New science & music special on PBS

The Music Instinct is being broadcast this weekend here in New England. Check your local PBS listings for more information. I'm especially looking forward to hearing what David Rothenberg has to say about birdsong.

Rothenberg has written several books, including Why Birds Sing: a Journey into the Mystery of Birdsong, and the recent Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound. The author-musician also has seven cds released under his own name.

The Music Instinct also features slightly more mainstream musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin.

Tan Dun and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra

You can watch all sorts of videos, from auditions to snippets of the musicians' arrival in NYC to an hour long "Act One" of the actual Carnegie Hall concert, as introduced by Michael Tilson Thomas at the YouTube Symphony Orchestra Channel. MTT called the three-day event "a classical music summit/conference/scout/jamboree with an element of speed dating thrown in." ☺

The composer of the featured musical work in the concert (Internet Symphony No. 1 "Eroica"), Tan Dun, is also the composer of the music in one of my most-loved films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.



Played by the ever-brilliant Yo-Yo Ma on both the movie soundtrack and Classic Yo-Yo. You can hear more here.

Inaugural music #2

One of the highlights of yesterday's historic event for me was the incredible performance of John Williams' arrangement of Simple Gifts. Here are violinist Itzahk Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Gabriela Montero, and clarinetist Anthony McGill performing outdoors in 30 degree F weather. I hope we get a chance to see and hear them perform this piece in a more intimate venue soon.



P.S. I think I have a budding clarinetist in the family!

Inaugural music

Much music is planned for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, including a selection directed by John Williams, played by violinist Itzahk Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Gabriela Montero, and clarinetist Anthony McGill. Other performers include Aretha Franklin, and the San Francisco Girls' Choir as well as the SF Boys' Choir. Here's an article detailing the line-up of performances (musical and otherwise). It's not clear from the wording of the article if Williams is creating an original composition for the event, but I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm supposed to be baking, not blogging! Stay cozy, friends.

Holiday Music #4 - Traditional Irish

Dating back from the 12th century, the Wexford Carol comes from the town of Enniscorthy in, yes, County Wexford, Ireland. Beginning 'Good people all, this Christmas time,' it has become familiar to many today through John Rutter's beautiful arrangement of 1978 which begins with a melodious, if frighteningly exposed, baritone solo.

From "The 50 Greatest Carols," in the December, 2008 issue of BBC Music Magazine.

I love the medieval sound of this carol. In fact, it's such a favorite that I arranged it for string quartet and used it as my wedding processional--in September! Its sound is due to the fact that it is not in a key like D major, but is rather based around an older mode called Mixolydian, where the seventh note of the scale is a half-tone flatter than it is in the modern major (or Ionian) scale. Sing Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la and then sing ti down a half-step (te), do.There is an excellent written explanation of musical modes here.

This was another carol I remember hearing Julie Andrews sing back in the 1970s, but I also like what is probably its most recent incarnation, on the cd, Songs of Joy & Peace, by Yo-Yo Ma and Friends. The track features Alison Kraus on vocals, Natalie McMaster on fiddle, and Yo-Yo Ma on ukelele (kidding).