Today is the 124th birthday of composer, conductor, and educator Nadia Boulanger. I was actually reminded of this on my morning commute by my local independent radio station, WDIY, who did a birthday tribute to Nadia by playing works of some of her most famous pupils....
Today is the 132nd birthday of Alma Mahler. Though she is often remembered as the wife of Gustav, her own career as a musician and composer is neglected. Alma studied piano from an early age and took composition lessons with Josef Labor and Alexander von Zemlinsky....
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s day – so why not listen to some music that was inspired by celtic roots? The first to come to mind is Amy Beach’s Gaelic Symphony: But not to be neglected is Margaret Ruthven Lang’s “Irish Love Song”: And while you listen to some...
Today is the 346th birthday of Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre. Born in Paris March 17, 1665, was a child prodigy who, at the age of five, gave a harpsichord concert for King Louis XIV. She continued as a court musician until her marriage in 1684, but continued to give...
Lili Boulanger’s life ended tragically on March 15, 1918 – 93 years ago today. The younger sister of Nadia Boulanger, Lili was a child prodigy and accomplished a great deal in her short 24 years. Born and raised in Paris to a musical family, she repotedly tagged along...
Sunday, November 14, was Fanny Mendelssohn’s 205th birthday. I wrote about Fanny recently in conjunction with R. Larry Todd’s new work, Fanny Hensel – The Other Mendelssohn. Big sister of Felix, Fanny demonstrated the same musical aptitude as her brother, and received...
