John Cage, the leading American avant-garde composer of his generation, experimented tirelessly throughout his career. In the years before 1951, Cage began to embrace the concept of indeterminacy. The idea of music created “by chance” cost him the support of some of the influential musicians who had championed earlier efforts but also proved to be Cage's most influential and enduring compositional idea for posterity.

History sometimes helps us rethink myths and better understand the true motives behind the creation of great music. A case in point is Beethoven's 12 Variations on “Se vuol ballare” from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, which was dedicated to Beethoven's one-time student Eleonore von Breuning, whom he once hoped to marry.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828), composer of the "Wanderer" Fantasy, may have been the most prolific musical prodigy the world has known. He died when he was only 31. It is a testament to the breakneck speed of his work that in such a short life, Schubert managed to compose over 1500 works, many of them masterpieces. The "Wanderer" Fantasy is among those.

Cellist Brannon Cho’s new video of Benjamin Britten’s Suite No. 1 for Solo Cello, filmed by Mike Grittani, is a modern reading of Benjamin Britten, underrated genius. In the pantheon of 20th century composers Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) hasn’t always received his due.