Please feel free to take a shot at answering these five questions below. The answers aren’t difficult to find, but a few of them may surprise you! A winner will be randomly selected from the posted comments early next week: they will receive a free copy of  “The Encyclopedia of Music: Instruments of the Orchestra and the Great Composers,” Hermes House 2003. And now, on to the questions! 1. Which composer is credited with composing the first true song cycle? (Hint: it’s not Bob Dylan.) 2. In what musical work did the harpsichord enter the modern orchestra for the first [...] Read more »

So my husband took me to see “Mamma Mia!” recently, and it was a real revelation. It was a reminder—in case I’d forgotten—that all musicals are most certainly not created equal. On the one hand, the creativity of the librettist in managing to string together a catalog of completely-unrelated hits from one of the most enduring rock bands in the world (ABBA) is to be commended. On the other hand, the music of ABBA itself does not easily lend itself to the musical variety, progressive character development, psychological story depth, acting chops, haunting musical motifs, love of language, and gripping, [...] Read more »

This is the most creatively unusual and yet extraordinary performance of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” I’ve ever seen. Watch it and try to keep your own jaw from dropping! I am in awe at the creativity of the designer, who shot this video of Bach’s famous masterwork being played only by a wooden ball, activated by gravity, on a gigantic wooden “staircase” in the woods near Kyushu, Japan. (And yes, don’t let the fact that it’s currently a cell-phone commercial throw you—this is a work of Art.) Enjoy and be amazed— Read more »

Classical singers everywhere who’ve already seen this little video clip are bent double with laughter right now, tears running down their faces, gasping at the odd moments that they manage to come up for air. But although I’m one of those who enjoyed a good laugh over this brief clip, I am not one of the singers relentlessly mocking Kristin Chenoweth’s attempt to explain how to sing opera in less than 3 minutes to a television audience. A couple things to keep in mind: yes, choosing to speak of the “hoo-hoo” wasn’t Kristin’s best move for clarity. But consider this: [...] Read more »