“I had been working on this graphic idea of a wind-flow diagram. I started to change the volume of the lines — in a kind of random but controlled way — and I thought that this would be a suitable minimalist motif to use on the CD.”
Category: music
Scientists Are Teaching A Computer How To Improvise Jazz
“Jazz musician and computer scientist Kelland Thomas is building an AI program that can learn to play jazz and jam with the best of them, under a DARPA-funded project that aims to improve how we communicate with computers.”
The Tragedy Of iTunes And Classical Music
“When the developer Erik Kemp designed the first metadata system for MP3s in 1996, he provided only three options for attaching text to the music. Every audio file could be labeled with only an artist, song name, and album title. Kemp’s system has since been augmented and improved upon, but never replaced.” Robinson Meyer explains why Apple’s music software is such a disaster at handling classical (and other kinds of) music.
Here Are Five Classical Music Gems From The AP’s Massive New YouTube Archive
From the Philadelphia Orchestra arriving for its first tour of Britain to the inimitable Thomas Beecham introducing a concert to Maria Callas’s notorious walkout from the Rome Opera’s Norma. (video)
Dallas Morning News Classical Music Critic Takes A Buyout
Scott Cantrell’s departure will be the most significant one for the future of North Texas culture organizations — because of whether the DMN will pursue another shared-academic appointment or keep classical music reviewing a full-time staff position.
How Do You Balance The Rights Of An Artist With The Progress Of A Culture (Who Owns What?)
“The achievements of a people, be they in politics, in science or even in war, must belong on some level to the people for them to bring forth further achievements. And what is true of a society’s great experiment is true of the culture that society produces.”
Andrew Davis Re-Ups With Melbourne Symphony Through 2019
“The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has confirmed the maestro will extend his original four-year tenure to lead the orchestra until 2019, parallel to his work with Chicago’s Lyric Opera and the Toronto and BBC symphony orchestras.”
When John Cage Went On A Game Show
“In a typically Cageian manner, he announces he will make music out of seemingly unmusical objects. The piece, he explains, is called Water Walk ‘because it contains water and because I walk during the performance.'” When told that audience members might laugh, he said, “Of course. I consider laughter preferable to tears.” (video)
Reopening Your Musical Mind By Listening To Whatever The Kids Like
“I rediscovered my love for writing music. The young campers offered up creativity in its purest form. They were interested in making their own music without consideration for genre, marketability, or careerism, but rather with the intent of simply writing the music that they wanted to write. There was little angst associated with their writing process.”
How To Review Philip Glass’ Autobiography Without Being Snarky
“When I told a snarky friend I was writing about the new Philip Glass autobiography, Words Without Music, she asked, ‘Does it go like this: I, I, I, I, I, I, was, was, was, was, was, born, born, born, born?’ Snarky.”