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The potential of music to spread peace
A German proverb says: Bose Menschen haben keine Lieder (bad men don't sing) . It is not impossible that out …
Working hard for music
“Now we know that you are gifted, very gifted, but you must work very hard, because someone who is gifted …
It’s two-four … It’s three-four
Chopin had a free sense of rhythm. In 1842, Chopin was giving a lessen to Wilhem von Lenz when Meyerbeer …
Beethoven’s handwriting
Franz Xaver Schnyder von Wartensee (1786-1868) was a composer who wanted lessons with Beethoven. Beethoven would only look at his …
The soloist will get his way
Pianist Freddy Kempf on the recording process: Solo recording is the most indulgent type … it’s 90 per cent down …
Streisland’s instinct
[Barbara Streisand’s] early voice training amounted to one lesson with a voice teacher. At that session Ms. Streisand sang “A …
There’s one way to get him to play
People often begged him to play a little air on the violin, but he refused great lords and his fellow …
The technique of conducting
“Technique is communication: the two words are synonymous in conductors.” – Leonard Bernstein, conductor, composer and pianist. Cited at QuotationsBook. …
The evolution of the jazz tradition
American jazz music is, in many ways, rooted in its “traditional” repertoire – the American “Songbook” of “standards”. There are, …
Hammerstein’s card games
Music theatre writer Oscar Hammerstein loved to play games. His nephew recalls: There’s a family story about his game-playing. I …
You cannot hope for substance
“You cannot set art off in a corner and hope for it to have vitality, reality, and substance.” – Charles …
The musician’s quest
The violinist Ivan Galamian describes the musician’s quest for a goal greater than mere technical accomplishment: A complete technique .. …
Accustomed to being ignored
Josef von Spaun recalled the following incident involving Franz Schubert at a concert. Schubert had just accompanied Baron Schönstein, at …
Hope
“Hope is the dream of a soul awake.”— French proverb. R. A. Krieger, Civilization’s Quotations: Life’s Ideal, New York, Algora …
A hunch
Logically, a hunch makes as much sense as saying, horses have tails; therefore, all tails have horses.” But in the …

By Greg