Personally, I thought performing Handel Sonatas were probably the hardest. This is mainly because of how traditionally he kept his pieces’ structures. In this particular type of piece, there are multiple movements. Keeping track of the transition points between movements was difficult for me in the past. However, Handel’s work has never failed to put me in a more cheerful mood.

Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most well-known composers of all time. Inside the Score has a very helpful video for those who want to learn about his genius. Bach has a special spot in my heart because he is the first composer that sparked my love of pieces in minor keys (Major=happy melody; minor=sad melody). My younger self thought that taking chords and scales with less “happy” tones and turning them into beautiful pieces was magic.

Vivaldi, another prolific icon of the Baroque era, dominates most violin players’ repertoire. This is probably because he definitely catered most of his works for a violin. Being a violin virtuoso himself, Mostly known for he probably did this unconsciously. He is best known for his piece, Four Seasons. Most people are probably familiar with the “Summer” and “Spring” sections. One of my favorite pieces from the Four Seasons is the 3rd movement of Winter. I performed it as my last “formal” performance before entering college, so this piece is very important to me.