Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 1 Perhaps you’re taking our mini-course “7 Days to Beethoven.” If not, you should be, for at least two reasons. First, it’s free. Second, it includes seven video performances of Beethoven’s music that provide a good overview of his … Read more
Yes, today is the first day of the New Year on the Orthodox (Eastern) Liturgical Calendar. Across much of the world, it is also the first official day of school. In many cultures, there are charming traditions to celebrate the beginning of studies. A favorite … Read more
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin I began learning this piece when I was in the Army. A conductor friend of mine had developed an obsession with Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)–I don’t think that’s overstating it. He played Ravel on the piano and talked on and on about all the things … Read more
Planning for the new academic year? It’s happening everywhere, from the teacher’s lounge to the homeschool kitchen. To us here at Professor Carol, this is a season of hope and challenge. How many people will recognize the intrinsic value of setting the Fine Arts into … Read more
Anonymous: Duke of Norfolk (Paul’s Steeple) Anonymous? So who’s the guy in the picture? John Playford (1623-1686/7) was a publisher and a music theorist. (We like music theorists at this site.) He was also a war correspondent and royalist during the English Civil Wars. That … Read more
1 Van … 2 Parents … 5 Children … 5 Weeks … 32 States … 11,000 Miles … and countless songs to pass the miles! Last August and September, our family, with five kids then aged four to seventeen, traveled from our home in Richmond, … Read more
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 (2d movement) Since we focused on Sibelius last week while traveling between Helsinki and St. Petersburg, it seems fitting to focus this week on a Russian composer. Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) certainly fills the bill as Russian, but he is not the … Read more
Sibelius: Finlandia (Op. 26) A few weeks ago, I selected a work by Smetana for the simple reason that I was traveling to Prague. It wasn’t a frivolous choice. I would have gotten around to Smetana sooner or later. It was just a convenient reason … Read more
A neo-Gothic church almost touches the back of the Schweitzerhof Hotel here in Lucerne, Switzerland. The Matheus Church is where Richard Wagner and Cosima von Bülow were married on August 25, 1870. They had to convert to Protestantism to marry there, as their divorces were … Read more
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons It’s summer in Texas. Beneath the blazing sun’s relentless heat, men and flocks are sweltering, pines are scorched. No, that’s not actually my prose. It’s taken from the Sonnet that accompanies Vivaldi’s Concerto “Summer” from The Four Seasons. It’s presumed that … Read more