If you lived through the '90s, you probably remember that strange-upon-reflection moment where everyone was into Gregorian Chant. It's pretty strange that a religious tradition that is more than 1000 years old, and not even that common in actual Roman catholic practice these days, was suddenly a hot topic. The album Chant, recorded by Benedictine monks,... Continue Reading →
How Drums Affect How You Hear Genre
Maybe I just continually gloss over it, but it seems like drumming styles are frequently neglected in discussions of genres in rock music. I've realized more and more over the years how much I rely on drum style as a genre marker, just for my own ear and tastes. It's something I still have a... Continue Reading →
The L’Homme Arme Tradition
L'Homme arme is one of the best known songs of the Renaissance. BBC Radio did a documentary about it called "The Smash Hit of 1453," alluding to the date Constantinople was seized by the Ottoman Turks. (1) It is a short, catchy song about how one must fear the man at arms. In the context... Continue Reading →
Wrapping up Notation, Moving into Dissertation
Greetings, music enthusiasts! I took my exams and since then I've been hard at work on a dissertation prospectus, which is almost done. I've done a lot of reading, so I figured I might begin sharing some of my work toward my dissertation. Let's tie up some loose ends first, and then we'll mosey on.... Continue Reading →
Music 101: A History of Notation (part 2)
In part 1 of this history of notation, we covered the earliest medieval notation up to the birth of mensural (measured) notation, c. 1260. In part 2, we'll proceed through the development of mensural notation, up to about 1400. The 14th century has the most challenging repertory in Western history, barring some of the most... Continue Reading →
Music 101: A History of Notation (part 1)
I'm in the midst of preparing for my comprehensive exams (the last hurdle before dissertation writing), and that brings us to today's topic: the history of notation! You will not need to be able to read music in order to follow, but, it goes without saying that we're going to be talking about a lot... Continue Reading →
The oldest music in the world
I got two similar questions -- "What is the oldest composition I know of," and "What is the earliest form of music and which civilization was the first to use it as a form of entertainment?" Unfortunately, both of these questions are difficult to answer, because of the ephemeral nature of music and the inevitable... Continue Reading →
Katarina von Sporken
Violent Brain Fever 