Classical Pirate Radio: the first year
This image is of REM Island, a platform off the coast of Holland. It was taken over for use as a “pirate” radio station in 1964. “Pirate Radio” refers to radio stations broadcasting without a…
Author: Cynthia Young
The Piano
In 1698 the world was changed forever: Bartolomeo Christofori invented the fortepiano. It was totally unlike the two keyboard concert instruments in use at the time. The pipe organ is actually a wind instrument and…
Boo!
Hector Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique is the classical music equivalent of a modern day horror movie. It has it all: bucolic pastoral scenes, a ballroom dance, a horrific death and ending with a macabre scene of…
Fingering: A trigger of imagination?
For the uninitiated, “fingering” refers to the numbers written above or below notes corresponding to the fingers of the hand with thumbs being “1”. Fingering is indispensable for keyboard and string players. It is meant…
My Pandemic Repertoire
Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was a contemporary of the notorious “Russian Five”, composers Shostakovitch, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Cui. However unlike them, he was loved by the Soviet government and he enjoyed a tenured position at…
Alexander Glazunov: the most influential composer you may never have heard of
Alexander Glazunov was born in Russia in 1865. He grew up steeped in the late romantic tradition of Russian music. The music of Tchaikovski was a great influence on his compositional style. As a composer,…
Page Turners:A necessary evil or unsung heroes of chamber music?
The piano is a prominent instrument in the genre of chamber music, either as a collaborative instrument accompanying a soloist or as a member of an ensemble. A page turner is normally required to assist…
Piano Lessons in a Pandemic
For the past few years I have been taking weekly piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music in downtown Toronto. March 12, 2020 was my last in-person lesson. As I was traveling home, I…
The Three B’s
Music historians often refer to the three B’s of classical music: Bach, Beethoven and, Brahms. Their compositional lives cover 250 years from 1650-1900. Out of so many great composers why are these three singled out?…