Search Results for: wagner
John Philip Sousa, violinist
While the composer of iconic marches is famous for directing the U.S. Marine Band and his own world-famous ensembles, John Philip Sousa’s early life as a violin prodigy is relatively unknown. A sickly child, Sousa was home-schooled, and from the … Continue reading
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Filed under Curiosities, Instruments, Popular music, Romantic era
The first pipe organ recording
Capable of producing sounds beyond the range of human hearing, the pipe organ presents the ultimate challenge for sound recording. The first known attempt was the Columbia Records recordings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from late August and early September … Continue reading
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Filed under Instruments, Science
Hans Christian Andersen, music critic
As many people know, Hans Christian Andersen, whose children’s stories have proven to be his most widespread source of fame, was the most prominent Danish author of the nineteenth century. As fewer people know, he enjoyed a brief career as … Continue reading
Filed under Literature, Reception, Romantic era
Iconoclastic romanticism
Although the pedagogue and author Wilhelm Heinrich von Riehl (1823–97) was not formally trained in music, he wrote extensively about the social significance of music making, and he argued for an approach that treated music history as cultural history. He … Continue reading
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Filed under Ethnomusicology, Literature, Musicologists, Romantic era
Operas as graphic novels
With their dramatic action and vivid characters, operas have inspired a number of graphic novels, including books by P. Craig Russell and a series (now out of print) produced in collaboration with England’s Royal Opera House. The most noteworthy examples … Continue reading
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Filed under Dramatic arts, Opera, Publication types, Romantic era, Visual art
Souvenir books
Often souvenir books are considered ephemera: Most libraries do not purchase them. Sometimes, however, they take the form of a book of articles by notable authors; these are treated as essay collections by libraries and by RILM. For example, the … Continue reading
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Filed under Dramatic arts, Publication types, Reception, Romantic era