Music History

Some scholars debate big, thorny questions: the ethics of human gene editing, the mind-body problem, God. Others rock the boat by probing more esoteric subjects, like the meaning of medieval song lyrics. Especially lyrics that may reference deer farts.

When the audience at Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater crammed into their seats on November 21, 1934, they didn’t realize they’d be there to witness jazz history.

Wilhelm Hensel via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

For decades, the long-lost “Easter Sonata” was thought to be the work of composer Felix Mendelssohn. In fact, it was his sister's creation.

If you think the wholesale pilfering of songs began when Vanilla Ice swiped the bass line from David Bowie and Queen’s song “Under Pressure” for “Ice, Ice Baby,” think again.

He bought the mansion for his parents to live in.

On April 5, 1994, the music world mourned the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who died by suicide at the age of 27.

There weren’t many constants in Al Capone’s rocky life, but the crime boss had a love of music, and it never wavered.

katleho Seisa/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The recorder doesn’t have a reputation for being the coolest instrument in the world, but everyone from William Shakespeare to Paul McCartney has turned to it for inspiration.

In 1987, one teenage fan in Denver, Colorado took his love of the English rockers a bit too far.

"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."

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

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

The cringeworthy artifact sold for $30,000.

The man who gave Looney Tunes their sound was an eccentric electronic music pioneer.

Cash called the retreat “the center of my universe.”

The musical icon would have turned 96 years old today.

Part of the album's appeal might just be a fire extinguisher and a pepper shaker.

Bastoszak, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Think of it as the birthplace of the 'Birth of Cool.'

The song would not have been written if not for a broken string.

It’s hard to say exactly how many concert-goers attended Woodstock, but some low counts estimate at least 400,000 were there—which is great when it comes to peace and love, but a little less so when it comes to adequate food and drink for the masses.