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Stradivarious Sound Explained
For hundreds of years, the perfect harmonious sound of Stradivarious Violins (revered violins built by expert crafstman Antonio Stradivari) baffled experts. Blogger Brandon Keim says that scientists have deduced the reason behind the perfect instruments. Since Stradivari lived during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age" targe="blank">Little Ice Age</a> this caused his violins to be made with wood from more uniformed rings.
Reason being that During The LIttle Ice Age, trees grew a little faster during the summer, giving tree rings (and thus rings in wood used by Strativari) a smaller more uniformed shape.
Other reasons given accredited to the Stradivarious's sound were "...varnishes, boiling and submersion in ponds."
Listen and Loin. The video is of Violin Vurtuoso Joshua Bell in a DC Metro, waiting to see if he will be noticed expertly playing on his very own Stradivarious.
PS(I don't know what kind of music buffs any of yall are, but this is interesting to me :D) For hundreds of years, the perfect harmonious sound of Stradivarious Violins (revered violins built by expert crafstman Antonio Stradi... more -
Homer's "Odyssey" may have historical fact
Using clues from star and sun positions mentioned by the ancient Greek poet Homer, scholars think they have determined the date when King Odysseus returned from the Trojan War and slaughtered a group of suitors who had been pressing his wife to marry one of them.
Homer's possible reference to a solar eclipse helped scholars date Odysseus' return from the Trojan War.
It was on April 16, 1178 B.C. that the great warrior struck with arrows, swords and spears, killing those who sought to replace him, a pair of researchers say in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Experts have long debated whether the books of Homer reflect the actual history of the Trojan War and its aftermath.
Marcelo O. Magnasco of Rockefeller University in New York and Constantino Baikouzis of the Astronomical Observatory in La Plata, Argentina, acknowledge they had to make some assumptions to determine the date Odysseus returned to his kingdom of Ithaca.
But interpreting clues in Homer's "Odyssey" as references to the positions of stars and a total eclipse of the sun allowed them to determine when a particular set of conditions would have occurred.
"What we'd like to achieve is to get the reader to pick up the "Odyssey," and read it again, and ponder," said Magnasco. "And to realize that our understanding of these texts is quite imperfect, and even when entire libraries have been written about Homeric studies, there is still room for further investigation."
Their study potentially adds support to the accuracy of Homer's writing.
"Under the assumption that our work turns out to be correct, it adds to the evidence that he knew what he was talking about," Magnasco said. "It still does not prove the historicity of the return of Odysseus," he said. "It only proves that Homer knew about certain astronomical phenomena that happened much before his time."
Homer reports that on the day of the slaughter the sun is blotted from the sky, possibly a reference to an eclipse. In addition, he mentions more than once that it is the time of a new moon, which is necessary for a total eclipse, the researchers say.
Other clues include:
• Six days before the slaughter, Venus is visible and high in the sky.
• Twenty-nine days before, two constellations -- the Pleiades and Bootes -- are simultaneously visible at sunset.
• And 33 days before, Mercury is high at dawn and near the western end of its trajectory. This is the researchers' interpretation, anyway. Homer wrote that Hermes, the Greek name for Mercury, traveled far west to deliver a message.
"Of course we believe it's amply justified, otherwise we would not commit it to print. However we do recognize there's less ammunition to defend this interpretation than the others," Magnasco said.
"Even though the other astronomical references are much clearer, our interpretation of them as allusions to astronomical phenomena is an assumption," he added in an interview via e-mail.
For example, Magnasco said, Homer writes that as Odysseus spread his sails out of Ogygia, "sleep did not weigh on his eyelids as he watched the Pleiades, and late-setting Bootes, and the Bear."
"We assume he means that as Odysseus set sail shortly after sunset, at nautical twilight the Pleiades and Bootes were simultaneously visible, and that Bootes would be the later-setting of the two," Magnasco explained.
"It is a good assumption because every member of his audience would know what was being discussed, as the Pleiades and Bootes were important to them to know the passage of the seasons and would be very familiar with which times of the year they were visible. Remember the only calendar they had was the sky."
Since the occurrence of an eclipse and the various star positions repeat over different periods of time, Magnasco and Baikouzis set out to calculate when they would all occur in the order mentioned in the "Odyssey." Using clues from star and sun positions mentioned by the ancient Greek poet Homer, scholars think they have determined the date when K... more -
Sacrifice For My Sons
John from Secondhand Serenade has been deeply impacted by the love and sacrifice of his father. MySpace.com/SecondhandSerenade
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John Cage "4'33"
Concert dedicated to John Cage. This video was chosen to the TOP 10 video on Classical Music on the WeShow Awards US Edition.
Cage fluxus contemporary music classical Concert dedicated to John Cage. This video was chosen to the TOP 10 video on Classical Music on the WeShow Awards US Edition. ... more -
Erie Saxophone Quartet (live)
Four exceptionally talented students from SUNY Fredonia graced the Awakened Cafe with their presence last Friday... Check out the first ten minutes of their show!
More: www.AwakenedCafe.com
Peace & Love!
Jeremy Four exceptionally talented students from SUNY Fredonia graced the Awakened Cafe with their presence last Friday... Check out the firs... more -
Classical music lovers protest CBC cuts
Classical music will still be heard on the network but there will be less of it. Instead, there will be more pop, jazz and world music, which protesters say is available on commercial radio stations. Classical music will still be heard on the network but there will be less of it. Instead, there will be more pop, jazz and world music... more
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Classic Children's Book "The Runaway Bunny" Adapted into CD/Concert Featuring Broo...
The Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel (SCMCI), in conjunction with The Feher Foundation, proudly present the world premiere of Glen Roven’s The Runaway Bunny at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Tuesday, April 29th @ 7:30pm. Performed by the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) with guest narrator Brooke Shields and internationally renowned violinist Ittai Shapira, The Runaway Bunny is a contemporary Concert Piece for Violin, Reader and Orchestra that serves as the musical adaptation of one of the most beloved and best-selling children’s books of all time. In 2006, Emmy award-winning composer Glen Roven collaborated with violin supernova Ittai Shapira to produce The Runaway Bunny recording with Brooke Shields and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. Since its UK release on the SONY/BMG label, millions of listeners have embraced it. Following its recent success across the pond, SONY/BMG is slated to release The Runaway Bunny/Paddington Bear’s First Concert/Tubby The Tuba children’s classics album in the United States April 8th. The Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel (SCMCI), in conjunction with The Feher Foundation, proudly present the world premier... more
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Metropolis Ensemble Premieres New Works at Times Center April 10th
Metropolis Ensemble, New York’s premier professional chamber orchestra dedicated to emerging a new generation of composers and performers, springs into the new season with a one-night only concert of 20th century masterpieces at the Times Center (242 West 41st Street), Thursday, April 10th @ 8:00pm. Led by Artistic Director/Conductor Andrew Cyr, the concert is soaked by special guest artists including pianist Anna Polonsky who spearheads the world premiere of Piano Concerto by young composer Ryan Francis. Complementing the program is a dramatic series of three diverse modern works that reveal an unfolding vista of color and sensual imagery including Maurice Ravel’s Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Five Images from Sappho with soprano Kiera Duffy, and Erik Satie’s Sports et Divertissements, 20 brilliant sketches in a newly commissioned arrangement by London-based composer David Bruce for chamber orchestra and narrator/spoken word artist Mike Daisey. Metropolis Ensemble, New York’s premier professional chamber orchestra dedicated to emerging a new generation of composers and perform... more
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My Houston "Nao Kusuzaki & Connor Walsh / Houston Ballet"
Nao Kusuzaki and Connor Walsh are dancers with the Houston Ballet, America's 5th largest dance company with an amazing range of contemporary and classical styles. This is one of 9 spots in the "My Houston" campaign celebrating the truly unique people and places in America's 4th largest city. http://www.visitmyhouston.com
http://www.houstonballet.org
Produced by the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Executive Producers: Holly Clapham Rosenow, Lindsey Brown, Laurette Canizares, Katy Huggins
Production Company: http://www.zenfilm.net
Producer: Merideth Melville
Director: W. Ross Wells
Cinematographer: Richard Lacy
Unit Production Manager: Jarrod Gullett
Key Grip: David Zenteno
Best Boy: Michael Turrin
Make Up: Darcie Teasley, AM Studios
Production Design/Motion Graphics: Luis Clavell
HD Post Facility: Zenfilm
Editorial: W. Ross Wells
Audio Post Facility: http://www.sugarhillstudios.com
Sound Designer: James Garlington
Cameras and Lens Systems: Panavision Plus 8 Houston
Lighting and Grip: MC Lighting and Production Services Houston.
Ballet Footage provided by Katy Bomar Creative & Locke Bryan Productions
Nao Kusuzaki and Connor Walsh are dancers with the Houston Ballet, America's 5th largest dance company with an amazing range of contem... more -
Just Ring for Art
These graffiti artists spray around town and then invite people to buy prints of their graffiti online, the more people buy, the higher the price! These graffiti artists spray around town and then invite people to buy prints of their graffiti online, the more people buy, the highe... more
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Jennifer Grassman Music Videos
Video group dedicated to music, performance and other videos about gothic, celtic, rock, classical singer/songwriter Jennifer Grassman. All JG vids welcome. Video group dedicated to music, performance and other videos about gothic, celtic, rock, classical singer/songwriter Jennifer Grassman... more
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Jennifer Grassman on MySpace Music
Jennifer Grassman's music is hard to define...a fusion of folk, rock, blues, classical and celtic influences...check out her music and more on this site. Jennifer Grassman's music is hard to define...a fusion of folk, rock, blues, classical and celtic influences...check out her music and... more
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Sugarhill Recording Studios Tape Vault
With over 65 years of experience in the music industry and 70 charting records on the Billboard top 100, SugarHill Recording Studios has established a solid reputation as one of the most prolific recording studios in the Gulf Coast area. Our longevity, history of producing hit records, and reputation for quality recording have made the SugarHill name known throughout the music world.
The SugarHill Tape Vault is a web site where SugarHill artists are recognized for their musical contribution to the SugarHill experience and to Texas music history. Every record you find here was recorded and/or mixed in one of our three studios. Please take a moment to leisurely stroll through our past. With over 65 years of experience in the music industry and 70 charting records on the Billboard top 100, SugarHill Recording Studios h... more -
Elevator Music
Problems arise when a conservative old man
walks into the same lift as a 15 year old girl
who likes to play loud music from her mobile
phone. Problems arise when a conservative old man walks into the same lift as a 15 year old girl ... more -
Ill Mitch
I'm ill mitch
now listen me recording
when i'm on street you know i'm speed-boarding
anyone who boards shall call me board master
OH HO your board? i'll mitch board faster
wear oakley shades,yes i do
say no to rollerblades and should you
ride my board in the street
ride my board and i'm ill
ride my board so quick
ride my board down a hill
i ride in a pool, i ride a half tube
i board fast like gleam in the cube
if you got a problem with tony hawk
get off your wheels and take a phony walk
going to fast you can barely see me board
i go faster than a ranger ford
in russia call me danger lord
come take a seat on my anger sword I'm ill mitch now listen me recording when i'm on street you know i'm speed-boarding anyone who boards shall call me board master ... more -
BBC - Radio 4 The Making of Music - Classical Music Timeline
A helpful visual timeline that shows where Lizt falls in the history of music.
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Berezovsky Plays Lizt Mazeppa
Boris is a great ivory-tickler...
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