The Good Musician

The Good Musician travelog talked about Hungarian and Czech composers. Here are some of the astounding churches and cathedrals where those composers wrote and made music, and where Chorus Austin will perform this summer. I’ve been browsing the concert schedules, and it looks like there will be lots of fantastic music while we’re there.
Budapest is smaller than Prague, and sadly received more damage during World War II. This is a lovely church in Budapest.
Image details: A Church In Budapest served by picapp.com
Here’s a view of Budapest and the Danube–waltz, anyone?
Image details: Budapest and danube river served by picapp.com
This is …read more

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Next stop, Prague–capitol of the Czech Republic. Rich in ancient church music tradition, documented from the Sixth Century, this is a hotspot of Central European music. Bohuslav Martinu, Antonin Dvorak (sorry, don’t know diacritical marks yet), Leos Janacek, and Bedrich Smetana are composers you’ve likely run across, Romantic and 20th Century exemplars.
You can download Czech music mp3s here.
More about Czech music here.
From Radio Prague, an exceptionally well written piece on the history of music in general, and Czech music in particular.
Visit the Czech Music Information Centre to learn more about contemporary Czech music.
A really cool music festival site with tiny …read more

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Jacobi Handl (Lat. Jacobus Gallus Carniolus), 1550-1591, is perhaps the best known Slovenian composer. Writing primarily masses and motets (374 of those mamas), he worked with a printer in Prague to ensure his compositions were printed before his death. Pretty remarkable in any period.
Here is a fascinating Web site that gives a run-down on Slovenian church music during the Reformation and subsequently a run-in with the Communist regime.
Composers of that time made their living as many do today–writing secular pieces, forming secular instrumental and vocal groups, and teaching in addition to the court duties to produce masses for …read more

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I have a 1977 Sankyo Prima flute, sterling, low B foot. I love it. It has been my faithful companion for three decades. Flutes can be made out of wood, metal, stone, clay, most any material you can fashion into a long tube. The sound is made by the air spiraling through the tube, usually with finger holes to change the pitch of the notes. Instruments that are played by blowing air into or over them are called aerophones.
Cornell Kinderknecht plays several kinds of flutes, sometimes with Tibetan bowls.
Paul Horn plays an alto flute, among other woodwind instruments, sometimes in …read more

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My three favorite foreign movies this decade are Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers, Deepa Mehta’s Water, and The Kite Runner from Swiss director Marc Forster.
I happen to adore Bollywood, it reminds me of the sumptuous saturated colors of 1950’s musicals of my childhood. Operetta under the stars on a Dallas summer evening was a treat for the family, following a dinner at the original El Fenix downtown.
Back to The Kite Runner. I always check out the music credits, and saw the composer was Spanish. Interesting. Then I remembered that there is an Arabic musical tradition in Spain from the …read more

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Any ethnomusicologists out there who are curious about the great Hungarian composers? Talking mostly about my faves, Bartok and Kodaly. The Good Musician will be in Budapest mid-June and welcomes suggestions for good sounds. in addition to churches and cathedrals.
The exquisite Hungarian Opera House is one of Europe’s jewels.
Speaking of jewels, here’s a nice one. Image by The Good Musician.

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The first annual Pachanga Latino Music Festival explodes in Waterloo Park this Saturday, May 31.
Pachanga Fest makes its debut on May 31st, 2008 at Waterloo Park in Austin, Texas!!! Featuring Latin Music’s best regional and local bands, food and arts. Bands scheduled to appear include:
Grupo Fantasma, Nortec Collective Presents Bostich & Fussible, Vallejo, Maneja Beto, Pistolera, Charanga Cakewalk, Kanko, DJ Manny, Edo, Bombasta, Masterblaster Soundsystem, La Conquista, Carabelas Collective, Kalua and more!!!
GATES OPEN AT 12 NOON.

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Here is a video which is significant in that

the cellist was one of my longest-standing, dearest friends
it’s an excellent example of a jazz-classical-pop ’60’s mashup
that’s my black cat, Saturn, in the window
shows our corner of Topanga Canyon
great example of John Martin’s classical guitar
great example of Wilson Fisher’s writing/singing for 12-string guitar
that was my life

Listen to all the Green cuts, accompanied by photo-montages of the band and what the life of a musician was like in the ’60’s

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Our good friend Lara at Crooner Culture is kicking off the festivities leading up to her first birthday at b5media with a contest to give away a $25 iTunes gift certificate. Should you prefer, she’ll make it an amazon.com certificate–either way, you can pick up some tunes you’ve been waiting to get.
The very modest rules to get your gift certificate are in Lara’s announcement. While you’re there, check out her post on Hairstyles of the ‘40′s. There’s even a tutorial on how to style an authentic hairdo just like the fabulous Andrews Sisters.

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Looking for hard-to-find vinyl from the last half century? The Dusty Groove probably has what you’re looking for. A friend pointed me to an album that’s been out of print for decades. The band Green was way ahead of its time. A sound that included jazz, rock, and classical influences in a stand-out collection of original songs.
Have a listen to music that nearly made it, and a peek at the Topanga Canyon of the 60’s.

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