From the Trenches: Xtreme Artistic Experiences

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Monday March 21, 2011 · 1:11 PM PDT

2011/03/21 · 13:11

A while back I posted about being put through the vocal wringer by a bunch of young composers. The weekend I spent with them dredged up some memories about what Anthony Tommasini, music critic for the New York Times, termed "extreme artistic experiences." Of which I have had a couple!

zenbassoon

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Thursday March 10, 2011 · 8:10 PM PST

2011/03/10 · 20:10

Today is the International Day of the Woman. While we celebrate and advocate, let us pause and ponder the role of women in Music through the ages.

Unlike most professions, Music has been generally a bit more tolerant and accepting of women, up to a point. There have been many notable performers and composers, but relatively few conductors and directors. I didn't have a woman as a conductor until well into my college years when there was a graduate student on her assistantship that conducted us. She later went on to become a prominent music educator in Arkansas and nationwide. Which parallels the increasing numbers of female band and orchestra directors in today's schools. It used to be that women as music educators were relegated to the elementary general music area. Now, there are women as the music directors of some of the most prominent symphony orchestras in the world.

But that's not why I'm writing this diary. I am highlighting composers, so away we go...

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From the Trenches: Fledgling Composers

kelley74ny for Classical Music Fans

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Tuesday March 08, 2011 · 9:16 AM PST

2011/03/08 · 09:16

I spent a mostly enjoyable two days at a small prestigious university near Boston this past weekend, exploring the music of nine young composers—three undergrads and six post-grads. I say “mostly” because I had to perform the post-grad works on a concert, and it was effing hard.

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I like avant-garde music

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I like avant-garde music

a lot.

12 votes

a little.

8 votes

not at all.

2 votes

HATE.

5 votes

only if it has vomiting noises in it.

3 votes

Classical Music S. 2: The Pedal Point

Samer

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Monday March 07, 2011 · 7:31 PM PST

2011/03/07 · 19:31

As I sit here writing this paragraph, I can hear birds singing outside my window. What makes this bird song musical? Quite simply, the fact that it's changing. If the bird were just singing the same note, holding it on and on, it wouldn't be very interesting.

In a very real sense, change is essentially a necessity in music. So why introduce a constant?

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What do you think of the pedal point?

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What do you think of the pedal point?

Cool

10 votes

Really cool

28 votes

Pie(dal)

7 votes

Classical Music Group - Franz Schmidt

Blue Wind for Classical Music Fans

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Wednesday March 02, 2011 · 2:03 PM PST

2011/03/02 · 14:03

I just created a group for classical music fans. Everyone who likes classical music is welcome to join and contribute diaries on classical music. Feel free to send me a message and I will give you access.

As the first diary of the group, I am re-publishing a diary I wrote a few months ago on Franz Schmidt, a composer whose music was remarkable but was never recognized as much as he deserved, for a variety of reasons.

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From the Trenches: Xtreme Artistic Experiences

She Is Woman: Hear Her Music

From the Trenches: Fledgling Composers

Classical Music S. 2: The Pedal Point

Classical Music Group - Franz Schmidt