Music Education
Music was always part of Henri Matisse’s (1869-1954) life. He played the violin on a daily basis, reflecting the rigorous structure and precise technique which corresponded to his artistic methods. It also provided him with an escape and source of inspiration. Some of the early paintings of his room
Music Education
Cafés with a beautiful ambiance are an important part of my existence as a student. Not because it serves good coffee (partly) but because it has a visual appeal to it. A perfectly proportionate coffee cup in my hand gives me immense satisfaction. And I know there are many like
Music Education
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Contemporary young composers of classical music are frequently taken to task for placing marketability and profit orientation above artistic integrity and compositional skill. In reality, however, placing the emphasis on the profitability of a given composition is not really a 21st century phenomenon
Music Education
Composer John Pitts explains the creative process behind the Indian raag compositions for piano solo in his new book “How to Play Indian Sitar Raags on a Piano” So, please indulge me with this imaginary scenario: 1) A sitar player in India who also happens to love European classical music.
Music Education
This philharmonic orchestra comprises 31 DJs playing records and zero musical instruments. In honour of Japan’s annual “Record Day”, which celebrates the moment LPs were first released in 1948, audio brand Technics assembled a rather eccentric orchestra, made up entirely of DJs with turntables. The orchestra, which calls itself
Music Education
Singers have a better handle than most when it comes to mastering foreign languages. Rolled R’s, umlauts, they do it all. For singers whose mother tongue is English, there are a few common traps that come up when they’re asked to sing in any of the other common
Music Education
Chopin’s ideas have been used in pop music for decades! When classical music aficionados are surveyed on the most popular romantic composer, the name Frédéric Chopin invariably rises to the top. This is hardly surprising as Chopin’s music, ranging from wistful Waltzes and sensual Nocturnes to fiery Etudes
Music Education
Harlekin’s aria is one of the more thoughtful, organic uses of the “song within the song” device in opera. In Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, Harlekin is part of Zerbinetta’s comedy troupe; when he and his fellow players are thrown into a serious case of stage improv, he
Music Education
The music staff has been a fundamental component of music notation since its introduction, nearly 1000 years ago. Since that time, countless innovations in music notation have been incorporated into the staff, including the key signature, time signature, accidentals, ornamentation, and dynamics. It’s hard to imagine written music without
Music Education
Zane Dalal looks at the music, the drama and the pervasive social message of Richard Wagner’s epic music drama, Der Ring des Nibelungen Much has been written on the life and work of composer Richard Wagner, and even more on his famous tetralogy of operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen
Music Education
The relationship between a singer and a voice coach is something unique, often full of a huge amount of mutual respect for what the other brings to the table. It’s a dynamic that’s not quite the same as the one between a singer and voice teacher, largely because
Music Education
This is the story of a musical instrument that was birthed, died, and was reborn in the 230 or so years of its existence. The harmonium was conceived in the West, but today largely resides in the East, particularly in the Indian subcontinent; so much so that many mistakenly think
