December, 2019

43 Posts
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Messiaen’s Cathedrals of Sound
Thoughts on listening to Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus Olivier Messiaen builds cathedrals in sound. From a single candle gently flickering in a quiet side chapel to the glorious fan traceries of the main transept, the private place for solitary prayer
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In Touch With Olivier Latry
Organist at Notre-Dame de Paris
An organist, unlike other instrumentalists, is tied to the space where the organ is located. It is in knowing that space and the properties of the instrument that the performer can optimize even the greatest organ’s sound. And, Mr. Latry
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Christmas in America
American Christmas celebration range from small town exhibits to world-famous events and sights. From light displays and firework shows, to month-long holiday markets and snowy train rides, these festivities have been shaped by a multitude of different cultures. Traditionally, however,
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Rebranding Classical Music for the 21st Century
The numbers are in, and they’re looking good. For an industry whose identity seems to be based on a constant struggle against popularity, classical music is doing alright. Whilst constantly obsessed with our impending demise, the doom-obsessed factions within classical
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Musicological Journey through the Holidays
It’s been called the “world’s most annoying” Christmas carol. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a cumulative song, with each verse building on top of the previous verses. True to its name, there are twelve verses representing the twelve days
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Mastery and the ‘Near Win’
I admit it – I watched Rugby World Cup final. After their coruscating performance in the semi-finals against the All Blacks, hopes were high for England, but these were dashed by a South African squad who were, on the day,
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Some Advice to Young Musicians
One of my adult students, who happens to be a heart surgeon, came to a lesson last week with an idea. For his upcoming birthday, during the gathering at his home, he’s thinking he’d like to perform three or four
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Sounds of the Season
Goldstein’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
It isn’t often that an extended poem gets taken on a modern spin, but Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” beloved of children of all ages, has been set by composer William Goldstein against an orchestral
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