In his day Franz Liszt was most famous as a pianist. So, were Mozart, Beethoven and a lot of other composers.
Pianist – Composers Play Episode Pause Episode 1x 00:00 / 6:00 RSS Feed Share Link
Tritsch-Tratsch — the title of a polka by Johann Strauss, Jr. — is Austrian slang for „chit-chat.“ A lot of composers used music to portray people making sounds: talking, laughing, […]
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After William Grant Still wrote his Afro-American Symphony, he found bits of poetry that he thought went with each movement. The poetry was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first […]
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John Philip Sousa — the most American of composers — was the son of immigrants to the United States. Because of his love for bands and band music, John Philip […]
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Charles Ives loved to put hymns into his music. Several other composers borrowed hymn tunes; here are several examples from 20th Century American compositions.
Classical Music Play Episode Pause Episode 1x 00:00 / 6:00 RSS Feed Share Link
Copland’s first cowboy ballet was Billy the Kid, about the notorious outlaw who lived in the American Southwest in the late 1800's. Then, choreographer (a choreographer is a person who […]
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There are many pieces of classical music — besides „The Flight of the Bumblebee“ — that are about bees, birds, and other winged creatures. Composers use various instruments to imitate […]
and the Birds Play Episode Pause Episode 1x 00:00 / 6:00 RSS Feed Share Link
The United States Marine Band is this country’s oldest military band. Each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces has its own band, and song. Captain Don Schofield, associate conductor of […]
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Inspired by violinist Niccolo Paganini, Franz Liszt became a piano superstar. Many classical music superstars followed, including Jan Paderewski, Jenny Lind, Van Cliburn, Enrico Caruso, Yo-Yo Ma and Lang Lang.
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Georges Bizet was not Jewish, his father-in-law was. Bizet married the daughter of his composition professor, Jacques Halevi. To celebrate Chanukah, we learn about some other Jewish composers of classical […]
for Chanukah) Play Episode Pause Episode 1x 00:00 / 6:00 RSS Feed Share Link
