In this article, we will look at the importance of music to the Romans, the occasions during which music could be heard, and what it sounded like. Features of Roman music Early Romans sang at feasts, and often, their song was accompanied by a tune on a pipe. These songs, called carmen, were sometimes performed by a choir at …
In the first article on printing the focus was on printing in general, on the history and the techniques. In this second part we turn our attention to a more specific area, on printing music and music publishing. In the last part of this article there is a complete list and short history of each music publisher that were in …
Printing: a process of reproducing text or an image on paper or other materials through various techniques. Sounds simple, but its evolution has had far-reaching consequences. The history of printing is a remarkable human journey that has profoundly contributed to, and influenced human communication, knowledge distribution and consequently to the development of societies and humanity in general. In a …
How in the name of science Haydn’s head was stolen from his grave One of the customs that makes humans special in animal kingdom is the custom of burial or ceremony to say goodbye to the deceased. In fact, burial ceremonies and the traditions of afterlife are very much telling about the age, religion and social structure of a certain …
Every July (14th July) France celebrates its Fête nationale française, the French National Holiday. In English-speaking countries the Bastille Day (since 1789). It is the day of the storming of the Bastille, a major event during the French Revolution. Like so many social changes in history this one also was rooted in economic crisis, or hunger being the name on …
One might think that listing a composer’s works is not a difficult task. The case of Beethoven shows it is not that easy after all! According to the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, over 45 years Beethoven is estimated to have created about 750 works. The ones published during his life received an opus number (138 opus numbers in total). What about …