hank Archive

At the age of 19 Mozart was chafing at the bit in Salzburg. He was subject to the will of his father and of Prince-Archbishop Colloredo, both moralizing traditionalists and severe authoritarian figures. During a …

Robert Schumann wrote his Romances Op 94 in 1849, a very fruitful year for him. He allegedly presented them to his wife, Clara, at Christmas. The autograph score is considered lost today. This new edition …

Beethoven’s last quartet was written in October 1826 at his brother’s country estate about 50 miles northeast of Vienna, where Beethoven and his nephew Karl had taken refuge after Karl’s attempted suicide. It was, needless …

The Violin Concerto by Johannes Brahms was first performed in Leipzig, Germany, on New Year’s Day 1879 by Joseph Joachim, the dedicatee, who composed the cadenza that is still played by many violinists today. Brahms …

The first movement of the Symphony #6 (‘Awakening of happy feelings on arrival in the country’) is followed by another long movement (‘Scene by the Brook’). This gives a hymn-like, feeling which is maintained by …