We, parents do everything we can to make our children prosper in life. We want them to be smart so we play with them from birth, we pay extra tutorials for them, we do our best to get them to a top-grade college or university. However, there is a very pleasant and free way to develop our children and this …
Greek myths and legends tell many stories about the wonders of music. In fact, in ancient Greece music was part of basic education and even religious or civic gatherings. Plato, the Greek philosopher, considered music special and devotes broadened attention to the subject in his works Republic and in Laws. In this article we discover what Plato has to say …
Variations in music is a special genre often regarded by many as less important or inferior to sonatas, symphonies. Although many great composers created variations, it was Beethoven who had elevated this genre to a high(er) level and convinced critics to accept it. What is a variation? It is a musical structure, where a main musical idea called a theme …
In this article we continue our series on musical instruments, this time with the magical sounding flute. The flute has a long, long tradition and has been part of human music making from the dawn of history. The flute is one of the oldest musical instruments in human history, some primitive versions made from animal bones were found during excavations, …
After the piano we continue our studies on musical instruments. Next in line is the violin. This popular, sensitive and wonderfully singing instrument is fundamentally important in the history of music. Great-great-grandfather of any violin is the lira. The lira is a pearl shaped bowed instrument with three or five strings. This device is still alive and kicking, as in …
Listening and enjoying Beethoven’s music is not always an easy task. He demands attention, attention to every small detail. More than that, he demands dedication and an open heart. In this article we will see that his music is not for background noise during driving home or for elevators in expensive hotels. In order to capture its fullness and deepness …