Mozart: Symphonie Concertante in E-flat Major, K. 364 This week, we go back into the heart of the Classical era and take up Mozart for the first time. Mozart left his mark on all virtually all of the Classical genres. But I think his Symphonie Concertante, K. 364 … Read more
Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat, III – Finale. Here at Professor Carol, we want to inspire people to discover good music. That’s why we created the courses you see on this site. But whether you take the courses or not, the music is sitting there … Read more
How do music history, homeschoolers, and the Van Cliburn Series come together? On an airplane, of course. Airplanes present a peculiar work environment. On the one hand, everyone is miserable, stuffed into a tiny place with dozens of similarly compressed folks. Add in the crying … Read more
I’d worked late, finishing up a podcast for the Dallas Wind Symphony and polishing up material for Cliburn Conversations, the pre-concert talk for pianist Stephen Hough’s Van Cliburn Concerts Series piano recital the following night. With a head filled with lofty thoughts about the glories … Read more
How do you teach classical music to boys? I was fortunate enough to spend New Year’s Eve at a concert – complete with cascading balloons in the grand finale. Listening that night, I thought about all the things awaiting discovery by my children, details of … Read more
Thursday, December 16 marks two birthdays. First, my brother’s, which doesn’t mean a whole lot to anyone but me. But I always thought it was unfair he got to share his birthday with another mega-personality born that day: Ludwig van Beethoven. Especially because my brother … Read more
Most of North America froze over the 2009 holiday season. Here in North Central Texas, we had a rare Christmas blizzard, with all of the attendant joys and challenges. But the real story started when the temperature warmed up. Mud, mud, and more mud. Snow … Read more
Enjoy this new interview with Michael Shih, Concertmaster of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and passionate advocate for Chamber Music!
Once upon a time . . . actually, when I started my job as Music History Professor at Southern Methodist University in 1985, I had to face facts: even with my fancy new Ph.D. in musicology, my musical education was filled with holes. There wasn’t … Read more
We live in a visual world. We constantly analyze what we see on a sophisticated level, but most of us are not nearly as skilled in listening. That’s why many of us prefer music in styles that are already familiar. Opening our ears and mind … Read more