hank Archive

The oboe concerto by Mozart was written in a traditional concerto form of fast-slow-fast structure. The first movement, Allegro aperto, is an unusual tempo marking, but one that Mozart liked at the time, producing generously …

Whenever I hear Paganini’s Moto Perpetuo (perpetual motion) I experience a sense of nostalgia. Back in 1950, I spent a year in Vienna, and I studied violin with Professor Aurel Nemesz. I can look back …

Of Schubert’s 12 complete solo piano sonatas, only three saw publication during the composer’s lifetime – the Sonata in G, D. 894 being the last one. Eclipsed by Beethoven’s work in this same medium, Schubert’s …

The Divertimento K. 136 shows Mozart’s early mastery over conventional forms and hints of the ingenuity to come. Normally a Divertimento is an unassuming work in several brief movements of varying characters, the divertimento was …

In 1899, Maurice Ravel wrote “Pavane pour une infante défunte” (“Pavane for a Dead Princess”) for solo piano (a decade later, he published an orchestral version). The piece wasn’t written for a particular person; Ravel …