Song Story: Au Clair de Lune

The title means “By the Light of the Moon”.  The song was written by French composer Claude Debussy. The songs originate from his Suite bergamasque piano suites written around 1890.  They were not published until around 1905.  Today, Claire de Lune is the most popular of these piano suites. Another title is Au Claire de Lune, Read More

Song Story: Moonlight Sonata

Beethoven’s The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor “Quasi una fantasia”, Op. 27, No. 2 is popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata. Ludwig Van Beethoven, the popular Classical/Romantic era composer, completed the piece in 1801. In 1802, he dedicated the piece to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. Guicciardi was an Austrian countess.  Beethoven became Read More

Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin

George Gershwin’s biggest hit almost didn’t happen.  Imagine if the work that established Gershwin as a serious composer never happened. In 1924, George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist, with compositions spanning both the classical and popular sectors.  Together with his brother, Ira, he composed for the Broadway stage.  He penned his first hit, Read More

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bach

Today is Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday. He was born on March 21, 1685 making this the 327th anniversary of his birth. As a trained pianist, Bach was one of the first composers I played and to this day I still love playing some of his Inventions and other works. J. S. Bach was born into Read More