The current issue of Harpsichord & Fortepiano magazine contains a review I wrote for them, on pages 53-54, of two lovely discs of Scarlatti Sonatas. It is nice to see my writing in print on paper! Sadly, the issue is not available online. But if you have received it, check it out!
Got an email about this today. I am intrigued.
INTERNET JAM:
Max Neuhaus has long been a pioneer of network sound art, and he has now created Auracle, one of the largest, most impressive examples of it.
The Art Gallery of Knoxville is presentng an exhibition of Neuhaus' works, and this evening's opening recepton will include an Auracle internet jam.
What is Auracle? Neuhaus explains: "Auracle is a networked sound instrument, controlled by the voice. It is played and heard over the internet. Anyone can use it by simply launching it in their web browser ... "
http://www.auracle.org
http://www.arts-electric.org/articles/050103.neuhaus.html
Exhibition of works by Max Neuhaus
Opening Party and Auracle Internet Jam: Friday, December 1, 6-11pm
Join online at Auracle.org
Friday, December 1 - Saturday, December 23
The Art Gallery of Knoxville, 317 N Gay Street, Knoxville, TN
http://www.theartgalleryofknoxville.com
Yesterday around 1:30pm I had the pleasure of attending a concert at the Church of the Transfiguration ("the Little Church Around the Corner"). My colleague and friend Amy Bartram, with lutenist Ekko Jennings, performed a handful of 17th century English ballads. Some familiar to me, some new discoveries, they sang and played them beautifully. Amy's voice is light and clear, and goes perfectly with the lute. I enjoyed her historical commentary on the genre of songs and the various tidbits regarding specific songs. I especially liked the story behind England's Joy, set to the tune of Hey Boys up go we. The song has to do with the abolition of the Chimney Tax. Apparently at that time in the 17th century, homes with chimneys, or hearths, were taxed (why, I don't know), and if you couldn't or wouldn't pay that tax, the tax collector could take your belongings, like dishes, pewter, etc. People would run and hide their serving-ware when they saw the tax collector coming. So, there was much celebrating it seems when the tax was repealed. Sounds like a dumb tax to me.
Her compressing of Greensleeves both in tempo and by eliminating so many choruses of "Greensleves was all my joy..." was a great choice and I think better clarified the message of the song. Not just a pretty song to the memory of an ex-lover, it was a list of things he'd given her to "win her love," and when she said "not interested" he got mad and whined about it. I had forgotten that he gave her not just jewelry and dresses, but horses, too!
A beautful gem of a song I'd never heard was the very last one, Love Will find Out the Way. It's a beautiful tune, and I love all the animal references about two-thirds of the way through:
You may train the eagle
To stoop to your fist;
Or you may inveigle
The Phoenix of the east;
The lioness, you may move her
To give over her prey;
But you'll ne'er stop a lover
He will find out the way.
If the earth it should part him,
He would gallop it o'er;
If the seas should o'erthwart him,
He would swim to the shore;
Should his Love become a swallow,
Through the air to stray,
Love will lend wings to follow,
And will find out the way.
As you can see from the archive list of this blog, there were no posts in May '06. That's because my life was (a good kind of) crazy full of performing and rehearsing for numerous concerts. That month I performed with my colleague and friend Sang Joon Park at Trinity Church Wall Street's Concerts at One series. It was a great concert experience and I feel I played well. We played well. I've been meaning to post the link to that concert, which is stored in their archives there. So, here you go. Enjoy!
Throughout the day while I've been working at home, I've been hearing some noodling on the accordion. I'm sure it's not a recording, because the music I'm hearing isn't a song or a piece, just snippets of melodies. I've gone to look for where it's coming from but I haven't been able to track it down. I thought perhaps this accordionist was practicing in the basement, but it doesn't seem to be the case. At least I don't find the accordion annoying as so many do. It's a nice sound addition to the street. We have a lot of musicians living on this street, besides us. The guys downstairs, the electric guitarist up the street, apparently a cellist a few doors down, and now the accordion. I hope this person stays for a while and continues on with the noodling.
Natasha Khan.
Compared to Bjork, no less!
Who doesn't love the harpsichord?!?
One of the aspects of the harpsichord that continues to intrigue me is its use in the popular music (folk to pop, rock to jazz) realm. Case in point [Direct link]:
I often wonder what non-classical musicians and artists find so fascinating about the harpsichord, to the point of using it seriously in their work. I mean, I know what's cool and fun and interesting about it. I have toyed for sometime with researching and collecting enough info on the harpsichord in popular music to write a book on the subject someday. So, you may read more about this potential project as the year progresses. If anyone has suggestions or observations, please share. And enjoy this fun video of Björk singing Venus as a Boy with Guy Sigsworth at the harpsichord.
I love it when this happens:
Previously unknown Bach work discovered
The article has been picked up by numerous news outlets (including FOX news, ha!). Basically, a previously unknown Bach work for soprano and keyboard (or string) accompaniment was discovered in Weimar, in a set of 18th century German birthday cards. The piece was composed for a German duke's birthday, when Bach was 28. It is a strophic aria, the only one of Bach's output. Wolff legitimizes it as real with his verbal stamp of approval, Baerenreiter plans to publish it, and John Elliot Gardner plans to record it. I find the comment at the bottom about copyright to be a bit amusing. It's an excting time for Bach appreciators, what with this new music and the manuscripts in the Kovner gift to Juliard.
I am looking forward to hearing it! And playing it at some point.
While taking a break while running this morning, a woman came up to me and said "What is on your shirt? Is that a piano?" I had just happened to have worn my John Phillips Harpsichords t-shirt, which features images from Diderot's Encyclopèdie. I told the woman I am a harpsichordist, and that the images on my shirt were of harpsichords. She said "Oh, wow! That shirt is beautiful! Bye!" Was nice to have someone notice the harpsichords. John makes amazing instruments, and I'd love to have one.
Always funny when the harpsichord is referenced outside its natural habitat:
AN OPEN LETTER TO CONGRESS
06.26.2006
Dear Congress,
What an insult! Congress will hold public forums on illegal immigration starting next week in cities across the borderlands--and none of the hate parties will happen in Orange County, California. The snub is like denying Bach his harpsichord, the Republican Party their FOX News Channel. No national platform for Orange County keeps the rest of the nation from tuning in to our local pastime--immigrant-bashing.
Recently, I traveled to northern New Hampshire and Mohonk Mountain House in NY. We (TR and myself) were in Lancaster, NH for the FSP Porcupine Festival and I was at Mohonk to play a concert with the Neue Bach Band. NBB served as an reunion of sorts with a friend from undergrad days (long time ago). Some pictures:
Today was a beautiful day in New York City, sunny and warm. The quality of light was almost like that in California - clear and bright but not glary. Everything looked fresh. When I was planning my move to New York, one of the things I despaired about leaving behind was that amazing quality of light that you get in Mediterranean climates such as California's. Every once in a while out here, the light is almost the same. It's never identical, though, but close enough to make me feel a little homesick. I had a mad craving for iced rose garden tea, too, which fortunately I can get close to home.
Midtown's Bryant Park was particularly lovely today, what with all the trees budding and sprouting leaves. I love this time of year in the east.
Musically today, I came across this interesting site having to do with a piece of software called The Shape of Song. Created by digital artist Martin Wattenberg, it basically displays a piece of music in the shape of a series of transluscent arches, and repetition plays a big part in creating the arches. Variations from Bach's Goldberg Variations are particularly beautiful. I also enjoyed the rendering of Pachelbel's Canon. There are 648 pieces in the midi library and you can see the shapes for all of them, here.
