Up Close And Classical

05/28/2026

What are “Theme and Variations”?…
..And why did so many classical composers write so many of them? Answering the first question can be done with an example, the "12 variations" on the French song "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman", written by Mozart in his twenties, better known in the US as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". This simple and well-known tune, played in the first 33 seconds of the video below, is the "theme"....

…And why did so many classical composers write so many of them? Answering the first question can be done with an example, the “12 variations” on the French song “Ah, vous di…

05/24/2026

Introducing Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz

When planning a performance of Beethoven's Razumovsky string quartet, a question soon appears: what composer and music to pair it with? Beethoven's opus 59 marked the history of music like few other works. Click on image for details on the May 30, 31 and June 7th concerts Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz's theme and variations will both help understand Beethoven and provide a healthy contrast:...

When planning a performance of Beethoven’s Razumovsky string quartet, a question soon appears: what composer and music to pair it with? Beethoven’s opus 59 marked the history of music l…

05/22/2026

Another great FREE workshop by InterMusic SF which now has 108 small music ensembles as fiscally sponsored affiliates in California!

How do you connect with writers, critics, editors, and radio produc...

05/16/2026

A closer look at Beethoven’s 7th string quartet (Op.59 #1)

Last week, we posted about Beethoven's experience of time, to give some context to the musical information we now present as succinctly as possible. First, let us clarify the numbers: why is a single quartet identified by three different numbers? In short, Opus 59 refers to the order of publication of the work. The sequence of "Opus" numbers includes very different works: chamber music (played by 2 to 8 instruments), symphonies (for up to 100+ instruments), but also vocal compositions like the opera "Fidelio" (opus 72)....

Last week, we posted about Beethoven’s experience of time, to give some context to the musical information we now present as succinctly as possible. First, let us clarify the numbers: why is …

05/09/2026

Beethoven’s experience of time

The breakthroughs attributed to Beethoven made new demands on both audiences and musicians. We will post about these paths next week. First, underlying these innovations is the composer's musical experience of time, available to 21st century's audiences in live performance of Beethoven's music. Let us take a deeper dive by first separating the musical experience and the experience of time....

The breakthroughs attributed to Beethoven made new demands on both audiences and musicians. We will post about these paths next week. First, underlying these innovations is the composer’s mus…

05/02/2026

Ludwig van Beethoven: a short biography

In our concerts last weekend, our violin-cello played an early composition by Beethoven transcribed from his experimentations with HarmonieMusik. Remember that you can find on our website not only the schedule of future concerts but also notes and video archives from past concerts, which can be forwarded to your friends when inviting them to the next concerts (with FREE admission!):...

In our concerts last weekend, our violin-cello played an early composition by Beethoven transcribed from his experimentations with HarmonieMusik. Remember that you can find on our website not only …

04/30/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/chambermusicsociety/p/debussy-and-ravel-friends-or-foes?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=xxj62

04/23/2026

Rest in Peace, Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas 🙏 !

In this 3-minute excerpt from the PBS documentary “Where now is”, Michael Tilson Thomas shares two important lessons about music and how he received them from his teachers Alice Ehlers …

04/23/2026

This weekend!