Classical music from the Baroque era set the groundwork for contemporary classical music .  The Baroque Period in classical music boasted the creation of opera, the abandonment of the church modes, and new exciting musical forms like the Baroque Suite. Music from the Baroque from classical composers like Bach , Monteverdi , Strozzi, and Purcell shared several major characteristics common to all works of the Baroque period. The Baroque Era lasted from 1600-1750 (or the year that Bach died). Although many of these musical innovations occurred centuries in the past, contemporary compositions owe much to the developments of the Baroque Era. While monophony prevailed during the early Baroque period, music of the late Baroque Era embraced more complex polyphony than even the complex lines of the Renaissance. Monophony essentially involves a single line with accompaniment. Monophony prevailed in opera, however, since understanding text and drama is essential to understanding th...

Jennifer Higdon , Blue Cathedral San Francisco Symphony Orchestra , Stephane Deneve (Conductor) PROGRAM NOTES : “ blue cathedral” Blue…like the sky. Where all possibilities soar. Cathedrals…a place of thought, growth,  spiritual expression…serving as a symbolic doorway in to and out of this world. Blue  represents all potential and the progression of journeys. Cathedrals represent a place of  beginnings, endings, solitude, fellowship, contemplation, knowledge and growth. As I  was writing this piece, I found myself imagining a journey through a glass cathedral in  the sky. Because the walls would be transparent, I saw the image of clouds and blueness  permeating from the outside of this church. In my mind's eye the listener would enter from the back of the sanctuary, floating along the corridor amongst giant crystal pillars,  moving in a contemplative stance. The stained glass windows ' figures would start moving with song, singing...

The Undeniable Truth About Women Composers That No One is Telling You As an undergraduate music major, I did not find it unusual that after four exhausting semesters of music history, I had only studied a handful of talented women involved in composition. The usual names popped up - Clara Schumann , Fanny Mendelssohn, and Amy Beach. Of these women, only one, Amy Beach, was not associated with a famous male composer. After graduate studies in music, I realized the importance of studying women in music, notably contemporary living composers. I had been fortunate to be mentored by Clare Shore , Kristine Burns, and Pauline Oliveros. For more in-depth studies on women in western music, I suggest Burns' Women and Music in the US Since 1900: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2002), Dr. Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner's Crossing the Line: Women Composers and Music Technology in the United States , the Kaprova Society's Women Composer Database, and the International Alliance for Wome...

Bach wasn't always a famous composer. Find out why the Baroque Master remained a mystery for over a century!  Believe it or not, Bach's music largely disappeared shortly after his death. Part of the reason for Bach's relative obscurity is that he was part of a very large musical family. In other words, he was just another talented musician in the bunch. Even two of his children - Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach and Johann Christian Bach - pursued music after Bach died. They were not as famous as he was, although their works are still played today. <a href="http://sabrinapenayoung.bandcamp.com/album/classical-music-for-tranquil-meditation">Classical Music for Tranquil Meditation by Sabrina Pena Young</a> Being only one of many Bachs, he established an excellent regional reputation, but did not gain fame internationally with his work. During the Baroque, being a composer w...

The Music of Pain: On Inspiration for the Artist/Composer Beethoven's madness brought on by a combination of personal failure in the rearing of his young nephew and his early hearing loss . Mozart 's inability to accept adulthood and the loss of his childhood fame leading to his ruin. Depression destroying the lives of composers like Mussorgsky and Robert Schumann , and others. Yet, their music lives on, and the music of countless other composers and artists who have transformed tragedy, loss, depression, sadness, failure into masterpieces. Is tragedy a necessary component of great art? Can one be an artist, a creative individual, without having experienced great loss? If life is all a bed of roses, how can the artist truly delve into the deepest throes of darkness, of the soul, in their art? This does not mean that the artist needs to delve into depression or substance abuse. In fact, productivity often comes to a standstill when the creative person does allow t...

New Album Release Luminescence: Works for Small and Large Orchestra LUMINESCENCE ,  Navona Records , NV5969 (2014) LUMINESCENCE brings to light six works for small and large orchestra, showcasing the inspired directions and composers of contemporary  orchestral music .  Within a Dance–a tone poem of love , for small orchestra Enhanced compilation disk with scores Originally from the New York Women Composers http://www.parmarecordings. blogspot.com/2014/09/ september-releases-on-navona- and.html Rain Worthington’s  Within a Dance–a tone poem of love   reflects on a first invitation to dance and the continuation of the dance of love with a tenderness of touch and a lingering embrace .  Her music communicates its emotions and speaks to the senses. LUMINESCENCE David Kirtley Robert Burrell Rain Worthington Raymond Bokhour Daniel Burwasser Marvin Schluger Related articles Beth Levin...