Colonel Bogey is a name that conjures up images of a stern and moustachioed military figure, strong of bearing, leading his troops crisply on parade. But did such a figure provide the inspiration for Kenneth J. Alford's famous march? The answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘no’—like all good legends the truth is more complicated, and a lot more interesting… Continue reading...
The guitar has got to be one of the most adaptable of instruments. Hooked to an amplifier it is capable of knocking out power chords and filling a stadium with sound. In its classical acoustic form, on the other hand, it is one of the most intimate and soothingly sweet of instruments. Here are some of the most essential classical works for guitar, offering a glimpse into its more personal and lyrical side. Continue reading...
The air-clearing, mood-setting purpose of overtures, not to mention the fact that they are often choc-full of the best tunes of the works they introduce, makes them among the most musically arresting works in the repertoire. So it’s no surprise that they are hugely popular as standalone concert works and amongst discerning 8notes members.
Here is our definitive list of the absolute best of them, together with links to sheet music, so you can try them out for yourself. If you can’t find a version for your instrument, remember that members can request new versions at any time.
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Dvořák wrote his Symphony No.9, ‘From the New World’ whilst director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City from 1892 to 1895. The title refers to the continent of America not merely as the expression of the composer’s novelty at being in a new land, but as an acknowledgement that the work is deeply inspired by the music and culture of the United States.
The symphony was an instant success, remaining to this day one of the most popular in the repertoire—themes from it, above all the gorgeous Largo that forms the second movement, are amongst our most popular pieces here on 8notes.
Here’s the full story of Dvořák's most iconic, epic and most American of works.
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Some of the greatest trumpet repertoire was written during the baroque era, from roughly 1600–1750. This was despite the instrument of the time being relatively crude—in essence a pipe with a flared bell at one end and a mouthpiece at the other. Valves, which allow the instrument to play melodies across the instrument’s whole range, were not invented until the nineteenth century.
‘Night on the Bare Mountain’ by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881) is a musical depiction of a witches sabbath on an exposed mountain. It is renowned for its orgiastic and supernatural atmosphere as a group of witches, demons and spirits gather for a night of chaos and revelry. Its pictorial nature has made our many versions a popular choice amongst 8notes members looking for something spooky to play, especially around Halloween.
And if the piece is wild, so too is the story of its composition…
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It is the dance the scandalised the 19th century, a high-kicking, skirt-flipping whirlwind of legs, laughter and naughtiness. Nowadays considered a joyous staple of French culture, in its heyday the dance caused quite the social stir, even leading to attempts to suppress it. Here then is its flamboyant history and that of the music that made it so popular. Continue reading...
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker of 1892 is the third of his major ballets, the others being Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. It is set at Christmas and tells the story of young Clara, who embarks on a magical adventure with a nutcracker doll, a type of wooden figurine often painted to resemble a soldier. Though not considered a great success after its first performance, it eventually became one of the composer’s most popular works, iconic movements such as the March of the Toy Soldiers, Waltz of the Flowers and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy being amongst our most popular sheet music here on 8notes.
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Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) wrote some of our most popular pieces here on 8notes, including Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King and Death of Åse. Whilst these pieces are often performed alone, they are actually all from one work, a set of incidental music for performances of Henrik Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt. Grieg later turned these pieces into two suites, known as Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 and Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55. Nowadays these are among the composer’s most beloved works. Continue reading...
Alongside The Entertainer, Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag stands as his most well-known composition and one of the outstanding pieces of ragtime music by any composer. Its fame can be attributed to its innovative style and the quality of its melodic writing, features that led to commercial success and to the piece exerting a huge influence on composers that followed and in culture more broadly. Here then is the full story of one of our most searched-for pieces here on 8notes (over 20 versions of Maple Leaf Rag Sheet music here). Continue reading...
