The Classical Music Minute
Steven Hobé, Composer & Host
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Top 10 The Classical Music Minute Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Classical Music Minute episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Classical Music Minute for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Classical Music Minute episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Classical Music Minute
10/02/23 • 1 min
Description
With the passing of Dame Angela Lansbury in 2022, it reminded me of one of my favourite Sondeim musicals, Sweeney Todd. She played the first Mrs Lovett in 1979. Take a minute to get the scoop!
Dame Angela Lansbury singing The Worst Pies in London.
Fun Fact
The original production of Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway March 1, 1979, at the Uris Theatre (now the Gershwin). The show, featuring music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by Wheeler, was directed by Harold Prince and starred Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. The production received eight Tony Awards in 1979—including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score—as well as 11 Drama Desk Awards and the Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical. It went on to be revived twice on Broadway and adapted into a 2007 film, in addition to the recent Off-Broadway production.
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About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
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You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
__________________________________________________________________
Got a topic? Pop me an email at: [email protected] 🤔
1 Listener
Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann | The Bad Luck Opera
The Classical Music Minute
08/07/23 • 1 min
Description
The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach certainly got off to a rocky start—with the death of the composer before its premiere and then disaster striking its first Vienna performance. Take a minute to get the scoop!
Fun Fact
The Royal Family of Austria arrived at the theatre as the disaster was ending and immediately began collecting relief funds for the victims and their families. Crown Prince Rudolf was particularly emotional, crying upon seeing the hundreds of lifeless bodies.
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About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
__________________________________________________________________
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
It's thirsty work creating content for TCMM. Many sleepless nights spent crafting that perfect one-minute episode or editing my latest fab interview as a bonus episode for your listening pleasure. 🎙🤔📚 But a cup of coffee is always welcome to keep my creativity flowing. 🎼☕️✍🏽🙏
__________________________________________________________________
Got a topic? Pop me an email at: [email protected]
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
1 Listener
“Finlandia” by Sibelius & The Finnish People’s Struggle
The Classical Music Minute
09/11/23 • 1 min
Description
Jean Sibelius was thought to be a hero of Finland, as his music reflected the struggle of the people against the Russian Empire. This is most evident in his work, Finlandia. Take a minute to get the scoop!
An incredible performance of Finlandia, op. 26 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan. c/o YouTube
Fun Fact
Sibelius later reworked the Finlandia Hymn into a stand-alone piece. This hymn, with words written in 1941 by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, is one of the most important national songs of Finland. It has been repeatedly suggested to be the official national anthem of Finland. Today, during modern performances of the full-length Finlandia, a choir is sometimes involved, singing the Finnish lyrics with the hymn section.
__________________________________________________________________
About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
__________________________________________________________________
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
It's thirsty work creating content for TCMM. Many sleepless nights spent crafting that perfect one-minute episode or editing my latest fab interview as a bonus episode for your listening pleasure. 🎙🤔📚 But a cup of coffee is always welcome to keep my creativity flowing. 🎼☕️✍🏽🙏
__________________________________________________________________
Got a topic? Pop me an email at: [email protected]
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
1 Listener
Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本龍一) & Japanese Contemporary Music
The Classical Music Minute
09/25/23 • 1 min
Description
Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away on March 28, 2023. He was a Japanese composer, pianist, record producer, and actor who pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Take a minute to get the scoop!
Fun Fact
Ryuichi Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952, in Tokyo. His father, Kazuki Sakamoto, was a well-known literary editor, and his mother, Keiko (Shimomura) Sakamoto, designed women’s hats. He began piano lessons at age 6, and started to compose soon after. His early influences included Johann Sebastian Bach and Claude Debussy — whom he once called “the door to all 20th century music”.
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About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
__________________________________________________________________
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
__________________________________________________________________
Got a topic? Pop me an email at: [email protected] 🤔
1 Listener
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | The Child Prodigy
The Classical Music Minute
09/18/23 • 1 min
Description
There is little doubt that Mozart was a genius. But what was extraordinary was his abilities from such a young age. Take a minute to get the scoop!
Fun Fact
While Wolfgang was young, his family made several European journeys in which he and his sister Nannerl performed as child prodigies. These began with an exhibition in 1762 at the court of Prince-elector Maximilian III of Bavaria in Munich, and at the Imperial Courts in Vienna and Prague.
__________________________________________________________________
About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
__________________________________________________________________
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
__________________________________________________________________
Got a topic? Pop me an email at: [email protected] 🤔
1 Listener
The Barber of Seville: A Comic Masterpiece By Rossini
The Classical Music Minute
08/14/23 • 1 min
Description
The Barber of Seville is an opera by Rossini and ‘perhaps the greatest of all comic operas’. Take a minute to get the scoop!
Fun Fact
Rossini's Barber of Seville is considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music, and has been described as the opera buffa of all "opere buffe".
__________________________________________________________________
About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
__________________________________________________________________
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
It's thirsty work creating content for TCMM. Many sleepless nights spent crafting that perfect one-minute episode or editing my latest fab interview as a bonus episode for your listening pleasure. 🎙🤔📚 But a cup of coffee is always welcome to keep my creativity flowing. 🎼☕️✍🏽🙏
__________________________________________________________________
Got a topic? Pop me an email at: [email protected]
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
1 Listener
Paganini: The Devil’s Violinist
The Classical Music Minute
09/19/22 • 1 min
Description
Some thought that the virtuoso violinist Paganini was a metaphorical musical God, others thought he literally got his virtuosity from a deal with the Devil. But what was the real story behind Niccolò Paganini’s genius? Take a minute to get the scoop!
Check out the trailer for The Devil's Violinist
Fun Fact
Known particularly for his fiendish 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Paganini helped popularise certain string techniques such as bow bounces – spiccato – as well as left-hand pizzicato and harmonics. He also purposely mistuned strings to make certain pieces easier to play. It is said he could play 12 notes per second – a feat later achieved by violinist David Garrett, who plays Paganini in The Devil’s Violinist, a 2013 film based on the composer’s life story.
It is now believed that Paganini’s unusual finger length, which allowed him to play three octaves in one hand span, was due to Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder. Equally, his ability to play at incredible speed could be attributed to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disorder which causes increased flexibility and a lack of coordination.
About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
On a personal note, please consider a coffee donation. 🤓☕️
It's thirsty work creating content for TCMM. Many sleepless nights spent crafting that perfect one-minute episode or editing my latest fab interview as a bonus episode for your listening pleasure. 🎙🤔📚 But a cup of coffee is always welcome to keep my creativity flowing. 🎼☕️✍🏽🙏
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: [email protected]
"The Real Mozart: The Original King Of Pop" by Judith Grohmann (Bonus Interview Ep)
The Classical Music Minute
07/05/23 • 44 min
Recently, I chatted with author Judith Grohmann about her book, "The Real Mozart: The Original King Of Pop". This biography dives headfirst into the psychological workings of Mozart, as he navigates the explosive times of Viennese society during the enlightenment; his romantic and familial relationships, especially with his father Leopold; as well as, balancing the mundane task of earning money versus musical experimentation and expression.
If you'd like to order the book, please visit Pen & Sword Books.
I will also holding a draw for a free copy of the book. Just give the podcast a rating or review on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot to [email protected] and you will be entered into the draw to win.
I will announce the winner at the end of July.
__________________________________________________________________
About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
__________________________________________________________________
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
It's thirsty work creating content for TCMM. Many sleepless nights spent crafting that perfect one-minute episode or editing my latest fab interview as a bonus episode for your listening pleasure. 🎙🤔📚 But a cup of coffee is always welcome to keep my creativity flowing. 🎼☕️✍🏽🙏
__________________________________________________________________
Got a topic? Pop me an email at: [email protected]
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
Felix Mendelssohn: The Wunderkind Who Composed with Spark & Soul
The Classical Music Minute
11/18/24 • 1 min
Description
Felix Mendelssohn: The Wunderkind Who Composed with Spark & Soul in 60 Seconds. Take a minute to get the scoop!
Fun Fact
Felix Mendelssohn's first known composition, a *Piano Quartet in C minor*, was completed when he was just 13 years old. Written in 1822, this ambitious work already showed remarkable maturity, blending classical elegance with hints of youthful intensity. It was one of many early pieces that demonstrated Mendelssohn’s exceptional talent and foreshadowed his future as a celebrated composer. His sense of structure, melodic grace, and expressive depth made even his earliest compositions stand out.
__________________________________________________________________
About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
__________________________________________________________________
You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram. 👋
Please Buy Me A Coffee 🤓☕️
Aaron Copland: The Dean of American Composers
The Classical Music Minute
07/11/22 • 1 min
Description
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Take a minute to get the scoop!
Fun Fact
During the late 1940s, Copland became aware that Stravinsky and other fellow composers had begun to study Arnold Schoenberg's use of twelve-tone (serial) techniques. After he had been exposed to the works of French composer Pierre Boulez, he incorporated serial techniques into his Piano Quartet (1950), Piano Fantasy (1957), Connotations for orchestra (1961) and Inscape for orchestra (1967). Unlike Schoenberg, Copland used his tone rows in much the same fashion as his tonal material—as sources for melodies and harmonies, rather than as complete statements in their own right, except for crucial events from a structural point of view.
About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: [email protected]
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Classical Music Minute have?
The Classical Music Minute currently has 201 episodes available.
What topics does The Classical Music Minute cover?
The podcast is about Music, Music History, Podcasts, Education and Classical Music.
What is the most popular episode on The Classical Music Minute?
The episode title 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Classical Music Minute?
The average episode length on The Classical Music Minute is 3 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Classical Music Minute released?
Episodes of The Classical Music Minute are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of The Classical Music Minute?
The first episode of The Classical Music Minute was released on May 5, 2021.
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