Classical Music
Long Before Jazz, Frank Johnson Was Playing the Hottest Music in America
The innovations of a forgotten genius who laid the groundwork for the nation's signature music
How Marian Anderson Took the World by Storm
Her mighty contralto propelled her across color lines
Nazi-Looted Beethoven Manuscript Returned to Original Owners
The Czech Republic's Moravian Museum gave the document to the heirs of the Petschek family
When It Comes to String Instruments, Stradivariuses Are Still Pitch Perfect
Even after three centuries of their existence, the violins spark debate over what makes their sound special
Why Was Purple the Color of Royalty? And More Questions From Our Readers
You've got questions. We've got experts.
The World's Skinniest Skyscraper Has a Storied Musical Past
At 1,428 feet tall and just 60 feet wide, Steinway Tower is so slender that its top floors may sway in the wind
How Artificial Intelligence Completed Beethoven's Unfinished Tenth Symphony
On October 9, the work will be performed in Bonn, Germany, and a recording will be released
To Reduce Covid-19 Risks in Orchestras, Move Wind Instruments to the Sidelines
A study that simulated airflow and aerosol production in a concert hall suggests moving brass and woodwinds near air vents
Newly Discovered Gainsborough Portrait Reveals Likeness of Overlooked Composer
The acclaimed British artist's painting of Czech musician Antonín Kammel may be worth upward of $1.3 million
How Black Composers Shaped the Sound of American Classical Music
A new project seeks to elevate artists like Harry T. Burleigh and Florence Price, whose work has been ignored by white audiences
How Young America Came to Love Beethoven
On the 250th anniversary of the famous composer’s birth, the story of how his music first took hold across the Atlantic
The Soviet Spy Who Invented the First Major Electronic Instrument
Created by a Russian engineer, the theremin has delighted and confounded audiences since 1920
Pandemic Temporarily Silences Violins That Survived the Holocaust
Organizers found ways to make the instruments' voices heard after the cancellation of planned concerts in California
Audience of Plants Roots for Barcelona Opera House on Opening Night
The leafy crowd enjoyed a string quartet's performance of Puccini's "Crisantemi"
Was Beethoven Black? Probably Not, but These Unsung Composers Were
A music scholar examines the history of the decades-old theory, and what its permanence tells us about who is considered 'canon' in classical music
After Closure, the Met Opera Offers Free Streaming of Past Performances
Each night, the institution will post an encore showing of an opera from its "Met Live in HD" series
Following Beethoven’s Footsteps Through Vienna
For the composer’s 250th birthday, visit the apartments where he lived, the theaters where he worked and his final resting place
Rare Portrait of Teenage Mozart Heads to Auction
"This charming likeness of him is my solace," wrote Pietro Lugiati, the Italian nobleman who commissioned the artwork, in a letter to Mozart’s mother
Nina Simone’s Childhood Home Is Under Threat. This Campaign Aims to Save It
The National Trust is hoping to preserve the North Carolina house where Simone first learned to play piano
Scientists Played Music to Cheese as It Aged. Hip-Hop Produced the Funkiest Flavor
Researchers played nonstop loops of Led Zeppelin, A Tribe Called Quest and Mozart to cheese wheels to find out how sound waves impacted flavor
