Articles
November 1, 2023 by
In 1895, Joseph Frank “Buster” Keaton was born on the flat plains of Kansas. He supposedly acquired the nickname “Buster” after he fell down a flight of stairs when he was 18 months old. A family friend exclaimed, "Gee whiz, he's a regular buster!" Buster Keaton’s pratfalls have been keeping people in stitches ever since.
September 20, 2023 by
Art song arose and was cultivated in the Romantic era, when poetry came to be regarded as the primary representation of the human spirit, and music the art most immediately expressive of spirit and emotion. The most famous earliest art song tradition is the German Lied, exemplified by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, and many others.
July 6, 2023 by
Great composers have always recognized the vitality in music loved by the masses. Aaron Jay Kernis’ 100 Greatest Dance Hits evokes pop music of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Kernis explains: “I borrowed the title from those old K-Tel advertisements on late-night TV for 100 Greatest Motown Hits or 100 Greatest Soul Hits.”
June 29, 2023 by
A significant development in the sociology of music was the realization that music-making itself is a social performance, encompassing the conditions of production, performance, and reception.
March 22, 2023 by
In 1893, Amy Beach composed “Romance,” a piece for violin and piano, and dedicated it to Maud Powell, an acclaimed American violinist of the day.