__1770: __Ludwig van Beethoven is born to a family of musicians in Bonn, Germany. His Ninth Symphony will play a role in determining the length of the music CD. Exactly how big a role is a matter of ...

The Allegri Quartet’s earliest incarnation began playing in 1953. Orchestral personnel change constantly and no one bats an eyelid. String quartet members are similarly replaced and retired, leading ...

The Harmonie, a small instrumental group made up of pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons, hit its stride in late 18th century Vienna. Early repertoire mostly consisted of operatic ...

Between the 2009 recession and the growth of music streaming, the early 21st-century flood of classical music compact discs has dwindled to a trickle. That makes new CDs from musicians with ...