many genres of music, the title ‘Country Music’, covers a huge selection of sub-genres of music. When thinking about Country Music, … Read more
Characteristics of Baroque Music: An Introduction
In terms of Western Art, the Baroque period followed the Renaissance and is broadly agreed to cover the years from 1600 until around 1750 when … Read more
How Hard Is Un Sospiro Difficulty | by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt gained a formidable and deserved reputation during his long life, as a virtuoso pianist and composer. For many pianists studying and performing the … Read more