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.
Bob Dylan is one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of the 20th century. He has written over 500 songs throughout the span of his career, both for himself and other artists. His most famous works include “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” which became civil rights and antiwar anthems following the frustrations many Americans were facing in the 60’s. He has received a plethora of awards, including ten Grammys, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and the Nobel Prize in Literature.
His book, 100 Songs, is a self curated collection of 100 of his most profound works. His lyrics adorn the pages, underscoring their poetic nature. If you’re a fan of Dylan’s work, the book is a must read. For me, seeing his lyrics sprawled across 200 pages deepens their significance and allure.
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.
Throughout my years in college, I have tried to expand my musical taste by asking friends to introduce me to some of their favorite artists. Along the way, a good friend of mine introduced me to Amy Winehouse, one of the best things in my life. My favorite song of hers has to be “You Know I’m No Good” and “Back to Black.” Her Back to Black album was on repeat for a long time in 2021 as I began to discover more of her work.
If people are interested in discovering new artists and songs, I recommend asking a friend or coming to the Parsons Music Library where there is a large collection of CDs and LPs to look through.
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.
Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona, 1770
When we first hear the term “classical music,” we often think of great composers like Beethoven and Mozart. Despite his relatively short life, Mozart is known and celebrated for his prodigious musicality and influential compositions even to this day. But what was Mozart like? You may know several of his pieces, but have you taken the time to consider the person behind these famous pieces?
There’s no better way of being first introduced to Mozart’s private life than Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life by Robert Spaethling. Spaethling, a scholar of German literature of the 19th and 20th centuries and Mozart, has carefully chosen and depicted a compilation of Mozart’s letters spanning twenty-two years of the young composer’s life. Spaethling’s most recent edit of these letters provides us with the most accurate translation to appropriately convey Mozart’s nuanced personality.
Through Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life, we are invited to explore Mozart’s innermost thoughts and raw perspective of life. In addition to the analysis of the different voices that shine through in Mozart’s candid letters, Spaethling includes information, such as various life events throughout the composer’s life, that encourages us to think deeply and have greater appreciation for the person behind these great works.
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.
I, like most young cellists, have a love-hate relationship with David Popper. Popper was a prominent composer of Romantic-era cello solo music in the 19th century. He wrote four concertos, although his most played solo piece is probably “Tarantella.” What some may not know is that in addition to these concert solo pieces, he wrote a book of etudes dedicated to strengthening cello technique – 40 Studies: High School of Cello Playing. As the description might give away, the music in this book is not meant for performance in a recital or concert series. These etudes focus on playing in different positions, frequent shifting, bow control, and much more, meaning some of them sound very strange and complicated to listeners. Some musicians consider mastery of these etudes (among other things) a hallmark of a professional cellist.
While playing through such a book may sound like every aspiring young cellist’s dream, many of them are harder to play than they appear on paper. Then, considering the book has 40 separate etudes each averaging about two pages, you can only imagine how much time and dedication mastering each and every one might take. It’s a wonderful resource – if you have the patience to spend countless hours on them.
Since I was first assigned an etude out of this book, I have struggled and fumbled my way through roughly a quarter of the 40 available to me until I ended up with something I was happy with. I can’t say that I got as much joy out of this type of practice as I have on recent solo pieces I have rehearsed, but I also must admit that playing through the etudes strengthened my playing more than I could have imagined. Thumb position used to be a region of the cello I never thought I would be able to wander into confidently, but after playing Etude No. 1 and 5, I feel stronger and enjoy going high on the instrument. If you are a cellist and don’t have a copy of this book in your library, consider picking up a copy from the Music Library!
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.
Waitress: The Musical holds a very strong place in my heart and might have the strongest memories and feelings attached to it than any other album could do in my life. And it all started pretty recently.
My senior year of high school, I gave up playing club soccer for the spring. I had played soccer year-round my whole life and wanted to take a break from club sports. I finished my senior season with the high school team as captain and thought that would be a fitting end to the journey. So, I did track and field in the spring to spruce it up and try and build on my winter times (which I had done for 4 years). Since the practices did not eat up nearly as much time as soccer, I still felt I needed something to do.
And so, through a few of my friends who were involved, I somehow got myself roped into joining a school musical (42nd Street). It was more intimidating than anything I had ever done, given I had never tapped, danced, sang, nor acted in my life. It was so out of my comfort zone and I felt worlds apart from anyone else. Given that I try to immerse and be the best that I can at anything I do, naturally, I tried to get myself adjusted to the world of arts.
I basically went to Playbill and found every contemporary musical that was currently playing on Broadway and listened to every single album. Some albums were played more than just once, as I continually listened to them until the lyrics were etched into my brain. Even if I was not totally invested in Broadway like my friends, I at least wanted to know everything about the culture and what I was getting myself into just as I do with any job or sport.
And through it, I heard Waitress. And I listened to it over and over and over and over and over. It became my second most-listened-to album in 2019 on Spotify and three of the songs were in my top 5. The lyrics and the songs were just ultimately too good and did not sound like a traditional Broadway musical songs. When I was younger, I felt a lot of Broadway was dance-heavy numbers, with raging horns and jazz beats, lights, eccentric acting (I did not like stage acting, I felt it was too jittery or not as deep as a film), and crazy costumes. And yet, Waitress was kind of the complete opposite. It took music from Sara Bareilles, a mainstream artist that was consistently played on the radio and turned it into a story. I was hooked. I obviously realized there were tons of other musicals like this, but it was the first one that really opened my eyes to another side of theatre.
To make a long story short, it became a habit to listen to the music, and I got pretty good at a couple of the songs on piano. The year I started listening, all of a sudden, an announcement was made that the show was closing January 5th, 2020. I was lowkey upset because I wanted to go so bad to the show, but I would never want to drop the pricey amount to go watch it live.
And then, like the grace of God’s warm light, I was bestowed with three tickets to watch the show. It was gifted as a birthday present. Me and two others got to watch the show two weeks before close, a week before Christmas, and made a whole day trip. We took a bus to NYC at noon, walked around the city for a couple hours, ice skated in Central Park, went out to eat at a nice restaurant, saw the tree at Rockefeller Center at night, and then saw the show at night. The show was even better in person and I got to watch it with people I loved.
Ultimately, after that moment, I knew that album had other sentimental value that could never be replaced. However, a couple of months afterward, I had not actually listened to the album again. Things happened that almost ruined the musical for me and the memories I had attached to it, but I put a positive twist on it and tried to forget some of the negatives.
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.
Elton John is one of the most successful and influential musicians of all time, known for his expressive outfits and electrifying performances. In 1973, John released Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, a 17-song album that would go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide. The album, with lyrics written by Bernie Taupin and produced by Gus Dudgeon, is known as one of John’s best works. Some of the best songs on the album include “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Candle in the Wind,” and “Bennie and the Jets”.
Ever since I had to analyze Goodbye Yellow Brick Road for a school project, the title track is one of my favorite songs. On the surface, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” contains rich vocal harmonies, dreamy piano chords, and a crisp drum beat to create a contemplative atmosphere for John to reflect on his life of fame. As a child, I remember my parents singing along to “Bennie and the Jets” on the radio, another personal favorite song of mine from the album. The song has an instantly recognizable introduction and a spectacular piano solo that displays John’s genius piano and composition skills.
Though John struggled with addiction at the height of his fame, he managed to quit his substance abuse and create his own charity, the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Despite his personal struggles, Elton John is one of the most successful musicians of all time, selling over 300 million records and producing many timeless hits that will live on long after his career is over.
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.
“Main Hoon Na – The Importance of Support During College”
Growing up, I didn’t understand much about my culture. It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I really started to appreciate my ethnic background. Bollywood movies changed my entire perspective on a hidden part of my identity that I had neglected to explore. I began to immerse myself in India’s film industry, enamored by the music, dancing, and storylines. Main Hoon Na (I am there) quickly became one of my favorite movies and a staple pick for family movie night.
Main Hoon Na explores the journey that a young soldier (Ram) takes to find his half-brother after the death of their father in the midst of a peace treaty between India and Pakistan. Indian terrorists threaten to destroy this peace and are after Sanjana, the Indian General’s daughter, who happens to attend the same college as Ram’s half-brother. Ram goes undercover as a student and must protect Sanjana without compromising his position for his half-brother. What follows is a charming and action-packed adventure that will test them all.
College, especially after COVID-19, has proven to be a mental challenge for both students and professors. We continue to see deaths of college athletes by suicide and a rise in demand for mental health resources. We often forget that it’s ok to reach out for help, and that we don’t have to go through college alone. Main Hoon Na is a reminder that we can lean on our support systems, no matter what. Although fictitious, every Bollywood movie has real-world lessons or morals to learn from. Ram’s dedication to his family and his friends when they need it the most carries over into our daily lives – we can both give and receive support.
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.
Yet his most intriguing work is undoubtedly Variations on an Original Theme, better known as the Enigma Variations. These fourteen variations are each dedicated to important people in Elgar’s life, including his wife and his students. Each variation shares similar phrases, but the attitude and voices vary widely. Significant moments in Elgar’s relationship with these people are written into the variations, as well as their key personality traits.
The “Nimrod” variation, dedicated to his mentor Augustus J. Jaeger, is widely considered one of Elgar’s finest works and is frequently reproduced. Most notably, it was played at Princess Diana’s funeral and at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
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.
Guillaume Du Fay (left), with Gilles Binchois (right) in a c. 1440 Illuminated manuscript copy of Martin le Franc’s Le champion des dames (source: Wikipedia)
One of the most fascinating aspects of music history to me is the way that musical notation and writing has evolved. A prime example of this is the madrigal. A madrigal is a part-song for several voices most commonly found in the Renaissance period. While this style of music was most popular in Italy and England, there are several noteworthy French composers who wrote madrigals.
One such composer is Guillaume Dufay. The music library is lucky to have a score of a selection of 45 of his pieces, all in original notation. Flipping through the pages shows a style of notation that has since lost popularity, but it is still incredibly interesting to look at.
Learning to transpose such music is a vast field of study that is very active to this day. I find it to be a sort of puzzle, as there are some notes and articulations that were assumed to be inferred by performers in the period it was written, but that are generally explicitly written out in modern music. Finding these hidden clues and listening to your transcription is a rewarding and fun experience. If you get a chance, be sure to check out this music!
