Category Archives: Arachnophonia

Arachnophonia: Astor Piazzolla

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Xipeng (class of 2024) and features Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. Thanks, Xipeng!

Astor Piazzolla

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Born in Argentina in 1921, Astor Piazzolla’s journey in music began at a young age, studying the bandoneón, a type of accordion central to tango music. The composer’s fusion of tango with elements of jazz and classical departs from the conventional Argentine genre. His compositions, also known as “nuevo tango”, presented newfound complexity and depth. This bold experimentation elevated tango from its origins as popular dance music to a sophisticated art form.

Piazzolla’s most famous work is Libertango, which was released in 1974. The piece embodies Piazzolla’s distinctive style, blending both traditional and modern elements to create a composition that transcends cultural boundaries.

Another notable composition by Piazzolla is Adiós Nonino, a deeply personal piece written in memory of his father with sorrow and nostalgia.

Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires”, written between 1965 and 1970, is also another remarkable work from Piazzolla, reinterpreting Antonio Vivaldi’s renowned classical composition. Through the innovative fusion of classical and tango music, Piazzolla creates a dynamic musical journey that appeals to audiences with its expressive melodies and emotional resonance.

We have the book Le Grand Tango: The Life and Music of Astor Piazzolla, which is a must read for every Piazzolla fan and tango music lover. Feel free to check out CDs and scores and explore the magic of the captivating art form!

Arachnophonia: Spotify Teardown

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eliana (class of 2024) and features a book interrogating the inner workings of Spotify. Thanks, Eliana!

Spotify Teardown by Maria Eriksson, et al

Spotify Teardown

I stumbled upon Spotify Teardown while browsing the shelves at Parsons Music Library and was immediately intrigued; I knew Spotify had a rocky history with independent artists, but this book opened my eyes to the potentially harmful influence and power of the streaming giant. The authors have a generally negative view of Spotify as an entity. While their argument is convincing, it would take a lot for me to give up the ease and accessibility that comes with having a Spotify account. Still, their argument is worth engaging with.

The authors are Swedish social scientists who took a rather controversial approach in their research – they set up a fake record label company in an attempt to peek behind the curtain and see the inner workings of Spotify. Spotify discovered the researchers’ plan and threatened to pull their funding given to them by the Swedish research council, only further fueling the disdain the researchers had for the streaming service. They argue the only way to understand the algorithm is by being on the inside, while Spotify says doing so is in clear violation of their terms of service.

Much of the book discusses the pseudo-record label and subsequent action taken by Spotify, but to me the most interesting reporting was within the discussion of Spotify itself. The authors write about how Spotify is largely represented as the ‘solution’ to illegal streaming, while in actuality its lack of regulation presents more problems for artists and consumers alike than illegal downloads ever did. It also discusses the privacy concerns connected to algorithmic data, data sharing, and data tracking, all of which Spotify engages with and relies on. The authors argue that as AI becomes commonplace within more and more facets of our lives, it becomes increasingly important to regulate its usage. In all, I found Spotify Teardown engaging and certainly learned a lot.

Arachnophonia: Billie Eilish “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Susanne (class of 202*) and features Billie Eilish’s 2019 studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. Thanks, Susanne!

Billie Eilish

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”

Billie Eilish released her debut studio album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, at the age of 17 with the help of her older brother, Finneas, who co-wrote and produced the album. The album soared to the top of Billboard charts and received widespread recognition for its cohesive vision, unique sound, and relatable themes. In 2020, Billie Eilish went on to become the first woman to win the four major Grammy categories (Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) in the same year.

I love this album because of Eilish’s impressive vocal range and the wide variety of subject matter she pulls from to engage the audience. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? draws from the experiences of lucid dreaming and night terrors while tackling serious issues facing young people, including drug addiction, mental health, relationships, and climate change. Pop, electric, R&B, trap, and jazz music influences also allow the album to play with form and sound in really captivating ways. In “Xanny,” for example, Eilish plays with different sounds to create the intense ambience of being at a party in secondhand smoke around intoxicated people. “When the Party’s Over,” on the other hand, is more of a soulful, lyrical ballad with a piano base.

Since the release of her debut album, Eilish’s popularity has skyrocketed. Although her tour for this album was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she completed a world tour for her second album Happier Than Ever in 2023. Finneas and Billie continue to receive accolades for their musical talents, including for their song, “What Was I Made For?,” created for the record-breaking Barbie movie in the summer of 2023. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? set a strong foundation for Eilish as a powerful album with songs that resonate with young listeners across genres.

Arachnophonia: Spartacus

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eli (class of 2024) and features Aram Khachaturi͡an’s ballet Spartacus. Thanks, Eli!

Spartacus – Aram Khachaturi͡an

Spartacus ballet

Spartacus, a gladiator turned revolutionary from present-day Bulgaria, lived for only thirty-two years before dying in battle against Roman legions in 71 BC. Yet, his name and infamy remain today, due to his initial success in leading a slave revolt against the might of the Roman Republic.

Spartacus’ story is the subject of countless pieces of media, from Stanley Kubrick’s film 1960 Spartacus to numerous novels and poems. Musicians have been equally inspired by the gladiator’s exploits. In 1863, Camille Saint-Saëns composed the “Spartacus Overture,” an often looked-over piece that won him first prize in a French music competition. For the 1960 film version, Alex North composed “Love Theme from ‘Spartacus,’” a beautiful ballad that has become a well-known jazz standard. Spartacus was even the subject of the Phantom Regiment’s 2008 Drum Corps International championship-winning show.

What receives the most attention, however, is Aram Khachaturi͡an’s score for his 1956 ballet Spartacus. Upon its first composition two years earlier, Khachaturian was awarded a Lenin Prize, one of the Soviet Union’s most prestigious awards for contributions to science, literature, the arts, and more. Khachaturi͡an’s score is considered a masterpiece and has been greatly used in popular culture, from references in the movie Ice Age: The Meltdown to gold-medal figure skating performances. The adagio of act three is absolutely a must-listen, pulling at heartstrings and inspiring the listener in the same breath. If you would like to give the ballet a listen, Parsons Music Library has several versions, including one conducted by Khachaturian himself in 1962.

Khachaturian Conducts Spartacus

Arachnophonia: Hip Hop Dance

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item(s) in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Luis (class of 2025) and features a book about hip hop dance and a CD of early hip hop music. Thanks, Luis!

Hip Hop Dance

Beginning Hip Hop Dance

Boombox 1: Early Independent Hip Hop, Electro and Disco Rap 1979-1982

This semester, I am taking “Introduction to Hip Hop Dance” with Professor Deandra Clarke. Throughout the course, we have been learning about the origins of Hip-Hop, specifically the dancing aspect of Hip Hop, and how it has evolved over the years. Since emerging in the 1970s, hip-hop has evolved into a worldwide dance sensation. In the book Beginning Hip-Hop Dance, you establish a solid groundwork and grasp the essentials of hip-hop techniques. Crafted by a dance educator and historian, this manual offers you the opportunity to delve into the history of hip-hop and explore its notable works and artists. Additionally, you may learn to comprehend the styles and artistic principles of hip-hop as both a performance and cultural expression. The guide also provides insights into various forms of hip-hop dance, encompassing locking, waacking, popping, boogaloo, and house.

Boombox 1

In addition, if you feel like exploring some songs released in the early years of Hip Hop, the music library also has discs available such as Boombox. 1, Early independent hip hop, electro and disco rap 1979-1982. This CD was released in 2016 and is a collection of various artists from the early 1980s.

Arachnophonia: Young Bach

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Nikoloz (class of 2026) and features a book on the life, times, and influence of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Thanks, Nikoloz!

Young Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach: Life, Times, Influence edited by Barbara Schwendowius and Wolfganng Domling

Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most influential and well-known composers in the world. But some don’t know about the roots of his musical career. Young Bach, orphaned at 10 years old, moved in to live with his oldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach. The older brother was an organist at the Church and thus cared for many musical scores, tucked away in one of his cabinets. Not only was manuscript paper expensive back then, but also the writings were to be kept secret from the general public.

It follows, that young Bach was forbidden from reading and copying this music. However, young Bach was captivated by music, and could not resist. Disobeying his brother, he would wake up late at night, unlock the locked cabinet, and take a couple of manuscripts out. Then he would sit at a high place in the house, where the moonlight would shine upon some surface he used for writing. He would copy the scores for hours at night, and stash them somewhere. Eventually, his brother caught him, but upon seeing the limit that young Bach was willing to go to, he finally agreed to teach his younger brother more. That decision gave the world J. S. Bach as we know him today.

JS Bach organist

Arachnophonia: Ariana Grande “Sweetener”

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Marissa (class of 2025) and features Ariana Grande’s 2018 album Sweetener. Thanks, Marissa!

Ariana Grande

Sweetener

Ariana Grande - Sweetener

Ariana Grande‘s fourth studio album Sweetener was released in the summer of 2018. Collaborating with other artists like Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj, and Missy Elliott, this album is loved by many different audiences. It won Best Pop Vocal Album of the Year in 2019, giving Grande her first Grammy award.

This pop and R&B styled album includes themes of womanhood, romance, and hope in the face of tragedy and loss. The three singles on the album are “No Tears Left to Cry,” “God Is a Woman,” and “Breathin‘,” each charting on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The last track, “Get Well Soon,” is a tribute to the lives lost at the Manchester Arena bombing during her previous tour. There are 40 seconds of silence at the end of this song to commemorate the 22 victims who passed away, bringing the runtime to 5:22 (the date of the concert).

If you’d like to listen to these songs mentioned and more, you can check this CD out from the Parsons Music Library today. You won’t regret it!

Arachnophonia: The Lion King

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Isaac (class of 2025) and features piano/vocal selections from The Lion King. Thanks, Isaac!

The Lion King

The Lion King piano/vocal selections

The score from The Lion King by Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, has long fascinated me, compelling me to explore its depths beyond the surface level of its widespread appeal and just songs I’ve heard since I was little. As someone who has always enjoyed children’s movie scores, I find this score to be a particularly striking example of how melodies intertwined with poignant lyrics can create a tapestry of sound that is both enchanting and something that was stuck with me for quite some time––even as I’ve gotten older.

What makes this score particularly interesting and worth studying is not just its ability to support the narrative arc of an iconic film but how it seamlessly blends a variety of musical styles and cultural influences, creating a universal appeal that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. Elton John’s compositions, infused with his signature melodic flair, are elevated by Tim Rice’s evocative lyrics, which together capture the essence of the story’s themes—power, betrayal, love, and redemption. The integration of African musical elements with Western pop sensibilities in the soundtrack offers a fascinating study in cross-cultural musical fusion, showcasing the richness that such blends can bring to mainstream music, and I really do think its aurally emblematic of everything Disney had hoped to achieve with the project.

Arachnophonia: Twenty One Pilots “Blurryface”

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Yangyue (class of 2024) and features Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots. Thanks, Yangyue!

Twenty One Pilots

Blurryface

Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface album cover

While Blurryface has never been my favorite album by Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out,” the first song I heard from this album, holds a special place for me as it introduced me to the group.

Originally a band, Twenty One Pilots is now a duo. “Heathens” is probably their most well-known song, released as the lead single from the motion picture soundtrack to the DC Comics film Suicide Squad (2016). The album dives into themes of insecurity, anxiety, and self-doubt, personified by the character of Blurryface, representing the darker aspects of the human psyche. Each track feels like a window into the singer’s inner turmoil, with hits like “Stressed Out” capturing the universal feeling of pressure to succeed while longing for simpler times. The album blends genres like pop, hip-hop, and alternative rock.

Though some people, including fans, may criticize Blurryface for its commercial success and mainstream appeal, its widespread popularity shows its ability to connect with listeners on a profound level, addressing universal themes of insecurity and self-doubt in a relatable way. However, I believe that other tracks like “Lane Boy” and “The Judge” deserve the same appreciation as the most popular singles. I listened to them a lot when I was stressed out in high school.

Arachnophonia: Instruments in the History of Western Music

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Esther (class of 2025) and features a book about the history of musical instruments. Thanks, Esther!

Instruments in the History of Western Music by Karl Geiringer

Instruments in the History of Western Music

We have often affectionately labeled music as the “universal language” throughout the years, though our reference is typically rooted in Western notation, which is familiar to the majority. During my time at the University of Richmond, I discovered that while music shares many characteristics with languages, it isn’t truly universal. Even within the Western music domain, the evolution of music has taken diverse and transformative paths.

In Karl Geiringer‘s book, Instruments in the History of Western Music, he delves into the history of musical instruments spanning about 25,000 years. My interest in this book was piqued after discussions about the distinct standards composers adhered to in the Baroque, Romantic, and Classical Eras. After understanding how these standards influenced compositional styles, audience perspectives, and society’s notions of a musical “genius,” it became apparent that the evolution of instruments was also inevitable.

Dr. Geiringer’s book stood out to me for his approach to illuminating the cultural and historical contexts of the instruments. This methodology provides readers with a solid foundation, enabling a deeper understanding of how instruments have genuinely evolved, mirroring the values held during each era.