When you think of the waltz, you might start humming Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers or The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II. Waltz music has certainly gone through much development since its origins in the 1700s. But did you know that the original Classical era dance was considered scandalous? And that it wasn’t until […]
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Way back when I first started this blog, I was learning a piano solo called Pavane for a Dead Princess (or Pavane pour une infante défunte) by French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). I wrote a blog post discussing the history of the work, and before you read this post you should check that out: Since then, I have recorded and posted on […]
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Last week we talked about the development of the string quartet, a Classical era genre of music that involves two violins, a viola, and a cello. (Click here for that post.) Since “Father of the String Quartet” Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) established the quartet as a legit ensemble, many composers have continued to develop the genre. […]
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Okay guys, here’s the second installment of the series Music Inspired by Water. Check out part one here! Last time we talked about orchestral music, so today’s playlist is piano works inspired by water. Jeux d’eau by Ravel First up: Jeux d’eau (“Playing Water”) by Ravel (1875-1937). The composer himself said of this piano work: Jeux d’eau, appearing in 1901, […]
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La Valse (The Waltz) by Maurice Ravel, written between 1919 and 1920, exists in three different versions: a piano solo, a piano duet, and an orchestral version. The work was originally written as a ballet, but due to tension between Ravel and commissioner/impressario (one who organizes and produces concerts, plays, or operas) Sergei Diaghilev, it was never turned […]
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Before we jump into this blog post, let’s listen to the focus piece first. Because it is so beautiful. Background Maurice Ravel was a French composer who lived from 1875-1937. He is best known for composing in the style of French Impressionism (a musical movement focused on creating an atmosphere and describing moods and emotions in […]
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