Between the Barlines

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! Today, we are going to continue with another composer for 3 episodes while we explore their output and how they changed the classical era as we knew it at that time. This composer is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Now, when we think of Mozart, we often think of the operas, the symphonies, the concertos—but at the center of his musical life was the keyboard. From chi...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry. We are wrapping up talking about Franz Joseph Haydn today, so if you haven’t listened to the past two episodes where we discussed his symphonies, string quartets, and piano sonatas, I suggest you go back and take a listen! Today, we are going to explore the vocal side of Haydn; these are his masses, oratorios, operas, and his s...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! Last episode, we learned that Haydn’s symphonies and string quartets often take the spotlight. But today, I am here to tell you that his keyboard works are equally as fascinating! Music mentioned in this episode: Sonata in C minor, Hob. XVI:20 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwOlGL5GJFU Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI:52 : h...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! I am excited to start today’s episode because for the next THREE episodes, we are going to be diving in depth to a composer who has already been mentioned several times thus far this season! That composer is Joseph Haydn. Today, we will be specifically learning more about his life and tackling his symphonies and string quartets...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry. I am really excited about this episode because we are going to highlight some key keyboard composers in the classical period as well as chat about the invention of the piano! Something we’ve learned this season is that the classical period was a time obsessed with clarity, balance, and expressive nuance—qualities the piano was...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! We are going to focus on unpacking more genres from the classical era. We’ve talked a lot about sonata form this season, and if you wish to refresh yourself on what that form entails, go back to episode 6 on the sonata! Today, we are going to spend some time learning about binary forms and their relatives, variations , minuet a...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry. Today is our final installment of our instrumental classical era music discussion. The past two episodes on sonatas and symphonies helped us understand more about instrumental music in this period. Today, we are going to touch on the last big instrumental genre, and that is the concerto! Music mentioned in this episode: Haydn T...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! We are just a few episodes into season 4! I hope you are enjoying learning about the classical era. If you are just joining me this season, I suggest that you go back to seasons 1-3 to learn about music all the way back from antiquity to the point which we will talk about today! On today’s episode, we are going to continue our...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! Today, we are going to begin a 3-part series exploring the instrumental genres of the classical era. With that being said, today we’re diving into one of the most influential musical forms of the Classical period: the sonata. When we think of the sonata today, we often imagine Beethoven or Mozart, maybe a stormy piano piece or...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host Dr. Maeve Berry! I am so excited for today’s episode because this is one of my favorite topics in all of music: the German Lied ! When we talk about Lied —literally “song” in German—we’re often thinking of the rich 19th-century tradition: Schubert’s Erlkönig , Schumann’s Dichterliebe , or Brahms’ poignant settings of folk texts. But before these...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! If you are enjoying season 4 so far, please rate and like the podcast on whatever platform you listen to and share it with a friend! Today, we’re diving into one of the most pivotal figures in 18th-century music — Christoph Willibald Gluck — and how his revolutionary ideas helped redefine what opera could be. Music mentioned in...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! Today, we are headed to the opera house in the 18th century, a time when the world of opera was exploding with new forms, new stories, and new sounds. This was the golden age of opera seria , the rise of comic opera , and the beginning of Singspiel and other national operatic styles. Some of the music mentioned in this episode:...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry. Today, we’re diving into the early Classical period to explore the musical styles that helped define a new era. If the Baroque period was all about grandeur, complexity, and dramatic contrast, the early Classical era brought with it a new vocabulary—one of elegance, clarity, and expressive nuance. Let’s talk about the galant st...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! Thank you for joining me for the 4th season of this podcast! This season, we are going to talk about the Classical era, focusing primarily on the new genres created as well as a few key composers. Today, we are going to talk about the early classical era and the Enlightenment.

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! This is the final episode of season 3 - thank you for joining me to learn about the Baroque era! Today, we’re turning the spotlight on one of the most vibrant, dramatic, and influential composers of the 18th century— Antonio Vivaldi . You may know him as the composer of The Four Seasons , or as the “Red Priest” of Venice. But V...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! Today, we are in our second to last episode of season 3! We are going to be spending the next few minutes learning more about George Frideric Handel. Music mentioned in today's episode: Rinaldo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeCbbVS8z1s Giulio Cesare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qrcg2jlnqA Alcina: https://www.youtube.com...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! Today, we are going to talk about the developement of music conservatories in the 1700s in Europe!

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! We are at the end of Bach Week, so if you haven’t taken a listen to the other 2 episodes, I suggest you go back and take a listen! Today to finish off Bach Week, I am going to spend today’s episode talking about Bach’s chamber works. This includes string works, concerti, and one surprise collection of pieces. Music mentioned in...

Welcome to Between the Barlines, I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! We are continuing today with our second episode of Bach Week! If you haven’t listened to the first episode, I highly suggest that you start there! Today, we are going to talk solely about Bach’s vocal works. I will highlight his cantatas , Passions , and Mass in B minor . Music mentioned in today's episode: BWV 82, Ich habe genug :...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am super excited for this week, because we are going to talk all about Johann Sebastian Bach and all about his works! If you haven’t already, please follow and rate this podcast on whatever platform you listen on. I would also love it if you shared this podcast with another person who might love to learn more about music history! In today’s episode, we are g...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! We are more than halfway through season 3’s episodes! I am excited for the next few episodes because we are getting into one of our first musicians that everyone knows at least one thing about! Can you guess who that might be? I’ll let you think on that! Today’s episode will take us to German-speaking lands, where music wasn’t...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry. Today we’re shining a spotlight on a remarkable composer, virtuoso harpsichordist, and trailblazing woman in music history: Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre . This is the story of talent, patronage, and persistence—a woman who stood at the intersection of genius and history during one of the most lavish cultural moments in France...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! And welcome to our first Music Theory Friday of the season! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! Get ready for today’s episode, because we are going to spend some time dissecting the forms of several different instrumental pieces that were being composed in the 17th century! We’re going to explore three major musical forms that defined Baroque instrumental music:...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry. Today, we are going to talk about an important French composer in the mid-17th century named Jean-Baptiste Lully! We spoke briefly about him in the last episode when we discovered different new forms of instrumental music being composed in the 17th century. Let’s dive in a little deeper, and find out a little more about our fri...

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry! I hope you have been enjoying the third season of this podcast! I am enjoying sharing this information with you! You might be wondering why we are all over the timeline this season, but there is a method for this madness! I felt that it was important to hear about the last two composers, Henry Purcell and François Couprin, albe...