Carnival of Music (Number 1?)
Variations on a theme. I don't know if this will take off as a real "Carnival," but I have run across several interesting musical posts in the last few days.
aTypical Joe notes a recent New Yorker article on the effect of listening primarily to recorded music. Interesting, though I'm not sure it's all as bleak as the critic in the New Yorker makes it seem. I do know that listening to a symphony or an organist on CD is nothing compared to the immediate, physical experience of the music first-hand.
Chan the Bookish Gardener points us to the BBC's Beethoven Experience, taking place this week.
Caltechgirl similarly notes the BBC Beethoven Experience, and sends us to the page where free and legal copies of each of Beethoven's symphonies are available for download.
Music Thing (one of my new favorite reads) introduces us to Peter Pringle, King of the Theremin. (Article includes an mp3 of Peter playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow").
Finally, Robert and Lynn discuss the hazards of introducing classical music as primarily a representational art form, when in fact much great music is not strictly programmatic.
I hope you enjoyed this little carnival. If you would like some more, send me links to notable musical posts. If you would like to host a carnival or two yourself, perhaps we can launch yet another Internet carnival.
Cool idea, John! It's an honor to be included in the "variations". Cheers.
Posted by: Chan S. at June 7, 2005 08:14 AMThanks for including me John! Love the idea. I hope it becomes a regular feature. And I love the posts you point to.
If I may, did you also see my posts on "Something Borrowed," about the similarities between songs and the question of if such similarities are theft or inspiration?
I think people are taking ownership too far these days, and using it to stifle creativity.
Thanks again for the link!
Posted by: Joe at June 7, 2005 12:58 PMJoe, I'm glad you liked the inaugural Carnival. I'll probably do a second one next Monday, and see if I can give it enough of a push to take off like other Carnivals of the blog-world.
And I left a comment on your Norah Jones/Peanuts post when you put it up. Something to the effect of how little Bach would be able to do in a copyright climate like today's.
Thanks for the pointer to the Jerusalem of Gold post, as I missed that one. How ridiculous. Some of the greatest classical music (particularly of the Romantics) was composed on borrowed folk themes.