From Ghetto to Palazzo: How a Jewish Composer in Renaissance Italy Harmonized Two Worlds

Salamone Rossi’s skill as a violinist and composer was highly valued at the Catholic court of Mantua. But as a Jew, he was still was seen as an interloper.

Hear the Mass Some Believe Saved Church Music

You may not be familiar with his music, but we all benefit from his work. Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina is often called the “Savior of Church Music.”

The Secrets to Heavenly Singing from Peter Phillips, Conductor and Founder of the Tallis Scholars

“A choir is like any instrument. But because it’s people, a choir is an instrument that varies far more than a string orchestra would vary, for example, or an organ.”

10 Composers Who Surprised Us With Their Hidden Talents

Though we tend to remember our favorite composers for their music first and foremost, many of them were virtuosic in more ways than one.

This Heart-Shaped Score Just Might Make You Fall in Love with Medieval Music

“Belle, bonne, sage” is a love song whose title translates to “Lovely, good, and wise.” And if the score looks like a Valentine’s Day card, the lyrics follow.

The History of European Music May Owe More to Arab Culture Than We Realize

Ever since the Middle Ages, musicians in Europe eagerly adopted musical traditions from around the world, from as far as the Indian subcontinent to the shores of Northern Africa.

The Earliest Opera Is Over 800 Years Old… And It Was Written By a Woman

The extraordinary story of Hildegard von Bingen.

Masaaki Suzuki’s 8 Tips to Better Your Bach

“There are all kinds of ways to play Bach, and that depends on your personality and how you want to deal with Bach’s music.”

WFMT Host Peter van de Graaff Stars in Haymarket’s Don Quichotte

“Telemann has written… some truly funny arias about Don Q.’s dreams of chivalry and Sancho’s donkey and mishaps”