Exiles Know Freedom

Posted by a friend, Alan Eason:

I love this emotional rendition of "The Stars and Stripes Forever," conducted by then-National-Symphony conductor Mstislav Rostropovich on his return to his homeland of Russia in 1990. He had been stripped of his citizenship under the Soviets for sheltering and defending Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who also took refuge in the United States. Rostropovich loved his homeland of Russia, and his return concert, held in the Bolshoi Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, drew half of the intelligentsia of Moscow and was televised on Russian TV nationwide. After a mournful rendition of (his mentor as a youth) Shostakovich's #5 symphony, which depicted Stalinism and its terrors, he brought the audience to its feet with "The Stars and Stripes Forever" as a finale.

Heard an Interview with George Gershwin

Go check out this article and hear "a rare, brief interview that George Gershwin had done on Rudy Vallee’s hyper-popular radio show in 1933."

Wow.

Just a little networking post: Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Musical Boomwhackers

Bach sounds amazing even with boomwhackers. Fascinating to watch, especially if you're a musician thinking how they thought this out.

"You really have to commit to an instrument to master it."

“Schools have really shifted their focus to testing, and music has really become more of an extracurricular activity. It’s almost treated like a sport. My class used to last almost an hour. Now it’s down to thirty minutes. By the time the kids get seated and settled, we’re almost out of time. It’s a shame, because music helps to teach focus and discipline. You really have to commit to an instrument to master it. There seems to be more of a ‘popcorn mentality’ among students today. As soon as something gets difficult, they’re onto something else...

Posted by Humans of New York on Thursday, April 23, 2015

- Humans of New York 

https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork/photos/a.102107073196735.4429.102099916530784/957028817704552/?type=1&fref=nf

Thought$

And now it makes sense...

Should You Be Practicing Right Now?

Composition Helpers

I enjoyed the tips from this site: http://learn2writesongs.hubpages.com/hub/Learn-How-To-Write-Songs

Here are the charts they posted.  Also see their instruction video on how to use the progression chart: 

Read Mozart (Not Just His Notes)

A biography to be reckoned with by a historian who rivals the best. I have enjoyed Johnson's work before, so this book will be on my reading list!

Quick review by Doug Wilson, one of my favorite cultural commentators:

"This was a quick and enjoyable read. Mozart was a phenomenal genius, and this short book -- short just like Mozart's life -- gives a marvelous sense of that genius. For those who don't know much about Mozart's life, and don't know whether or not he was a founding member of the Dave Clark Five, this is the book for you. If you know enough about Mozart to think that joke wasn't funny, this is also a book for you."

The Golden Ratio

 The piano keyboard is a repeating pattern of eight white keys interspersed with five black keys. That statement is dull unless you see its association with the Golden Ratio.  Eight and five and their sum, fifteen, are part of a number sequence related to the Golden Ratio, and this numerical patterning is found often in nature. Before you raise an eyebrow at this seemingly numerological statement, take some time to acquaint yourself with the subject.
While it has nothing to do with numerology and is merely an observed aspect of nature, you begin to realize why people would come up with this idea that approaches a superstitious character.

 

The actual Golden Ratio number (rounded) is 1.618.  The following are called "claims," but so many observations and some undeniable associations strongly suggests the truths of the increasingly popular "Intelligent Design" movement:

  Bees follow it in their reproduction: their male to female ratio is golden.  It is seen in the architecture of flowers, stems and leaves as well as skeletal structures.  The spirals of DNA molecules, cyclones, shells and galaxies follow it.  Polls show a face is more attractive if it reflects the golden ratio.  It was even observed in the shape of  woman's uterus at its most fertile. (!)

Famous artists use it.  Renaissance painters were obsessed with it.  And it isn't a recent discovery: the ancients used it, as seen by the architectural of the Pyramids and the Parthenon.

Read more HERE about The Golden Ratio in music.

The intersection of music and science are fields that I know almost nothing about but find absolutely fascinating.   When it comes to my musical work, I'm more a laborer than a philosopher.  I practice, practice, practice, and then teach how to practice. But here and there I can dabble in musical metaphysics and science, and write a little post to hopefully inspire greater appreciation for the wonderful gift of music.