Background music

The Ruth Page Center Of the Arts brought Broadway to Chicago as the Porchlight productions presented the musical Merrily We Roll Along, with book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. This rendition was beautifully directed by Michael Weber, musically directed by Aaron Behnam and the musical staging was done by Christopher Pazdernik. This story about the talented composer Franklin Shephard, based on the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, leaves the audience…

On Monday evening, September 21, 2015, I had the pleasure of watching University Jazz Combos. The performance was held at the University of Louisville School Of Music in the Bird Recital Hall. These three combos consisted of the Mark Turner Combo directed by Tyrone Wheeler, Illinois Jacquet Combo directed by Ansyn Banks, and Michael Brecker Combo also directed by Ansyn Banks. I wasn’t for sure what to expect when coming to this concert. Different from the other jazz performance I attended, this…

keyboard. Even with only three instruments the song is definitely not lacking. Even in the arrangements there are parallels. Simone’s recording had a foundation of punchy and heavy diatonic chord progressions played by brass with a subtly drone in the background played by the strings. Brass plays the same repeated descending scale over and over. This is mirrored in Muse’s recording where the drum gives the punchy heavy beats and the guitar plays the drone and the same descending scale…

As the piece progressed, this formation did not vary, other than to switch lines. Once on stage, I would describe the music to be happy, lively and carnival like. The dancers threw confetti onto the audience and began their overly dramatic variations of shimmying and hip thrusting. These movements were highly sexualized as each seemed to have been choreographed in order…

I saw it in the music shop window and I knew that it would be mine and only mine. I bought it and took it home. Billings would love it. My god. It was so beautiful, so sleek, so smooth. Its body was a glimmering gold and I could feel the keys push down gracefully with a satisfying plop! It was the most majestic thing I had ever seen and… Oh crap. I dropped it. Down it came with a crash. I realized that I wasn’t wearing a neck-strap. As I picked my 2,000 dollar alto saxophone, I saw that it had a…

I just got back from “Master in Gesang”. Out of all the music academies, my son Benjamin insisted on that music academy. He thought he might be successful if he followed his father’s steps. I told him that I was there 12 years ago. I mean they’re definitely more and better academies today. We passed by Oslo’s kaffebar before going to the academy. We sat down and I started talking about my journey in Master in Gesang. He showed many different expressions like being shocked. I also think he had…

instruments almost always with continuo. After the Baroque period most works designated as sonatas specifically are performed by a solo instrument, a piano, or by a solo instrument accompanied by a piano. The word “sonata” was first used in solo piano music at the end of the seventeenth century. Most first movements of Classical sonatas are in sonata form, and they are usually fast. The second movement commonly provides the contrast of a slower tempo and the last movement in most cases is again…

The teenage boy walked into the classroom on the first day of school dressed in all black. He had tattoos up and down his arms with a Mohawk protruding from his head. He looked like he could eat someone with a single look. In the classroom, he did not participate or show any signs of learning. But one day, the teacher noticed him doodling on some scratch paper. She saw the words “Insane Clown Posse” and, by chance, recognized that it was the name of a band. “Oh, ICP!” exclaimed the teacher.…

especially music can be altered heavily but the context in which they are presented. The way a piece of music is framed or the environment in which it is presented can affect the meaning behind it as well the way it received by the audience. Looking at a famous piece of work such as the United States National anthem the Star Spangled Banner, one can see that there are countless altered versions, each with their own (fill in blank). The Star Spangled Banner is a classic piece of music that can…

out harmonization are heard extensively throughout the song. Caillat’s interpretation of “Killing Me Softly” was most identifiable with the vast majority of her fan base, teens and young adults. The new found audience felt a strong connection to her music and the song tells their story of that affinity through her own voice that resembled the same meaning as other versions like Flack’s and Lieberman’s. Furthermore, Caillat sets the mood as gentle and mellow allowing a moment for thought of what…