music history Archives – Viva Virtuoso

Nicolo Paganini, by Richard James Lane (died 1872), published 1831. See source website for additional information. This set of images was gathered by User:Dcoetzee from the National Portrait Gallery.

The Devil’s Violinist and His One String

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:February 27, 2018
Post category:Music History

Nineteenth century composer and violinist Niccolò Paganini remains one of the most influential composers and musicians in history. Paganini was more ‘fondly’ known as the ‘Devil’s violinist’, for both his uniquely brilliant skills and his appearance. (more…)

The Cutting Room Floor: Songs Forgotten and Unfinished

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:October 8, 2017
Post category:Great American Songbook Music History

When Viva Virtuoso creator and host Warren Peterson brought a slew of us creative types on board to put together a simple, old-school variety show that would showcase fun, familiar tunes in new ways and on contemporary online channels, we never imagined it would turn into such a consuming and invigorating project.

Everyone involved in making Viva Virtuoso a reality has at least two things in common – a passion for music and a day job unrelated to the show. It’ll be easy, they said. Just point a camera in the right direction and hit record, they said. Everyone’s doing it these days, they said. (more…)

A Rockin’ Good Way: The Rocky Relationship of Dinah Washington & Brook Benton

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:August 11, 2017
Post category:Great American Songbook

The world knew them both as stars. Individually, they were both musical powerhouses in their own right. Dinah was certainly the more well-known of the two and continues to be a favorite among die-hard early RnB fans, but Brook helped pen and compose a series of hits over several decades.

The rare tracks they recorded together can still be heard in the occasional major motion picture soundtrack and on the radio. Songs like You’ve Got What It Takes have been embedded deep into our popular culture and, while we often hum these tunes, most of us don’t know the story behind them.

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