Send us a text Leonard Bernstein played piano from age 10, and attended Boston Latin School and Harvard University. So he studied music theory before studying conducting and orchestration. In 1943, he was appointed assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Then on November 14, 1943 he was summoned unexpectedly to substitute for the regular conductor Bruno Walter. His confidence and skill under such difficult circumstances and his overall talent marked the beginning of a new care...

Send us a text Today, we’re going to begin in Hoboken, New Jersey, walk through the apprenticeship years, and then trace how partnerships, heartbreak, movies, and business instincts turned a talented singer into a blueprint many still follow. Frank Sinatra was born December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Dolly and Marty Sinatra, Sicilian immigrants. The home soundtrack mixed Italian song with the everyday music of labor, argument, and celebration. Outside the door, radio—that mid-centu...

Send us a text Today's episode is the first in a look at several dozen musicians who lived after 1900, roughly in chronological order. And let me emphasize this is a extremely subjective look - it seems like every time I would look at my list, I f would find a new musician that just had to be on there - so I'm not presenting this in any way as an ideal selection of the most popular or talented or well known musician - just a deep dive into the lives and talents of some of the greatest s...

Send us a text Merci, Monsieur Bartley. I was born in 1875 in the little town of Ciboure, in the Basque country of southwestern France. My father was an inventive man, an engineer with a passion for mechanics. My mother was of Basque and Spanish descent, and it was from her that I inherited my love of Spanish rhythms and colors. Those two influences—precision and passion—shaped me from the beginning. That’s fascinating—the mechanical precision of your father and the Spanish warmth of your mot...

Send us a text Maestro, thank you for joining me. Before we dive into your music, I’d really like to hear about your beginnings. Could you tell us about your background? Of course. I was born in 1862, just outside Paris. My father was a baker—always kneading dough while humming—and my mother dabbled in piano. I remember sneaking into the living room to press the keys while she played. My first memories of music are not concerts or lessons, but the hum of the street, the ringing of church bel...

Send us a text Welcome, Maestro Gustav Mahler. You’ve been called a composer of contradictions—cosmic in scope, but also obsessively detailed. If you could describe yourself in just a few words, how would you begin? Contradictions, yes—that is my very essence. I am a man who lived with one foot in heaven and the other in the street. My symphonies hold the singing of birds and the cries of the market, but also the silence of eternity. Your music often feels like it contains the whole world. Di...

Send us a text Now in a nutshell, the history of Halloween and how it developed can be described in a few sentences. You see, Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to return to Earth. They would light bonfires and wear costum...

Send us a text I am most happy to be here today with you, Mr. Bartley. And we are glad that you're here, Maestro Greig Could you tell us about your early life. Ya, I was born in Bergen, Norway, on the 15th of June 1843. My father was a merchant and my mother was musical; she gave me my first piano lessons. From a young age, I loved the sound of Norwegian folk tunes, their rhythms, their melodies, their stories. I studied at the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany, where I learned the technique...

Send us a text Maestro, could you begin by telling us a bit about your background? Ah, yes… I vas born in 1841, in a small village near Prague, in Bohemia. My father vas a butcher, my mother a simple, steadfast voman vith a love for folk songs. My family had little vealth, little expectation beyond the ordinary trades of life. Yet I felt Music as a calling — not for fame, but as a vay to capture the spirit of Bohemia itself. I vas not born a prodigy like some; I had to vork, to study, to list...

Send us a text 2 Ghost sound I am most happy, to be here, and as a ghost, my heart carries the weight of a funeral march, even in moments of applause. Interesting analogy, Maestro Tchaikovsky, but could you tell us a bit about your earthly background? Ah, yes… earthly my background. I was born in 1840, in a small Russian town nestled in the Ural Mountains. My father was an engineer in the mines, my mother of French ancestry, gentle but distant. Music was not the profession expected ...

Send us a text Today I vant to talk vith the final Composer of the three Bs - this podcast has previously Broadcast episodes regarding Bach and Beethoven - and vill certainly have more regarding those musicians - but today I vant to talk about another composer vhose last name also begins vith B, and is also considered one of the greats. That composer is yo-HAH-nes Brahms. Unlike some composers of his era, he did not have any recorded middle names or additional given names—he vas vas alv...

Send us a text Well, a logical place to begin would be to ask the Maestro about his beginnings “Ah, señor Bartley, I am pleased to be here. You ask about my beginnings? wery well. I was born October 10, 1813, in Le Roncole, a small willage in the Duchy of Parma. My father, Carlo, ran our taern, and my mother, Luigia, kept the household in order. We were not rich, nor were we musicians by trade, yet music found me nonetheless. The hymns of the willage church, the organ, the singing of neighbo...

Send us a text Musical attributions at end of transcript Here the ghost - or if you will - the spirit of Richard Wagner - is reminiscing about his existence in 1864. A struggling genius. A lonely king. One shared dream that changed the sound of Western music forever. In Music and Majesty, Richard Wagner and King Ludwig of Bavaria revisit the passion, faith, and madness that forged a masterpiece. George We left you in the last episode, Maestro Wagner, with you rather down on your l...

Send us a text Music attribution at bottom of transcript That was a portion of ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner - and if you're old enough, like me, you might remember hearing that from cartoons - especially porky pig dressed in a hunting outfit and singing kill the wabbit , kill the wabbit about Bugs Bunny - but I digress This is the first episode where I would like to explore the world of Richard Wagner. The reason I say that this is the first episode, is that the more...

Send us a text You know, Every generation has its superstar — the one who turns talent into legend, and performance into art. For us, that might mean Elton John or Lady Gaga. But in the 1800s, one name ruled the musical world like a comet blazing across the sky: Franz Liszt. A man whose concerts caused hysteria, whose charm melted hearts, and whose fingers seemed touched by lightning. So let’s pull back the velvet curtain and step into the age of Lisztomania! ...

Send us a text velcome to Celebrate Creativity - episode 488 - in her voices. The opening bars to this podcast episode are from Robert schumann’s troy mu ri - a word that means dreaming And today ve speak vith the ghost of Robert Schumann—a man vhose music vas alive vith fire and reflection, vhose inner voices shaped every note. Step inside his vorld, if you dare. Nov before ve meet the ghost of or if you vill the spirit of - the great Robert Schumann, a quick note: you may hear ...

Send us a text Ghost enters Ah, here is the ghost of Maestro Frederick Chopin - one of my favorite composers. vould you prefer that I call you Maestro Frederick or Maestro Chopin. Maestro Chopin vould be sufficient. You could refer to me as simply Herr Bartley - or in the style of the French salons, you may also refer to me as Monsieur Bartley. Ah, then Monsieur Bartley it is. Well first, Maestro Chopin, could you tell us about your early years. Support the show Thank you for exper...

Send us a text If you have ever been to a wedding or seen a portion of one on television or in the movies, I am sure you have heard some of them music of Mendelson - such as the wedding March at the beginning of this episode. Today we are fortunate enough to speak vith the ghost or if you vill - the spirit of Felix Mendelson Herr Bartley, thank you for that vedy direct introduction to vhat has to be my most vell-knovn vork. But Herr Bartley—allov me to step into the light once more. By...

Send us a text Today we have the privilege of speaking With the ghost or if you will the spirit of Ludwig van Beethoven —arguably the greatest composer of all time. Ghost sound Maestro Beethoven, thank you for joining us. Could you begin by telling us about your background? Herr Bartley, it is extremely strange to look back from beyond the grave, but let me oblige. I vas born in Bonn, December 1770, into a family of musicians. My grandfather, Kapellmeister Ludvig van Beethoven, vas a re...

Send us a text And here, right on time is the ghost of maestro Haydn to tell us about his story - his life and his music - Maestro Haydn, why don't you start at the be ginning. Certainly, Herr Bartley. I, Joseph Haydn, vas born in 1732 in the small Austrian village of Rohrau, near the border of Hungary. My father, a humble vheelvright, could not imagine that his son vould one day travel to the grand palaces of Europe or have his music performed by orchestras in London. Yet music called me ear...