A glass harmonica is a type of musical instrument that uses nested glass bowls to produce musical tones. The modern glass harmonica is made from quartz while in the 18th century, 40% lead glass was used, The bowls were worn and tuned with an emery grind wheel. A glass harmonica is a type of musical […]
The Ondes Martenot is an early electronic musical instrument with a keyboard and slide invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot, and originally very similar in sound to the Theremin. The Ondes Martenot (or Ondes-Martenot or Ondes martenot or Ondium Martenot or Martenot or ondes musicale) is an early electronic musical instrument with a keyboard and […]
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Spellbound (1945), a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims to be. The movie was adapted by Angus MacPhail and Ben Hecht from the novel The House Of Dr. Edwardes by Francis Beeding and stars Ingrid Bergman, […]
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The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 science fiction film which tells the story of a humanoid spaceman who comes to Earth to convince its leaders to learn how to live in peace. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier and Lock Martin. The movie was […]
Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, also Nikolai, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 18, 1844 – June 21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of classical music particularly noted for his fine orchestration, which may have been influenced by his synaesthesia. Born at Tikhvin, near Novgorod, into an aristocratic family, Rimsky-Korsakov showed musical ability from an early age, […]
Igor Fyodorovitch Stravinsky (Игорь Федорович Стравинский) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a composer of modern classical music, best known for his work The Rite of Spring. Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), near Saint Petersburg, Russia. He died in New York City on April 6, 1971 and was buried in Venice, […]
The Rite of Spring is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. Its Russian title, Vesna svyashchennaya literally means Spring the Sacred – the English title is translated from the French that the work was premiered under, Le Sacre du printemps. It has the subtitle “Pictures from Pagan Russia”. The work was […]
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Biography of russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin. Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (sometimes transliterated as Skryabin) (January 6, 1872 – April 27, 1915) was a Russian composer and pianist. Scriabin was born in Moscow. He studied the piano from an early age, taking lessons with Nikolay Zverev who was teaching Sergei Rachmaninov at the same time. […]
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Biography of pianist and composer Amy Beach. Amy Marcy Beach (September 5, 1867 – December 27, 1944), was a American pianist and composer of classical music. She was the first successful female American composer. Many of her composition and performances were under the name Mrs. H.H.A. Beach. She was born Amy Marcy Cheney in Henniker, […]
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Biography of composer Arthur Bliss. Born in 1891 of an English father and American mother, Arthur Bliss was destined to display characteristics of both nations, his profound romanticism balanced by an unquenchable energy and optimism. After studying at the Royal College of Music under Stanford, he served as an infantry officer in the First World […]
