String Quartet Part 1: The Development of a New Genre

Since the beginning of time, composers have found ways to use musical instruments to communicate, and as technology developed, so did those musical instruments. The Renaissance era saw the creation of the violin, viola, and cello. And because the sweet string sound captured the ear of musicians and audiences alike, the string quartet was created. […]

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Music History: The Classical Era

Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Background Even though some use the term “classical music” to describe all music from the middle ages through now, the Classical era went from roughly 1750 to 1820. In the middle of the 18th century – the end of the Baroque era – Western Europe shifted towards a new style of literature, architecture, and art […]

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Haydn’s Piano Variations

Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn (also known as Joseph Haydn or Papa Haydn) is a staple of the Classical era. Throughout his lifetime (1732-1809), he was highly regarded as a composer; in fact, he is known as “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet” because he was instrumental (pun definitely intended) in shaping […]

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