The Evolution of Piano Competitions and Their Impact on Young Pianists
If you take a short time to explore piano competitions online, you soon realize that the quantity of them is astonishing. They range from smaller, … Read more
Dr Justin Wildridge
5 Famous Beethoven Piano Works You Should Listen To
Beethoven is a particularly interesting composer as his life spanned both the Classical and Romantic movements. In his relatively short and troubled life, Beethoven composed … Read more
7 Beautiful Pieces of Classical Music Inspired by FairyTales
Classical Music Inspired by FairyTales 1. ‘Der Erlkönig’ by Franz Schubert (D.328) This is one of the most terrifying songs that Schubert ever wrote. It … Read more
The Great Piano Scam | Joyce Hatto Documentary
Many scandalous stories have rattled the world of classical music over and the ‘Great Piano Scam’ is perhaps one of the most interesting. The celebrated … Read more
Who Gets Paid The Most In An Orchestra?
Pay in almost any profession can be a thorny issue, but how do you find a suitable financial remuneration for the world’s top classical musicians? … Read more
4 Pieces Of Similar Tracks to Vivaldi’s Spring
One of the most popular pieces of Baroque music ever written has to be Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ (1718-1720). This collection of pieces is essentially … Read more
Beethoven vs Chopin: The Two Famous Composers
Beethoven vs Chopin There are many levels on which a comparison of these musical giants could be made. One might be an analysis of their … Read more
The Contribution of Antonio Vivaldi to Baroque Music
It is consistently a challenge to summarise the life of an individual in around a thousand words. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), was not only a phenomenally … Read more
The Virtuoso Pianists: Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Horowitz
One outstanding characteristic of the Romantic period was the rise of the virtuoso pianist-composer. Many features of the Romantic Era were somewhat extreme, particularly in … Read more
The Best of Mozart (7 Beautiful Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
In this day and age of top ten, best one hundred, and all-time greatest, it’s challenging to be asked to write an article on the … Read more
6 Beautiful Versions of Ave Maria
I expect you may have already come across the two main words of the title Ave Maria and know their meaning. However, to make sure … Read more
How Hard Is Für Elise Difficulty | By Ludwig Van Beethoven
I was certain that I knew this little piece of Beethoven’s quite well having played it, listened to it, and taught it for decades. Following … Read more
7 Best German Composers Of All Time
Best is quite a troublesome word to associate with almost anything, but here I have the dilemma of attributing it to German composers. In the … Read more
The Historical Development of Piano Manufacturing and Instrument Design
Before exploring the finer points of this title, let’s pause to remember where the piano originated from. Born on the 4th May 1655, Bartolomeo Cristofori … Read more
The Contributions of Women Pianists and Composers Throughout History
More often than not, women’s important contribution to music has been overlooked, neglected and ignored. There are probably more forgotten women composers than there are … Read more