Mark Schuster

Helen Hopekirk (1856-1945) was a talented pianist, composer, and teacher born in Scotland, though later became an American citizen after moving to the United States in 1897 to take on a teaching position at the New England Conservatory of Music. She traveled extensively during her career, touring Europe and America as a concert pianist and studying in diverse cities like...

This week we move back much further in time to the 17th Century and a composition by Barbara Strozzi, Che si può fare. This lovely aria is part of a series of Arias, Cantatas, & Sernatas first published in 1664 as her Arie, Op. 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F458aC_FUM Strozzi, born as Barbara Valle, was a self-made force of music in Italy in...

Many of the composers we feature in Obscure Music Mondays come from the Romantic and Modern eras, simply as a result of wider publication of music during those times. Today we move back to a much lesser known composer of the Classical era, Maria Hester Park. Her Piano Sonata in C Major, Op. 7 was first published in 1796 at...

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor took inspiration from many spirituals in his writing, often arranging them for new ensembles or building works around these themes. These could take the forms of piano works (such as his 24 Negro Melodies), vocal works (such as his 6 American Lyrics), or instrumental ensembles, which we look at today. While the song Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel...

Today we take a look at a longer waltz by Francis Popy (1874-1928), his Sphinx. This waltz for piano was believed to have been performed on the ill-fated journey of the RMS Titanic, earning it the nickname of the "Titanic Waltz." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k74oBvtOwO8 With a traditional format of Waltz-Trio-Waltz, this work is easily approachable and shows us some of the movement...

Swedish composer Hermann Berens' works are not heard as often as many of his contemporaries, however Berens writing is always overflowing with lovely melodies and deserving of an additional look. Today we take a look at his Piano Trio, Op. 95, No. 2. Berens was the son of a German flautist, Carl Berens, who also composed a number of works...

Adele aus der Ohe (1861-1937) was a German pianist and composer whose works have sadly disappeared from common performance. As a pianist, her virtuosic performances led to her being held in high regard (and demand). While her involvement is much less talked about than other aspects of the trip, she joined her friend Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky on his trip to...

Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) has been featured by us a number of times previously with her music for orchestra, voice, and strings, however today we look at one of her few works for organ, the Short Chorale Preludes. Smyth was an active and proponent of the women's suffrage movement, but faced many challenges as a woman in the male dominated...

Frank Hoyt Losey was a prolific composer of music for bands, with a penchant for marches. His Gloria March remains a standard in the band repertoire today. While Losey wrote often for bands and orchestras in a march style, he occasionally experimented with ragtime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YdQvWG9pVA While Losey published over 400 works, much of his life was a mystery, from his...

We've previously taken a look at two works by Mélanie Hélène Bonis (Mel Bonis), her Suite en Trio and Sonata for Cello and Piano. If you're not familiar with Mel Bonis, make sure to take a look at those previous works to learn more about her. This week we take a look at her Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 69...