By Brian Wise Crouched in a bunkbed at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Szymon Laks could hear a rhythmic thumping in the distance. He couldn’t identify the sound, but after days of beatings, drills, and dehydration, it somehow rocked him to sleep. The next…
By Sarah Freiberg Imagine entering a museum filled with historical stringed instruments, and, instead of simply looking at them through protective glass cases, you were encouraged to try them out, or perhaps borrow one for a performance or project. That…
By Rebecca Fischer “The week of HIFA we live; the other 51 weeks we are in hibernation.” —Zimbabwean supporter of HIFA In early May 2017, my husband Anthony Hawley and I were guests of the Harare International Festival of the…
By Julian Schwarz The Lalo Concerto in D minor for Cello and Orchestra is both a passionate rhapsody and a whimsical character piece. Though popular among students, its history tells a story of prominence on the concert stage, which I…
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By Miranda Wilson Every great composer has a few signature devices that happen so often, and in so many compositions, that an experienced listener can instantly identify a piece by the characteristic. For Brahms, that might be hemiolas, syncopations, and…
By Cristina Schreil “I like to think about what people were doing when they played this around a fire.” Gaelynn Lea chats between tunes—and rumblings of the passing subway—in New York City. The Minnesota-based fiddler is perched onstage at Joe’s Pub…
By Inge Kjemtrup Had Count Cozio di Salabue never lived, the history of the violin would be much the poorer, particularly when it comes to what we know about Antonio Stradivari. Over the course of his long life, Count Cozio…
By Andrew Hassel Want to know how to keep your bass playing and sounding great? Keep your bridge where it belongs! One of the things every string player should check before he or she plays is the bridge. Is it…
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Warming up can prevent injury, improve performance, and help you get on the same page with others in your ensemble. Learn how the pros do it.
By James Ehnes Writing about my experiences over the years at the Grand Teton Music Festival is a daunting prospect. How to describe the magic of a place where the physical beauty is beyond description, and where the quality of…
By Robert Battey The German publishing house Bärenreiter has, for many years, set the gold standard for forensic musicology, their editions always featuring the most rigorous research and scholarship. This is particularly true in the works of J.S. Bach, as…