(a bassist’s point of view)
This is a quick academic writing about four important sites in the rise of classical and symphonic music popularity. It tells the rich history and societal significance of Mannheim, Esterhazy, London, and Paris, and some of the important composers and personalities that contributed to the world of music during the late 18th century. Enjoy the listening example from Johann Stamitz, and thanks for reading!
Read MoreAmerican music, with the addition of stringed instruments, has become one of the most vibrant, diverse, and culturally mixed groups of styles and genres. From harps, guitars, mandolins, charangos, and many more, the inclusion of stringed instruments has grown the already expansive list of wind and percussion to an impressive family. Read today about this, and listen to the amazing Choquehuillca family: experts in the harp, bandurria, and orquestín styles from the town of San Pablo in the Sicuani valley between Cusco and Lake Titicaca, Peru.
Read MoreThe music of South America encompasses a wide variety of instruments. The culture includes the historically significant form of record keeping called khipu, that uses strings as the worlds only known 3D form of writing. Somehow, these two concepts of writing and music never got together to birth a guitar. Stringed instruments are largely absent from America until the arrival of Europeans. Read about this incredible journey and enjoy the listening example of the charango!
Read MoreThe modern manufacture of instrument strings holds important keys to the sounds we listen to today. Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber is one of the most glorious representations of how this impactful sound has shaped the course of human musical expression. Take this journey through the history of string construction and use and enjoy the powerful performance of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Read MoreStrings are annoying, right? How do we choose the right ones? Why do they always break at the wrong time? Why do they have to be such a nuisance? Well, today we look at the history and importance of strings. Their partnership with technological evolution and influence on not only sound, but instrument construction is amazing. Join me as I discuss this incredible human invention and enjoy the listening example of the E-bow from R.E.M.
Read MoreSeeking identity and connection through heavy metal confronts us in ways that can be threatening, as much of the genre is about facing fears. Other aspects include virtuosity, expression, confidence, excitement, and survival. As the music has traveled the globe, various cultures have adapted to its stylings in nuanced ways, while North America and the UK continue to travel down the road of sub-genres and new styles. Controversy is no stranger to music, and society often looks to influences for cause and effect. Read today about Japan, Baby Metal, Industrial Metal, and finish it off with a tall cup o’ Tool. Thanks for reading!
Read MoreHeavy Metal is an important genre that allows social classes of all nationalities an outlet of expression to subvert the forces of globalism and capitalism that seems unreconciliatory. In addition, its accessibility has given an avenue for the worst kind of racists infiltration, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist sub-genre’s of hatecore. We have the ability to recognize these false narratives for what they are through the power of investigation and opposition. Please read today’s blog, if for no other reason, then to get some insight on how today’s nationalist and fascist groups infiltrate those susceptible to their messages through the avenue of cultural appropriation. Don’t worry, there’s a Metalocalypse salve at the end. Have no fear.
Read MoreHeavy Metal is a genre that is distinguished by its separation from territorial confines. Anywhere the reaches of exclusion from modernity exists, the cultural influence of heavy metal can take root. It is not tied to specific ideology, only that which expresses the frustration of class stratification and sinister clandestine forces of globalization. Basically, if you aren’t the 1%, there’s probably a headbanger’s ball somewhere with your name on it. Enjoy the listening example of the Iraqi group, Acrassicauda, and thanks for reading!
Read MoreHeavy metal helps us focus in on an incredible feature of modern music transmission. The collective memory that we globally experience from shared cultures through media is a phenomenon that has changed the way we communicate, celebrate, and socially interact. I personally enjoy heavy metal a great deal, and I’ve made some fun discoveries while researching this style. Enjoy the listening example from Meshuggah, and thanks for reading!
Read MoreFew original authors survive the record books of early music notation, and of them, Hildegard of Bingen wouldn’t be recognized for the full impact of her contributions until some 800 years after her death. Others are simply remembers as ‘anon’. These early songwriters set the stage for authorial voice, identity association, and the eventual star system that would accompany the advent of recorded sound. Come read about this final chapter in the beginiings of recorded music and enjoy the listening example of Guillaume IX d'Aquitaine : Farai un vers pos mi sonelh by the Ensemble Für Frühe Musik Augsburg.
Read MoreThe personalities and circumstances surrounding the invention modern Western notation are vital, but the logistics and technology are equally important in our journey. This reading reveals some of this basic ingredients to what music notation is and where it came from. Enjoy the listening example of enjoy the choral performances of Monks Of The Abbey Of Notre Dame, and thanks for reading!
Read MoreMany think of Gregorian Chant as the origin of written music. While this is certainly where music begins to take shape into its modern written form, its genesis comes from much deeper roots. Pope Gregory I, a remarkable figure in world history may carry this music’s namesake, but his attachments to it are a bit more removed. Read about his contributions and the continuing journey of the origins of music notation in todays reading, and enjoy the listening example of Gregorian Chant from the Nuns of St. Cecilia's Abbey.
Read MoreConverging civilizations and their complexities have brought about a wealth of technological developments. The cultural transmission of history has grown over the millennia to astounding detail. One of its great achievements is modern music notation. The origins of this practice lay in many facets of human progress, but one of its more significant roots can be found by studying Medieval Europe. Join me as we visit this topic in today’s blog, and enjoy the listening example of Ave Regina coelorum: Antiphona, Modus VI, from the album Lumières du Grégorien performed by Les moines du Monastère de Santo Domingo de Silos. Thanks for reading!
Read MoreIt is impossible to say why there is so much knowledge uncovered about Sumerian music, save one thing: the actual music. The reasons for this omission is up for debate, but some of the presumptions that seem likely are in today’s article. Read about them here, and enjoy the listening example from Dead Can Dance. Thanks for reading!
Read MoreWhile scholars have made attempts to reproduce the music of the Sumerians and surrounding cultures, all are but approximations, some with greater depth then others. Read today about the inferences from which these musicians perform their visions in this writing about our knowledge of this early civilized culture. Enjoy the listening example of today’s youth making their mark on an ancient people, and thanks for reading!
Read MoreOur pattern of reconnecting to our social activities through musical expression is a practice traced back as far as we can read it. This sections shows how our earliest records of music may not tell us exactly what to play, but they give us important clues on how and why we played it. Enjoy the listening example of our estimations of what Sumerian music sounded like from De Organographia, a group dedicated to ancient music, and thanks for reading!
Read MoreThe practice of writing language is as inextricably intertwined with the practice of music notation as is the ceremony and culture that music facilitates. The Sumerian culture has long been associated with our first understandings of early human documentation methods, centering on their technology of cuneiform. One of the many subjects that they first put into the record was their music. Join me this week as I explore this important part of human history and enjoy the listening example from Peter Pringle. Thanks for reading!
Read MoreThe subject of American music is a tale that has often been told through the public sphere from one side of its narrative. The music of bluegrass is a fine example of the opportunity that we have as Americans to tell this story in its entirety, and how much richer an experience this form of expression becomes when we do. From important iconic patriotic personalities, to the underrepresented and often forgotten cultural roots, bluegrass is a bold American music that has a compelling history to unearth. If the father of Bluegrass is Bill Monroe, then we surely deserve to know about its Godfather, Arnold Shultz. Enjoy the listening example today of DeFord Bailey’s “Evening Prayer Blues” performed by Bill Monroe, and thanks for reading!
Read MoreI had the opportunity to speak with banjoist Dan Mazer recently. We discussed the incredible history and contributions of the banjo to American music, and its vital role in developing the bluegrass genre. Go visit his site at http://banjerdan.net/ and enjoy the listening example from Noam Pikelny in his Reverb.com interview from 2017. Thanks for reading!
Read MoreThe year of bluegrass’s origins are somewhat debated, but its instrumentation, technique, and structure is what makes it an impressive style of American born music. Read today about some of the important players, their contributions, and the history of flatpicking in this incredible journey of traditional American song. Enjoy the listening example from the Rose Valley Thorns, and thanks for reading!
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