George Stauffer is a musicologist and Bach scholar who contributed classical music criticism and commentary to The Weekly Standard between 2007 and 2017. His articles covered a wide range of composers and musical subjects, from Bach to Sibelius to Russian composers. He is a distinguished professor of music known for his expertise in Baroque music and the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.
As dean of an arts school, I’m often asked where the arts stand at a time when so much attention has been focused on the value of the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Not too long ago, in a full-page ad in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Santa Clara University, a…
The provocative subtitle of this new biography suggests that the author is going to explore the racier aspects of his subject’s life. He does not disappoint: Franz Liszt's flamboyant playing style and unconventional relationships represent a gold mine of sensationalistic material, and this book…
The concept of “The Three Bs” in classical music has been with us since 1854, when the writer Peter Cornelius coined the phrase while suggesting that Hector Berlioz should join Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven in the highest realm of composers. Berlioz fell from this pinnacle later in…
This new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) begins by taking us to the scene of his funeral. We ascend the stairs of the Schwarzspanierhaus, just outside the city walls of Vienna, and enter a candle-lit room, where we see Beethoven in his coffin, arms folded over the front of his body, a…
What are we to make of Robert Schumann?
Ravel
Apollo’s Angels
Sergey Prokofiev and His World
Edward Elgar and His World
Why Classical Music Still Matters
Johann Sebastian Bach