tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34176328141624126352024-02-02T18:44:40.130-06:00Duly Notated(musical curiosities)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.comBlogger550125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-59549195697275459302012-01-24T10:05:00.000-06:002012-01-24T10:05:15.145-06:00Put / Your Body In MotionPerformance of musical instruments <i>is</i> dance of a sort - (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAX7WF6iMcU">see how Mark Morris positioned Yo-Yo Ma?</a>) - and Polish artist <a href="http://www.odaibe.com/">Odaibe</a>'s "Portrait of a Ghost Drummer" is a beautiful visualization of the choreography involved in a drum solo.<br />
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Motion-capture technology tracks the movement of the drum sticks to create a "visual map." Et voilà. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34682556?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/34682556">Portrait of the ghost drummer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/odaibe">odaibe</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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(via this lovely article at <a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665853/watch-a-drum-solo-recorded-with-motion-tracked-sticks">fastcodesign</a>) <br />
(originally via <a href="http://5thingsilearnedtoday.com/5-things-i-learned-jan-20-2012">5thingsIlearnedtoday</a>)<br />
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<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-69411517443517776082012-01-19T22:10:00.000-06:002012-01-19T22:10:04.749-06:00Our Experiment In Sound / Was Nearly Ready To BeginNo iPhone, no iPad. I'm fine with it, but everyone knows a 2007 Verizon enV2 (sans internet) does put some limits on my ability to make <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/10/04/140926565/first-listen-bj-rk-biophilia">Bjork-inspired tunes</a>. How am I supposed to know what all the avant/indie musicians are up to these days? It seems awfully early to be falling behind in the digital-music world...<br />
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Good thing <a href="http://acousmata.com/">Acousmata</a> is doing the legwork: here is a lovely <a href="http://acousmata.com/post/16154351723/the-app-store-instrumentarium">review of the possibilities for Apps-as-Experimental-Instruments</a>.<br />
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Have fun, iUsers. (Then tell me about it.)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-25846543088409619302011-12-13T21:38:00.003-06:002011-12-13T21:43:55.826-06:00Steal Away / Steal Away<a href="http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/12/12/rash-of-unsolved-tuba-thefts-plagues-southland-high-schools/">Tuba theft is becoming a problem in SoCal.</a><br /><br /><br />Curiouser and curiouser: everyone's favorite <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Miraphone-1292-Yorker-5-Valve-Tuba/dp/B0023J6T24/ref=sr_1_36?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1323833986&sr=1-36">internet superstore is now selling $11,000 tubas</a>.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-19470786736649364632011-11-03T13:59:00.002-05:002011-11-03T14:01:54.240-05:00DiscoveryDo you know the one about <a href="http://www.wqxr.org/#/blogs/wqxr-blog/2011/nov/01/mozart-may-improve-detection-during-colonoscopies/">Mozart improving rates of polyp detection during colonoscopies</a>?<br />
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<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-33032645235024375862011-10-31T21:19:00.000-05:002011-10-31T21:31:32.480-05:00Nightmare On My Street(I'm so glad I found this when I did.)<br />
This Halloween night, I give you:<br />
Der Erlkönig<br />
performed by <a href="http://www.andersonroe.com/">Anderson and Roe</a><br />
set in a (haunted) Steinway factory.<br />
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HANDS DOWN the best "classical music"-video I've ever seen.<br />
Ooh, I've got the shivers!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="243" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5xH4uKPDAEE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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This comes from their soon-to-be-released album on the Steinway label - <a href="http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=640972&source=TWT">check it out</a>. <br />
(via <a href="http://collaborativepiano.blogspot.com/2011/10/anderson-and-roe-play-der-erlkonigin.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCollaborativePianoBlog+%28The+Collaborative+Piano+Blog%29">collabpianoblog</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-34129958667456195342011-10-29T17:03:00.000-05:002011-10-29T17:03:42.167-05:00Pioneer To The Falls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My (current) favorite <a href="http://www.umich.edu/%7Emusausa/">MUSA</a> publication: THE INGALLS WILDER FAMILY SONGBOOK.<br />
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Growing up in Minnesota, I claimed Laura Ingalls Wilder as one of us. You know when she takes maple sugar and pours it in shapes on the snow and it freezes into candy? That is a Minnesota Elementary School Staple. <br />
In any case, this book finds all of the references she makes to specific musical pieces throughout all the books - and it tracks them down - and it assembles them in one place. 127 songs! from children's songs to theater songs to parlor songs.<br />
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I was already predisposed to like MUSA - a musicological publication dedicated to publishing hard-to-find works from every cross-section of American music? - but add in this little interdisciplinary twist and now I'm practically ready to start an Official Fanclub.<br />
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It's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Ingalls-Wilder-Family-Songbook/dp/B004IM8RE2">$240 on Amazon</a>, but<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=i8tQHrt_NZkC&pg=PR11&dq=Ingalls+wilder+MUSA&hl=en&ei=NJsfTqPGGeausALzspHSAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Ingalls%20wilder%20MUSA&f=false"> GoogleBooks has your Ingalls Wilder fix</a>.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-19780933087601166912011-10-25T07:57:00.000-05:002011-10-25T08:39:43.344-05:00Take It All Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The Strauss-man used to live in this wedding cake. I mean: house! He used to live in this <i>house</i>. ("Villa" if we're being pedantic.)<br />
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A wonderful <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrp46/1585125317/in/photostream/">flickr stream</a> with pictures of the inside.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-65106819538864475762011-10-24T09:39:00.004-05:002011-10-24T10:09:56.687-05:00Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's VoiceYesterday I discovered (well - "discovered") a poem <br />From the 14th century<br />In Middle English<br />Satirizing Guidonian notation.<br /><br />It is my hero.<br /><br /><br />Let me pique your interest:<br /><br />Un-comly in cloystre. i coure ful of care<br />I loke as a lurdeyn. and listne til my lare,<br />The song of the cesolfa. dos me syken sare,<br />And sitte stotiand on a song. a moneth and mare.<br />I ga gowlende a-bowte. al so dos a <span style="font-style:italic;">goke</span>.<br /><br />[Uncomely in cloister I cower full of care,<br />I look like a lout, and listen to my lesson;<br />The song of the C Sol Fa causes me to sigh sore,<br />And I sit stuttering o'er a song a month and more.<br />I go staring about like a gawky.]<br /><br /><br />NO WAIT this post isn't over yet!<br />If you would like to read the rest of the poem (plus a translation) about our new friend Walter (who has trouble singing on sight), you should click on <a href="http://bit.ly/pjctWD">this link</a> - which will take you to a twenty-first century scan of a nineteenth century printing of the fourteenth century poem included in a publication called <span style="font-style:italic;">The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 27</span>. taDA! All of the Musica Practica students are pleased by this transhistorical urge to complain about music theory.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-78896528316218426062011-09-29T16:40:00.003-05:002011-09-29T16:43:23.450-05:00Playas / They Gonna PlayThis. Here. Do it. !! <br /><br /><a href="http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/fakeams-musicology-jokes-and-academias-online-future/">#FakeAMS: Musicology Jokes and Academia’s Online Future</a>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-58306188826765711322011-09-15T10:19:00.000-05:002011-09-15T10:19:00.288-05:00Brush Your Teeth / Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Ch-Ch-Ch-ChOf all the things he could possibly shill for, Frank Zappa chose the American Dental Association.<br /><br />PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCMENT 1981-82 -- but still relevant today, ladies and gents!<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WpQtl8yl__8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Mm, yes. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSy0Pp2kTbo&feature=related">Raffi agrees.</a><br /><br /><br />(via <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2011/09/open_culture_beat_no_9.html">openculture</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-38350556772987553332011-09-14T10:56:00.000-05:002011-09-14T10:56:00.476-05:00So Many RoadsYesterday I stumbled across a website called <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/TheMagicalVictrolaPartOne">The Magic Victrola</a>.<br />Obviously I clicked through.<br /><br />As it turns out, the site hosts an online book in eight parts by Sunnie Day. Aside from the fact that it's about a time-machine Victrola leading to a 1920s incarnation of George Clooney (what more do you really need), it's also blog-worthy thanks to the medium: because this is an online book, Day is able to insert picture slideshows of relevant images and embed youtube videos of the songs that she writes about directly into her prose. <br /><br />On some level, this is becoming de rigeur for major print books about music: Alex Ross' (non-fiction) <span style="font-style:italic;">The Rest is Noise</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Listen to This</span> have a <a href="http://www.therestisnoise.com/">companion website</a> featuring snippets of the music he describes; and Wesley Stace's novel <span style="font-style:italic;">Charles Jessold Considered as a Murderer</span> refers readers to the <a href="http://wesleystace.com/books/">author's website</a> - which leads to other informational sites including the <a href="http://charlesjessold.com/">Charles Jessold homepage</a>. Academics have also been getting in on the action: check out Marcel Cobussen's awesome <a href="http://www.cobussen.com/navbar/index.html">interactive dissertation</a>.<br /><br />But all these last examples still store the material in two separate locations: text v. sound, print v. web. Day's novella may not be a book for the ages (whatever that means), but she does such a wonderful job using the internet medium to its fullest potential.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-26289853131090310392011-09-13T13:40:00.003-05:002011-09-13T13:43:56.964-05:00Wild Geese That Fly With The Moon On Their WingsThings I like today: <a href="http://www.krenek.com/index.php?id=2&no_cache=1&L=1">Krenek Remixes</a><br /><br /><br />(via <a href="http://www.therestisnoise.com/2011/09/misc.html">therestisnoise</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-51461525856803179292011-09-10T22:13:00.006-05:002011-09-10T22:37:31.476-05:00Look At Me / I Gotta Case Of Body LanguageIf this year's AMS conference had been scheduled for one week earlier than it actually is, a critical mass of musicologists would be in San Francisco during the <a href="http://www.internationalbodymusicfestival.com/">4th Annual International Body Festival</a> (Nov 1 - 6, 2011).<br /><br />I dare you not to watch the whole video once you've started.<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BJp7SlE6R2s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-43225081956437093802011-08-19T10:20:00.003-05:002011-08-19T10:41:07.823-05:00It Ain't No Sin To Take Off Your Skin AndDance around in your bones!
<br />Overtone singing in an x-ray machine.
<br />(excerpt from INLAND (2002) by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud)
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<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20237275?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/20237275">Overtone singing with X-ray (extract of INLAND)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/momentumprod">momentum_prod</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
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<br />(via <a href="http://www.notcot.org/post/42491/">notcot</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-4197491174982139152011-08-14T06:47:00.001-05:002011-08-14T06:47:00.858-05:00They Called Him Crazy / When He Started Out1950s news footage: Mills College students play <a href="http://www.harrypartch.com/">Harry Partch</a>'s instruments. You'll like it!
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<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CfbcEa5sSIs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br />(via <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2011/08/harry_partchs_diy_musical_instruments.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OpenCulture+%28Open+Culture%29">openculture</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-35724119662916193102011-08-13T07:06:00.000-05:002011-08-13T07:06:00.732-05:00The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8h_1kTeRCSPG9a-S7ZWI8XxymdE6EPsTFsnFBXfcko0W0FmBFHaa_5RloO376BcvwBtsr6hWFeGk1QzARdDPwwyDnvGSlVU20APs8seil64am6GsEqz9LkbNB8fVB71aVBpQMcVu65dB/s1600/6a00d8341c630a53ef0153906755d4970b-400wi-178x300.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 119px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8h_1kTeRCSPG9a-S7ZWI8XxymdE6EPsTFsnFBXfcko0W0FmBFHaa_5RloO376BcvwBtsr6hWFeGk1QzARdDPwwyDnvGSlVU20APs8seil64am6GsEqz9LkbNB8fVB71aVBpQMcVu65dB/s200/6a00d8341c630a53ef0153906755d4970b-400wi-178x300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639739668999148978" /></a>
<br />That's pianist Yuja Wang performing in a dress that - gasp! - shows her legs!
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<br />It turns out people care about (lady)Musicians' Fashion Choices:
<br /><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/08/music-review-yuja-wang-lionel-bringuier-at-the-hollywood-bowl.html">Mark Swed at the L.A. Times cares.</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.artsjournal.com/lifesapitch/2011/08/does-your-mother-know-that-youre-out/">Amanda Ameer at Life's A Pitch cares.</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/classical-beat/post/on-the-lack-of-classical-style/2011/08/09/gIQAnkLq4I_blog.html#pagebreak">Anne Midgette at the Washington Post cares (that other people care).</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_18279653">Sue Gilmore at Mercury News cares.</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHO4Ucw9zL4&feature=related">And of course the Youtube commenters care.</a>
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<br />You know what I think? I think she plays the piano beautifully:
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<br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nHO4Ucw9zL4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br />(via <a href="http://www.therestisnoise.com/2011/08/misc.html">therestisnoise</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-25467398855243298612011-08-12T10:48:00.000-05:002011-08-12T10:48:00.928-05:00New Slang / When You Notice The StripesA little late to the game on this one, but Q2 and NPR released a crowd-sourced <a href="http://www.wqxr.org/articles/q2-music/2011/apr/17/100-composers-under-40/">100 Composers Under 40</a> list way back in April.
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<br />Generally I don't buy into Lists, but I do think it's interesting to see what "the people" have come up with as representative of today's musical culture (ahem ahem: a lot of music that might fit in the much-disputed indie-classical genre). I'm a musicologist and I actively search for music by young composers - and even so, I've only heard works by 37 of the finalists. New music: not dead yet!
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<br />How did you do?Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-20920019035513509812011-08-11T16:31:00.004-05:002011-08-11T17:38:43.657-05:00One Of These Mornings / You're Going To Rise Up Singing<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porgy_and_Bess">Porgy and Bess</a> is getting a fresh coat of paint à la Broadway: a new (happier) ending, extra dialogue, revamped music, modernized sets and costumes, the works!
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<br />Not to show my hand too soon, but based on the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/theater/porgy-and-bess-with-audra-mcdonald.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2">New York Times preview</a> I think this production sounds amazing:
<br />It seems as though the impetus for the makeover was a fleshing out of Bess' character - and, in fact, the musical is directed by Diane Paulus; Suzan-Lori Parks modernized the libretto; Deirdre L. Murray adapted the music; and Audra McDonald signed on for the title role. Despite the fact that this will be a commercial musical designed to appeal to a variety of theatergoers, the production team is in no way skimping on the issues written into the plot, including rape, drugs, poverty, and racism.
<br />In other words: a group of strong, mostly African-American women are re-examining what has always been a (beloved, but) problematic opera, they are introducing an entirely new audience to an old work, they are making it relevant to the 21st century, they are pushing at the boundaries of how we interact with "the canon," and in the process they are making new art.
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<br />But <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/stephen-sondheim-takes-issue-with-plan-for-revamped-porgy-and-bess/">Stephen Sondheim hates everything about it</a>, so.
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<br />I could get on my soap box and write about how adaptations do not debase the original - but it may be enough to say that I would hate to live in a world without gems like these:
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<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mzNEgcqWDG4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KW_L_oLo3-4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-22100588302317246642011-07-14T21:06:00.003-05:002011-07-14T21:12:36.056-05:00So Tell Me What To Do Now / When I Want You Back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPWHKOKbBLQRL7EV-4eg9UAw5y364Wdq6QHe4gFimO6HK0wY4wvsoVOZwyCb6mUZ-bfoAnZsa-Mre5jlJ3ACs0NGOa4byNC7HH7eoy18BfAiipB1SqgTlTIijW4YB617-YiVNw0ZODXCx/s1600/enhanced-buzz-25424-1310669469-20.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 149px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPWHKOKbBLQRL7EV-4eg9UAw5y364Wdq6QHe4gFimO6HK0wY4wvsoVOZwyCb6mUZ-bfoAnZsa-Mre5jlJ3ACs0NGOa4byNC7HH7eoy18BfAiipB1SqgTlTIijW4YB617-YiVNw0ZODXCx/s200/enhanced-buzz-25424-1310669469-20.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629395844824977394" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/reasons-why-boybands-were-better-in-the-90s">52 reasons boy bands were better in the 90s.</a><br /><br />They really were, weren't they?<br /><br />via <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/">buzzfeed</a>.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-46527141652047062232011-06-15T15:44:00.006-05:002011-06-15T16:40:29.603-05:00Waitin' On The World To ChangeSomething you never knew you always wanted to do: <br /><a href="http://www.indabamusic.com/studio_access/new-york-polyphony-chant-remix-opportunity">New York Polyphony's Gregorian Chant Remix Opportunity</a><br /><br />It's a contest (deadline June 20, 2011), and there are some pretty major prizes (including $500 and a release on Sony's Classical Music Online label Ariama). Not to mention the everlasting glory. <br /><br />The <span style="font-style:italic;">best</span> part about all this, though, is that there are already more than 600 entries - many of which you can hear on the contest's website <a href="http://www.indabamusic.com/opportunities/victimae-paschali-laudes-remix-opportunity">here</a>, <a href="http://www.indabamusic.com/opportunities/gaudeamus-in-omnes-domino-remix-opportunity">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.indabamusic.com/opportunities/beati-mundo-corde-remix-opportunity">here</a>. Some of these entries are clearly by professionals, and some are (clearly) not. Some are heavy on the synthesizers and drum kits, and some are simple a capella arrangements of the stem chant. In sum: there's a huge variety of work being submitted, and much of it is tagged with encouraging comments from other entrants. [Gregorian chant: bringing us together since Pippin the Short?] <br /><br />"We like to have something of an urban vibe to the way we’re bringing this really ancient music to modern audiences,” Geoffrey Williams, New York Polyphony’s countertenor, said in a WQXR interview. These remixes may not be conducive to strict performance practice, but I think the excitement this contest has generated - and the community it has (even temporarily) created - is well worth the lapse.<br /><br /><br />(via <a href="http://www.wqxr.org/articles/wqxr-features/2011/jun/15/cafe-concert-new-york-polyphony/">WQXR</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-55961343712591019532011-06-14T22:42:00.004-05:002011-06-14T22:55:56.275-05:00For The Record<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN0s9MyVnEXQ81Eaj_lOkHqf6e6CfSG92HbGnY9zKz-oc5PfwRS7OY6v51-JEcGQL9FLJa6GjvftISY6gl4Z_u3CRW0qANgaBLORfN6-zQiK6dG93jSRFMmb6kN6dTOOq3j4RxLpbkk31/s1600/vinylpeeps12gfhfh_thumb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN0s9MyVnEXQ81Eaj_lOkHqf6e6CfSG92HbGnY9zKz-oc5PfwRS7OY6v51-JEcGQL9FLJa6GjvftISY6gl4Z_u3CRW0qANgaBLORfN6-zQiK6dG93jSRFMmb6kN6dTOOq3j4RxLpbkk31/s200/vinylpeeps12gfhfh_thumb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618290093471065330" /></a><br />I adore this photo-essay by Dangerous Minds: <a href="http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/famous_people_hanging_out_with_their_vinyl/">Famous People Hanging Out With Their Vinyl</a><br /><br />Do you know what you get when you type "famous people hanging out with their cd collection" or "famous people hanging out with their victrola" into google? (Actually, you get that photo-essay.) Point being: there's something about a record. <br /><br />(via <a href="http://www.dangerousminds.net/">dangerousminds</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-38000045440649623362011-06-09T09:36:00.006-05:002011-06-15T16:41:37.138-05:00I'm Sittin' On Top Of The WorldThis is a today-only kind of blog post, friends, because Today Only <a href="http://www.google.com/">google</a> is celebrating what would have been Les Paul's 96th birthday with a guitar logo you can strum with your mouse. Even better: using the little black box, you can record thirty seconds of your very own Les-Paul-inspired guitar(computer) song.<br /><br />Also courtesy of google: <a href="http://www.google.com/#q=Les+Paul&ct=lespaul11-hp&oi=ddle&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=b7806ba2e565a474&biw=1247&bih=626">everything you ever wanted to know about Les Paul</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbEu2vm5zPie8tbgbVyB0u9-PxgvBwOARVRSrsK5sIGfEKlajX6WgkVCIGFPh9C0KobptxEvaexS1LYq0Bgk-6HpWrW_JoQR3cQHaYRncZThf7tGZknLI7QLU_lFwak1hyphenhyphenmu4i_6P8VnG/s1600/244866-guitar-legend-les-paul-dies.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbEu2vm5zPie8tbgbVyB0u9-PxgvBwOARVRSrsK5sIGfEKlajX6WgkVCIGFPh9C0KobptxEvaexS1LYq0Bgk-6HpWrW_JoQR3cQHaYRncZThf7tGZknLI7QLU_lFwak1hyphenhyphenmu4i_6P8VnG/s200/244866-guitar-legend-les-paul-dies.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616230520121628210" /></a><br />Oh, <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/guitar-legend-les-paul-dies-in-new-york-state/story-e6frf96f-1225761244874">there</a> he is. <br /><br />(Forever link - to prove <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jun/09/les-paul-guitar-96-google-doodle">it really happened</a>.)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-31344790891800323792011-05-22T12:27:00.006-05:002011-05-22T17:02:51.073-05:00Shocking BlueMusical Tesla coils, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeusaphone">Zeusaphone</a>, Thoremin - call it what you want, it's an instrument that digitally modifies lightning sparks to produce music. <span style="font-style:italic;">Lightning</span>. Unfortunately, it looks like the only currently-touring lightning <a href="http://www.teslaorchestra.com/booking.html">orchestra</a> is a corporate-event-for-hire kind of affair, and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_5xLrCKuMY">company</a> that used to rent out these instruments over the internet (?!) has disbanded. Good thing there's youtube:<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="272" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fs6tonfmkk4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Opf5jIukSBM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><br />Check out: <a href="http://www.teslaorchestra.com/">The Tesla Orchestra</a>; <a href="http://www.stevehv.4hv.org/">Steve Ward</a>; <a href="http://www.opensparkproject.com/">Open Spark Project</a>; <a href="http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/189-3154024-1064560?asin=B002XTPL3C&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B002XTPL3C&CPNG=&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B002XTPL3C&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001">build your own(?)</a>. <br />(via <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2011/05/22/136550144/lady-gaga-girl-talk-music-performed-by-lightning?ft=1&f=1039">all songs considered</a>)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-78275634939969522642011-05-07T18:06:00.005-05:002011-06-15T16:42:07.510-05:00Popular / You're Gonna Be PopularIf you've ever browsed the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b/ref=topnav_storetab_dmusic?ie=UTF8&node=163856011">Amazon mp3</a> music store, you've run into <a href="http://www.x5musicgroup.com/">X5 Music Group</a>. Definitely. (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Relaxing-Classics-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B003O3MTM2/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_4">99 Most Essential Relaxing Classics.</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Mendelssohn-Masterpieces-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B003O3RJ40/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_18">99 Most Essential Mendelssohn Masterpieces.</a> etc. etc. and so on and so forth. etc. ad infinitum.) <br /><br />My initial reaction was to write them off as one of those cheap labels that aggregates second-rate performances for the unknowing masses. MY BAD. I haven't looked into every album, but the 99 Most Essential Opera Classics (which unfortunately no longer seems to be available) was worth every penny of the $1.99 that I spent: Kiri Te Kanawa, Joan Sutherland, the London Phil and Placido Domingo - these are big names. <br /><br />A little research: <a href="http://www.x5musicgroup.com/?page_id=2">X5</a> boasts 1,116 albums in Amazon's digital store, more than half of which are classical. In three years, the Stockholm-based company has become the best selling classical label in the US.<br /><br />Alright! Someone is selling classical music in the US! Except: 99 Most Essential? Every. single. album. has a gimmick. A few favorites:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAioGAWarHw9KtrwkSJjLUgmr43G2H71-94VRdjnl7Z8FGLHzCiBGf0p_GmbxLMPLatvhW1tot_Vp-eMgO6FY0tyEGZfNRq48rE8AVQyALHOvP7kpOunkCiBKreU-nLPbloJmqXCfNHlo/s1600/51sBz1q5axL._SL500_AA280_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAioGAWarHw9KtrwkSJjLUgmr43G2H71-94VRdjnl7Z8FGLHzCiBGf0p_GmbxLMPLatvhW1tot_Vp-eMgO6FY0tyEGZfNRq48rE8AVQyALHOvP7kpOunkCiBKreU-nLPbloJmqXCfNHlo/s200/51sBz1q5axL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604122043809330658" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Music-As-Heard-Hip-Hop/dp/B004NA3V54/ref=sr_1_76?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1304810709&sr=1-76">Classical Music As Heard in Hip-Hop</a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmAzGMz8oRN_csMWirOiaiW6BbVPUTxH3XkF2UYkPe5NC6Rv7mlFEsCsR4wXZXGuFwFb04KaDhoNGTbMBabq-G5_BZfLbfC-JRnHqreF5oLP9UCePAacN2dDn9kbiNbZKQ1CGjB6xEx54/s1600/51dAnZvyORL._SL500_AA280_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmAzGMz8oRN_csMWirOiaiW6BbVPUTxH3XkF2UYkPe5NC6Rv7mlFEsCsR4wXZXGuFwFb04KaDhoNGTbMBabq-G5_BZfLbfC-JRnHqreF5oLP9UCePAacN2dDn9kbiNbZKQ1CGjB6xEx54/s200/51dAnZvyORL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604122037270450578" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Most-Essential-Classical-Pieces-Your/dp/B0041W6VXI/ref=pd_sim_dbs_dmusic_a_4">The 99 Most Essential Classical Pieces For Your Mind</a><br /><br /><br />AND OF COURSE:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VEqrJ9zROcEACtLFewYcIdVbpMJ5D4I4kwqrjf_KcGgWJKDvahANsEZI-K8wza69jd8lPQh-CgpKdS70XgNTTP6tyd0xEPpi23hvvOFq6T7iXz7D5g4v8vE1ISesrrt9rNgTveknIDxO/s1600/51XcME5j0FL._SL500_AA280_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VEqrJ9zROcEACtLFewYcIdVbpMJ5D4I4kwqrjf_KcGgWJKDvahANsEZI-K8wza69jd8lPQh-CgpKdS70XgNTTP6tyd0xEPpi23hvvOFq6T7iXz7D5g4v8vE1ISesrrt9rNgTveknIDxO/s200/51XcME5j0FL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604122052450254258" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WV2P9M/ref=s9_simh_bw_p340_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=0AGS2C9RS5H4DDHWQ9B2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1291489742&pf_rd_i=163856011">Classical Workout</a> - (you guys: I'm seriously considering it.)<br /><br />An album titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/50-Greatest-Hits-of-Opera/dp/B002CN9TN2/ref=sr_1_43?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1304812234&sr=1-43">50 Greatest Hits of Opera!</a> (exclamation point included) makes me a little queasy; on the other hand, the slick graphics and, yes, the themed gimmick seem to be working. If this is what it takes to get Americans to listen to classical music, I can be behind that 92%. <br /> <br /><br /><br />Bonus: they're starting a new series: <a href="http://www.riseofthemasters.com/">Rise of the Masters</a>. The chosen composers are marketed à la PiratesoftheCaribbean, and you can get an <a href="http://www.riseofthemasters.com/app/">iphone app</a> that "composerizes" your photo into "what you’d look like if you were a classical master composer." I am not even kidding.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417632814162412635.post-14943920864304620892011-04-20T19:30:00.004-05:002011-04-23T22:15:16.500-05:00I Love To Laugh / Ha Ha Ha Ha!<a href="http://theomniscientmussel.com/2011/04/operaplot-2011-winners/">#Operaplot2011! Winners!! Announced!!!</a><br /><br />(Runner-up Nixon Goes to China: you'd get my vote.) <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />(More about <a href="http://theomniscientmussel.com/2011/02/operaplot-2011-save-the-date/">#operaplot</a> from <a href="http://theomniscientmussel.com/">The Omniscient Mussel</a> so you can play next year.)Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597808216984118979noreply@blogger.com0