Tag Archives: Music History

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. It’s not always easy to appreciate modern concert music. That’s especially true when it comes to the radical creations of artists like the French composer Pierre Boulez (pronounced Boo-LEZZ, 1925-2016) and the German musician Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007), two of the most influential avant-garde composers during our lifetimes.  The irony is that contemporary musical artists… Read more »

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is deservedly regarded as one of the great musical composers of all time.  During his own lifetime, however, Bach was largely ignored. He did not have a university degree.  He had a reputation for being difficult to work with.  He became the musical director of the four principal Lutheran churches in Leipzig, Germany, but only after the search… Read more »