Popular stories on MusicTales

1. 

   Piano

   Scandalous piano experiments by George Antheil shocked early avant-garde scene

   George Antheil was an American pianist and composer whose extraordinary works are mainly associated with the avant…

   February 5, 2020

2. 

   Songwriter

   Ramblin' on My Mind: Delta blues masterpiece cut in a hotel room

   Ramblin' on My Mind is an iconic blues song cut by the Delta blues singer Robert Johnson as a part of his first…

   July 24, 2021

3. 

   Nature Sounds

   Flute-like songs of golden oriole recorded in summer woods

   Of all the birds in the Northern hemisphere, the golden oriole has one of the most bewitching songs often reminiscent…

   July 2, 2020

4. 

   Songwriter

   The Birth of 'Venus': from Stephen Foster, to The Big 3, and Shocking Blue

   Stephen Foster (1826—1864) was an American composer whose vast contribution to a popular song, specifically the ballad…

   June 25, 20182 comments

5. 

   Film

   Easy Living owes Billie Holiday for giving it voice

   A tender ballad Easy Living has forthright lyrics that declare just how wonderful life can be when living for someone…

   July 6, 2018

6. 

   Saxophone

   Pixinguinha: Brazilian saxophonist who established choro music as a pop genre

   Pixinguinha, born Alfredo da Rocha Viana, Jr., was an iconic figure in Brazilian popular music who defined its new…

   September 26, 2019

7. 

   Songwriter

   Baba O'Riley or Teenage Wasteland brought to life by Lowrey organ

   The now-iconic album opener Baba O'Riley was first released on the fifth studio album by the English rock band The Who…

   September 20, 2020

8. 

   Songwriter

   Tumbling Dice: hundred reels of tape for a messy Rolling Stones mix

   Tumbling Dice is the lead single from the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St. released in 1972, infamous for its…

   March 19, 2021

9. 

   Organ

   Organ symphonies by Louis Vierne, an eminent maestro of Notre Dame de Paris

   Louis Vierne was an outstanding musician, teacher and composer of organ music who for almost 40 years held the…

   November 27, 20192 comments

10. 

    Piano

    Spanish motifs contributed by Emmanuel Chabrier to the rise of Impressionism in France

    Emmanuel Chabrier was a French composer of the Romantic era whose legal career forced him to study and write music…

    August 21, 20191 comment

11. 

    Piano

    The Orpheus of Amsterdam: the joyful nickname for organist Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

    The ‘Orpheus of Amsterdam’ was the nickname lovingly given to Jan Pietersz Sweelinck (1562–1621), an organist, composer…

    November 2, 2018

12. 

    Songwriter

    Butterflies and Hurricanes: piano intermezzo meets the chaos theory

    Butterflies and Hurricanes is a powerful track by the English rock band Muse first released on their 2003 album…

    September 20, 2021

13. 

    Piano

    Influential music teacher Nadia Boulanger considered her music worthless

    Juliette Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979) was conductor, composer, and one of the most influential teachers of musical…

    July 20, 20181 comment

14. 

    Violin

    Ernest Chausson as the first promoter of nascent impressionism

    Ernest Chausson was a composer who, despite his rather humble body of work, still played a crucial role in the history…

    December 29, 2019

15. 

    Game

    Nobuo Uematsu refreshed prog rock concepts for his epic Final Fantasy score

    Being a self-taught musician, Nobuo Uematsu accidentally entered the world of video game development where, quite…

    April 17, 2019

16. 

    Piano

    Zawinul incited his electric piano to report the jazz weather

    European jazz pianist Joe Zawinul is best known for his founding the iconic band Weather Report which is highly…

    March 8, 2019

17. 

    Orchestra

    The Oceanides: the deeply impressionistic tone poem by Sibelius

    The magnificent mythology of ancient Greece describes the Oceanids as water nymphs whose life and functions are…

    June 10, 2020

18. 

    Orchestra

    Vivaldi's Bohemian Concerto was the last gift for the dying lute

    Within Antonio Vivaldi's creative period, the lute was going out of fashion as the lead solo instrument, though its…

    March 17, 2018

19. 

    Meditation

    Vishnu Sahasranama: chant meaning and complete lyrics by Subbulakshmi

    Sahasranāma, literally meaning a thousand names in Sanskrit, is a common term for Dharmic religions of the Indian…

    February 10, 2021

20. 

    Violin

    Méditation from Thaïs: Massenet's intermezzo as the best violin encore

    Méditation is one of the best-known orchestral works by the Romantic-era composer Jules Massenet which appears as an…

    August 21, 2021

21. 

    Violin

    Only 18 sonatas survived to be the only proof of the maestro's life

    Giovanni Battista Fontana was a composer and violinist in the early Baroque period. Unfortunately, only a couple of…

    September 15, 2018

22. 

    Festival

    The rise of the Crimson King

    The Stones in the Park generally refers to a free outdoor festival held in Hyde Park on 5 July 1969 that was headlined…

    March 18, 2018

23. 

    Flute

    Incredible stunts by the blind virtuoso influenced a whole generation

    Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1936-1977) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played saxophone, flute, and over 40…

    September 10, 2018

24. 

    Film

    Paul Reade: the man behind the fresh sound of Jane Eyre

    Paul Reade was an English composer of last century. He worked on the BBC TV in the '60s, becoming the pianist and…

    March 28, 2018

25. 

    Cor Anglais

    The alloy of melody and spoken word in the music of Reynaldo Hahn

    Reynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan-born—later naturalized French—composer, pianist, and singer who wrote in the French…

    November 16, 2018

26. 

    Songwriter

    Misty Mountain Hop: Led Zeppelin's contribution to pot legalization

    Misty Mountain Hop is an iconic 1971 Led Zeppelin song the title of which is associated with the mountains described by…

    January 16, 2021

27. 

    Songwriter

    Lamento Boliviano: meaning and origin of the Mendoza rock anthem

    Lamento Boliviano became the best-known song in the repertoire of the Argentine rock band Los Enanitos Verdes after…

    May 31, 2026

28. 

    Songwriter

    Bony Moronie: blues roots of the seminal rock and roll hit

    Bony Moronie is one of the best-known tracks of New Orleans singer Larry Williams which, along with his other songs,…

    June 14, 2021

29. 

    Orchestra

    Famous Sibelius piece was commissioned for a plywood mill anniversary

    Jean Sibelius originally wrote Andante Festivo for a string quartet which was later made all the more luscious when he…

    May 13, 2018

30. 

    Male Vocal

    Vasantrao Deshpande's musical career sparked by Begum Akhtar

    Vasantrao Deshpande was an eminent Indian artist best known for his contributions to vocal classical music and the…

    April 21, 2021