tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81364732008-08-24T17:15:15.900-05:00Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-66938705496099912662008-08-24T17:07:00.002-05:002008-08-24T17:15:15.907-05:00

The Ring and I: The Passion, The Myth, The Mania It might seem hyperbole to claim, as many Wagnerites do, that The Ring Cycle is "The Greatest Work of Art Ever." But the grandeur and power of this monumental work have permeated our culture from Star Wars to Bugs Bunny to J.R.R. Tolkien. Listen to WYNC's radio show about the Ring here.

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-33159085645057720592008-07-17T09:33:00.003-05:002008-07-17T10:22:24.042-05:00

Writer Jeremy Eichler's newborn child inspired him to do some research into how babies learn and perceive music:By using EEG recordings as well as special techniques based on behavioral response, researchers have now shown just how early the infant brain becomes musically active. By two months of age, babies can already exhibit preferences for consonant or dissonant music, and a study not yet

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-48014576931473172652008-07-11T15:46:00.002-05:002008-07-11T15:54:29.993-05:00

Music theorist Dmitri Tymoczko summarizes some recent research into the geometry of musical melodies and harmony: Remarkably, in the 12-tone system of notes, these are precisely the chords that Pythagoras identified almost 2,500 years ago: the chords that sound intrinsically harmonious. Far from arbitrary or haphazard, scales and chords come close to being the unique solutions to the problem of

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-78819148487946222342008-07-10T08:10:00.002-05:002008-07-10T08:12:32.749-05:00

Infoniac reports: According to the study performed by the University of Sussex, music can calm much better if it is played by real musicians rather than computers. Neuroscientists analyzed the reaction of the brain to the piano sonatas, which were played by a musician and a computer. They discovered that, though computerized music did get some response from the brain – mainly to unpredicted

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-79522607422991819142008-07-07T19:58:00.002-05:002008-07-07T21:30:14.696-05:00

According to this BBC article, the world's longest concert is moving forward again: The church organ in Halberstadt will play the next - sixth - chord of John Cage's As Slow As Possible work. The performance began in 2000 and is scheduled to last a total of 639 years. . . . When Cage wrote his famous work in 1985, there was one tiny detail the late avant-garde composer chose to omit - exactly

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-35960129341998048682008-07-02T20:02:00.002-05:002008-07-02T20:05:51.754-05:00

A recent study by a Dutch medical researcher and a luthier sheds some insight into what makes Stradivarius violins sound so great--the wood used in Stradivarius violins is significantly more uniform in density than the wood in modern violins: Based on his knowledge of measuring lung densities non-invasively, Dr. Stoel designed a new computer program to study wood densities from CT scans.

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-84820004593221428752008-06-21T14:16:00.002-05:002008-06-21T14:21:29.774-05:00

The Kansas City Star has laid off classic music and dance critic Paul Horsley--and not only laid him off but eliminated the position entirely. To write a letter to the editor of the Star, the email address is letters@kcstar.com. The contact information for KCStar management is at the bottom of their contact page. Krista Blackwood of Octarium wrote the following letter to the Kansas City Star.

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-43922745977067440302008-05-13T16:22:00.001-05:002008-05-13T16:23:16.075-05:00

Cincinnati, OH (May 2008) — Jerry Anderson, of St. Joseph, Missouri, was recently honored by Music Teachers National Association as an MTNA Foundation Fellow at the 2008 MTNA National Conference in Denver, Colorado. Anderson was director of keyboard studies at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, before retiring in May 2007. Since 1974 Anderson has been director of music at First

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-39557698796117432022008-05-06T11:03:00.001-05:002008-05-06T11:05:06.841-05:00

The Missouri Citizens for the Arts sent the following announcement today: On April 30, 2008, the Conference Committee resolved the difference between the House and Senate positions with a recommended $3 million increase to be transferred to the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund. The FY2008 Missouri Art Council Trust Fund core transfer of $7.8 million would be increased to a total recommended

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-37231445433097674662008-04-26T01:05:00.002-05:002008-04-26T01:07:53.274-05:00

According to the Joplin Globe: Avan Yu, a 20-year-old from Canada, on Friday night was named the first-place winner of the senior division in the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition. Tian Lu, 22, of China, took second place in the senior division, and Peggy Pei-zhang Sung, 22, of Hong Kong, won third place. Honorable mentions went to Lishan Xue, 22, China, and Fang Zhang, 29, also

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-28832177175107462932008-03-27T17:09:00.003-05:002008-03-27T17:11:41.264-05:00

The New York Times has an article about the restoration of the earliest recorded sounds known--some 20 years earlier than the earliest previously known recordings, by Thomas Edison. An MP3 of the restored recording (a woman singing the first phrase of the folk song "Au claire de la lune") is here.

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-59474403516449122952008-03-22T15:33:00.002-05:002008-03-22T15:35:38.389-05:00

An article in this week's New York Times tells about some of the more famous mishaps experienced during performances at the Met: “Tristan und Isolde” has long been a magnet for trouble. Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld, the first Tristan, died of a heart attack in Munich in 1865, at 29, within weeks of the premiere, leaving the first Isolde — his wife, Malvina — a widow. In 1959, when each of three

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-14516153435499102332008-03-20T09:30:00.002-05:002008-03-20T09:32:20.380-05:00

Peter Miyamoto sent along the following announcement: The amazing Melvin Chen is coming to Columbia to give a master class (Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 1pm) and a solo piano recital (Monday, March 31, 2008 at 8pm) in Whitmore Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia. The master class will include performances by talented high school pianists and MU piano students. Dr.

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-47648414198046181502008-02-15T09:50:00.003-06:002008-02-15T09:54:37.289-06:00

Missouri Citizens for the Arts sends the following report about their annual Citizens' Day at the Legislature in Jefferson City: Many thanks to all of you who joined other arts advocates for Missouri Citizens for the Arts Citizens' Day at the Legislature in Jefferson City last Wednesday. It was a fabulous turnout and, we believe, really made an impact on our General Assembly. There certainly was

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-36961553428927664802008-02-13T15:47:00.003-06:002008-02-13T15:52:30.205-06:00

According to and article in The Independent: David Garrett, 26, one of the nation's foremost young concert performers, had an accident that every world-class musician must dread: at the end of a concert at the Barbican he tripped and landed on his violin. The instrument is a 290-year-old Stradivarius, so rare that it would be almost impossible to estimate its value. . . . "I was all packed up

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-73855577661360423822008-01-21T13:43:00.000-06:002008-01-21T13:49:59.410-06:00

Powell Symphony Hall, home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, is celebrating it's 40th year as a concert hall, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra played for years in the Kiel Opera House. They shared facilities and an adjoining wall with the Kiel Auditorium. Veteran musicians still recall how the screams and whistles of basketball fans bled through

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-2996280714244797302008-01-14T10:05:00.000-06:002008-01-14T10:07:30.173-06:00

In a piano masterclass, Daniel Barenboim talks about how he played for Vladimir Horowitz when he was 14 years old, and how to make a crescendo on a single chord:

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-64417385769915548342008-01-10T20:32:00.000-06:002008-01-10T20:33:31.105-06:00

Missouri Citizens for the Arts sent the following announcement today: Gov. Matt Blunt continues to honor his commitment to restore dedicated resources for the arts for their designated purpose, and today he announced he is recommending another funding increase for the Missouri Arts Council. Gov. Blunt is recommending an additional $6.8 million increase for the Arts Council, which would nearly

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-56932535856180044062008-01-10T14:45:00.000-06:002008-01-10T14:46:34.564-06:00

Missouri Citizens for the Arts forwards the following announcement: First Lady Announces Inaugural Award to Honor Missouri Women Mrs. Blunt Seeks Nominees for First Lady Awards First Lady Melanie Blunt has announced the inaugural First Lady Awards to recognize Missouri women who are making history. Honorees in five categories will be recognized as part of Women's History Month in March. "

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-30327645032857064312008-01-09T09:40:00.001-06:002008-01-09T09:47:59.654-06:00

Acoustic Mirrors photo by feersumendjinn Giant, sound-reflecting mirrors line parts of the cost in the northern United Kingdom. Blogger DeputyDog writes: From 1915 onwards these huge eerie concrete structures started popping up along the uk coast, all built with one purpose: to provide the military with an early warning system in relation to incoming aircraft. their construction was pretty much

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-75910971549633498712008-01-06T12:32:00.000-06:002008-01-06T12:46:31.517-06:00

According to a KCStar article: Local pianist Harold O’Neal was at a workshop in Lindrith, N.M., in 2006 when, like author Alex Haley in his book Roots, he began to examine his family tree. O’Neal, 26, was able to trace his ancestors all the way back to his great-great-great-grandfather, who was a slave who lived somewhere in Texas. Although he was unable to learn the man’s name, O’Neal did

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-56677528278641960282008-01-03T13:26:00.000-06:002008-01-03T13:28:10.971-06:00

Sarah Bryan Miller wraps up the year in classical music in Missouri and internationally: Story of the year (local): Changes at the top. Opera Theatre of St. Louis head Charles MacKay will go to Santa Fe Opera. Add to that James Robinson's coming as artistic director at the company (taking the place of the late Colin Graham) and Timothy O'Leary's advent as executive director, and we're looking at

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-5078114578747554772007-12-26T18:31:00.000-06:002007-12-26T18:40:59.927-06:00

Lorin Maazel, Music Director, New York Philharmonic and James Conlon, Music Director, The Ravinia Festival, talk about Mozart and his music with Charlie Rose: The segment on Mozart starts at 34:26--the video should be set to start at that point. (Link)

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-18451030355560870792007-12-25T21:04:00.000-06:002007-12-26T18:37:56.254-06:00

PLAYBACK:stl reports on the demise of a Missouri institution: Founded in 1971, Streetside Records was, for many years, the record store chain in St. Louis, with dozens of locations scattered throughout Missouri and Illinois. The general downturn of music retail coupled by a pair of buyouts (first by New Jersey-based chain CD World, then by retail giant Trans World Entertainment) whittled the

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8136473.post-44595191430934754702007-12-25T19:04:00.000-06:002007-12-25T19:05:30.443-06:00

ScienceBlog explains why you get that song stuck in your head: "Why do those holiday tunes get stuck in your head so much?" I was invited to pose this question to Dr. Robert Zatorre, Co-Director of the BRAMS: Brain Music and Sound lab at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University. Dr. Zatorre is a leading expert in neuroscience research on the biological basis of music; if anyone

Brent Hughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10000423050344799018noreply@blogger.com