And Lloyd Barnes, the founder of Wackie’s, wants his reggae studio and label to live on after he retires – but more than that, the sound and the style. “His concerns now are ensuring that his studio carries on the traditions of roots reggae and lovers rock — the primary styles he works in — and sharing his knowledge with the younger people who populate it.” – The New York Times
Category: music
How Does Baritone Peter Mattei Become Wozzeck?
Mattei’s voice and stage presence have made him a popular Figaro or Don Giovanni, but the 54-year-old “was cast against type as Wozzeck, a soldier who is ground down by poverty and oppressed by sadistic authority figures before he descends into hallucinatory madness, murder and suicide.” How does he transform? – The New York Times
The Opera World Has Fads Too
Right now, Meyerbeer is out, and Korngold is definitely in – and the historical reasons are complex, revealing much about 20th century history. – The New York Times
A Kentucky Opioid Recovery Program Uses Traditional Stringed Instruments To Keep People Engaged (And Employed)
While some in recovery opt for yoga or prayer groups, the group that chooses to connect with Kentucky’s musical heritage is doing well. “The art of crafting an instrument by hand requires keen focus, attention to detail and commitment to a goal — qualities that can help during recovery, in concert with therapy, peer-support groups and other rehabilitation work, experts say.” – The New York Times
Yes, We Do Need More New Recordings Of Classical Music
Anthony Tommasini says new recordings are vital, no matter how many we’ve got from the past: “New takes on standard repertory works — if not as essential as recordings of works by living composers or of overlooked scores from the past — can enrich and enliven the art form. It’s empowering for performers and audiences alike to have recordings of these scores by artists we can hear today.” – The New York Times
The #ListenWider Challenge
Want to break out of your algorithmically-determined musical taste? How about being more intentional about what you listen to? Musicology Duck has set up a listening challenge for 2020 that prompts us to listen more outside our usual pathways. There are 30 challenges encouraging you to seek out music you wouldn’t normally encounter. – Musicology Duck
What Caused The Death Of iTunes
By the time the software was euthanized earlier this year, it had become an embarrassment, a mess of greasy preference panes and grayed-out, unreliable content. We were glad to see it go. – The Atlantic
Musicological Mythbuster Linda Shaver-Gleason: The Exit Interview
William Robin: “Linda tackled subjects from the purported ugliness of contemporary music to the contested idea of the ‘masterpiece’ to myths around Beethoven’s deafness to whether music is actually a universal language (spoiler alert: it’s not). … A little over two weeks ago, however, she posted a new entry: ‘I didn’t finish the book, and I’m not resuming the blog. Instead, I’m dying.’ … We spoke on the phone on Sunday. Here is an edited transcript of our conversation: an exit interview with one of my favorite public musicologists.” – National Sawdust Log
The Snopes Of Musicology? No, Linda Shaver-Gleason Has Been Much More Than That
“Since 2016, California musicologist Linda Shaver-Gleason has been using [her] site” — called Not Another Music History Cliché! — “to compile a clear-eyed and level-headed accounting of the ways in which the conventional wisdom about classical music (like conventional wisdom in all walks of life) consistently leads us astray.” Alas, as Joshua Kosman writes, she’s leaving all too much unfinished. – San Francisco Chronicle
The Ecological Information Embedded In Indigenous Music
For Indigenous Peoples who have lived within their traditional territories for generations, music is a repository of ecological knowledge, with songs embedding ancestors’ knowledge, teachings and wisdom. – The Conversation