Category Archives: music

Tone Poem Tuesday

One of the finest Black composers of the 20th century, William Grant Still lived from 1895 to 1978, bearing witness to the growth of the American vernacular in classical music, as well as the ongoing struggle for civil rights. Still’s … Continue reading

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Mr. Ma answers all the cello questions you never knew you had!

I watched this during lunch today and it’s great!

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Something for Thursday

Oof. Today was a day. An ice storm led to a 13-hour blackout at home, and work was an adventure, too. I don’t have a whole lot of extra mental bandwidth for musical commentary…so here’s a song that doesn’t need … Continue reading

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A random country song for a Wednesday evening

I had a long day at work today (not a bad day at all, but we had a big project today for which I had to be at work a bit early) and my brain is doing its impression of tapioca, so … Continue reading

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Tone Poem Tuesday

When I’ve listened to Florence Price’s music over the last few years, I’ve thought often of Antonin Dvorak’s observation from the time he spent in the United States, among American musicians and composers. Paraphrasing, Dvorak noted that the American musicians … Continue reading

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Something for Thursday

In the 1940s and 50s, there were quite a few Black singing quartets recording music. Many early Black solo artists got their start in groups like this (Sam Cooke being a prime example), but I’ve just learned something very interesting … Continue reading

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Hey! Need some love music?

I made a playlist of love songs! 50 songs, 3 hours of music! (Now, I originally conceived this little exercise as a playlist for our wedding reception if The Wife and I were getting married now, or renewing vows, or … Continue reading

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Tone Poem Tuesday

Composer Omar Thomas was born in Brooklyn in 1984 to Guyanese parents. He eventually studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and has moved on to a highly praised career as a composer. While he is mainly known as … Continue reading

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Something for Thursday

Burt Bacharach has died. He was one of those ultra-prolific songwriters (along with frequent partner Hal David) who, for every song you knew he wrote, there’s probably two songs you know well that you did not know he had a hand … Continue reading

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Tone Poem Tuesday

It’s February and Black History Month, a time when I try to spotlight works by Black composers. We start this time with Hannah Kendall, a British composer born in 1984. From her website bio: Known for her attentive arrangements and … Continue reading

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