Heather Wade

Mozart String Quartet #19 (Dissonance) In 1785, Mozart published a set of string quartets that he dedicated to Haydn. So we’ll start there - with Haydn - for just a minute. Then we’ll get back to Mozart.   Joseph Haydn revolutionized string quartet writing. We could say he invented it, except he didn’t in all the ways - string quartets (meaning music written for 4 stringed instruments - usually, but not always, 2 violins, viola and cello) existed before Haydn, but he changed the form in some...

The piano was invented in (approximately) 1700 by a man called Bartolomeo Christofori. Compared to modern concert grand pianos, these first instruments were fairly small, with a five octave (60 keys) keyboard and a much quieter sound. What was new and fantastic about them was that they had dynamic range - meaning they could play both loudly and softly.  As the piano evolved over the next 200 years, improvements were made that allowed for greater dynamic range, better tone quality and a bigger...

2 Piano Trios and their link to the Romantics the Piano Trio in b flat by Joaquin Malats , and Schubert's Piano Trio #2 are ideal...