Hummel, Trumpet Concerto Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) was recognized early as a child prodigy. At the age of 8, he was taken by his father (a violinist) to Vienna and began studying piano with Mozart and even lived under Mozart’s roof (a practice not uncommon … Read more
Brahms, Violin Concerto Johannes Brahms composed only one concerto for violin, considered now one of the gems of the repertoire. It was not so well received at its 1879 premiere in Leipzig. Only after the turn of the century did it find its place in … Read more
Dittersdorf, Double Bass Concerto in E-Flat Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799) has one of the more colorful names among composers. Born Carl Ditters, he was ennobled by Maria Theresa in 1773 as a prerequisite for assuming a new post, and that gave him the additional … Read more
Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 2 in E Flat No. 53 means that we are starting a second year of Friday Performance Picks. We have covered a lot of ground in the past year in terms of musical eras, styles, and genres. But you don’t … 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
Bottesini: Concerto for Double Bass No. 2 in B Minor Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889) may not be on your short list of composers to explore. I confess that I knew little about him. His name didn’t appear on a single music history test throughout my undergraduate … 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
