When a viewer observes a painting there is a “oh, well there it is” moment when the frame is first presented – it is first taken in as a whole and then the details are discovered upon closer examination. Music is also largely in the moment – details first – and then the whole comes second if it comes at …
The basses are one of the most ill-understood instruments of the orchestra; pigeonholed to pages of footballs and rests. Yet, their orchestral origin was nearly identical in intent to the cellos – as for most of the baroque and classical era they were doubling each others parts at the octave. Now consider that modern bassists have all played and studied …
Directness and Vagueness in Music Vagueness has been on my mind lately, as I’ve come to the conclusion that some composers are direct and to the point, and others are vague and veiled. I’m trying to tell whether it’s done on purpose or if especially vague composers are only capable of presenting vague music and visa versa. Size Matters: I …