Know Your Composer
According to popular legend, Orlande de Lassus, born in 1530 or 1532 in the Franco-Flemish province of Hainaut, was abducted three times because of the beauty of his voice! Probably pure fabrication, it nevertheless provides a fictional narrative that explains how the 12-year-old boy came to be in the services
Know Your Composer
A partly sad, partly bizarre story of how Mozart (1756-91) suffered benign neglect for the better part of the 19th century, and how he was rehabilitated in the 20th century by Hollywood. By Manohar Parnerkar Today it is hard to believe that the 19th-century radical Romantics once denigrated Mozart as
Know Your Composer
The composer has long been seen as a symbol of divine order. But his music has an unruly obsession with God. “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” The words of the Psalm look bright on the page, but the music pulls them into
Know Your Composer
An American Original Growing patriotic and nationalistic fervor had virtually inundated all aspects of European society by the middle of the nineteenth century. These political stirrings of national identify and pride not only found their way into all forms of artistic expression, they also found their way across the Atlantic.
Know Your Composer
The Artie’s Festival is set to bring to the stage two chamber concerts featuring works from Brahms and Bloch, among others. Sandipan Das compiles his notes on some of the composers and their music. In the tenth year of their association with the NCPA, the Artie’s Festival, led
Know Your Composer
Clara Schumann- Toccatina Op.6 Walzer- Clara Schumann for Soprano and Piano Clara Schumann (née Clara Josephine Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era. She exerted her influence over a 61-year concert career,
Know Your Composer
What happens when new neural connections within your brain break down the boundaries that normally exist between the senses? For one, hearing a particular musical note might cause you to see a particular color, or you may actually taste spoken words. In medical terms this neurological phenomenon is called synesthesia,
Know Your Composer
“Music begins where the possibilities of language end” For a number of high-profile music historians, Jean Sibelius (1864-1957)—instead of Gustav Mahler—is considered the last master in the Beethoven symphonic tradition. In his final symphony, so it is argued, Sibelius relentlessly engaged in a process of transitional development, with
Know Your Composer
An examination of early and late influences of Mozart as seen through his ‘Coronation’ Mass and the ‘Requiem’. By Zane Dalal Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will perhaps never be fully understood, nor will our modern scholarship – that now delves deep into the psyche of composers trying to explain the ‘why’ instead
Know Your Composer
Serenade readers who may have perused my short article in the in the very first issue of the magazine will be aware of my ever-deepening interest in India, Indian Philosophy and Spirituality and in the development of Western classical music in India. The subtlety of Indian Philosophy and Spirituality combined
Know Your Composer
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji wrote massive, complex compositions in early 20th century. Is that the only reason he is not widely known? By Anu Kumar For someone who revelled in obscurity, even ensuring that his work was accessible only to the “serious and dedicated” listener, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji has gained a
Know Your Composer
On December 10, 1956, in a remarkable struggle for survival and artistic freedom, György Ligeti (1923-2006), one of the most important composers of the twentieth century, boarded a train under the cover of night and escaped from the politically turmoiled Hungary. Hiding from the Soviet army, patrolling in the border,