History of the Nocturne

July 14, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

A nocturne is a piece of music, typically tranquil and expressive (and sometimes so gloomy), that is inspired by the night. The first musical appearance of the word nocturne occurred in the 1700s. However, these early nocturne-types were small ensemble works written specifically for an evening party rather than evoking images and feelings of the night. One example of […]

Music Favorites Part 1

June 9, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

These last few months have been a little crazy and stressful. Okay, a lot crazy and stressful. I decided to take a little break today and listen to some music that I like, so I thought I’d share some of those pieces with you. Prelude in B minor by Rachmaninoff First up: Prelude in B minor […]

Music History: The Baroque Era

April 28, 2017.Reading time 13 minutes.

Background When we say Baroque music, we typically think of composers like Bach and Handel. These composers – and this musical era in general – were vital in shaping music as we know it today. Beginning around 1600, the Baroque era was instrumental (pun definitely intended) in the normalization of tonality (harmony as we know […]

Copland’s Poems of Emily Dickinson

April 7, 2017.Reading time 9 minutes.

This week I’m listening to 12 poems of Emily Dickinson by Aaron Copland, an American composer, teacher, and conductor who lived from 1900-1990. You can read more about him here. Have you ever read a poem that spoke to you in a way nothing else has? That’s what happened to Copland. He wanted to set some poetry […]

Thinking Music

February 24, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

Today I’d like to share with you my “thinking music” playlist – music that has gotten me through hours of homework, studying, research, etc. It’s a mixture of film scores, ambient music, and more. Cascade by William Basinski: This is a wonderful example of simple electronic music that can be used for meditation. It’s quiet, understated, […]

Film Music: The Theory of Everything

February 10, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

In 2014, the movie The Theory of Everything won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (it was also nominated for an Academy Award in the same category). I don’t normally pay attention to those sorts of things, but I was intrigued by the composer – Icelandic musician Jóhann Jóhannsson – so I looked up the score. […]

Violin Music Worth Listening To

January 20, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

The violin is a string instrument widely used since its development in 16th century Italy. From that point on, composers have written incredible music for this instrument in solo and group form. Let’s explore some of that music in today’s post. Bach Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor In 1720, Johann Sebasian Bach composed […]

Christmas in November

November 18, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

This is the best time of year. Thanksgiving is next week, and when is a better time to start being thankful for Jesus’s birth? 🙂 The only music I’ve been listening to lately is Christmas music, so today I’d like to share with you a favorite holiday album of mine – Christmas Rhapsody by pianist-composer John Bayless. For his […]