The curse of the ninth

The curse of the ninth

What is the curse of the ninth? The curse of the ninth is a superstition in the history of classical music. According to this, a ninth symphony for a composer will be the last, and death will come during writing or after completing this piece. There are two interpretations, according to the first, this is to ‘defend’ the fame and …

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The music business of the 19th century

The music business of the 18th and 19th centuries

Private jets and full stadium concerts were not always the way of life even for a first class musician. From music as free gift to copyrights, the road was long and bumpy.   From gift to asset Probably the most important milestone in music business was the introduction of copyrights. After this, music business in general is about these rights …

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Beethoven’s Late String Quartets

Beethoven’s Late String Quartets

These Quartets are the very last pieces Beethoven wrote on this Earth. They are exceptional and were very intimate to him.   Introduction to Beethoven’s Late Quartets For the sake of easier understanding and accessibility, Beethoven’s string quartets are categorized into three groups, based on artistic periods in his life: early, middle and late quartets. The Late Quartets, sadly, also …

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Beethoven’s Galitzin String Quartets

Beethoven’s Galitzin String Quartets

In this article we discover who was Galitzin, what is the story of the Quartets named after him and whether he was a good payer or not. Who was Nikolai Borisovich Galitzin? Nikolai Borisovich Galitzin (8 November 1794, Saint Petersburg, Tsardom of Russia – 22 October 1866, Kursk Governorate, Russian Empire) was a Russian an aristocrat from the Galitzin-family. Just …

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The history of Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge

The history of Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge

In this article we cover the origins, the reception and interpretations of this controversial music. The history of the Grosse Fuge The history of Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge Op. 133 (in English the Great Fugue or Grand Fugue; in German Große Fuge, pronunciation ɡʁoːsə fuu·ge) starts with an other string quartet, his 13th, the Op. 130. The composer finished this work …

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