The Music Workshop Company Blog

Each month the Music Workshop Company publishes two blogs. One blog, written by the MWC team addresses a key issue in Music Education or gives information about a particular genre or period of music. The other blog is written by a guest writer, highlighting good practice or key events in Music Education. We hope you enjoy reading the blogs.

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To contribute as a guest writer please email Maria@music-workshop.co.uk

Posts tagged “#CLASSICAL MUSIC”

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Handel Zadock the Priest

Posted on 16th May 2024 at 11:56

Handel wrote ‘Zadock the Priest’ for the Coronation of George II in 1727. The work has been performed at the coronation of every British monarch since this date, most recently at the Coronation of King Charles III and Camilla on 6th May 2023.

The work is recommended for Year 4 and above in the Model Music Curriculum. Our activities inspired by the work explore how to create drama and anticipation in music.

Celebrating 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik': Mozart’s enduring classic

Posted on 15th July 2023 at 15:23

This month, we introduce Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with a focus on his popular serenade, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Mozart’s talents gained him a reputation as a world-class musician during his lifetime, and he is still today regarded as one of the foremost composers not just of the Classical era, but of all time.

Although he only lived to be 35, Mozart was a prolific composer, producing hundreds of works across multiple genres, many of which remain in the repertoire today. But of course, one of his best-known works, which was completed towards the end of his life, on 10 August 1787, is Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The piece is not only a staple of the classical repertoire, but it has been used for decades in popular culture – from film to advertising – making it one of the most instantly recognised classical works today.

Rachmaninoff at 150: the pianists’ composer

Posted on 16th March 2023 at 12:52

Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1921. Source: Wikimedia Commons (Kubey-Rembrandt Studios, Philadephia, Pennsylvania)

This year sees the 150th anniversary of the birth of renowned pianist and composer Rachmaninoff, whose music has divided opinion yet remained popular for many decades. We take a look at his life and work, and ask what has made his compositions – which are renowned for being challenging to play – so successful with audiences around the world.

Ralph Vaughan Williams at 150: a champion of music education

Posted on 14th October 2022 at 12:35

Even if you are not familiar with classical music, you will undoubtedly have heard the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams. The Lark Ascending and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis consistently appear in the top 10 of Classic FM’s listener polls, and he is considered one of the quintessential composers of British history.

Yet his music still divides opinion, and for many years, much of his output was neglected. Alongside these most famous pieces, Vaughan Williams wrote a huge variety of works including operas, ballets, chamber music, vocal pieces and orchestral compositions, with nine symphonies to his name. This month, we mark the 150th anniversary of his birth with a look back at his musical life.

Online Music Favourites from 2020: End the Year Inspired

Posted on 31st December 2020 at 11:54

Here at The Music Workshop Company, our mission is to share our passion for music. But this year has not been the same in terms of live performance. We have been lucky to still be offering music workshops, in person and online. But where live music is concerned, it may be a while before we get back to any kind of normal. In the past, technology and music haven’t always seen eye to eye. Despite the inevitable pre-concert announcement, someone’s mobile is bound to ring. And it’s not uncommon to spot a fellow audience member taking a video and posting it to social media.

In 2020, it’s been “all change”. The smart phone and internet culture have become the musician’s friend. More than ever, musicians and musical organisations have turned to the internet as their only creative outlet. Some have used technology in innovative ways, creating multi-track solo masterpieces, others have used the online world to stay in touch with their audiences, and to keep providing music and music education where it’s most needed.