AN OPEN LETTER TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE CORCORAN GALLERY Dear Mr. Bollerer: As someone who writes frequently about the Gilded Age, I’ve long been eager to visit the Corcoran Gallery to study your most iconic painting: Frederick Church’s “Niagara.” I was recently in DC and seized the opportunity, arriving one Sunday in the late morning only to discover a cellist in the atrium playing movements from the Bach cello suites. The atrium is a resonant space and the cello was loudly audible in the galleries. A painting summons thought and … [Read more...]
Teaching Music Across the Curriculum
June 11, 2012 by
Cross-disciplinary education is in fashion right now, but I have the impression it’s more honored in the breach than the observance, at least insofar as music is concerned. My vantage point is limited but informative. As readers of this blog know, I have for years espoused using the story of Dvorak in America to sneak the humanities into Social Studies and History classrooms by the back door. I have learned a few things in the process. One is that the usual obstacle is ostensibly curricular: learning standards and standardized syllabi … [Read more...]
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Saul Davis on What Are Ballet Conductors For?
Based on the comments of dancers I've known, the ballet conductor's job seems to be getting the tempos wrong for...Joe Horowitz on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
Thank you both for this thread, somehow propelled by my posting. I have a couple of thoughts. One is about...James Primosch on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
Much food for thought in your comments - thank you. It would be foolish to argue the merits of American...william osborne on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
BTW, I should add that there are probably more performances of established American composers in Europe than there are in...william osborne on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
Thank you for the interesting response. If we’re going to have a discussion, I would suggest we leave aside...James Primosch on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
"Parochial", defined as "having a limited or narrow outlook or scope", seems to be a more apt description of the...william osborne on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
I should add here the massive network of highly funded state radios in Europe all of which have a specific...william osborne on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
Cage is definitely in their category in terms of his influence and recognition, and yet he does not have the...James Primosch on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
Adams, Babbitt, Barber, Carter, Cage, Crumb - I haven't even gotten past the "C's", yet have named six post-war American...william osborne on “The Chasm Between Doing Music and Thinking About It”
“I remember being asked by a distinguished member of the English faculty why musical performance should become curricular.” To this day...