Are there well-known classical composers who aren't trained on a particular instrument? An acquaintance is a young singer who's interested in composition (mostly for voice), but in talking to him I get the sense that he feels a little inadequate compared to his fellow students who are accomplished on at least one instrument like piano or violin. Can you give me examples of classical composers whose work is respected but who weren't primarily instrumental players? Modern or otherwise. Thanks!
posted by mediareport on Dec 14, 2009 - 14 answers

Classical music fans: What's your opinion of the quality of the artists and recordings on the ultra-cheap Arte Nova label? I like a lot of the budget Naxos releases but have been seeing very cheap Arte Nova cds around and was wondering what that label's reputation is among folks who listen to a lot of classical music. Are they adequate, terrible, surprisingly good for the price or what? I'm a relative novice to the stuff, if that matters.
posted by mediareport on Sep 29, 2009 - 5 answers

How do you pronounce composer Charles Wuorinen's name? Which syllable is accented?
posted by mediareport on Jul 16, 2009 - 8 answers