Miracles: Franz Schubert and his String Quintet in C Major
April
27th,
2012
Franz Peter Schubert was born in the Habsburg capital of Vienna on January 31, 1797. He died there on November 19, 1828, having lived only 31 years, 9 months, and 19 days. In his all-too-brief life, Schubert created a body of music the size and quality of which leaves us shaking our heads in wonder. …
Five Ways to Introduce Concert Music to Children
April
12th,
2012
The standard repertoire of “Concert Music” is music written primarily by dead Euro-males between roughly 1650 and 1900, music typically heard in the rather formal environs of a concert hall. Yes, this music is often referred to as “classical music”, which is as useless a phrase as “real imitation margarine!” When we call something “classic”,…
Lady Gaga: Melding with Geldings and the Operatic Tradition
March
23rd,
2012
Lady Gaga, opera-like production values, and lots of tall, loose-limbed, castrated men. A description of her latest music video? No: it is a partial description of the artistic tradition from which she has grown. The singer/songwriter known as Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) is one in a long line of provocative, post-sixties performance artists…