Music stories

Did you know where Handel lived and worked in London? Or why Mozart composed his C Minor Mass? In this section you will find fascinating articles on interesting connections between choral works and composers.
Händel in London
Barbara Mohn

In Handel’s footsteps through London

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When George Frideric Handel crossed the English Channel the first time in 1710, London was enjoying a huge economic upturn. The building boom altered the cityscape of the second largest city in Europe, with almost 630,000 inhabitants, the financial market grew and experienced the first stockmarket crash, the social contrasts were stark, but a simple musician such as Handel could die a rich man. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of today’s metropolis, we can still set out on a walk in the footsteps of Handel.

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Psalmvertonungen
Stefan Schuck

Psalm settings as a cry for help and comfort

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At a time of great changes in which the uncertain, the unpredictable, indeed, even the unsettling can become the new normal, it is the psalms in particular which can offer comfort, confidence, and hope – not only for believers, but also for people who have little or no faith.   

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Christine Blanken

In search of Bach in his music library

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It is an exciting undertaking to research the intellectual and musical horizons of a great composer. What Bach was interested in, whether it be musical, literary, theological or even the natural sciences, what was in his music cabinet apart from his own compositions – this sometimes arouses greater attention than studying well-known works by the composer for the umpteenth time.

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Uwe Wolf

Monteverdi’s Forest

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It is a repertoire from which quite different programs can be derived – both in terms of length, scoring, level of difficulty (which is moderate in many compositions), but also in terms of fundamental conception: possibilities would be to focus on either a feasible liturgical sequence or a musical exploration of different aspects of the Selva.

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Te Deum
Michael Wersin

The Te Deum in the History of Music

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The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn based on a combination of biblical quotations. Discover how composers including Mozart, Mendelssohn, Bruckner and Verdi have set this timeless hymn.

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