“Eveline”-Nickel Creek

A few photographs of “Nickel Creek” I found on the Internet and then arranged as I thought best with one of their most creative songs “Eveline”

A fine trio featuring violin, mandolin and acoustic guitar

Choral Music Videos

(Including the solos/quartets …)
Mozart Coronation Mass; Agnus Dei

I know that my redeemer liveth. Handel

Recordare: Mozart Requiem

Mozart. Great Mass in C minor

Thomas Morley. April-is-in-my-mistress’ face

Haydn – Nelson Messe – Kyrie

Precisely how the Nelson Mass became so called, when and by whom shall probably never be known. What is at least clear is that within a month of the Battle of the Nile (1 August 1798) Haydn had completed a Mass in D Minor, and within months of the Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) that same mass had become known as the Nelson Mass.

The “Kyrie” section translates as ‘Lord have mercy’.

Similar Maria Callas sings Puccini.

PJ Harvey – The Piano

PJ Harvey – The Piano
Live acoustic and brilliant

PJ Harvey

The lyrics:

Hit her with a hammer
Teeth smashed in
Red tongue twitching
Look inside her skeleton

My fingers sting
Where I feel your fingers have been
Ghostly fingers
Moving my limbs

Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you

Daddy’s in the corner
Rattling his keys
Mommy’s in the doorway
Trying to leave

Nobody’s listening
Nobody’s listening
Nobody’s listening
Nobody’s listening
Nobody’s listening
Nobody’s listening
Nobody’s listening
Nobody’s listening

Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you
Oh God I miss you

Maria Callas sings ‘Senza Mamma’ (Puccini)

Maria Callas: Senza Mamma (Puccini)

An excellent video, with the English translation following the display of the original words.

Maria Callas sings:

Glenmed’s notes:
Sister Angelica was put away to a convent after giving birth to an illegitimate child. After 7 years without news of her son, she is visited by a cruel aunt and told that he died in infancy. She wishes she could be together with him in heaven.

Suor Angelica – Puccini

Recorded in 1954 at Watford Town Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Tulio Serafin. This was during the same recording sessions when her “La mamma morta” and “Ebben, Ne andro lontana” were produced.

Maria Callas operatic soprano

Maria Callas (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was born in New York City and raised by an overbearing mother, she received her musical education in Greece and established her career in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies of wartime poverty and with myopia that left her nearly blind on stage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career. She turned herself from a heavy woman into a svelte and glamorous one after a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career. The press exulted in publicizing Callas’s allegedly temperamental behavior, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi, and her love affair with Aristotle Onassis. Her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press. However, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her “The Bible of opera”, and her influence so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: “Nearly thirty years after her death, she’s still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music’s best-selling vocalists.”

John Adams – Short Ride in a Fast Machine

The liveliest tune on BBC radio 3 3breakfast this morning was Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams.

John Adams, American composer

Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams video with animation

Animations synchronsied to live orchestral performance for education & entertainment

Will I ever have time to create animations, I wonder? …

John Adams is sometimes labelled ‘minimalist’, but why label him at all?

A prolific composer, and no doubt influenced by everything he likes: minimalist, maximalist, loud, quiet, rhythmic, unpredictable, …

Choral, film work and electronic compositions feature in his creativity. A favourite of mine:

On the Transmigration of Souls – John Adams video

Ticking Bomb – Hanne Hukkelberg

Ticking Bomb – Hanne Hukkelberg
I love this song. I’ve always had a weak spot for orchestras that include everything they can find in the kitchen and garden shed. And end with the first four bars …

self publishing for artists

Google custom domains

I don’t have time to try the Blogger custom domains at the moment (having just transfered several blogs using sftp) but if anyone does and can tell us about it, please do so.

Post a comment and I’ll make it into a post if you like (with a link to your original article if you publish elsewhere).

#11

addendum

Custom Domains turned out to be brilliant. the archiving is not ideal, but can be done better with individual posts if you use Blogger Custom Domains as a publishing system (needing your posts to be in search indexes permanently).

update 24 August 2010:

Flatpress and Pivot (and other publishing systems) now offer blogging without needing a database

Kathleen Mary Ferrier – Lamento d’Arianna (Monteverdi)

Monteverdi
Lamento d’Arianna,
also known by its first words, “Lasciatemi morire” (“Let me die”)

L’Arianna (SV 291) was the second opera written by Monteverdi. It was first performed in Mantua in 1608. The opera has been lost except for the Lamento d’Arianna, also known by its first words, “Lasciatemi morire” (“Let me die”) The lamento was preserved because Monteverdi later re-published it as a standalone piece in 1623.

Kathleen Mary Ferrier

She died aged only 41, courageously completing her final public performance during the course of the terminal illness.

Ferrier excelled in the music of Mahler, in Bach and in Handel. Her recitals often included songs by Schubert, Schumann and Brahms and towards the end of her career she sang Chausson’s Poeme de l’amour et de la mer – her only major work from the French repertory. Ferrier is perhaps best-remembered for her interpretations of British folk songs, including Blow the wind southerly.

She was in demand throughout the UK, and also sang regularly in the Netherlands, where she was extremely popular, and in France, Germany, Italy and in Scandinavia. She paid three visits to North America (1948, 1949 and 1950) and sang at each of the first six Edinburgh International Festivals .

Benjamin Britten wrote several works specifically for her, including Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia, Abraham and Isaac (also written for Peter Pears), and part of the Spring Symphony (1949). Among other composers who wrote specifically for her were Lennox Berkeley, Arthur Bliss and Edmund Rubbra.

She worked with many famous conductors, including Bruno Walter, John Barbirolli, Malcolm Sargent, Clemens Krauss, Otto Klemperer, Herbert von Karajan, Eduard van Beinum and also with Benjamin Britten. She also worked with other famous singers such as Isobel Baillie, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Julius Patzak and Peter Pears.

She had previously sung Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at Glyndebourne in 1947 and in the Netherlands in 1949 and 1951. A recording of the latter was found in the archives of the Dutch National Opera and released on vinyl in the early 1980s, but the Royal Opera House performance was sung in English.

Similar female classical singer

ombra mai fu – anne sophie von otter

handels-messiah-hallelujah

Scriabin, Prometheus and Octatonic scales

Alexander Scriabin composer

An octatonic scale is any eight-note musical scale. Among the most famous of these is a scale in which the notes ascend in alternating intervals of a whole step and a half step, creating a symmetric scale. In classical theory, in contradistinction to jazz theory, this scale is commonly simply called the octatonic scale, although there are forty-two …

Ombra mai fu – Andreas Scholl

Handel – Xerxes – Ombra mai fu – Andreas Scholl

One of my favourite songs from Handel:

The Lyrics

Ombra mai fu di vegetabile,
cara ed amabile,
soave più.

The English translation (!)

Never was shade
of dear and amiable vegetable
More sweet

Green seems somehow appropriate !

Here are several songs by Andreas Scholl collected together.

PJ Harvey – Who The Fuque (Live Jools Holland 2004)

A Christmas treat for Nigel Gasbladder. Enjoy!

PJ Harvey – Who The Fuque (Live Jools Holland 2004)

“Who The Fuque?” PJ Harvey

with the original French spelling

Who the fuque do you think you are

Get out of my hair

who the fuque do you think you are

Comin’ round here

who the fuque who the fuque

who the fuque do you think you are

Get your comb out of there

combin’ out my hair

I’m not like other girls

You can’t straighten my curls

I’m not like other girls

You can’t straighten my curls

No!

Who the fuque you tryin’ to be

Get your dog away from me!

What the fuque you doing in there

Get your dirty fingers out of my hair

Who who who who

fuque fuque fuque you

I’m free, you’ll see

“Who The Fuque?” PJ Harveywith the original French spelling
Who the fuque do you think you areGet out of my hairwho the fuque do you think you areComin’ round herewho the fuque who the fuquewho the fuque do you think you are
Get your comb out of therecombin’ out my hair
I’m not like other girlsYou can’t straighten my curlsI’m not like other girlsYou can’t straighten my curlsNo!
Who the fuque you tryin’ to beGet your dog away from me!What the fuque you doing in thereGet your dirty fingers out of my hair
Who who who whofuque fuque fuque you
I’m free, you’ll seeI’m free, you’ll see

Handel – Chi sprezzando il sommo bene

Video with the vocal score, for fans of Handel

Handel – Chi sprezzando il sommo bene

It’s a treat to have a bass solo by Dmitr Hvorostovsky

Mozart – Coronation Mass – Agnus Dei

sacred music video – Mozart, Tracy Sarmiento soprano

Mozart Coronation Mass Agnus Dei – sang by Tracy Sarmiento soprano soloist (infront in dark gown), 17 yrs. old Senior @ SF Art Sch., San Francisco Conservtatory of Music, Artistic Director-Larry Marietta, John Walko-organ, Elspeth Franks-mezzo-soprano Leon Palad-tenor, Richard Fey-baritone San Francisco City .Chorus Lakeside Presbytarian Church. Tracy sings Laudate Dominum, Panis Angelicus, Pie Jesu, Ave Verum, Domine Deus, Requiem, Gloria, Tracy cantors at St. Patrick’s church in San Francisco, St. Thomas More in San Francisco, St. Anne’s in San Francisco, Epiphany Church in San Francisco, St. Elizabeth Church in San Francisco, Mission Dolores church in San Francisco, Girls choir in San Francisco, St. Mary’s Children’s choir in San Francisco

The complete Coronation Mass comprises: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei.

Even as early as the 19th Century the mass was already popularly referred to as the “Coronation Mass”. The nickname grew out of the misguided belief that Mozart had written the mass for Salzburg’s annual celebration of the anniversary of the crowning of the Shrine of the Virgin.

All power to Blogs

Testing, testing, one, two, (hang on I’ll look it up) … three!
Tested on Firefox and Internet Explorer 6. No problems ?#11
so that was Blogger!
I’m now using WordPress hosted on my own database, but also interested …