MUSIC

Read the Beautiful Letter Frank Sinatra Wrote to George Michael

"Dust off those gossamer wings and fly yourself to the moon of your choice and be grateful to carry the baggage we've all had to carry since those lean nights of sleeping on buses and helping the driver unload the instruments."

John Williams Has Never Seen Star Wars—and Doesn’t Think Much of His Score

"I don’t have an impulse to go to the theater and look at it."

Church Accidentally Prints the Lyrics to Tupac's 'Hail Mary' Instead of the Prayer

"I ain't a killer but don't push me, revenge is like the sweetest joy," certainly isn't a Sunday school staple.

Long-Lost Christmas Drinking Song Discovered at Oxford

Composer George Butterworth destroyed many of his early works before he left to fight in World War I, making it a rare find.

11 Holiday Carols from Around the World

To see how the rest of the world 'pa-rum-pum-pum-pums,' check out these global holiday songs.

The Forgotten Music Careers of 15 Famous Actors

In the 1980s, Eddie Murphy wanted to party all the time—and sing about it.

Jamming with the Boston Typewriter Orchestra

The New England band uses old manual typewriters to make sweet music.

California Town Drops a Piano Every Year Just for Fun

The Great Piano Drop is held in Winters, California each year, right after someone sings Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces."

Vinyl Record Sales Surpassed Digital Downloads in the UK for the First Time

Looks like music lovers still appreciate the beauty of the B-side.

31 Things You Didn't Know about Holiday Songs

The singer of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" might sound old, but that is Brenda Lee—who was 13 years old at the time.

15 Bizarre Holiday Albums

Because no holiday music playlist would be complete without William Hung’s rendition of ... “We Are the Champions.”

The Story of Ethel Smyth, Breaker of Operatic Glass Ceilings

On December 1, 2016, the Metropolitan Opera premiered an opera composed by a woman. The last time that happened, it was 1903.

Why 'Thriller,' the Most Iconic Halloween Music Video Ever Made, Was Released in December

Believe it or not, Michael Jackson’s landmark "Thriller" video premiered on December 2, 1983—weeks after the holiday it’s now synonymous with.

This Startup Delivers a Live Orchestra to Your Apartment

Groupmuse brings the symphony to you.

Beethoven: How the World's First Rock Star Changed Music Forever

Thumbing his nose at authority and whipping crowds into a frenzy, he changed music forever.

Concert of Long-Lost Stravinsky Work to Stream for Free

This will mark the second-ever performance of the piece.

15 Colorful Lyrics from National Anthems Around the World

The world's national anthems are a mixed bag of patriotism, poetry, and the peculiar.

A Brief History of the Chicken Dance

It's on the dance floor at nearly every wedding today, but the success of "The Chicken Dance" didn't happen overnight.

When Richard Nixon Wanted to be a Rapper

Yes, that Richard Nixon.

iStock, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

7 Rarely Used Orchestral Instruments

Composers have long pushed the boundaries of classical music by writing parts for new and innovative instruments—but not all of them have ended up a permanent fixture in the orchestra …

Let Oscar-Winning Composer Hans Zimmer Teach You How to Score Movies

Zimmer has written music for 'Gladiator,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' 'Inception,' and more.

The Brutal Letter John Lennon Wrote to Paul McCartney Post-Breakup

The cringeworthy artifact sold for $30,000.

12 Famous Artists With Synesthesia

Liszt reportedly used his synesthesia to help with his orchestrations, telling the musicians, “O please, gentlemen, a little bluer, if you please!"

The Strange Custom of Setting Pianos on Fire

Playing a burning piano until it can no longer make music is a tradition that goes back decades.

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