Monthly Archives: January 2014

I saw this wonderful youtube video explaining pentatonic scales.  Enjoy! (Thanks to Virtualsheetmusic.com)

Just a friendly reminder to my students and their parents to always record your practice minutes in the boxes I provide on your daily practice sheet.  Parents should initial the time each week.  Not only should you do this, but … Continue reading →

For about 10 years, Wagner did not compose any music at all to focus on his writing.  He also came up with a new idea for opera.  He wanted to create spectacular performances that would combine all the arts, including … Continue reading →

Wagner’s “Wedding March” became a wedding tradition when Princess Victoria of England (Queen Victoria’s daughter) married Prince Frederick William of Prussia in 1858.  The music was played at their wedding.

The Metropolitan Opera performed and recorded this Grammy-winning performance of the Wagner’s Ring.  I am adding a photo of the program.  Go to metopera.org to buy this music. Composer: Richard Wagner Release Date: September 11, 2012 Conductors: James Levine, Fabio … Continue reading →

  One of Richard Wagner’s most well-known works was a series of four musical dramas called   “The Ring Cycle.”  Der Ring des Nibelungen (German pronunciation) is a cycle of four epic operas. The works are based loosely on characters from the … Continue reading →

Wagner’s life resembled the plot of a soap opera.  He was constantly fleeing his native Germany either to escape his enormous debts or to evade a prison sentence for getting involved in radical political activities. He was also often in … Continue reading →

Subscribe to Piano Explorer Magazine to read more about Wagner ….January 2014

The Ride of the Valkyries, by Richard Wagner, in a classic recording with Wilhelm Furtwangler and the Vienna Philharmonic. The music: probably the most famous and instantly identifiable of Wagner’s works is this short orchestral prelude from Die Walkure, the … Continue reading →