Scarlatti left behind 556 keyboard sonatas, and likely wrote/improvised many more that we have no record of. This massive collection of sonatas is a treasure for all keyboard players, and in them can be found suitable music for a diversity of interpretations, occasions, instrumentation, and techniques. For his upcoming birthday, I would like to share […]
In this post I am sharing my personal score of my 55 favorite Scarlatti sonatas. The title page was made by myself. All the scores come form IMSLP. The pedagogical notes I created by copy/pasting and organizing posts from an old contributor to the Piano Street forums, Bernhard. The biographies of Domenico Scarlatti, and of […]
The PDF I attached in this post is breaks down the 556 keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti by key and quality. Given the time period Scarlatti composed in, and the tuning systems he composed in, there is nothing too surprising, but it is interesting to take a look at some of the key signatures that […]
Franz Liszt is more than his Hungarian Rhapsody. He is more than flashy etudes showcasing astonishing technique. For his birthday, I would like to share some of the deeper works of the composer. This won’t be a comprehensive post, but I hope to provide a taste of sublime beauty and the profundity that Liszt so […]
Edvard Grieg is a composer I connect with more than almost any other. His music holds a special place in my heart along with the music of my other adored composer, C.P.E. Bach. Below is a short biographic outline of the composer, and then I discuss some of my favorite works by him. Biographic Outline: […]
I have always been fascinated with the relationships and connections between composers. I have spent many hours thinking about what one composer was up to during a period of time for another composer. Could this composer have been aware of this other composer and his music? What kind of historical perspective would this composer have […]
Notes I have always felt that a disproportionate number of composers were born in March. Even limited to the more well-known composers, March hosts the birthdays of: Chopin – March 1, 1810 Vivaldi – March 4, 1678 Ravel – March 7, 1875 C.P.E. Bach – March 8, 1714 Mussorgsky – March 21, 1835 Telemann – […]
Notes Above is a chart I put together detailing the ages to which 150 great composers have lived. There was not a strict criteria used in selecting the composers to include. The composers represented were either historically significant, are currently well-known or famous, or else simply admired by myself. In data like this it is […]
Today marks the 147th birthday of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, a towering Russian composer not only in his homeland, but all across the musical world. His birthday is a great occasion to take a look at his life and his works. You may also be interested my companion post covering his piano works. I will leave […]
Today marks the 290th birthday of Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), a very creative and innovative composer, and one of the giants in music history. Being so, it is a great opportunity to take a remember his life and discuss his works. I’ll leave a short biography below and discuss some of my favorite works of his. […]
Exploring Music 