These are a few of my favorite things . . . Christmas Song edition

I think secular Christmas music can be pretty horrible. I've always felt that jazz is the best thing to happen to Christmas in ages. However, the greatest Christmas music is in the sacred tradition. Some of which dating back hundreds of years. To pick my favorites was difficult. I believe Christmas music was not just meant to be heard but to be sung by everyone so I included on my list some sing-a-long settings which I love the most. Keeping that in mind, none do not properly belong on this list. I found myself constantly drawn to the sacred tradition of Christmas music. There are many great ones I didn't include for one reason or another, and please challenge me on my choices! But I'll likely be very stubborn. These ARE the greatest Christmas songs.

Here are my top five favorite songs to hear this time of year. Each is a masterpiece and ranking them was difficult and may be interchangeable.

6 - Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (Elizabeth Poston)

5 - Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Lo, how a rose e'er blooming) (Michael Praetorius)

4 - Once In Royal David's City (arr. David Wilcocks)

3 - A New Year Carol (Benjamin Britten) [YouTube doesn't yet have a decent recording I could find)

2 - The Three Kings (Healy Willan)

1 - Stille Nacht (Franz Gruber and & Joseph Mohr)

Best version is the original, with the original melody/harmonies, and guitar accompaniment; of course with congregation call-and-response. THIS is Christmas to me. (I was unable to upload and audio of this, let me know and I will email you a recording of this- the image at the top is of the original score)

Fall Reading List 2011

Here's some stuff I read over fall break and whether or not think you should read them:

• Degeneres, Ellen. Seriously . . . I'm Kidding (2011) - its a fun read with no agenda. read it.

• Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart (1958) - important and exquisitely written. read it.

• Martin, Steve. Pure Drivel (1998) - wonderful, genius. read it.

• Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederic Douglass, an American Slave (1848) - eye-opening and inspiring. read it.

• Savage, Dan. The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage and My Family (2005) - excellent and emotional arguments, powerful. read it.

• King, Martin Luther Jr. Why We Can't Wait (1963) - essential. read it.

• Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis (1915) - outstanding, with great style. read it.

• Washington, Harriet A. Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (2007) - shocking and important. read it.

• Stockett, Kathryn. The Help (2009) - boring and oversimplified. this list's only skip it.

• Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) - witty and hilarious. read it.

Lucky Number Eight

Who knew?

This blog has quickly turned into a public expression of my mixed relationship with Ludwig van Beethoven.

I recently attended the symphony where they played two Stravinsky overtures, Beethoven's 8th Symphony, and the headliner was Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major. I thought I went to see and enjoy the Emperor concerto. What a surprise!

Are you familiar with the 8th Symphony? It premiered in a concert with his furious and wonderful 7th symphony, and was not received well. Next to each other, the 8th seems tame and quiet, nothing like the reputation Beethoven had attained for himself. Apparently Beethoven's deafness was pretty serious but he still conducted the premeir (though the orchestra didn't follow him, following the principle violin instead). It was critically and popularly a disappointment. Interestingly enough, Beethoven said the poor reviews were because "the 8th is so much better."

I completely agree. This is one of Beethoven's finest works. The first movement is a perfect example of sonata form with the climax in the recapitulation rather than the development. Typical of Beethoven, it has a large coda. The second movement is a charming slow-movement sonata form. Interestingly enough, Beethoven has a minuet and trio as a third movement, a normality that was obsolete at this point. Tchaikovsky called the fourth movement one of the greatest symphonic masterpieces of Beethoven. It ends in a remarkable sonata-rondo form where Beethoven explores some of his most dramatic and daring musical experiments.

Being almost entirely unaware of this piece before it was a delight to listen to, and one of my favorite major Classical-era works. Please do yourself a favor and have a listen.

(also, the Emperor concerto is still amazing. Mvt. II remains one of my favorite Classical-Era pieces ever, and one of the most important works of all time.

Summer Reading List 2011

This is list is significantly shorter than last year's. I feel like I should make an excuse. I won't. Instead, I'll just make this one less laborious to read.

Let's discuss them, especially if you disagree. Let me know if you have recommendations.

Tate, Joseph (ed.). The Music and Art of Radiohead (2005)

Important band, great collection of essays. Read it.

The Constitution of the United States (1787)/The Declaration of Independence (1776)/Articles of Confederation (1777)

I try to read these annually. You should too. Read it.

Dobyns, Jay. No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels (2010)

Interesting topic, pretentiously written. Skip it.

Gallwey, Timothy. The Inner Game of Tennis (1974)

About more than tennis. Essential for any teacher. Read it.

Crawford, Richard. An Introduction to America's Music (2001)

Don't let the title deceive you. Valuable and academic volume. Read it.

Fey, Tina. Bossypants (2011)

Funny, but rambling. Insightful and smart, but poorly constructed. Skip it.

Bass, Lance. Out of Sync (2007)

Surprising interesting. Skip it.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief (2005)

Really excellent teenager book. I am not a teenager. Skip it.

Moss Steven. The Tragedy of the Little Red Chaperon (2009)

Short story by a friend of mine in the style of Shakespeare. Outstanding. Read it.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)

Favorite read of the summer. Wow. Read it.

Allen, James. As a Man Thinketh (1903)

Good insight, but like all self-help books (this being the first) it's generic and oversimplified. Skip it.

Wilde, Oscar. Salomé (1891)

Witty, dark, smart. Entertaining play. Read it.

Dickey, James. Deliverance (1970)

Exciting story of wilderness survival under extreme circumstances. Doesn't live up to its psychological possibilities. Skip it.

Sedaris, David. Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000)

Clever and witty essays, though disjunct. Skip it.

Burrel, Tom. Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority (2010)

Burrel points out the origins of the Black inferiority myth and issues a challenge to change by offering helpful suggestions. Not afraid to criticize people by name. Read it.

Camus, Albert. The Stranger (1946)

Outstanding book. Just Read it.

Kim Jong Il: A brief history (1998)

His official biography. Narcissistic and clearly carefully chosen anecdotes. Skip it.

where the music comes from

at the risk of turning into the obituary pages...

Lee Hoiby is where the music comes from.

(I want to be where the music comes from/when the clock stops/when it's now
I want to be with the friends around me/who have found me/who show me how
I want to sing to the early morning/see the sunlight melt the snow
and oh I want to grow!

-Lee Hoiby)

his music was criticized as "too old fashioned" and "irrelevant" to modern society
he wrote what he wanted to write
it is beautiful

(his music has always affected me personally in quite a profound way that others in his style have never done)

he attracted the attention of Leontyne Price who helped make his songs popular
he then wrote primarily opera
he studied with some of the major musical figures of the day including Francis Poulenc

if you are a vocalist and don't have some of his music in your rep. you should


"and oh! I want to love"


the serpent by Lee Hoiby sung by Leontyne Price

ps Thank-you to my voice teacher Evelyn Harris for introducing me to this man.
pps If you are interested in doing a tribute type of performance in your ensemble, I know of a very nice arrangement of "Where The Music Comes From" that you can get directly from the arranger . . . (me)

a day early

radiohead released their new album

the king of limbs

a day earlier than they announced
good move
we've waited long enough

download it here and enjoy

eric whitacre is a composer right now

eric whitacre is a composer right now
meaning he's alive right now
and he's composing music sometimes

actually the dude puts out tons of work every year-

a few years ago a gave up my ultra fan-"ness" of the man=as you know i get terribly bored/ particularly when composers do the SAME thing OVERANDOVERANDOVER (which was what he was doing) despite some fantastic hits:
everything started sounding the same, samechordssamestructuresamewordpaintingsamemotivicmaterial = BORING! i'm bored now

well i think HE got bored too and started writing some more interesting and daring stuff. [his opera: paradise lost is very interesting - elements of trance, dance, electronica and karate]. like beethoven (yep, i'm comparing him to beethoven, only because i don't like old Ludwig Van too much) he seems to have developed an interest in fugues and counterpoint though he has a long way to go once he finally gets rid of all of his "trademarks" and develops truly inspired and mature counterpoint.

[pause for a second for a personal note from the author to the composer: Please Mr Whitacre, Please perfect and release your piece about the air raid. I know I've asked you about this in person, but I'll persist. Eldorado High School won't answer my letters either!]

why am i talking about him then? well the SALT LAKE CHORAL ARTISTS are doing an entire concert of his work: the ERIC WHITACRE EXTRAVAGANZA on Feb 19th at 2pm and 7:30 pm. i'll be in this and whether or not you love his music you'll have a life-changing experience from these exquisite choirs.

so go

conducted by DR BRADY ALLRED, the man adds a tenderness and interpretive element, unique to his groups that is delicate and moving. you will never hear these performed like this again in your life.

again i understand if you don't love whitacre, i don't always either. but GO. the performance will make you question your dislike of him:

whitacre hits (really really good things he's written):
cloudburst
water night
lux aurumque
i thank you God for most this amazing day

that's all come if you'd like (i'd like you to)

Milton Babbit

Milton Babbitt died yesterday

who cares?

the composer was a specialist

"
the composer today expends an enormous amount of time and energy - and usually, considerable money - on the creation of a commodity which has little or no commodity value

towards this condition of musical and societal isolation a variety of attitudes has been expressed usually with the purpose of assigning blame, often to the music itself

but to assign blame is to imply that this isolation is undesirable and unnecessary

only in politics and art does the layman regard himself as an expert, with the right to have his opinion heard

in the realm of music, the listener feels secure in the assumption that his firmly stated, "i didn't like it" should be protected from further scrutiny

i am aware that tradition has it that the average listener, by virtue of some undefined, transcendental faculty, is thought to be always able to arrive at a musical judgment absolute in it's wisdom

why should the layman be anything other than bOrEd or PuZZled by what he is unable to understand, whether it be music or mathematics?

why do we refuse to recognize the possibility that music has reached a stage of development already reached by other arts and sciences?

the time has passed when the normally well-educated man without special preparation could be expected to understand the most advanced work in mathematics, philosophy, or physics

i dare to suggest that the composer would do himself and his music an immediate service by a total and voluntary withdrawal from this public to one of private performance and electronic media, with the result of the complete elimination of the public and social aspects of musical composition. by so doing the composer would be free to pursue a private life of professional achievement, as opposed to a public life of unprofessional compromise and exhibitionism. failure to do so will lead to a situation in which music will cease to evolve, and in a more important sense, cease to live
"

Philomel (1964) : for yOur ConTinuing listenINg pleAsuRe (or DispleasurE)

goodbye sir


(Quotes from: Babbitt, Milton. "Who Cares if You listen?," from High Fidelity, VII/2 (February, 1958), 38-40, 126,27. . . liberties in the transfer have been taken)