The composer Sir James MacMillan has called music ‘the most spiritual of the arts’, and for many people, both religious and non-religious alike, this rings true.1 But what do people mean by ‘music’ and ‘spiritual’ in this context, and what is the nature of their perceived relationship? Do certain kinds of music more readily afford spiritual experiences than others? What …
From classical to hard rock, and jazz to hip hop, music is constantly evolving, but many of the basics have stayed the same. Understanding these basics is key to becoming a successful musician and well-rounded music lover. Music Theory 101 covers everything novice musicians and lifelong learners need to know, including: -How to read sheet music -Understanding the construction of chords a…
More than two hundred years ago, a theater journal from Hamburg reviewed a performance of The Marriage of Figaro. Its author was probably Bernhard Anselm Weber, a composer and music director. The evening’s entertainment left a deep impression on Mozart’s fellow musician:It is just as one would expect from Mozart: great and beautiful, full of new ideas a…
On March 1, 1954, the United States detonated its most power ful thermo-nuclear weapon, code- named “ Castle Bravo,” at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Situated to the southeast of Bikini, the populations of Rongelap Atoll, including people residing on Ailingnae and Utrik Atolls, watched in confusion as the sun seemed to rise in the west. On Utrik, Rijen Michael, eigh teen years ol…
Fox television show Glee (2009–15), a musical comedy about a crew of lov-able misfits and their high school glee club, was highly popular. The show had good ratings, attracted a large and intense fandom, enjoyed widespread merchandise sales—and produced huge music sales. Over the course of six seasons of cast recordings, Glee placed more than two hundred songs on the Billboard Hot 100, near…
The Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley and beyond are an ethnic group of Nepal that absorbed many cultural influences from South Asia over the past two thousand years. Their Newari language belongs to the Tibeto-Burmese language group. Their admirable musical culture saw its heyday during the rule of the later Malla kings of Bhaktapur, Patan and Kathmandu (13th to 18th centu…
Bob Marley was the first, and possibly the only, superstar to emerge from the Third World. Although he lived a short life, only 36 years, Bob penned an enormous quantity of songs, pioneering a new reggae rhythm and sound that was distinctly Jamaican. An expert lyricist who could more than hold his own with any contemporary hip-hop word slinger, Bob crafted emotionally powerful chains of words t…
Hip hop is from the United States. So, in Vietnam they copy from gangsterrap videos, right?” “Hip hop is violent and misogynistic. So, why should it bea good thing for young Vietnamese people to engage with hip hop?” These aresome of the many concerned questions that I am often confronted with whentellingpeopleaboutmyresearchonyouthandhiphopinVietnam.Whatthesequestions imply, among many o…
Giuseppe Verdi’s first success was Nabucco, given in Milan on 9 March 1842. Although this was Verdi’s third opera,1 the composer referred to it as the first milestone in what would become a life-long, successful career. “With Nabucco,” he declared to Count Opprandino Arrivabeneyears later, “my career can be said to have begun.”2 However, when Verdi made his f…
A cold and grey day in an urban environment, monotony reigns and dictates the mundane lives of the city’s inhabitants. A boy wants to express his love for the girl next door. Timidly at first he starts to sing and an orchestral accompaniment slowly rises as the girl joins him in song and they begin to dance. Here the environment changes,…