Professor CarolYesterday I was reading the August 2014 issue of Opera News—one whose theme was the cross-over between opera and Broadway musicals. An article entitled “Ears are Ringing” by Laurence Maslon caught my eye. I turned to it, wondering if it would confirm my despair about … Read more
It’s hard for me to clean out drawers, especially in the kitchen. Everything there once had a raison d’être, whether a Walmart receipt or an unidentified key. Yet most of it should be thrown away. Except . . . when it shouldn’t. Today, sifting through … Read more
Are you wondering what a “heightened neume” is? Maybe you are taking our course in Early Sacred Music and thinking, “Wow, something new about heighted neumes!” Either way, there’s something new to report. First, let’s say what a “heighted neume” is. Heighted neumes were a … Read more
I hadn’t seen any classic space films for decades. So, upon receiving the invitation to speak at the October 2014 NASA Homeschool Day at Space Center Houston, I decided to revisit them. Re-watching 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was the most fascinating, followed by Close … Read more
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m excited. Very excited. Why? Because it’s just four days until Space Center Houston hosts its NASA Homeschool Day (October 16). I’ll be giving workshops on creating Space music for films as well as talks on “Music and Space” and “Astronomy … Read more
I’m headed for the Johnson Space Center in Houston this week to deliver a series of talks and workshops on Music and Space. Because, as you already know, music is connected to everything. My main talk “Music and Space” explores those connections. Most of us have never … Read more
What do you expect in a Music History course? Perhaps you don’t have any particular expectation, but it’s something that I think about a lot. When I meet people who say they are studying music history, I ask what they mean by that. Usually, they … Read more
I just returned from seeing an eclectic, riveting, and marvelously absurd production of Václav Havel’s satire “The Garden Party” at the Estates Theater in Prague (the theater where Mozart conducted the premiere of “Don Giovanni”). Havel was a terrific playwright, a voice of Czech dissidence, … Read more
I recently did a post on Opening the Door to Russian Art, so I thought I should follow it up with Opening the Door to German Art. There’s so much to discover in the arts that many people find the topic just too big. I … Read more
A Crimean-born Armenian, Ivan Aivazovsky was raised largely in Poland and then studied art in St. Petersburg. He loved travel, found solid success, and enjoyed commissions from Russian aristocrats and highly placed officials as far away as Istanbul. Late in life he painted the oppressions … Read more