World Music Exploration - Ragtime Music

I bet you're expecting to hear Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag or The Entertainer with a title like today's entry. Nope.The fact of the matter is, there were several other ragtime music composers, such as Joseph Lamb, James Scott, Jelly Roll Morton,Charles L. Johnson and May Aufderheide. What defines ragtime music? First off, there's the syncopated melody. If you look at sheet music, you'll see many ties and rests that shift the accents. Next, there's the stride piano bass (the "boom-chick" part). They are all pretty steady, keeping a march-like time. Then there's the form - that's pretty fairly standard; |:A:||:B:|A|:C:| Trio being quite common.

This week's clip is a ragtime version of a famous Star Wars Theme: Cantina Band, performed by Martin Spitznagel & Bryan Wright. Enjoy!

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Great Performances - Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma and Perlman

This is a new weekly blog series I cooked up while having lunch. Each week, I will highlight a great performance that I have stumbled upon online.This is a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C Major, op. 56 for violin, piano and cello. It's a beautiful collaborative work that showcases Beethoven's ability to balance several weaving passages.This clip features three giants of the concert world: Daniel Barenboim (piano/conductor), Itzhak Perlman on violin and Yo-Yo Ma on cello.Watch how Barenboim cues in the orchestra with his body language. Also, look at how confident and comfortable the trio is with each other. They don't need to look at each other much. They cue each other in very subtly.

September 3, 2020 note: Looks like the videos were removed from Youtube, so here’s a video of Anne-Sophie Mutter with Maestro Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma:

Save Our Fine Arts Meeting September 12, 2011

The Save Our Fine Arts (SOFA) executive committee has a meeting with Alison Redford (PC Party leadership candidate) this coming Monday, September 12th in Calgary:

• Time: 7:30 p.m. to approximately 8:45 p.m.

• Location: St. John’s Music Store (105 - 58th Avenue SE, Calgary), 3 blocks east of Chinook Mall. There is plenty of free parking

This meeting is open to the public. SOFA is an organization set up in response to Alberta Education’s proposed changes to our Fine Arts Curriculum.  For more information, visit SOFA's website or contact saveourfinearts@gmail.com.

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - In the Pines

Well, here we are at the beginning of another exciting year of music making. Summer was busy with a handful of summer students, a couple of gigs and just doing "house stuff" (both inside and out).

My students and I will resume our World Music Exploration with the United States. This week, we are checking out the traditional American folk song called In the Pines

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It dates back to the 1870s and supposedly hails from the Southern Appalachian region. As with many folk songs, the composer is unknown. However, it has been recorded by several prominent musicians, from Lead Belly to Dolly Parton and from Joan Baez to Nirvana.

World Music Exploration - Musica Popular Brasiliera

We wrap up the school year with some MPB: musica popular Brasiliera. This week's artist hails from Salvador: Daniela Mercury. Her style is a mix of reggae and traditional Latin grooves.

This clip features a lively salsa groove. Here's Rapunzel from Daniela Mercury's 1997 album: Feijão com Arroz.

 Click on the CD if you'd like to explore more of Daniela Mercury's music: