Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Allison (class of 2022) and features some songs that make her happy. 🙂
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.
Karelia Overture Op. 10 was the first piece in the Karelia Suite written by Jean Sibelius in 1893. The suite was premiered by the Viipuri Students’ association at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland during the same year. The Karelia Suite is one of Sibelius’ most popular works.
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was a very well-known Finnish composer and violinist. In fact, his music is often credited for helping develop Finland‘s national identity whilst the country struggled for independence from Russia. Sibelius began playing violin at age ten and soon became a very successful violinist. Despite his success in the instrumental realm, he decided he would rather become a composer. He studied music at the Helsinki Music Institute and then in various cities across Europe while launching his own career in composition. Fun fact: the Helsinki Music Institute is now known as the Sibelius Academy.
Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
I was first introduced to Sibelius my junior year of high school when I played Karelia Overture Op. 10 with my youth orchestra. I was very drawn to the piece because of its grandiosity and utilization of brass instruments. While I have since played other Sibelius pieces in youth orchestra and here at Richmond, Karelia Overture Op. 10 is my all-time favorite.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a SECOND playlist of holiday music. This one is curated by Music Library student manager Allison (class of 2022).
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.
Rocky Raccoon illustration by Jim McHugh of mcillustrator.com (used with permission of artist)
I was first introduced to “Rocky Raccoon” in middle school during a guitar lesson. My teacher gave me the song to learn because I was gaining more interest in The Beatles and he thought it was a fun one. This further introduced me to some of the more eclectic and trippy songs among their lengthy discography.
The Beatles were an English rock band during the 1960s. Although their music is still very prevalent today, the band was only together for approximately a decade. Throughout this period, they produced numerous albums which were all regarded very highly by their global audience. “Rocky Raccoon” was one of many songs on The Beatles’ “White album” which was released in 1968.
Throughout the years, “Rocky Raccoon” has remained one of my favorite songs by The Beatles and is definitely one of my favorite songs to play on guitar. What I like most about the song is the chordprogression. It’s written in a way that you could just keep playing it over and over. It may just be a silly song about a raccoon; however, the chord progression is what makes the song in my opinion.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a collection called “Orange” curated by Music Library student manager Allison (class of 2022).
I label my playlists by color and this one is orange. Enjoy! 🙂
The Music Library has more resources available than physical items. We’re highlighting some of our digital resources, and including information about them as told by our student employees.
The Music Library has more resources available than physical items. We’re highlighting some of our digital resources, and including information about them as told by our student employees.
Here is what student assistant Allison (class of 2022) had to say about this resource:
“Met Opera on Demand is a resource put out by The Metropolitan Opera for college and university libraries. There is access to more than 700 full-length Met performances, featuring both audio and video recordings. Scrolling through, I saw that they have a recording of Nabucco.
A still from the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 production of Nabucco
This is of specific interest to me because I’ve played a piece from that opera in orchestra. It would be cool to watch to get a better sense of the context for the piece. This resource would be great for anyone studying music from operas or anyone who is interested in opera and wants to watch.”
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
She wrote the song “9 to 5” for that movie and it is also one of her most popular songs. “9 to 5” is not only a catchy tune, but the lyrics highlight workplace issues that are very relevant in both the 80’s and today. I would highly recommend giving the song a listen!
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a collection of feel good indie/alternative music curated by Music Library student assistant Allison (class of 2022).
Allison says:
This is a great playlist for if you’re in a good mood or if you need some extra pep in your step. Especially great when it’s sunny out.
Genre: Indie/alternative
The Music Library has more resources available than physical items. We’re highlighting some of our digital resources, and including information about them as told by our student employees.
Here is what student assistant Allison (class of 2022) had to say about Grove Music Online:
“Grove Music Online is an extensive online music encyclopedia that provides detailed information on composers, their music, and other music scholarship. I like how the resource is run by an editorial board at Oxford University Press so that there isn’t much question regarding the credibility of the content. I looked up Paul Hindemith and George Gershwin and found a lot of information about each of their respective lives along with some articles about their work. Grove Music Online seems like a very valuable resource for researching composers and music in the classical/jazz field.”
