Composers
The Brief but Shining Life of Paul Laurence Dunbar, a Poet Who Gave Dignity to the Black Experience
A prolific writer, he inspired such luminaries as Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes
Toni Morrison's Rarely Seen Papers Will Go on View at Princeton
The university is planning a months-long series of exhibitions, programs and performances
Angelo Badalamenti, Who Composed Ethereal Scores for 'Twin Peaks' and 'Blue Velvet,' Dies at 85
He was one of David Lynch's closest collaborators—and wrote one of TV's most memorable themes
Stephen Sondheim’s Lost College Musical Was Found Hidden in Plain Sight
Live recordings from "Phinney's Rainbow" had been sitting on a journalist's bookshelf for years
Nazi-Looted Beethoven Manuscript Returned to Original Owners
The Czech Republic's Moravian Museum gave the document to the heirs of the Petschek family
'Litanies,' Inspired by Notre-Dame Fire, Receives Prestigious Music Award
Julian Anderson’s 25-minute concerto won the 2023 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition
After 35 Years, 'The Phantom of the Opera' Will Stop Haunting Broadway
Due to declining ticket sales, Broadway’s longest-running show will close this winter
Solange Knowles Is Composing Her First Ballet Score
The artist will be the first Black woman to write music for the New York City Ballet
What the 'Unofficial Bridgerton Musical' Lawsuit Means for Fan-Created Content
Netflix has accused the songwriting duo behind the viral production of stealing copyrighted material for their own financial gain
'Do You Hear What I Hear?' Conjures Images of Peace Everywhere—and Nuclear Annihilation
Composed at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the classic Christmas song contains another message—one of unity
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
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
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
Hitting the High Notes: A Smithsonian Year of Music
How Composer John Cage Transformed the Piano—With the Help of Some Household Objects
With screws and bolts placed between its strings, the 'prepared piano' offers up a wide range of sounds
Are Classical Music Performances Speeding Up?
For Johann Sebastian Bach's 333rd birthday, a team looked at recordings of the composer's work over the last 50 years
How 1950s America Shaped ‘The Nutcracker’
It took the marketing insight of a Russian choreographer to make it all happen
Chopin’s Preserved Heart May Offer Clues About His Death
Scientists who recently examined the organ have suggested that Chopin died of complications from tuberculosis
Composer Kurt Weill's Long-Forgotten “Song of the White Cheese" Discovered in Berlin Archive
Listen to the 1931 ditty, which had gone unnoticed in the collection of a little-known actress
John Philip Sousa Feared ‘The Menace of Mechanical Music’
Wonder what he’d say about Spotify