Today marks the 337th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach, without a doubt one of the tallest standing giants on whose shoulders stand a significant portion of our musical canon. What better time than his birthday is there to take a look at his life and his works? I will leave a short biography below, share […]
Sergei Rachmaninoff cannot by any means be said to be bound to the piano compositionally (as can be said of Chopin), however he is nonetheless considered by many to be one of the greatest composers for the instrument. In this post I want to provide a good list of resources for Rachmaninoff’s solo piano works, […]
Joseph Haydn wrote around 50 keyboard sonatas (authorship disputes make the true number uncertain). Within them is a large variety of music, spanning from simple divertimenti he wrote in the 1750s and 1760s, to Haydn’s great “London Sonatas” of the 1790s. The difficulty range of these sonatas is wide, with some being suitable for beginners, […]
We recently saw the 308th birthday of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), my personal favorite composer. So I want to take the opportunity to remember his life, and discuss his works. I’ll leave a short biography below, as well as share and discuss online resources and, of course, his music. Biographical Outline: Emanuel’s compositional career […]
Emanuel Bach wrote close to two hundred keyboard sonatas. Within them is quite a large variety of moods, temperaments, and difficulties, so there is something for just about everybody, professionals and amateurs alike. Most movements are quite short as well. All these facts make his oeuvre a perfect place to look for hidden gems. In […]
Today marks the 341st birthday of Georg Philipp Telemann, by many accounts the most prolific composer in history, writing more than 3,000 pieces.Today is a good opportunity to remember his life and discuss his works, so I hope you all will join me below. Biographical Outline: Telemann’s compositional career can roughly be split into two […]
Telemann wrote a considerable amount of keyboard works, including chorales, fugues, fantasias, and short dance movements. Per the title, this post will focus on his fantasias. Telemann wrote three sets of 12 fantasias (TWV 33). They are all quite short-to-medium-length, simple pieces that don’t require any crazy technique, however they are all musically creative and […]
Exploring Music 