Reggae music has had a profound influence on many aspects of Western culture from fashion to popular music. Across the United Kingdom, the USA and Africa, Reggae secured a strong foothold in the ...

Unlike today, where composers can receive or pitch for commissions from individuals, companies, or foundations, the options for funding during the Baroque Era were considerably narrower. It’s worth ...

Igor Stravinsky, equally famous for composing some of the most extraordinary Russian ballets, offered considerable compliments towards Tchaikovsky’s ballets, especially Sleeping Beauty. Stravinsky ...

When the world of the moving picture arrived in the early part of the 20th century, it was a revolution. What is often referred to as the silent years from around 1910 to 1927 marked a turning point ...

Before plunging headlong into the details of this title, let’s just take a moment to appreciate what is meant when the word counterpoint is used in music. Sometimes confused with polyphony, which ...

For tens of thousands of people, going to a gig or concert is a passion. For others, the very idea of standing in a crowd of 10,000 jiggling fans listening to a band or orchestra is appalling. For ...

In a recent article, I gave a broad account of the evolution of the violin with a particular focus on the work of the Cremona luthiers. At the head of this revolutionary group of innovators was the ...

The influence of W.A. Mozart across all areas of culture has been colossal, from the Baby Mozart Project through to contemporary song. You can hardly pass through a day without encountering the music ...

The influence of Latin-American culture on music has been quite profound. It has gently filtered its way into nearly every genre of music from classical and jazz to house and even drill. What attracts ...

Two exhibits from the collection stand out to me as particularly striking and provocative pieces of art. The first is called Blossom by Sanford Biggers and dates back to 2007. Here the piano appears ...

Nationalism can be considered to refer to music that embraces some traditional elements such as that of folk songs or typical dance forms. It can also include aspects of culture that specifically ...

The 19 th Century witnessed some of the most extreme musical developments in Western history. Everything appeared to be expanding. Orchestras commonly numbered a hundred performers, the duration of ...