Popular stories on MusicTales

1. 

   Orchestra

   Modern jazz trumpet for gifted Mozart scholar

   Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837) was an Austrian composer and outstanding virtuoso pianist during the transition…

   July 15, 2018

2. 

   Modern Jazz Quartet

   Bebop meets baroque in memorable Collaboration

   Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) is an American musical ensemble noted for their innovations in jazz forms and consistently…

   July 13, 2018

3. 

   Orchestra

   Peter Grimes outdoor premiere at Benjamin Britten's home beach

   Despite reports that Benjamin Britten paced nervously at the back of the Sadler’s Wells Theatre when Peter Grimes first…

   May 19, 2018

4. 

   Harpsichord

   The Renaissance swan song for the English monarchy

   Thomas Tomkins (1572–1656) was a prominent English composer of the generation that flourished in England in the late…

   March 11, 2018

5. 

   Vibraphone

   Cal Tjader: the inception of Latin jazz in the Bay Area

   Vibraphonist Cal Tjader was a fruitful composer who combined Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms with jazz harmonies,…

   June 26, 2018

6. 

   Orchestra

   The lively nature of A Color Symphony emerged from the Great War horrors

   A Colour Symphony, dedicated to the legendary conductor Sir Adrian Boult, was the first major orchestral work by the…

   June 16, 2018

7. 

   Cello

   Classical cello tribute to Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry

   Sheku Kanneh-Mason is one of today’s most exciting young cellists. His 2018 debut album Inspiration featured the…

   May 15, 2018

8. 

   Collaboration

   Marius Neset and London Sinfonietta: saxophone accompanied by world-class orchestra acquainted classical harmony with jazz rhythms

   The intriguing cross-genre collaboration between the Norwegian jazz saxophonist Marius Neset and the London Sinfonietta…

   November 13, 2019

9. 

   Technologies

   Stereo sound ignored commercially for a quarter of a century after its discovery

   Stereo is the reproduction of sound using two separate audio channels in a way that creates the feeling of sound heard…

   March 30, 2018

10. 

    Animation

    Preserved tradition in the modern aesthetics of The Breadwinner score

    The Breadwinner, directed by Nora Twomey, is an animated drama film based on Deborah Ellis’ award-winning novel that…

    July 26, 2018

11. 

    Songwriter

    Ursula Le Guin as told through English alt-folk

    Alt-folk band This Is the Kit is a project started by the British musician Kate Stables that comes to life through…

    June 29, 2018

12. 

    Male Vocal

    La Bikina: the Mexican song of pride and loneliness

    La Bikina was written in 1964 by Mexican composer, violinist, arranger, and producer Rubén Fuentes. The song became one…

    July 23, 2026

13. 

    Viol

    Exceptional sensibility of consort music from the traveling maestro of the Stuart era

    John Jenkins (1592–1678), lutenist and string player, was the most eminent composer of the Stuart and Commonwealth eras…

    August 6, 2018

14. 

    Double bass

    Cachao: "Even when I am shaving I compose mambos"

    Israel López Valdés (1918–2008), known invariably by the nickname Cachao, was a Cuban double bassist and composer,…

    August 17, 2018

15. 

    Big band

    The Stride Piano founder left nightclubs in favor of symphonic music

    James P. Johnson has secured an honorable place in jazz music history as one of the most gifted piano players and…

    June 13, 2018

16. 

    Songwriter

    Voice of Wassoulou preserves the ancient roots of West Africa

    Oumou Sangaré is a Malian singer regarded as the greatest female voice in modern African music. She began her career as…

    August 21, 2018

17. 

    Violin

    Wild harmony of the northern fjords by Nils Økland and Hardanger fiddle

    Nils Økland is an innovative violinist and composer from Norway, instantly recognizable for his extensive use of the…

    March 10, 2018

18. 

    Violin

    Max Richter's modern upgrade of The Four Seasons

    Vivaldi's The Four Seasons could be rightfully called the most noted work of classical music. Contemporary composer Max…

    April 4, 2018

19. 

    Technologies

    Whammy Clavinet: Lachy Doley's keyboard answer to Hendrix

    Whammy Clavinet is the modified keyboard that lets Lachy Doley move a clavinet into electric-guitar territory. The…

    July 25, 2026

20. 

    Collaboration

    Literary recital for fiddle and harmonium with British flavour

    A rare duo that brings together two of Britain's foremost folk and jazz artists was formed by a Scottish fiddler Aidan…

    August 31, 2018

21. 

    Orchestra

    The sounds of scenic Iceland in the Aeriality orchestral piece

    Anna Thorvaldsdottir is an Icelandic composer whose music is now often played around Europe and the US, captivating the…

    March 28, 2018

22. 

    Classical Guitar

    Stylistic diversity of acoustic guitar duo Oka Vanga

    Oka Vanga—a play on the name ‘Okavango’, a river delta in Botswana—is the band name for South African born Angela Meyer…

    March 13, 2018

23. 

    Collaboration

    World musicians Kronos Quartet destroy the shackles of genre

    Since its founding in '70s, the Kronos Quartet has become the foremost herald of chamber music, successful at breaking…

    April 10, 2018

24. 

    Collaboration

    Harp traditions of two continents united in a unique collaboration

    Senegal and Wales share few obvious similarities, but Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch, respectively maestros of the kora…

    August 14, 2018

25. 

    Violin

    Scottish fiddle tradition elevated by guitar ornamentation

    Duncan Chisholm is a contemporary Scottish fiddle composer whose interpretations of traditional Highland music are…

    July 4, 2018

26. 

    Orchestra

    English Idyll through the eyes of the Lost Generation hero

    Promising English composer George Butterworth appeared to show no interest in writing symphonic music, instead…

    June 10, 2018

27. 

    Songwriter

    Hava Nagila: from Hasidic melody to global celebration song

    At Jewish weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, public dances, and festive gatherings, Hava Nagila is less a song to present…

    July 9, 2026

28. 

    Choir

    Miserere mei, Deus: Allegri's sacred music myth

    Gregorio Allegri's Miserere mei, Deus belongs to the sacred repertory of the papal chapel in Rome. The title translates…

    July 3, 2026

29. 

    Male Vocal

    El Triste: the 1970 performance that made José José a star

    At Mexico City's II Festival de la Canción Latina in 1970, José José presented El Triste, a dramatic ballad by Mexican…

    July 1, 2026

30. 

    OUD

    Endless possibilities for one of the world’s oldest instruments

    Joseph Tawadros was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1983 and moved to Australia three years later. Several members of his…

    August 5, 2018