Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Letters

Mozart's letters: 10 wonderful, emotional and bizarre quotes

Mozart was a prolific letter-writer, and these quotes show us some startling aspects to the composer's personality: scatological, funny, romantic and poignant - take a look through Mozart's private letters.

Carl Maria von Weber : Der Freischutz - Overture

Mind-blowing: this is what really happens when you play a string instrument

By Daniel Ross, Classic FM London

This incredible DIY footage shows just what your guitar or violin strings look like when you play them.

Guitar strings wobble very strangely

So, you're playing the guitar, merrily unaware that you're creating some seriously weird shapes with the strings you're plucking. Like this:

*brain explodes*

Take a look at what this guy shows us, with only his iPhone and an acoustic guitar:

You know what? It works for violins too!

It's not just the finger-picking likes of casual guitarists that can enjoy these sonic lovelies - the string section can have exactly the same amount of fun. Look!

Now take a tour of this string quartet - you can see how lower strings and plucking produce different oscillations to higher bowed notes. 

The good thing about these videos is that they were made on perfectly normal cameras that anyone can use, even if it's just your iPhone. 

So why not get your battered acoustic out of the cupboard and pop your phone inside?

Hermann Reutter - His Music and His Life

Hermann Reutter

Born: June 17th, 1900

Died: January 1st, 1985

Country of origin: Germany

Hermann Reutter was born in Stuttgart on 17 June 1900. In 1920 he moved to Munich. After three years of singing lessons with Emma Rückbeil-Hiller (Stuttgart) and Karl Erler (München) he studied at the Munich Academy of Musical Arts composition with Walter Courvoisier and piano with Franz Dorfmüller, and organ with Ludwig Mayer. 

Since 1923 he participated in the music festival of Donaueschingen and intensified his contact with the Donaueschingen circle, in particular with Paul Hindemith. Starting with 1926 he was a frequent composer in association with the annual music festival of the Allgemeine Deutsche Musikverein where many of his works were world premiered. He began intensive concert activities as pianist and accompanist in lieder in 1929, working together with major conductors and soloists of his period. 

In 1932 he succeeded Ewald Straesser as principal teacher of composition at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. He was appointed director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt on the Main four years later. In 1945 was the end of this work. He returned to Stuttgart and resumed concert activities in 1950. Two years later he was appointed professor of composition and lied interpretation at the Stuttgart Hochschule fuer Musik. In 1955 he became full member of the Berlin Akademie der Kuenste and of the Bayerische Akademie der Schoenen Kuenste, Munich. Since 1956 he was juror, later chairman, of the jury in the category Singing at the ARD competition. 

He succeeded Hermann Erpf as director of the Stuttgart Hochschule fuer Musik. Since 1960 he often stayed in the USA for interpretation courses at various universities. From 1966-1974 he led the master class of lied interpretation at the Munich Musikhochschule. In 1968 he founded the Hugo Wolf Society Stuttgart, being its president until his death.

For his achievement as a composer and a teacher he was awarded (among others) the Ludwig-Spohr-Award of the City of Brunswig (1953), the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (1959 and with Star in 1975), a Honorary doctorate of the Music and Arts Institute San Francisco and the Hugo Wolf Medal of the International Hugo Wolf Society, Vienna (both in 1976). 

Hermann Reutter died in Heidenheim on 1 January 1985.

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Johann Friedrich Reichardt - Miltons Morgengesang (1808)

Johann Friedrich Reichardt - His Music and His Life

Reichardt, Johann Friedrich (born in Königsberg, 1752; died Giebichenstein, 1814). German composer, conductor, and writer. Court composer and conductor to Frederick the Great and Frederick II, 1775–94. Instituted many reforms. Visited London and Paris 1785 and again some years later. Dismissed from court post for sympathy with French Revolution. Conductor Kassel Opera (Germany) 1808. Wrote at least 12 operas, Singspiele, setting of Milton's Morning Hymn, over 1,500 songs (incl. setting of Erlkönig, highly praised by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy), and much chamber music. Author of several books on compostions.

Peter Illjitsch Tschaikovsky - Valse Sentimentale