The circumstances that favored the composition of the Variations Op. 120 are well known: the Viennese publisher Antonio Diabelli (1781-1858) had the idea of putting together a kind of national Parnassus by asking fifty composers residing in the Habsburg Empire to each write a Variation on his own waltz. The collection was published in 1824 under the pompous title "National Society of Artists". Most of the musicians are nowadays unknown, but …
In the early 1800s, composer Daniel Steibelt challenged Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers and pianists who has ever lived, to a piano duel.
A native of Berlin, Daniel Steibelt was one of Europe's most renowned piano virtuosos. In 1800 he went to Vienna with the aim of advancing his musical reputation.
It was quickly agreed among the city's musical patrons that Steibelt should compete against Beethoven in an improvisation …
Twelve Sonatas make piano history.
Written just after the invention of the piano, these twelve pieces are the oldest piano sheet music in the world.
They were composed by Lodovico Giustini (1685-1743), an Italian organist, composer and harpsichord player who came from a long lineage of accomplished musicians dating back to the early 17th century.
It is very likely that Giustini was in contact with Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the piano, who …
In 1819 Beethoven began to compose three Piano Sonatas. The three works were completed respectively in 1820, 1822 and 1823 and were published separately by the publisher Schlesinger of Berlin. However, the separate publication and the attribution of three opus numbers does not exclude - the critics are convinced of this - that it is a triptych, three poems that mutually complement each other.
And since Beethoven was working on the …
What is the best product to use? Will certain disinfectants damage the keys? Does the advice differ depending on what material my keys are made out of?
The current pandemic has heightened our concern over the cleanliness of our own homes, and ourselves.
The piano is one such object that can be a hotbed for germs if you do not look after it properly, and especially if you are regularly leaving the …