This. Here. Do it. !!
#FakeAMS: Musicology Jokes and Academia’s Online Future
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Brush Your Teeth / Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch
Of all the things he could possibly shill for, Frank Zappa chose the American Dental Association.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCMENT 1981-82 -- but still relevant today, ladies and gents!
Mm, yes. Raffi agrees.
(via openculture)
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCMENT 1981-82 -- but still relevant today, ladies and gents!
Mm, yes. Raffi agrees.
(via openculture)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
So Many Roads
Yesterday I stumbled across a website called The Magic Victrola.
Obviously I clicked through.
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.
On some level, this is becoming de rigeur for major print books about music: Alex Ross' (non-fiction) The Rest is Noise and Listen to This have a companion website featuring snippets of the music he describes; and Wesley Stace's novel Charles Jessold Considered as a Murderer refers readers to the author's website - which leads to other informational sites including the Charles Jessold homepage. Academics have also been getting in on the action: check out Marcel Cobussen's awesome interactive dissertation.
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.
Obviously I clicked through.
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.
On some level, this is becoming de rigeur for major print books about music: Alex Ross' (non-fiction) The Rest is Noise and Listen to This have a companion website featuring snippets of the music he describes; and Wesley Stace's novel Charles Jessold Considered as a Murderer refers readers to the author's website - which leads to other informational sites including the Charles Jessold homepage. Academics have also been getting in on the action: check out Marcel Cobussen's awesome interactive dissertation.
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.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Look At Me / I Gotta Case Of Body Language
If 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 4th Annual International Body Festival (Nov 1 - 6, 2011).
I dare you not to watch the whole video once you've started.
I dare you not to watch the whole video once you've started.
Friday, August 19, 2011
It Ain't No Sin To Take Off Your Skin And
Dance around in your bones!
Overtone singing in an x-ray machine.
(excerpt from INLAND (2002) by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud)
(via notcot)
Overtone singing in an x-ray machine.
(excerpt from INLAND (2002) by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud)
Overtone singing with X-ray (extract of INLAND) from momentum_prod on Vimeo.
(via notcot)
Sunday, August 14, 2011
They Called Him Crazy / When He Started Out
1950s news footage: Mills College students play Harry Partch's instruments. You'll like it!
(via openculture)
(via openculture)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes
That's pianist Yuja Wang performing in a dress that - gasp! - shows her legs!
It turns out people care about (lady)Musicians' Fashion Choices:
Mark Swed at the L.A. Times cares.
Amanda Ameer at Life's A Pitch cares.
Anne Midgette at the Washington Post cares (that other people care).
Sue Gilmore at Mercury News cares.
And of course the Youtube commenters care.
You know what I think? I think she plays the piano beautifully:
(via therestisnoise)
Friday, August 12, 2011
New Slang / When You Notice The Stripes
A little late to the game on this one, but Q2 and NPR released a crowd-sourced 100 Composers Under 40 list way back in April.
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!
How did you do?
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!
How did you do?
Thursday, August 11, 2011
One Of These Mornings / You're Going To Rise Up Singing
Porgy and Bess is getting a fresh coat of paint à la Broadway: a new (happier) ending, extra dialogue, revamped music, modernized sets and costumes, the works!
Not to show my hand too soon, but based on the New York Times preview I think this production sounds amazing:
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.
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.
But Stephen Sondheim hates everything about it, so.
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:
Not to show my hand too soon, but based on the New York Times preview I think this production sounds amazing:
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.
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.
But Stephen Sondheim hates everything about it, so.
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:
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Waitin' On The World To Change
Something you never knew you always wanted to do:
New York Polyphony's Gregorian Chant Remix Opportunity
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.
The best 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 here, here, and here. 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?]
"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.
(via WQXR)
New York Polyphony's Gregorian Chant Remix Opportunity
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.
The best 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 here, here, and here. 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?]
"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.
(via WQXR)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
For The Record
I adore this photo-essay by Dangerous Minds: Famous People Hanging Out With Their Vinyl
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.
(via dangerousminds)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World
This is a today-only kind of blog post, friends, because Today Only google 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.
Also courtesy of google: everything you ever wanted to know about Les Paul.
Oh, there he is.
(Forever link - to prove it really happened.)
Also courtesy of google: everything you ever wanted to know about Les Paul.
Oh, there he is.
(Forever link - to prove it really happened.)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Shocking Blue
Musical Tesla coils, Zeusaphone, Thoremin - call it what you want, it's an instrument that digitally modifies lightning sparks to produce music. Lightning. Unfortunately, it looks like the only currently-touring lightning orchestra is a corporate-event-for-hire kind of affair, and the company that used to rent out these instruments over the internet (?!) has disbanded. Good thing there's youtube:
Check out: The Tesla Orchestra; Steve Ward; Open Spark Project; build your own(?).
(via all songs considered)
Check out: The Tesla Orchestra; Steve Ward; Open Spark Project; build your own(?).
(via all songs considered)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Popular / You're Gonna Be Popular
If you've ever browsed the Amazon mp3 music store, you've run into X5 Music Group. Definitely. (99 Most Essential Relaxing Classics. 99 Most Essential Mendelssohn Masterpieces. etc. etc. and so on and so forth. etc. ad infinitum.)
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.
A little research: X5 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.
Alright! Someone is selling classical music in the US! Except: 99 Most Essential? Every. single. album. has a gimmick. A few favorites:
Classical Music As Heard in Hip-Hop
The 99 Most Essential Classical Pieces For Your Mind
AND OF COURSE:
Classical Workout - (you guys: I'm seriously considering it.)
An album titled 50 Greatest Hits of Opera! (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%.
Bonus: they're starting a new series: Rise of the Masters. The chosen composers are marketed à la PiratesoftheCaribbean, and you can get an iphone app that "composerizes" your photo into "what you’d look like if you were a classical master composer." I am not even kidding.
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.
A little research: X5 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.
Alright! Someone is selling classical music in the US! Except: 99 Most Essential? Every. single. album. has a gimmick. A few favorites:
Classical Music As Heard in Hip-Hop
The 99 Most Essential Classical Pieces For Your MindAND OF COURSE:
Classical Workout - (you guys: I'm seriously considering it.)An album titled 50 Greatest Hits of Opera! (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%.
Bonus: they're starting a new series: Rise of the Masters. The chosen composers are marketed à la PiratesoftheCaribbean, and you can get an iphone app that "composerizes" your photo into "what you’d look like if you were a classical master composer." I am not even kidding.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I Love To Laugh / Ha Ha Ha Ha!
#Operaplot2011! Winners!! Announced!!!
(Runner-up Nixon Goes to China: you'd get my vote.)
(More about #operaplot from The Omniscient Mussel so you can play next year.)
(Runner-up Nixon Goes to China: you'd get my vote.)
(More about #operaplot from The Omniscient Mussel so you can play next year.)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Teach Me How To Dougie
Yo Yo Ma, Lil' Buck, and Spike Jonze.
Cello, Jookin, and Film.
Teaching kids about creativity.
All in a day's work.
"We can build community like nothing else," Ma said in a radio interview. "All it takes is imagination, attention and empathy -- that we care."
(via colorlines)
Cello, Jookin, and Film.
Teaching kids about creativity.
All in a day's work.
"We can build community like nothing else," Ma said in a radio interview. "All it takes is imagination, attention and empathy -- that we care."
(via colorlines)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Won't You Play That Pretty Music?
In which a ball run xylophone plays Bach's Cantata 147.
Full disclosure: I'm fairly certain this is a commercial for a cell phone - but that doesn't make it any less clever/mesmerizing. (I think it also brings up some interesting questions about music and marketing. It's "high-class" Bach on a homemade instrument, it's a familiar melody in an unexpected setting: the juxtapositions are intriguing, yes? All I know is: if this is what all commercials were like, maybe I'd watch more tv.)
(You might also like Rows of Tones.)
(via metafilter)
Full disclosure: I'm fairly certain this is a commercial for a cell phone - but that doesn't make it any less clever/mesmerizing. (I think it also brings up some interesting questions about music and marketing. It's "high-class" Bach on a homemade instrument, it's a familiar melody in an unexpected setting: the juxtapositions are intriguing, yes? All I know is: if this is what all commercials were like, maybe I'd watch more tv.)
(You might also like Rows of Tones.)
(via metafilter)
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