We continue our salute to Disney’s Fantasia with the ever-fabulous Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. With so many amazing works in his repertoire, how could we not love him? b. May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk, Russia d. November 6, 1893 in St. Petersburg, Russia Tchaikovsky began studying piano at age five and went on to train to [...]

In honor of Fantasia‘s upcoming 70th anniversary, we’re giving a shout out to composers featured in the film all month long. Take it away, J.S. Bach! b. March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Germany d. July 28, 1750 in Leipzig, Germany J.S. Bach was — and is — famous for his organ works, choral works and [...]

Halloween is just around the corner, so I thought I’d post a few YouTube videos of some spooky seasonal favorites. Enjoy! Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain Camille Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre Hector Berlioz’s “March to the Scaffold” from Symphonie Fantastique

Hector Berlioz channeled his insanity into music, which we think is pretty awesome. He’s our Composer of the Week. b. December 11, 1803 in La Côte-Saint-André, France d. March 8, 1869 in Paris, France Hector Berlioz was strongly encouraged to study medicine by his physician father. His father strongly opposed music and therefore kept young [...]

It’s October, which means summer has finally arrived in San Francisco. Time for some steamy music from the Savior of Tango, Astor Piazzolla! b. March 11, 1921 in Mar del Plata, Argentina d. July 5, 1992 in Buenos Aires, Argentina Astor Piazzolla was a composer, bandleader and prodigy bandoneon player who changed the world of [...]

A relatively unknown composer with some of the most luscious classical works ever created, Gabriel Fauré is our Composer of the Week! b. May 12, 1845 – Pamiers, Ariege, France d. November 4, 1924 – Paris, France Gabriel Fauré grew up playing the harmonium in a local chapel and went on to work as a church [...]

Working both as a composer and a journalist, Robert Schumann was a total rock star. Therefore, he’s our Composer of the Week! b. June 8, 1810 – Zwickau, Germany d. July 29, 1856 – Endenich, Germany The son of a publisher, Robert Schumann showed early talents in both music and literature. While studying at the [...]

It’s super hot out today, so once again we’re going to keep it light and easy here at Salon97. Grab an ice tea or your cold beverage of choice and sit back and enjoy some music by Henry Mancini! b. April 16, 1924 in Cleveland d. June 14, 1994 in Los Angeles Henry Mancini (born [...]

Sometimes you just gotta have some light music. For the times when all you want is a simple, happy, classic Hollywood-esque melody, Eric Coates is all you need. Really. b. August 27, 1886 in Hucknall, England d. December 23, 1957 in Chichester, England Eric Coates studied violin and viola as a child and went on [...]

John Adams is an incredibly awesome San Francisco Bay Area-based composer. You also may have noticed that many of my posts on Twitter are labeled with the #JohnAdamsFanClub hash tag.  I may be biased, but either way, his music is fantastic. b. Feb. 15, 1947 in Worcester, MA John Adams graduated from Concord High School [...]