Discovery Orchestra Chat 90 – Pain in Music
Beethoven, who let us into his inner emotional life through his music, was not afraid to express his own pain. Listening to his wordless, abstract expressions, we may find his…
music listener education
Beating the Winter Blahs and Blues
People speak of the ‘winter blues, grays, darkness. . .” the list goes on and on. And, depending on our personalities, our reaction to fewer hours of daylight, cold temperatures,…
Discovery Orchestra Chat 89 – Arrangements
Did you know it’s a common occurrence for musicians to arrange each others music? Find out why in this Discovery Orchestra Chat!
A Bit of a Rehash
NPR’s blog Deceptive Cadence recently featured a post entitled: “Was 2012 The Year That American Orchestras Hit The Wall?” I wrote the following comment on the site which re-states some…
Where Does It Come From?
Often I find myself in a state of awe with this question: “How on earth does someone create a piece of music that can – one or two hundred years…
Bah! Humbug!
Feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge? I certainly hope not! But if you are – I have an antidote. And, as you might guess, knowing me as you do. . .it’s listening…
I was delighted to hear George Marriner Maull’s “Inside Music” when he discussed how to listen to and enjoy Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the 4th movement. To have the words of the choral Ode to Joy translated and explained (word for word) was enlightening and inspiring as well. And to learn all the intricacies of the music itself was fascinating.