Professor Carol
A neo-Gothic church almost touches the back of the Schweitzerhof Hotel here in Lucerne, Switzerland. The Matheus Church is where Richard Wagner and Cosima von Bülow were married on August 25, 1870. They had to convert to Protestantism to marry there, as their divorces were … Read more
Did you really hear that? When I was in high school, I was a pianist for a swing band. A real dance band filled with terrific adult musicians that played at country clubs and grown-up parties. This is where I learned my Cole Porter, Jerome … Read more
The year: 2093. The place: a classroom (or whatever the cyber-equivalent will be). The topic: Pop Music at the Dawn of the 21st Century. Whatever else is taught, there will be no way to avoid discussing rap music. A phenomenon that many thought would fade … Read more
Cluny. A name on a music history test. A place in Burgundy, at the Eastern edge of France, where something or other important happened about a monastery and Abbey in the early Medieval period. That much I remembered—couldn’t forget it if I tried, really, since … Read more
What do we hear? Really hear? One of the first challenges in studying the arts involves paying attention to what we hear and see. Let’s start with the music we hear. Tell the truth: have you ever listened to the radio and been unable to … Read more
It wasn’t a bend in the river, but a terrace on land that fascinated many of us during our Smithsonian Journey’s 2015 Elbe River tour. On a day boasting luminous skies and perfect temperature, we visited Cecelienhof to retrace the events of the Potsdam Conference. Although … Read more
I get asked this a lot. Perhaps you do too. I always wonder, is it a trick question? Maybe the questioner loves Bach and hopes I’ll agree. Maybe the hope is that I’ll say “Beethoven” and a good debate can ensue. There is no best … Read more
Corigliano: Lullaby for Natalie To understand why I am writing about this Lullaby, I have to give you a little background. My first experience hearing music by John Corigliano in concert nearly knocked me to the floor. It was his Symphony No. 3, known as Circus … Read more
Google goes Classical. Or, at least High Baroque. Think of the millions of people who have seen Google’s doodle-logo (still up today) showing a fortepiano played by a wigged fellow, with the words Google etched on the side of the instrument. Think of the slice … Read more
