About

Hello! I’m Stephan Williams, a pianist and university student studying philosophy. I studied piano for seven years with David Zapka, former music professor at West Liberty University. I decided to start this blog to better myself as a musician and motivate myself to learn more about music.

Why "Opus 109"?
Opus 109 is the catalogue number of one of my favorite pieces of music - Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109. Here is a wonderful recording of this masterwork by Emil Gilels:


What can I expect from this blog?
Articles about a wide variety of topics in classical music, from famous musical interpretations and historic performances to reflections on great composers and their work. I’m especially interested in discovering the works of rare or neglected composers of the past, such as Jan Ladislav Dussek and Nicolás Ledesma. Since there are areas in classical music with which I am regrettably quite ignorant (opera, for example), I will be writing down my discoveries and reactions here. Usually I’ll just be throwing my opinion out there, other times I’ll be offering a new or controversial perspective on a topic in classical music. Whether you’re a seasoned musician yourself, or an inquisitive amateur, I hope you find something of interest on this blog. 

Popular posts from this blog

2022-2023: Two Years of Music in Review

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Last year, I didn't get around to writing a post like this, so now I will be reviewing the past two years of my musical endeavors - discussing what I learned, enriching experiences I had, and what I look forward to improving upon in 2024. It was my desire to improve as a musician that led to me starting this blog, so I thought it fitting to reflect on these things. New Discoveries The past two years of have been the most musically involved for me, from discovering new composers to improving my piano technique, and giving a variety of performances. First, the composers. I present them in roughly chronological order rather than the order I discovered or "rediscovered" them. Domenico Scarlatti Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas are not new to me - I grew up hearing them (primarily on classical guitar), and they have always been a source of musical inspiration and joy. However, until the past year or so, I had only tinkered with them on the piano. In years of piano lessons, Sca
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Song of the Week: "The Muse," Op. 29, no. 1 (Medtner)

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Song of the Week Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) The Muse, Opus 29, no. 1 The Music     "The Muse" is the first of Medtner's Seven Poems after Pushkin, Opus 29. With motivic connections to the great Sonata-Ballade, Opus 27, and the Piano Quintet in C Major (both compositions which were especially important to the composer)   this song stands out among Medtner's vast vocal output, both in its peculiar and mysterious beauty, and the theme of its text. The speaker sings of her awe and delight as the Muse, the "Mystic Maid," takes the reed from her and plays a most wondrous song. The theme of the Muse was one that Medtner had a lifelong interest in, as can be seen from the title of his 1935 book on music  The Muse and the Fashion . The Performance      I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Elizabeth Schwarzkopf collaborated with, or even knew about, Nikolai Medtner. And I was further surprised at my inability to determine what language she was singing - embarras
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Song of the Week: "La Maja Dolorosa No. 1" (Granados)

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Song of the Week Enrique Granados (1867-1916) La Maja Dolorosa No. 1 (The Forlorn Maiden) The Music      The first of three songs entitled "La Maja Dolorosa," this week's song comes from Granados' 12 Tonadillas en estilo antiguo, a set inspired by paintings of Francisco Goya (1746-1828). It's a shame that Granados did not write more art songs, since the Tonadillas are some of the finest examples of that genre to come from Spain. This song is particularly notable for the stark and dramatic atmosphere created by the piano's enigmatic harmonies. The Performance      There are not many performances of Granados' vocal music, but I figure any rendition by Teresa Berganza is going to be a solid choice. The Text Fernando Periquet (1873-1940) Spanish ¡Oh muerte cruel! ¿Por qué tú, a traición, mi majo arrebataste a mi pasión? ¡No quiero vivir sin él, porque es morir, porque es morir así vivir! No es posible ya sentir más dolor: en lágrimas deshecha ya mi alma está.
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