Inspiration and Perspiration

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration” Thomas Edison There is a popular image of a composer as a person struck by inspiration, like a lightening bolt, and in an overwhelming need for self-expression, is forced to compulsively create their music.  Much of this vision arises from the subjective aesthetic of the Romantic... Continue Reading →

Which Way the Winds Blow

The Mozart Quintet for Piano and Wind instruments, K. 452, was premiered April 1, 1784 on one of Mozart’s subscription concerts in Vienna.  This was in the middle of some of Wolfgang’s best years in Vienna, productive in composition, and financially successful in performance.  In the early 1780’s Mozart wrote quite a few piano concertos... Continue Reading →

The Marriage of Figaro

By far, the most popular of Mozart’s operas are the three opera buffa that he wrote to libretti by Lorenzo Da Ponte.  The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan Tutti are beloved works that are regularly performed to this day.  Opera buffa rose in popularity to overtake opera seria in the middle and... Continue Reading →

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