The bassoon may be the Cinderella of the woodwind family when it comes to solo works but there’s still a good deal of repertoire out there to explore, including plenty of baroque pieces (Vivaldi, anyone?) and a trio of fine classical concertos by Mozart, Hummel and Weber – while 20th-century works range from Latin-flavoured works by Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla through to Sofia Gubaidulina’s memorably bleak Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings.
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Did you know that January 10th is National Houseplant Appreciation Day? It was established in the 1980s by the Society of American Florists to promote the benefits of bringing plants inside our homes. Plants and especially flowers have, of course, long been a source of inspiration for composers. Here are 10 pieces inspired by flowers, complete with links to sheet music. So this 10th January, instead of talking to your houseplant, you could instead serenade it with an appreciative tune or two.
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The days are short, the weather's awful. Time to put another log on the fire and warm the soul with our seasonal round-up of winter classics.
Encouraging news about gender equality in classical music comes this week from Bachtrack's newly released report Classical Music in 2022.
Analysing data from 27,124 musical performances worldwide, the report highlights a number of interesting trends.
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Who knew that deer love Bach?
Cellist Diana Gomez discovered the truth when she took her cello to a park in Aarhus, Denmark, and started playing the famous opening to Bach's Cello Suite No.1 in G major
Watch the interaction below.
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The Argentine national anthem, Himno Nacional Argentino was composed by Vicente López y Planes and written by the Argentine national hero, José de San Martín. The song was officially adopted as the national anthem on May 11, 1813.
Interestingly, Vicente López y Planes wasn't just a composer, he was also a politician and was interim President of Argentina from July 7 to August 18, 1827!
But the hymn has more to its background as well.
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Carol of the Bells is a staple of the holiday season, particularly in the US. But where did this atmospheric song come from - it feels like a relatively recent addition to the Christmas repertoire, doesn't it?
The song actually has Ukrainian origins and the story behind it poignantly highlights the fact that Russian aggression against Ukraine isn't a recent phenomenon.
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It's that time of year again, when holiday music fills the air and brings cheer to all who hear it. And what better way to get into the spirit than with some festive piano music? If you're a pianist, you may be looking for some festive pieces to add to your repertoire. Here are the top 10 most popular Christmas pieces for piano as viewed by visitors to 8notes.com, counting down from ten to one.
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The Renaissance period in music describes the two hundred year period from 1400-1600. It was a period of great change and innovation in music, with the emergence of new musical styles, forms, and genres, as well as the development of new musical instruments and new forms of music notation.
During the Renaissance, composers began to write music that was more expressive and emotive than the music of the Middle Ages. They also began to experiment with new forms, such as the madrigal, which was a form of secular vocal music that was often written for small groups of voices.
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