VPR Classical Timeline: Recent Episodes
Vermont Public Radio
Join VPR Classical host James Stewart on a journey into the events, characters and concepts that shaped our Western musical tradition. We'll start at the very beginning and trace the steps of music through history. This music, and its history, is ours.
We’ve been exploring the life of Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a multi-talented violinist, composer and conductor who was famous in France in the 18th Century. In the last four episodes, as we’ve relayed all of this history, I’ve left something out on purpose, but it’s now time to address the elephant in the room. Anyone who has studied or listened to the music of Chevalier will know him by a particular nickname, “The Black Mozart” a title given after his death.
Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a world-renowned fencer, a composer, violinist and conductor in 18th century France. Even with all of his success, there was a limit to what Chevalier was allowed to achieve.
This is our third episode exploring the life of 18th Century French composer, violinist and conductor Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges. We’re answering the question, why was this incredibly talented individual, who was quite popular in his day, barely known to us today. In the last episode we spoke about Joseph’s heritage, being the son of a Senegalese enslaved individual and French aristocrat. In this episode we’ll dive into the early life of this multi-talented prodigy.
Just a quick content warning before we begin. This episode will make references to sexual assault and might be triggering for some listeners. Chevalier’s father, George, was born into a long line of colonists. The family owned extensive sugar and coffee plantations in Guadeloupe and beyond, meaning they were quite wealthy and had participated in slavery.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges was an 18th Century French composer, violinist and conductor of mixed race. Why was this talented individual, who was quite well known in his day, all but forgotten in ours?
Timeline from Vermont Public Classical presents the ten-part series about composer Julius Eastman as one complete podcast episode. Explore the life and legacy of this amazingly talented composer/performer who died penniless and homeless in 1990, but whose work is finally getting the attention it deserves today.
This is our final episode in our ten-part series on the life, music and legacy of composer Julius Eastman. Over the course of ten episodes, we’ve talked about art, race, sexuality, expression, and who gets to be in the classical canon. As we wrap up this discussion we remember Julius Eastman separate from his musical legacy, Eastman the person. And hear some stories told by the people who knew him.
This is part nine of our ten part series on composer Julius Eastman. The Classical canon is a collection of pieces that are the most often played and studied; sort of like the greatest hits of classical music. It’s a curated list of quote/unquote “important” pieces, composers and works. This curation started in the 19th century and the list heavily favors white, European men. In this episode we'll talk about righting the canon by making room for more diverse voices and composers.
This is part eight of our ten part series about Julius Eastman; a composer whose work has been experiencing a renaissance lately as a new generation is discovering his individual musical style.
This is the seventh of our ten part series about Julius Eastman; a composer whose work has been experiencing a renaissance lately as a new generation is discovering his individual musical style. In this episode we'll discuss the way that Eastman chose to title his works and push the boundaries of classical music.
We’re at part six of our ten-part series exploring the life, work and influence of composer Julius Eastman. We’ve talked a lot about Eastman’s past and personality, in this episode we’ll focus on his music.
We’re deep in our series exploring the life and legacy of composer Julius Eastman. We’ve already spoken with authors, composers and musicians who are bringing Eastman’s music and story to a new generation. In this episode, we have the chance to hear more of the story first-hand.
We’re at part four of our ten part series exploring the life and legacy of Julius Eastman, an openly gay, black composer that died nearly forgotten, penniless and homeless in 1990; nearly forgotten that is, until now.
We’re focusing on the life and influence of Julius Eastman, a composer who is just now getting his due attention in the classical world. For decades, Julius’ music was all but forgotten; that is until another composer, a friend of Eastman, got involved.
This is part two of our series on the life and works of Julius Eastman, a deeply neglected composer of contemporary music in the late 70s and early 80s. In fact, he was almost forgotten. I, myself, had barely heard of Eastman in all my musical studies and he certainly wasn’t on my radar, that is until an email appeared in my inbox.
On Timeline, we will be diving into the music, life and legacy of Julius. We’ll look at his development as a musician and an artist. We’ll talk about his reputation and his struggles with being an openly gay, black man in the late 70s and early 80s. We’ll discuss the triumph and tragedy and also discuss the place that Eastman’s music has, or should have, in the canon. Of course, that means talking about the very concept of the classical canon itself.
On September 27, 2017, the nation of Ghana gathered to celebrate the life and music of 96 year old composer Kwabena Nketia. On that day it was declared that, “…Professor Nketia’s life symbolizes the evolution of our nation in the 20th century…a bridge between our indigenous culture and modern culture, non-literate and literate traditions, old and young artists, Ghana and Africa...” The event was also held to raise funds to archive Nketia’s lifelong work of ethnomusicology. According to the University of Ghana, Nketia had collected, “thousands of archival files and field notes on Ghanaian culture, history, language and arts.”
Abdullah Ibraim, also known as Dollar Brand, was born Adolph Johannes Brand in Cape Town, South Africa in 1934. He started taking piano lessons at the age of seven and was performing professionally by the time he was 15. Brand was of mixed-race so under the South African apartheid system, he was considered “colored.”
Justinian Tamusuza is one of the premiere, contemporary African composers today. His music has been compared to American minimalist composers like Steve Reich and John Adams. However, what sets Tamusuza apart is his use of rhythm that calls to mind the pulse of traditional African music.
We continue our series on African composers by exploring the life, music and legacy of Cameroonian composer, Francis Bebey.
Last year, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s long-time music director, Jaime Laredo, stepped down after over 20 years with the orchestra. Now, the VSO has several candidates to fill that position. They’ll be coming to Vermont, meeting with the orchestra and the audience, as well as conducting concerts this coming season. The first, conductor, Akiko Fujimoto, will be conducting the orchestra’s October 30th concert that’s taking place at the Flynn Center in Burlington. I had a chance to chat with Akiko, via zoom.
We continue our series of episodes about African composers with an exploration of the life, music and legacy of Nigerian composer Olatunji Akin Euba.
Since the dawn of the Romantic era, composers have used their music as a means to express their individual nationalities and their hopes for their culture. Consider the nationalism evident in the music of Mikhail Glinka or the activism in the works of Jean Sibelius. Today, composers are still finding new ways to incorporate their ethnic identity and cultural heritage in the tradition of classical music; as evident in the works and influence of contemporary South African composer Neo Muyanga.
August of 2013, the city of Jerusalem hosted a series of tribute concerts dedicated to the music of Ethiopian violinist, pianist and composer, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou. It was the first time that her music had been performed in that city. However, her recordings had been around for decades. Her solo piano waltzes have a unique lilt and style, with an almost blues-like quality. Perhaps that’s why Guèbrou has been nickname “The Honky-Tonk Nun.”
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Western Africa. Over the centuries many of the Yoruba were displaced, first by the Atlantic slave trade and later in the 20th century by mass migration to the United States and the United Kingdom. The music of Nigerian composer Fela Sowande provided a voice for these African people entering a Western world. Sowande is an internationally recognized African composer and was called the father of Nigerian art music.
Innovation and transformation are impossible without experimentation. That’s something that 20th Century Columbian composer, Jacqueline Nova, truly understood. Nova pioneered electroacoustic music and smashed limitations, including form, sound, discipline and even gender.
Austria has the Viennese waltz; Kiev has the hopak; Spain the flamenco and Argentina the tango. This rhythmic dance came from Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the late 19th century. In the hands of 20th century composer Astor Piazzolla the tango evolved into an expressive, experimental musical form.
Antonio Lauro always thought of himself as a composer first, not a performer. However, late in life he and his guitar embarked on a successful solo concert tour around the world. Just before his death in 1986, Lauro was given the Premio Nacional de Musica, the highest artistic award in Venezuela.
Just as Bela Bartok gave a voice to the folk music of Hungary in the 20th century, Alberto Ginastera did the same for the music of Argentina. Many call Ginastera one of the most important South American composers of the past century.
Originally aired - February, 6 2017 - Aaron Copland, Jean Franciax, Elliot Carter, Philipp Glass and Quincy Jones; what do all of these musicians have in common? They were all students of Nadia Boulanger. Nadia was a composer, conductor and teacher. For seven decades, out of her family’s flat in Paris, she taught some of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
Sometimes you run across the name of a composer you’ve never heard of before and when you read about their life and their work, you start to wonder, why? Why have I never heard of this person? That was certainly my experience when I started researching the life and work of Brazilian composer Cacilda Borges Barbosa.
Originally Aired - Aug. 29, 2016 In the 19th century, composition was a man’s world. The stigma of being a female composer made it difficult for a woman’s work to be read or heard. One woman helped to break through this glass ceiling and pave the way for a generation of female composers, her name was Amy Beach.
Jaime Laredo is a world-renowned violinist and conductor. I had a chance to speak with him via Zoom recently, as we are celebrating his 80th birthday and over 70 years of public performance. Jaime’s also served as the music director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra since the year 2000. It was announced in 2019 that he would be stepping down from that position and I asked Jaime what his feelings were about this change.
Originally aired May 16, 2016
19th century Germany was not a hospitable environment for female composers. Nevertheless, Clara Weick-Schumann left an indelible mark with her compositions, her soulful musicianship, her inspired instruction and her influence on many major composers of her generation.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Camargo Guarnieri spent most of his career under the shadow of his name and of fellow Brazilian composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos. Like Villa-Lobos, Guarnieri brought the music of Brazil to the concert stage through symphonies, operas, dance music and song. After all, with a name like Mozart what else could you be but a composer?
Besides being a composer/conductor, Carlos Chavez was also a journalist, historian and educator, guiding the course of Mexican orchestral music in the 20th century.
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian guitarist, cellist, composer and conductor. He’s not just one of the most celebrated South-American composers of all time, but also one of the most prolific. Villa-Lobos composed over 2000 works, and his music is the soundtrack for a period of great upheaval and change for Brazil in the 20th century.
The Renaissance was a time of re-birth as science and the arts changed the face of culture. However, some old ideas persisted in the midst of this change; especially beliefs about the roles and intellectual capacity of the genders. Even though the Renaissance saw many female heads of state it was still held as common knowledge that women were inferior to men, physically, mentally and artistically. As a result we have very few examples of female composers during this period of music history. There is an exception though, the work of Maddalena Casulana.
Maria Grever was the first Mexican, woman composer to earn international attention. You’ve probably heard her melodies and lyrics sung and performed by so many popular musicians from the United States and Latin America. We know her tunes, but very few of us know her name.
Originally aired on June 1, 2015
Hildegard of Bingen was a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, abbess, polymath and a literal visionary of the 12th Century.
Manuel Ponce was the first internationally recognized Mexican classical composer. Ponce’s music bridged the gaps between categories like popular, classical, folk and orchestral. He was called the “creator of the modern Mexican song.”
Teresa Carreño spent the majority of her life on tour, traveling around the world as an operatic soprano and virtuoso pianist. She was called the “Valkyrie of the piano” and “a queen among pianists.”
Over the past couple of months we’ve been featuring composers of color and the last few episodes have focused on the life, music and legacy of African-American women composers. So many of these names and these pieces are just not as familiar to us as others. Why is that? Why does there seem to be less diversity and inclusion in the world of classical music, especially in composers of classical music?
I reached out to the creator of another podcast for her insights about inclusion and representation.
Undine Smith Moore was a composer, a performer, an educator and an outspoken advocate for civil rights. She’s been called the “Dean of Black Women Composers.”
Julia Perry was a uniquely talented and educated composer, pianist and conductor. Her music is a combination of many different influences from her training in the United States and Europe as well as her African-American heritage. Even though she passed away at the age of 55, Julia Perry left behind an impressive catalogue of works including three operas and 12 symphonies.
Bonds was a composer who wore her heart on her sleeve. She left behind a legacy of activism and artistry, paving the way for many African-American musicians to follow.
2009 in a broken-down, abandoned house, just outside St. Anne, Illinois, dozens of musical scores and papers by composer Florence Price were discovered. In this forgotten treasure trove there were two violin concerti and Price’s 4th Symphony, left unperformed and forgotten. It’s only been in the past decade that we’ve truly come to understand the genius and beauty of Florence Price’s music.
June 17th 1997, was “George Walker Day” in Washington DC as established by Mayor Marion Berry. It was a day to commemorate the life, music and legacy of one of the most accomplished American composers of late 20th Century, George Theophilus Walker.
William Grant Still Jr. was called the “Dean of Afro-American Composers.” His career was full of “firsts”; milestones that broke through the racial and social barriers that were so prevalent in the United States.
Much like mazurkas evoke Poland and waltzes remind us of Vienna, the “rag” will forever be tied to the United States. Composer Scott Joplin was called “The King of Ragtime.” Though his works were popular during his lifetime, Joplin did not have an easy life or kingly riches.
We’ve been telling the story of the Estonian "Singing Revolution," how a people used song to affect real, political and historical change.
We’ve been telling the story of the Estonian “Singing Revolution” and how non-violent, musical protest changed the course of a culture and a nation.
After World War II, the iron curtain of the Soviet Union fell on all the member states. One of the goals of Stalin’s regime was to bring uniformity across the vast territory that was now under Soviet control. Russification is a term used to describe the cultural assimilation that was taking place. Russian citizens would come by the thousands and settle in these other territories, to influence the labor force and local politics. Smaller countries, like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia saw, not just the end of their independence but the eventual eradication of their culture, their way of life.
Has music ever changed the world? Can culture hold a people together? This story explores those questions.
Originally aired Jan 25, 2016
The years 1813 to 1816 were a dry period for Beethoven. He was wrestling with his health and with his family. His brother, Casper, had passed away and left behind a son, Karl – Beethoven’s beloved nephew. Ludwig entered into a nasty custody battle with Karl’s mother and lost. Beethoven often wrote in his journal prayers that this time of suffering would come to an end.
Originally aired Jan. 18, 2016
At the dawning of the 19th Century Beethoven had not given up hope that his doctors would find a treatment to reverse his hearing loss. His condition was not only affecting his musical output but also his social life, which was very important to him.
This episode was originally aired on Jan, 11, 2016.
Ludwig van Beethoven has been called the most admired composer in all of music history. His legacy stands as a monument for the entire 19th Century and beyond.
We’ve been tracing the Palchikoffs and Sergei’s violin through the 20th Century; starting in Russia during the civil war after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, to the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and finally to California, where Sergei retired and passed away in 1969 leaving the violin to his daughter Kaleria.
We’ve been telling the story of Sergei Palchikoff, his family and his beloved violin that survived the bombing of Hiroshima 75 years ago. I’ve spent the better part of a year piecing this tale together from newspaper articles, old recordings and online resources. After the first episode aired on VPR Classical something remarkable happened. I got a phone call from Carmel, California; it was Anthony Drago, Sergei’s grandson.
On Timeline, we’ve been telling the story of the Palchikoff family, their experiences fleeing Russia, settling in Japan and surviving the bomb. It’s also the story of Kaleria’s father, Sergei and his beloved violin which today, 75 years later, is being used to play songs of peace.
August 6, 1945, was a clear, blue Monday morning in the city of Hiroshima. At 7:09 air raid sirens shattered the morning air as allied weather planes flew over, driving a city of around 345,000 people indoors and into shelters. About 15 minutes later, the planes left, the skies emptied and the all-clear sounded; Hiroshima woke back up and started their Monday over again.
Over the past few episodes we’ve been telling the stories of hibaku-pianos and violins, musical instruments that survived the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago. In our last episode we were telling the tale of Sergei Palchikoff and his violin.
We’re listening to violinist, Soichi Sakuma performing at a school in 2017 on a hibaku-violin, an instrument that survived the atomic blast of Hiroshima in 1945. On Timeline we’ve been telling the stories of instruments just like this, relics of a time of great suffering and how they have been rescued, restored and are now being used to play songs of peace. This violin that we are hearing right now, has a history of violence and conflict spanning well over a hundred years. The story of this instrument is really the story of its original owner, Sergei Palchikoff and his family.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the past few episodes we’ve been looking at musical instruments that have been rescued from the ashes and rumble of those explosions. They’ve been reclaimed and are now being used to promote peace and to bring understanding of the real human cost of war.
World War II was the bloodiest conflict in recorded history. It’s estimated that somewhere between, 70-85 million people died, about 3% of the global population at the time. That number is too big to comprehend. I don’t think anyone can truly grasp or understand that level of loss and suffering. So today we’ll talk about just one young woman and her piano.
We’ve been discussing the ways that music has changed the world, exploring how art and music has affected us as a species and as a society. In this episode, we’ll discover one piano tuner’s passion to change hearts and minds through restored instruments.
We’ve been exploring all the ways that music has changed the world and us. In this episode we’ll discover that music might belong to more than just humanity. So many creatures on our shared planet also have a voice.
“In the beginning was the voice. Voice is sounding breath, the audible sign of life.” Those beautiful words were written by Otto Jespersen, an early 20th century Danish linguist, in the book Language, Its Nature, Development and Origin. Jespersen was on to something with that statement, voice as “the audible sign of life.” It reminds me of another popular quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Music is the universal language of mankind.”
You’re at a wedding reception, this song starts to play and suddenly the dance floor is full of people moving together in rhythm. The crowd intuits the pulse of the music, corporately agrees on where the beat is and starts to move together. That’s how group dance works. This ability is something we share as humans and with other members of the animal kingdom. But do we ever think about what it takes to make this happen? How do we dance together and why?
Which came first, language or music? It’s not just a “chicken or the egg” type of question. Many linguists and theorists have debated this subject. For a long time the accepted norm stated that music appears “to be derived from language,” meaning that music is a subset of verbal communication. But modern research is painting a different picture. There’s an earlier episode of Timeline called “Baby Talk” that dives into that research regarding the development of human communication.
Do you remember the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”? The director starts a movie about space by first showing us early humanity. We are introduced to two warring factions of hairy proto-humans, yelling and grunting at one another over some unknown conflict. That night one of the tribes wakes up at sunrise to a strange, black, rectangular object. In the shadow of this monolith, one of the members of the tribe picks up a bone and examines it. After a moment, it begins to beat the ground with this first “tool.”
Over the years we’ve talked about a lot different subjects and explored the development of music throughout history. We’ve had deep discussions about where music comes from and what music is. We’ve looked at the ways music touches our lives and influences our health and behavior. We’ve explored the ancient past and modern practice. However, over the past few months I’ve been asking a question, “so what?” What does all of this mean? Maybe a better question is, for what? What is this exploration for?
originally aired December 10, 2018
Art is everywhere and always has been. It lines the walls of museums, buildings and caves. It fills our halls and ears with sound and music. It captures the eye with beautiful movement and imagery. Art doesn’t just express our passions and history; it defines, influences and shapes culture and civilization.
On Timeline we’ve asked a lot of questions; what is music? How was music created? Why is music written? Here’s another interesting question I’d love for us to ponder, where is music?
Another favorite episode of Timeline...
Musical labels are useful. The title of a genre or style comes in handy in the record store, on the radio or for streaming services, because when you click on or tune into a station it’s helpful to know what programming to expect. But these labels can also be problematic and divisive. Today there are many labels that separate the musical landscape but none are more controversial then the terms, popular music and classical music.
Originally aired April 10, 2017...
In the 20th century no medium affected culture more than film. The music written to accompany the images, story and dialogue has become a huge part of the movie-going experience. In many cases it’s impossible to separate the musical theme from the film itself; the two become one in our minds.
Join VPR Classical host James Stewart as we listen to a special Timeline podcast presentation “Music and the Mind.” We’ll explore the connections between the how the mind works and how we process music.
Here is another favorite episode of Timeline... Today, music is everywhere. Invisible signals are flying through the air carrying every possible genre or style that a person could ever want. We can access them from our homes, cars and phones enjoying content from around the world. In the 19th century this type of technology was just a dream in the minds of scientists and inventors, but the 20th century saw an explosion of communication and the rise of a device we call the radio.
Here is another favorite episode of Timeline from the vault... It was her first piano lesson with me, but she wasn’t new to the instrument. She had learned from YouTube tutorials and her own explorations to play some of her favorite songs. After a good first lesson her mother came over and said, “She is very talented”. I smiled and agreed. Then her mother said, “It’s surprising to me because I’m not musical at all.”
Here is another favorite episode of Timeline... Picture yourself at the beach watching the waves rise and break over the sand. You can see the water gather and rise as each waves comes in. Once a wave breaks the water level drops again. You watch the peaks and valleys rolls onto the beach. These waves transfer huge amounts of energy from one place to another traveling through the water and displacing it. We call this a mechanical wave because it needs to travel through a medium, in this case water. The number of waves that crash during a specific period of time is called the frequency.
Here's another favorite episode of Timeline chosen by listeners and staff at VPR. German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote that “If music confers no survival advantage, where does it come from and why does it work?” Why do humans sing? Why do we make music at all?
We are continuing to look at some of our favorite episodes over the years. This one starts at the very beginning. Where does music come from? I believe that music is at the heart of everything. It is the language of a vibrating, living cosmos. And this isn’t exaggeration; this is the basis of a current theory about what truly makes up the universe.
We are going to spend the rest of 2019 looking back at some of our favorite episodes as chosen by listeners and staff. This episode, from 2017, explores how music has always been written with a specific venue in mind. We look at the past and make some speculations about the present and the future.
We’ve spent over a dozen episodes exploring ancient musicians. We’ve covered more than four millennia of time, traveling from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to medieval Europe and Japan. In the fourth chapter of the book The Mystery of Music, Vermont author, Lewis Holmes, makes an intriguing observation; the role of music and musicians in society throughout known history hasn’t changed… period.
The epic work "The Tale of the Heike" cannot be assigned to a single author. It is the result of an oral tradition that grew over centuries, from one generation to the next by Japanese medieval, lute-playing bards called the biwa hoshi. However, the most widely read version of the Heike was compiled by a 14th century blind monk named Akashi no Kakuichi.
“Marcabru, the son of Lady Bruna, was begotten under such a moon that he knows how love wreaks havoc, -Listen!- for he never loved any woman, nor was he loved by another.”
These are the words of the 12th century troubadour, Marcabru. The troubadours were poets and composers of secular songs, a tradition that began with William IX, the Duke of Aquitaine. Unlike William, Marcabru was not royalty. He held no title and most likely earned a living through his art. There are 44 surviving poems attributed to Marcabru and four of them have notated melodies.
In Hinduism, Krishna, the god of compassion, tenderness and love, is the eighth avatar or incarnation of Vishnu. In art, Krishna is usually depicted with a flute in his hand; his music calling devotees to him. In many of these paintings and sculptures, Krishna stands side by side with Radha, the supreme goddess. These two are linked by divine love and together represent feminine and masculine aspects of God. This picture, this tale of supreme love, comes to us from the work of a 12th century poet and composer, Jayadeva and his epic work Gita Govinda.
As we’ve explored the book The Mystery of Music, by Vermont author Lewis Holmes, we’ve traveled to ancient Sumeria, two eras of Egypt, Israel, Greece and China. Today, we’ll visit medieval Japan and learn about the life of one remarkable composer/singer, named Otomae.
There is so much power in language, names and the meanings of words. Take, for instance, the Chinese symbols used for the word courtesan or prostitute, chang and ji. These symbols are closely related to those for sing and talent. This is no coincidence. Chinese courtesans were known for their musical ability along with the carnal services they provided. In Lewis Holmes’ book The Mystery of Music we learn about one such courtesan in the city Chang’an during the Tang dynasty. Her name was Fu Niang; which is sadly ironic because though the name means “lucky damsel” Fu Niang’s life was anything but lucky.
Let's continue our exploration through Lewis Holmes book The Mystery of Music and travel to ancient China around 100 BCE. Listen to the words of this beautiful ode written so long ago...
During the time of Alexander the Great, the city of Athens gave rise to something new in Greek culture. Up to this point, music was seen as subordinate to words; melody and rhythm worked in service to text or “logos.” Around 5th century BCE “The New Music” movement challenged these ideas introducing songs without words, new musical tools like modulation, intense competitions and a new instrument, the cithara. The cithara was a concert lyre with as many as eleven strings. The greatest virtuoso on this new instrument was the famed Stratonicus of Athens; at least that’s how he tells the story.
The scholar Michael Schmidt, in the book The First Poets, calls Pindar “the most careful architect that poetry has ever had.” Pindar was active around fifth century BCE and was the master of victory odes, or epinikia, which honored athletes and Olympic crown winners. He most likely wrote these songs on the lyre or the aulos, ancient pipes with double-reeds like oboes. 45 of these victory songs survive today; the first written for a winner of the 400-yard dash and last for a wrestling champion. It seems that Pindar was one of the first artists to see a way of cashing-in on the “cult of sportsmanship” that sprung up in Greek society.
In the biblical text of I Samuel chapter 16 we find the first king of Israel, Saul, suffering from a troubled mind. Saul’s advisors suggested that he seek a musician, a skillful player of the lyre, which might ease his pain. The lyre was an important symbol of divine connection, a means of communicating with God. The advisors recommended a shepherd boy named David, whose musical talents were well-known. Saul called on the young musician and David’s lyre calmed the “evil spirits” that plagued the king’s mind.
In the very next chapter, David slays the giant Goliath with nothing but a sling and a rock. These two stories are given equal weight in the narrative. David is described as the warrior artist, the military musician. His musical influence is evident in three major world religions. Judaism and Christianity both revere David’s psalms as the model for religious musical expression and Islam honors David for having “the most beautiful voice that God created.”
This next excerpt from Lewis Holmes’ book “The Mystery of Music” reads more like a pulp-fiction mystery novel however, the story is preserved on 3000 year old papyri. It has torture, conspiracy, bribery and, yes, a bit of music.
The galas were active starting around 2600 BCE, associated with funeral rites. Later writings state that they performed hymns of mourning and praise meant to keep the gods happy and hold off adversity. The term is “heart pacification.” If there was a natural disaster, drought or plague, or a military defeat then the gods must be angry and must be appeased. If everything is calm and peaceful then it was necessary to keep the gods happy and pacified.
At the mouth of the Euphrates River, in modern, southern Iraq, you’ll find the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. And when I say ancient, I mean very ancient. There’s evidence to suggest that this city was occupied as early as 6500 BCE over 8000 years ago. Ur was an important center of civil and cultural life for the Sumerians, the inventors of the first written language. In this ancient tongue we find the writings of the first author and composer of record in the history of the world, the Akkadian princess Enheduanna.
Welcome to our first episode looking at the lives of ancient musicians as detailed in Lewis Holmes’ new book “The Mystery of Music.” The book gives brief biographical sketches of 30 musicians and composers from many different cultures and we’ll look at a few of them together. Let’s begin with one of the earliest musicians we know by name, a flutist to Pharaoh in the Old Kingdom of Egypt over 4,500 years ago, Ipi.
We’re going to spend some time in the coming episodes exploring musicians from the ancient past; looking at composers and music makers from civilizations long gone. We’ll learn new names and discover how times have changed and how somethings about music, economy and society never change.
For the past few episodes we’ve been exploring different aspects of music therapy. We’ve talked about how music is being used to treat those with chronic pain, dementia, memory loss and ADHD. This episode, we thought it would be nice to talk to a practitioner of the growing field…
The ancient King of Israel, Saul, was said to have suffered from intense insomnia and a troubled mind. He employed a young musician named David, to play the lyre and help him find peace, rest and sleep. The story of David and Saul demonstrates that we’ve always understood the healing qualities of music; it’s ability to alleviate pain and ease the mind. However, it’s only been in the past few decades that we’ve truly begun to study music’s true palliative power.
Simply type “study music” into a google search and you’ll get about three billion results; from videos and tracks of original pieces that use alpha waves to help you focus to long playlists of classical music for study and concentration. There are entire genres and branches of the music industry devoted to providing music as a backdrop to other activities. Do they work? Yes, yes they do. As Rebecca West of the Music Institute of Chicago stated, “Rhythm, melody and tempo are tools used to target non-musical behaviors, to catapult change throughout the body. A change in rhythm can trigger a reaction in the brain.”
German philosopher Immanuel Kant called music “The Quickening Art.” Oliver Sacks uses this quote often when explaining how music can jump-start the human brain. Music employs so many different parts of the mind at once. It can trigger responses that may have seemed dormant or even lost forever. Sometimes, the effect of music on the mind can even appear miraculous. I’ve seen it, firsthand.
For the past few months we’ve been exploring the way that music affects us physically, emotionally, socially and neurologically. Along the way we’ve hinted at how these concepts and studies have been translated into therapies designed to address particular needs of patients. Music therapy has become a well-established health profession dedicated to the use of musical invention to address the wellness of individuals.
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!
Aristotle wrote, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
We all know that listening to music is enjoyable, pleasurable, emotional… in short, it feels good. Why though? Why do we react to music this way?
The act of making music, actively participating in the creation of organized sound, has beneficial side effects, emotionally, socially and physically.
Our ability to hear patterns, recognize words and focus our auditory perception is thanks, in large part, to a very specific region of the brain, the superior temporal gyrus. It’s located just behind and above each ear. It’s the site of our auditory association cortex, in other words it’s the place that helps us understand language, speech and music.
Synesthesia means “sensing together” and it describes the phenomenon of one our senses triggering another; such as sound and color. This isn’t something farfetched; we come across this idea every single day. The English language is filled with synesthetic idioms. Loud colors, frozen silence, bitter cold, sharp cheese, feeling blue and seeing red are just a few examples. We understand these figures of speech instantaneously without realizing that on the surface, they’re rather odd mixtures of our five senses.
In our last episode we talked about beat induction and rhythmic entrainment, this is what causes us to pick up the beat around us and tap our feet, even if we aren’t consciously doing it. I mentioned at the very end that there are cutting edge music therapy techniques that use entrainment as a means to treat neuro-biological disorders. The idea is to use outside auditory stimulus, drones, drumming and the like, to change the mental state of the listener.
We’ve all been there, driving down the street listening to music while moving our fingers to the rhythm, sitting in a concert hall tapping our toes to the music, working out in the gym making our reps or steps match the background beat around us. I’ve caught myself falling into step with random music coming out of a shop or coffee house just by simply walking past. We call this rhythmic entrainment, the tendency to sync up with the beat around us.
Chopin’s birthday is celebrated on the 1st of March and J.S. Bach’s on either the 21st or the 31st, depending on which calendar you use. That’s a long story for another episode. We’ve spent this entire month exploring the music and lives of these two composers. All of this has come together around a concert that VPR Classical hosted last month called “The Alchemy of Genius.”
We are continuing to celebrate the life and music of J.S. Bach and Chopin, listening to excerpts from a recent concert I hosted with pianist Paul Orgel in VPR’s Stetson Studio One while also featuring highlights from an interview I had with pianist and Chopin scholar Marjan Kiepura. On our website, VPR.org/classical, you can listen to all of Paul Orgel’s performances from “The Alchemy of Genius” pairing Nocturnes by Chopin with excerpts from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book II.
We’re spending the next few episodes celebrating the life and music of J.S. Bach and Chopin. In this episode we’ll look at Chopin specifically and we’ll also have some help… Marjan: My name is Marjan Kiepura. I’m a pianist. James: That’s a bit of an understatement. Marjan is a celebrated virtuoso and a noted Chopin scholar…
We celebrate Chopin’s birthday on the first day of March and J.S. Bach’s on the last. So, on Timeline we’ll be spending this month exploring the life and music of these two influential composers. In February, I had the pleasure of hosting a concert at Vermont Public Radio’s Stetson Studio One with pianist Paul Orgel. Paul was presenting an evening of musical pairings, putting together selections from J.S Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier Book II and Chopin’s Nocturnes. I was honored to be a part of the evening, giving some insights into the composers and their music. Here are some highlights I wanted to share with you.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart loved birds. His letters to family and friends mention several pet canaries he had during the course of his life, but the most famous bird Mozart ever owned was his beloved starling. The story goes that Mozart frequented a pet store in Vienna and became enamored with a particular European starling. These birds have an uncanny ability to mimic vocal sounds and presumably Mozart taught the bird to recite the opening melody of the third movement of his Piano Concerto no. 17 in G major. Mozart purchased the bird on May 27, 1784. We know this because he marked it in an expense book, along with a transcription of the bird’s version of Mozart’s melody – which had a couple of mistakes. The mistakes didn’t matter to Mozart. In the book, after the transcription, Mozart wrote the words, “That was beautiful!”
Listening to music is an emotional experience, unique to each individual. I think we’ve all had a moment when a song, a piece, a singer, a band, an orchestra has touched our hearts, moved us in some way. We also realize that it’s not the same for everyone; different music speaks to different people. We can try to describe the way the music makes us feel but I wonder if it’s even possible to really know how music effects someone else.
In the past couple of episodes we’ve looked at quite a few audio experiments (or illusions, if you will), exploring the limitations and wonderful abilities of our ears and mind. I’ve been joined by some friends from VPR, Brendan Kinney, Leslie Blount and Joe Tymecki. They volunteered to take part in these experiments and share their experiences with us.
Our ears and minds are amazing. Not only can they hear and experience the world around us, they are also filling in the gaps in our perception. We don’t even realize all the ways that our hearing is constructing the world around us, helping keep us safe and understand our surroundings.
We are wired to respond to sound, in a thousandth of a second. With that kind of visceral, automatic response, we sometimes get it wrong. I’ve been looking at the research of perceptual and cognitive psychologist Diana Deutsch. She has spent her career exploring and assembling audio illusions and curiosities. We’ll look at a few of them together and ask “can you trust your ears?” I posed that question to a few of my colleagues at VPR. They volunteered to experience a few audio experiments with me.
Have you ever had a song that you just couldn’t get out of your head? You’re not alone. 98% of people have reportedly experienced this phenomenon. Scientists call it Involuntary Musical Imagery but the more catchy title is "earworm."
Music surrounds us all the time. It’s everywhere. Whether you’re at a restaurant, the grocery store, doctor’s office, hotel lobby or even some manufacturing facilities there always seems to be background music playing. Why? Why is it there? Where did this practice come from?
Thanks to the 1940 film Fantasia, this music will always be tied to the image of Mickey Mouse in that droopy wizard’s cap. However, the story of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice doesn’t come from Disney. Paul Dukas’ music, written over 40 years before, tells the story beat for beat of a young apprentice using magic to get out his chores. But it wasn’t even Dukas’ story to begin with; the music is based on a poem by Goethe written in 1797.
Art is everywhere and always has been. It lines the walls of museums, buildings and caves. It fills our halls and ears with sound and music. It captures the eye with beautiful movement and imagery. Art doesn’t just express our passions and history; it defines, influences and shapes culture and civilization.
When my kids were infants I remember being told to be sure and play music for them during the day, at naptime and while they were asleep. The music had to be Mozart. Mozart was the key to making them smarter. Maybe you’ve heard of this before, the so-called “Mozart Effect.”
In our final episode of "Timeline: Elements," host James Stewart explores the history and cultural significance of the element Air.
Our third episode of "Timeline: Elements" focuses on our home, the ground beneath our feet: Earth.
In this series "Timeline: Elements," host James Stewart takes us on a journey into history, music and expression exploring the four classic elements of antiquity: fire, water, earth and air. We begin with Fire.
Deeper Issues, Today: When I was in middle school my class put together a time capsule and I remember caring so much that music be included that I put together a mixed tape, with popular songs recorded haphazardly off the radio.
Deeper Issues, Today: On Timeline we’ve asked a lot of questions; what is music? How was music created? Why is music written? Here’s another interesting question I’d love for us to ponder, where is music?
Deeper Issues, Today: It was her first piano lesson with me, but she wasn’t new to the instrument. She had learned from YouTube tutorials and her own explorations to play some of her favorite songs. After a good first lesson her mother came over and said, “She is very talented”. I smiled and agreed. Then her mother said, “It’s surprising to me because I’m not musical at all.”
Deeper Issues, Today: Picture yourself at the beach watching the waves rise and break over the sand. You can see the water gather and rise as each waves comes in. Once a wave breaks the water level drops again. You watch the peaks and valleys rolls onto the beach. These waves transfer huge amounts of energy from one place to another traveling through the water and displacing it. We call this a mechanical wave because it needs to travel through a medium, in this case water. The number of waves that crash during a specific period of time is called the frequency.
Ancient Music, 500 BCE: The desire to preserve music for future generations led to the development of Western notation; the lines and staves that we associate with written music today. However, there are many other forms of musical notation that were developed over the centuries by cultures around the globe.
Ancient Music, 40,000 BCE: I asked a couple of my colleges at Vermont Public Radio to watch a video of Bobby leading the crowd in a musical, communal social experiment and give us their reactions.
Ancient Music, 40,000 BCE: Music lies close to the foundation of our common humanity. Let me explain what I mean.
Ancient Music, 100,000 BCE: We start with a recording I made almost 13 years ago of my oldest son, Jeremiah. He’s a teenager now, runs track, plays cello and already sings lower than his dad. Like most parents, I remember spending hours holding Jeremiah as an infant; marveling at his little hands and feet and watching him begin to take in the world around him. I laughed as he discovered his own fingers, smiled as he began to recognize faces and listened intently as he began to make and mimic sound. I listened to his coos and cries, his moans and gurgles, waiting to hear his first words. There was a sense of pride that I felt when he said, “Dada” in the tiny, thin baby voice.
Ancient Music, 14 Billion BCE: Let’s start from the beginning… Where does music come from? I believe that music is at the heart of everything. It is the language of a vibrating, living cosmos. And this isn’t exaggeration; this is the basis of a current theory about what truly makes up the universe.
20th Century, Today: Music has always been created with a specific venue in mind. The composer may not know who will be in the audience or how it will be received but they know it has to be played on an instrument or sound system in a place. Throughout all of history, whether it was a church, a ballroom, a dance hall, an opera house or a dive bar, music was written to fill that location.
20th Century, 1910s-Today: In the 20th century no medium affected culture more than film. The music written to accompany the images, story and dialogue has become a huge part of the movie-going experience. In many cases it’s impossible to separate the musical theme from the film itself; the two become one in our minds.
20th Century, 1959-Today: The music of the early 20th century was marked by increasing complexity and abstraction. Serialism and the chance practices of John Cage and his followers created an aesthetic that stood opposed to the Romanticism of the century before. In the '60s and '70s a counter-reaction began to emerge as a new group of young composers sought to free themselves from the strict rules of atonalism and serialism and embrace the simplicity of minimalism.
20th Century, 1908-2012: Every morning, for more than 75 years, American composer Elliott Carter would awaken and go to his studio to write music. Carter and his wife, Helen Frost-Jones, lived in the same apartment in Greenwich Village in New York, since 1945. He was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century, composing over 40 works after the age of 90. Carter’s music encompasses many of the influences and styles that shaped the last 100 years of music.
20th Century, 1880s-Today: Musical labels are useful. The title of a genre or style comes in handy in the record store, on the radio or for streaming services. But these labels can also be problematic and divisive.
20th Century, 1952: In 1952, on a summer day in Woodstock, New York, pianist David Tudor held an outdoor recital of contemporary piano music. During this concert he premiered a new work by composer John Cage. For this performance, Tudor sat at the piano with the lid closed, keys covered for 4 minutes and 33 seconds, split into 3 movements. The results of this performance are still controversial to this day.
20th Century, 1930-Today: In the second half of the 20th century, technology evolved at an ever-increasing pace. The ability to capture a performance and manipulate recorded sound allowed musicians, artists and composers a freedom that they had never experienced before. It all started with the advent and adoption of magnetic tape.
20th Century, 1900-1990: As a composer, Aaron Copland desired to be as American in his music as Mussorgsky and Stravinsky were Russian. He was always interested in expressing his Inscape, the true emotions happening within him. His writings, music and instruction helped bring the rigor of the European tradition to American music and influenced a generation of composers.
20th Century, 1898-1937: His life embodied the American dream. Starting from nothing, he used his talents and musical intuition to build a fortune and an international reputation. George Gershwin’s music touched a diverse array of audiences and forms, from popular song to concerti to opera. In his short life he helped shape the future of American music.
20th Century, 1866-Today: The modern American musical is usually associated with the “triple threat”, singing, dancing and acting. It is also the culmination of costume and set design utilizing resources and technology that would make Wagner jealous. The line that connects operas to musicals is a complicated one, influenced by shifting cultural tastes, commercial enterprise and a wide ocean.
20th Century, 1887-1979: Aaron Copland, Jean Françaix, Elliott Carter, Philip Glass and Quincy Jones; what do all of these musicians have in common? They were all students of Nadia Boulanger.
20th Century, 1872-1958: Ralph Vaughan Williams spent 60 years in the public eye as a composer, conductor, professor and writer. His work set off a renaissance of English music in the 20th century.
20th Century, 1906-1975: Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich saw himself a Soviet man first and a composer second. He felt that it was his duty to compose music for his countrymen that reflected the heart of the Soviet ideal. He left behind 15 symphonies and 15 string quartets that stand as some of the most influential works of the 20th century.
20th Century, 1939-1945: As World War II began to rage across Europe and the Pacific, communication technology had spread to most of the world. Radio and recording allowed a unified soundtrack of the conflict shared across continents and oceans. Both sides of the war began to practice the art of propaganda in an effort to inspire their people or demoralize their enemies. Music played an important role in this effort to control the hearts of the populace as each country strove to find their musical voice during the war.
20th Century, 1908-1992: When he heard harmony, he saw color. Olivier Messiaen was not just a visionary composer; he was an organist, an ornithologist and a professor of world-wide acclaim. He was influenced by Ancient Greek theory, Hindu and Japanese culture, his own Roman Catholic faith and the songs of his feathered friends. His music stands as a pillar of the avant-garde in the 20th century.
20th Century, 1920: Today, music is everywhere. Invisible signals fly through the air carrying every possible genre and style that a person could ever want. We can access them from our homes, cars and phones enjoying content from around the world. In the 19th century this type of technology was just a dream in the minds of scientists and inventors, but the 20th century saw an explosion of communication and the rise of a device we call the radio.
20th Century, 1895-1963: German composer, Paul Hindemith was a central figure in music and music theory in the 20th century, especially in the period between the wars. His music, teaching methods and theoretical treatises influenced a generation of composers.
20th Century, 1917: In previous centuries there were prevailing styles and forms of music. The Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras have their own set of conventions that composers followed. But the 20th century saw fragmentation as composers reacted and counter-reacted to the artistic expressions around them. Neoclassism is an example of such a reaction.
20th Century, 1891-1953: Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf is an excellent example of the Russian composer’s style; modernist harmonic expression with accessible melodies and familiar forms. His life though, was far from a fairytale and chronicles the volatile changes in Russia and the world in the first half of the 20th century.
20th Century, 1914: June 28, 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Yugoslav nationalist. This incident quickly escalated into one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history. The Great War, or World War I, saw the rise of revolutions and the death of 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians. The philosophy, technology and geography of the world were forever altered. The world of music was also affected as composers served in battle and sought to express their patriotism and also the true human cost of the conflict.
20th Century, 1913: In music, there have been defining moments that change the world. A single piece, even a single performance, sends shock waves through the entire art form and suddenly things are never the same. The 1913 premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was one such moment.
20th Century, 1882-1971: No other composer in recent history was able to adapt to the changing styles of his time like Igor Stravinsky. He was a composer of international acclaim with ties to Russia, Switzerland, Germany, France and even Hollywood. During his long life he saw war, revolution and dynamic shifts in artistic expression. Nevertheless, he was always in touch with his own compositional voice. His music of any style or genre sounds like Stravinsky.
20th Century, 1881-1945: Bela Bartok was a composer, pianist and musicologist. He was so devoted to his studies and artistic pursuits that he stated, “If I would cross myself I would say ‘in the name of Nature, Art and Science.’” His compositions had both a nationalistic fervor and an adventurous spirit, pushing the boundaries of music in the 20th century.
20th Century, 1874-1954: Charles Ives was an organist, a baseball player, an insurance salesman and a part-time composer. He was ahead of his time, and his compositions inspired a growing modernist movement in American music during the 20th century.
20th Century, 1903-1925: Throughout music history there have been schools of thought and practice. These schools were collections of composers around an institution or geographic location that worked together in the pursuit of new musical expression.
20th Century, 1874-1951: Arnold Schoenberg was a composer, teacher, music theorist and painter. He developed techniques of composition that turned music upside down and backwards. He was called an expressionist and the founder of atonalism and serialism, but regardless of what Schoenberg is called he is one of the pivotal figures of 20th century music.
20th Century, 1875-1937: French composer, Maurice Ravel was short in stature, slight of frame, impeccably dressed and careful about his manner. He lived a private life, but perhaps you could have found him walking in the woods outside of Paris at night pondering music in his head. “It’s lucky I’ve managed to write music,” Ravel wrote, “because I know perfectly well I should have never been able to do anything else.”
20th Century, 1890-1910: Art influences art. The work of one discipline can inform and inspire the work of another. In France, at the close of the 19th century, a movement known as impressionism left its mark on the world of visual art, literature and music.
20th Century, 1862-1918: Once in a great while an artist steps on to the scene that challenges the status quo and changes the way we look at art forever. At the dawning of the 20th century, France saw several of these individuals. Stephane Mallarme’s symbolic poetry and Claude Monet’s impressionistic paintings helped pave the way for new expression in their art forms. In the world of music, Claude Debussy stands as that pivotal figure whose works ushered in new sounds and ideas.
20th Century, 1857-1929: Of all the advancements of the 20th century, the advent of recording technology has affected the world of music like no other. For centuries, classical music was the privilege of the rich and powerful. It was relegated to the church, concert hall, opera house or salon. But today, we can access the masterpieces of any era, anytime, anywhere played by the world’s most talented musicians.
20th Century, 1900: At the dawning of the 20th century the world stood on the edge of immense change. No one could have guessed what the next hundred years would bring. Previous centuries saw most composers following specific aesthetic ideals, but music fractured in the 20th century like never before. In reality, we’re still trying to figure out where music goes from here.
Romantic, 1864-1949: What would you do if you spent your childhood being declared the next Brahms or Wagner? Well, if you were composer Richard Strauss, you would rise to the occasion.
Romantic, 1865-1957: The Scandinavian composer, Jean Sibelius wrote 7 symphonies, many symphonic poems and over 100 vocal songs. He was the voice of his homeland, Finland, at a time of great political upheaval and change.
Romantic, 1867-1944: In the 19th century, composition was a man’s world. The stigma of being a female composer made it difficult for a woman’s work to be read or heard. One woman helped to break through this glass ceiling and pave the way for a generation of female composers, her name was Amy Beach.
Romantic, 1860-1911: For centuries, the region of Austro/Germany produced remarkably talented composers. You can follow a chain of names from Haydn to Mozart, from Beethoven to Mendelssohn and Brahms. One of the last great composers of this line was Gustav Mahler.
Romantic, 1843-1907: The music of composer Edvard Grieg has become synonymous with his homeland, Norway. Grieg brought the folk tunes and artistic sensibility of Scandinavia to the world through his evocative music and extensive tours.
Romantic, 1835-1921: French composer Camille Saint-Saens had a long and successful career as a pianist, organist and composer. Over the course of his life he saw music change dramatically as the world moved from one century to another. Yet, his music stood grounded and his style remained consistent. Claude Debussy called Camille Saint-Saens, “The musician of tradition."
Romantic, 1895: In 1865 the 13th amendment of the constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States forever. As a result an entire population of citizens was now free to pursue their education and their artistic dreams. The next generation saw the development of new musical styles; the American art-forms of blues, ragtime and jazz.
Romantic, 1893: When Dvorak arrived in New York City in 1892, he wasn’t just listening to the music made in the conservatory halls. He turned his attention to the tapestry of sound and expression from ethnic groups all across America. These influences came together in his 9th Symphony which he named The New World.
Romantic, 1841-1904: The musical challenge of the 19th century composer was finding the balance between the traditional styles and forms of the past while embracing their own heritage and homeland. The Bohemian composer, Antonin Dvorak, was extremely successful at walking this fine line. Many consider Dvorak to be the greatest Czech nationalist composer of all time.
Romantic, 1844-1908: In the ballrooms of Vienna in the 19th century, if you heard a waltz it was highly likely that it was written by a member of the Strauss family; either the father, Johann, or one of his three sons, Johann Jr., Josef or Eduard.
Romantic, 1840-1893: Although he wasn’t part of the so called “Russian Five” circle of composers, Pyotr Llyich Tchiakovsky stands as one of the most beloved and most talented Russian composers of all time.
Romantic, 1856-1870: In the 19th century there were two seemingly opposing influences in the world of music. First, the growing tide of Romantic Nationalism was sweeping the Western world as each people group sought ways to express and preserve their cultural identity. Second, the power of the music from the 18th century, especially of the German masters Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, had been burned into the collective consciousness. In Russia, these two forces met in the music of Mikhail Glinka and a group of composers we call “The Russian Five.”
Romantic, 1850: Music is one of the ways that we define ourselves. Beginning around the 19th century, we’re able to think about composers not along lines of genre or form but along lines of nationality.
Romantic, 1841: A month after Giuseppe Verdi’s death in January of 1901, there was a public procession as his remains were delivered to the “House of Rest” in Milan. Around 300,000 mourners gathered to pay tribute to an opera composer and to hear a rousing version of “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco sung by a choir of 820 voices lead by legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini. Verdi’s music had struck a chord in all of Italy, becoming the soundtrack for a political movement called the Risorgimento.
Romantic, 1813-1901: Early 19th century Italian opera was dominated by the works of the three “E’s”; Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. But if there is one composer whose work stands on par with Mozart and Wagner in the operatic repertoire, it’s Giuseppe Verdi.
Romantic, 1855-1867: Johannes Brahms was first introduced to the world through the writings of Robert Schumann who praised his gifts so highly that many expected Brahms to be Beethoven’s natural successor. Brahms spent the better part of his career under the shadow of his hero. This pressure wasn’t just external. Brahms was his own worst critic and often wrote his friends about his desire to live up to the music of Beethoven. As a result, Brahms’ “1st Symphony” took over 20 years to complete.
Romantic, 1833-1897: In September of 1895 the Meningen Music Festival in Germany dedicated over two weeks of performances to the music of three composers, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. Brahms was 62 years old at the time; so could you possibly imagine a greater honor for a living composer? It’s completely fitting that the music of Johannes Brahms would be included in that line of prestigious and influential German composers. His music walked the line between tradition and the Romantic ideals of the 19th century.
Romantic, 1819-1896: 19th century Germany was not a hospitable environment for female composers. Nevertheless, Clara Weick-Schumann left an indelible mark with her compositions, her soulful musicianship, her inspired instruction and her influence on many major composers of her generation.
Romantic, 1810-1856: Robert Schumann is one of the central figures of the Romantic Era. Not only did he make important contributions to the piano, art song and orchestral repertoire, he was also a celebrated musical journalist whose prose and poetry influenced the music of a generation.
Romantic, 1859: The music of Richard Wagner marked a growing “crisis” in Romantic harmony marked by the so called, "Tristan Chord". This is the opening harmony of the prelude to Wagner’s 1859 opera Tristan and Isolde. Never before has one group of four notes rocked the musical world so completely.
Romantic, 1827: It only takes a few notes to recognize the main theme of John William's score to the film “Star Wars." The Star Wars franchise has become a cultural touchstone all around the world. The original 1977 film is a marriage of a universal mythological tale, told with fantastic artistry.
Romantic, 1813-1883: Even mentioning the name Wagner spawns a dramatic response. He’s one of those figures that’s either loved or hated. It’s been said that more ink has been spilt on the works and life of Richard Wagner than almost another composer. His operas and his essays, his philosophy and his spirit, stand as pillars of German Romanticism.
Romantic, 1811-1886: When I say the words “rock star," what comes to your mind? Perhaps you picture guitars, stadiums and teeming mobs of adoring fans flocking to their favorite band or musician. In many ways, composer and pianist Franz Liszt was Europe’s first “rock star." His fans, mostly women, would rush the stage at his performances desperate to grab a bit of his clothes or a lock of his long hair. One writer actually called the phenomenon, “Lisztomania."
Romantic, 1698-1825: The modern piano is a masterpiece of acoustic design and engineering; 88 keys with the ability to play all of the notes a musician could possibly reach simultaneously, and a sound that can fill a concert hall by itself. Inside, the metal frame is holding 18 tons of tension as the strings are struck over and over again by large hammers. Each key triggers a complex mechanism allowing the performer to easily control the volume of the note simply by touch. We see and hear the piano so often that we’ve forgotten just how unique an instrument this keyboard has become.
Romantic, 1810-1849: In the Romantic Era, composers were no longer employees of the aristocracy; they composed for the people. This freedom was doubled-edged. Although it allowed the artistic genius of Berlioz, Liszt and Wagner to flourish, it also spawned a generation of composers who happily wrote crowd pleasing, disposable works for commercial success. Composers like Frederic Chopin rejected this “popularization” of music altogether by retreating from public performance and refusing to compromise his emerging artistic style. Ironically, Chopin’s music became (and has remained) extremely popular.
Romantic, 1829: For the first 50 years after his death, the majority of J.S. Bach’s music remained unpublished and unperformed. The 19th century saw an unprecedented return to his music in what we call “The Bach Revival."
Romantic, 1809-1847: Felix Mendelssohn had natural artistic talent to spare. He was a painter, poet, pianist and composer who not only left the world an impressive body of work but also helped revive the music of the past for generations to come.
Romantic, 1803-1869: Hector Berlioz was passionate about music, love and literature. He was brash and opinionated, isolating others and ultimately himself. Although he was unappreciated during his lifetime, today he stands as the quintessential French Romantic composer of the 19th Century.
Romantic, 1797-1828: Franz Schubert lived to be only 31 years old, but he left behind more than a lifetime’s worth of music. Schubert wrote over 600 songs, numerous chamber and symphonic works. Even his unfinished 8th symphony has become a staple in our modern concert halls, quite impressive for a composer who had very little exposure while he was alive.
Romantic, 1792-1868: Italian opera was in severe decline in the first decade of the 19th Century. However, thanks to the works of composers like Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, a new golden age was about to dawn. The brightest star of this new operatic style was Gioachino Rossini.
Romantic, 1786-1826: Beethoven loomed so large in early 19th Century Germany that other composers are often overlooked. One prime example is Carl Maria von Weber, a founder of the Romantic Movement.
Romantic, 1800: The last decade of the 18th century was a time of incredible change in the western world. The technological advances of the industrial revolution, the wars and upheaval of the enlightenment and the rise of scientific rationalization had eroded old certainties within the collective consciousness. In other words, when you question or change all of the old rules of society, technology, politics and religion what are you left with? You’re left with yourself - at least that's the answer the Romantics gave.
Classical, 1733-1803: Composers were not the only ones who shaped the course of music. Sometimes a librarian influences the future in ways that no one could ever imagine. Baron Gottfried van Swieten is a name that isn’t too familiar in the musical world today but his work, energy and encouragement touched a generation of composers.
Classical, 1815-1827: The years 1813 to 1816 were a dry period for Beethoven. He was wrestling with his health and with his family.
Classical, 1801-1805: At the dawning of the 19th century, Beethoven had not given up hope that his doctors would find a treatment to reverse his hearing loss. His condition was not only affecting his musical output but also his social life, which was very important to him.
Classical, 1770-1801: Ludwig van Beethoven has been called the most admired composer in all of music history. His legacy stands as a monument for the entire 19th century and beyond.
Classical, 1752-1832: Muzio Clementi was called the "father of the pianoforte." He earned this title, not because he played the instrument first, but because he played it best out of his generation.
Classical, 1776: The rise of the American and French Revolutions were signs of deep changes in the Western world in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Not only was the Age of Enlightenment a period of political upheaval, it was also marked by economic change as a thriving middle class began to grow in Europe and across the sea in the new world. This shift had very real and practical effects on the world of music. It changed the way composers created work and supported themselves.
Classical, 1756-1791: Even if you’re not that familiar with classical music you still know the name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and can probably even hum a few of his tunes. His music has always been popular and his legacy has influenced composers for centuries.
Classical, 1770: The word "symphony" is one of the most iconic musical terms, but what makes a piece of music a symphony? The term itself is a compound word with Greek roots meaning "sounding together."
Classical, 1732-1809: Franz Joseph Haydn is a towering figure of the Classical era. He didn’t just mimic the changes of the late 18th century, in a large way, his music was the change. He forged new genres.
Rococo, 1714-1787: The Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century called into question the powers of the monarchy and religious dogma. There was an emphasis on scientific rigor and simplicity. This movement found its start in the writings of philosophers and made it ways into politics and eventually art – even the world of opera through the reforms of Christoph Willibald Gluck.
Rococo, 1750-1775: The death of J.S. Bach in 1750 has traditionally been regarded as the end of the Baroque Period. The well-known Classical era of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven is said to have begun in 1775. The transitional, 25 year period between is known as Rococo.
Rococo, 1750-1800: Johann Sebastian Bach had two wives and a total of 20 children. Sadly, only half of those children survived to adulthood. But of those 10, four became notable composers; each with their own story, their own home town and their own relationship with their father’s music.
Baroque, 1722: Bach's seminal work The Well-Tempered Clavier showcases an ability that we take for granted in modern music. Today, we have the ability to play with anyone in any key thanks to our modern standards of tuning and temperament.
Baroque, 1685-1750: For the Bach's of Germany music was a family business. Over 50 members of the Bach family were employed as musicians over the course of two centuries. The most famous, and arguably the most important, was Johann Sebastian Bach.
Baroque, 1685-1759: The Baroque era (1600 to 1750) was a time of blending cultures as the European continent was becoming smaller and more connected. A mixture of influences from Italy, France, England and Germany merged into a cosmopolitan style of music. The champion of this new style was the composer George Frideric Handel.
Baroque, 1681-1767: Georg Philipp Telemann was unquestionably the most prolific composer of his generation. He wrote over 3,000 individual works ranging from chamber music to opera, from oratorios to cantatas.
Baroque, 1678-1741: Antonio Vivaldi is a name that has become synonymous with the Baroque concerto. His style and massive output has influenced composers for almost 300 years.
Baroque, 1683-1764: The 17th Century, also known as the Age of Reason, saw the birth of the scientific method. The music and writings of French composer Jean Phillippe Rameau sought to understand music, and specifically harmony, in scientific terms.
Baroque, 1665-1725: Though born the son of a humble miller in Florence, Italy, Jean Baptiste Lully was destined to become the "Father of French Opera." His work and influence took this Italian art form and imbued it with French opulence and pageantry.
Baroque, 1668-1733: The Baroque saw many influential musical families as the craft and career of composition and performing was passed from father to son and daughter for generations. One of the greatest dynasties in music was the French family, Couperin. The most influential member of this family was the composer Francois Couperin.
Baroque, 1660-1757: During the Baroque, several families made their mark in the world of music. In Italy there were few families more influential than the Scarlattis.
Baroque, 1659-1695: The British Isles were in turmoil in the mid-17th century, wracked by civil war, plague and a fire that devastated most of London. By the late 1660s, new hope was found in the reestablishment of the monarchy. It was thought that a new United Kingdom and a new City of London could arise from the ashes of war and fire. It is in this spirit of Restoration that we see the arrival of one of the most influential composers of the Baroque and, arguably, one of the greatest English composers of all time, Henry Purcell.
Baroque, 1653-1709: The concerto is a popular genre of instrumental music that was developed during the Baroque. It is characterized by one or more instruments (the concertino) acting as the soloist while other instruments (the ripieno) accompany the principle line. When it is one instrument accompanied by many we called it a “solo concerto." When there are multiple instruments sharing the spotlight we call this a “concerto grosso."
Baroque, 1553-1612: The Latin word Cantata means “to sing”, the word Sonata means “to play.” That last title is vague enough to cover a multitude of instrumental genres. Vocal music comes with a built-in structure for the composer to follow.
Baroque, 1589: The word opera literally translates as the word "work;" it's the plural of the noun opus. The dramatic form of opera has its roots deep within the aristocratic culture of early 16th Century Florence, Italy.
Baroque, 1576: The aesthetic basis of baroque music, from Monteverdi to J. S. Bach, was greatly influenced by a concept called the doctrine of affections.
Baroque, 1567-1643: There are individuals in music history that stand as pillars, whose life and work help us delineate the various eras of musical practice. One such individual was the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, whose work marks the boundary between the renaissance and the baroque.
Renaissance, 1540-1583: The Renaissance was a time of re-birth as science and the arts changed the face of culture. However, some old ideas persisted in the midst of this change; especially beliefs about the roles and intellectual capacity of the genders. Even though the Renaissance saw many female heads of state, it was still held as common knowledge that women were inferior to men, physically, mentally and artistically. As a result, we have very few examples of female composers during this period of music history. There is an exception though, the work of Maddalena Casulana.
Renaissance, 1557-1602: This week, we will explore the influence of the 16th century madrigal and discuss its place in the music leading up to the Baroque.
Renaissance, 1517-1545: In this week's episode, we'll explore the influence the reformation and counter-reformation had on the world of music including the work of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
Renaissance, 1410-1521: In this episode we will explore the development of imitation or canon as a tool of harmony and musical form, especially in the works of Josquin Deprez and Johannes Ockeghem.
Renaissance, 1466-1539: In 1450, Johannes Gutenburg made history in Europe with his moveable type printing press. Thanks to his process and his machine, the printed word was able to spread across the Western world.
Renaissance, 1397-1474: This week, we’ll discuss the music of the 15th century French composer Guillaume Dufay and how the lines that defined secular and sacred music began to blur in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance.
Middle Ages, 1291-1377 AD: There are moments in music history, like all history, that stand as dividing lines. Once they happened, nothing could ever be the same.
Middle Ages, 1130-1190 AD: Though the church was instrumental in the development of musical notation, it was not the sole arbiter of music in medieval times. The high middle ages were also the time of the troubadours or trouveres; French composers and performers of secular lyric poetry and song beginning in the late 11th Century.
Middle Ages, 1148 AD: Hildegard of Bingen was a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, abbess, polymath and a literal visionary of the 12th Century.
Middle Ages, 1000-1100 AD: Have you ever been to a restaurant and heard an off-brand version of the popular “Happy Birthday To You” song? The reason why a restaurant would choose to use that version, rather than the traditional “Happy Birthday To You,” is because, until recently, that song was protected under copyright.
Ancient Music, 991-1033 AD: Guido de Arezzo was one of the first music theorists in our western musical tradition.
Ancient Music, 800-900 AD: It's easy to take for granted this ability to take a piece of music and understand it instantly, but this wasn't always the case. Let's explore the birth of modern musical notation and the history of this elegant practice.
Ancient Music, 570-495 BCE: There is a long history of connection between the world of music and the world of mathematics.
Ancient Music, 1400-200 BCE: The art of writing down melodies, preserving sound in time, was not something that was first invented just 1,000 years ago. Humans have made music for most of our history, let's explore some of the earliest examples of musical notation. The first comes to us from a culture that’s nearly 3,400 years old.