The Difference Between an Art Song and a Folk Song

What is the difference between a folk song and an art song?

Songs are natural and instinctive means of self-expression of human beings. A song combines two musical elements of universal appeal – melody and the human voice. Hence, a song can be defined as a short vocal composition that can be performed with or without accompaniment.

Folk Songs

Folk songs had it roots in the cultures of the country folk. It is futile to trace the original composers of folk songs for these have been handed down orally from generation to generation.

Every race has its own folk songs. Different races ten to develop different song idioms – the use of particular scales, melodic intervals, etc. The song idioms commonly express racial characteristics in a definite way. Therefore, when we hear a folk song, we can often guess by its style from what country it comes from.

Folk songs are characterized by their deep emotion, freshness, and spontaneity. It is really refreshing to hear folk songs in their natural rural setting.

Art Songs

An art song is a song consciously written by a composer who blended the poem and music as an artistic whole. The vocal melody is presented with an instrumental accompaniment that gives it harmonic background and support. The accompaniments of many art songs are important as they are not merely a decorative support to the songs, but an integral and equal part of them. The inner meaning and emotion of the poetic text is expressed by voice and instrument in an unsurpassed unity. On the whole, a successful art song requires the pleasing combination of verse, melody, and accompaniment.

Mozart, The Masons, and The Magic Flute Opera

Undeniably, it has comic elements, but spiritual threads where also interwoven with it throughout the opera.

Image via Wikipedia

The Magic Flute was labeled by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as a comic opera. Undeniably, it has comic elements, but spiritual threads where also interwoven with it throughout the opera.

When actor, stage director and poet Emanuel Schikaneder organized a company for the Theater auf der Weiden in Vienna, he asked his composer friend Mozart to write for him a Sinspiel, a new type of comic opera incorporating music and spoken dialogue. Mozart completed it on September 28, 1781 and was presented two days later, with tremendous success.

photo credit

Since both collaborators were Masons, it is understandable that the libretto of this magical fairy-tale is filled with all kinds of obscure Masonic references, symbols and figures. Tamino’s journey represents initiation rituals for new Masons in Vienna. The basic struggle between good and evil was personified by Sarastro and the Queen of the Night. Pamina and Tamino , the idealistic young lovers, can come together only after the trials of fire and water. The use of the number three, which is an important number in masonry was generously used throughout the opera: at the beginning of the overture, there are three long and solemn chords that evoke Sarastro , the awesome priest of high ideals; the main key of the music is in E flat major having three flats. In the characters, there are three young boys, three ladies, and three trials. The trials symbolize Masonic rituals and ceremonies.

The opera concludes with a lively tune that is fully elaborated upon, giving a foretaste of the charming bird seller Papageno and his comic mate Papagena.

The Original Libretto Cover – image credit Phil Norfleet

Cosi Fan Tutte: An Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A brief background on Mozart’s opera Cosi fan tutte.

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Composed in the years 1789-90, Cosi fan tutte was first performed on January 26, 1790 in Vienna under the composer’s direction. The opera is in two acts to a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. The story revolves around the character Don Alfonso’s bet with two young men, Ferrando and Guglielmo, that their much-enamoured ladies would not remain faithful to them under temptation. Accordingly the two young men leave their beloveds, ostensibly to go to war, but to return disguised as Albanians. Each attempts to seduce the other’s woman and eventually succeeds, which makes Don Alfonso win his wager. The plot is a tapestry of numerous intricacies, the details too many to mention, but the title, Cosi fan tutte, explains it all, as it is freely translated as “All women do it.”

A critic in Berlin in 1805 noted that “this evidence of infidelity of all women was regarded merely as a jest is precisely the delicate charm of the whole opera, and that this infidelity, on the other hand, is let off so easily is proof of the playful sense of beauty on the part of the composer. Everything is only masquerade, playfulness, jest, dallying, and irony.” This type of opera is called opera buffa, or old-fashioned Italian comic opera. True to its genre, the opera is set in 18th century Naples. Although the premiere in Vienna was favorably greeted, it was only during this century that Cosi fan tutte became a consistent feature of the international repertory.

The Overture is marked with the ebullient wit abounding throughout the opera, accompanied by a mock sentimental tune played by the oboe after the opening chords. The phrase “cosi fan tutte,” as sung by the men in Act II, is then stated in the low strings, and the Overture whirls to an effervescent presto conclusion with sparkling woodwinds and strings.

Handel’s Water Music And Royal Fireworks Music Highlights

Two of Handel's famous works used by royalties for celebrations are The Water Music and Royal Fireworks Music.

Orchestral music had attracted Georg Friederich Händel’s attention right from his earliest years in England. Orchestral writing, for Handel, usually took the form of a concerto grosso, in which an inner group of soloists is pitted against the remainder of the orchestra. Two of his famous works used by royalties for celebrations are The Water Music and Royal Fireworks Music.

London was the setting for the Water Music in 1717, when the royal family and members of nobility took part in a royal water-party on barges floating on the River Thames. For this event, Handel created music for a large orchestra of over fifty musicians including horns, oboes, bassoons, flutes, trumpets, and strings. There were twenty-two compositions pieces in three suites: No. 1 in F Major, No. 2 in D major, and No. 3in G Major. Music historians question exactly how many pieces Handel wrote for this event. They concluded that it was very possible that he composed perhaps two-thirds of them for this royal evening, adding others later for similar occasions. After all, in those days such music was written and used for special events as needed. The Allegro is a lively dance, the Air a melodious English-type folk song, the Bourrée and Hornpipe two more jaunty pieces that typify many selections that make up the Water Music.

The Royal Fireworks Music came much later, in 1749. The occasion was a peace treaty signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, to end the conflict between France and England. The celebration was set for Green Park, London, on April 27, 1749. These festivities –marred when the fireworks set off a blaze which completely destroyed the structure especially built for the event – were launched by an Overture which, in Handel’s original orchestration, required 24 oboes, 12 bassoons, 9 trumpets, 9 horns, one contrabassoon, three pairs of timpani, and a kind of cornet known as a “serpent horn.” There followed a royal salute from 101 brass cannon and various pieces by Handel, all originally scored for winds and a large force of strings, bringing the number of original players to well over 100. Fortunately, the magnificent ceremonial music was completed before the fire caused complete pandemonium. The Royal Fireworks Music was next heard on May 27, 179, played by a much smaller band in the chapel of the Foundling Hospital during the benefit attended by the Prince of Wales. Again, an introductory Overture is followed by a series of dance rhythms, including a bourré, a Siciliana called “La Paix” (the peace), a brilliant “Le Rejouissance,” and endw with two minuets – all conveying a spirit of celebration and rejoicing. As a biographer Herbert Weinstock has said of Handel, his is “one of the most majestic, tender, and human voices ever lifted in praise of life, love, of beauty, and the art of music.”

The Messiah Oratorio: Handel’s Musical Legacy

As Sir Newman Flower, one of Handel’s biographers rightly noted: “It is questionable whether any music, composed in England or imported into it, has reached the heart of the people so truly as Handel’s.” The most remembered work of Handel is his oratorio Messiah – the single work that made him a household name. Paul Henry Lang, in his exhaustive study of the composer writes, “Messiah is perhaps the only major work about which public sentiment is unanimous. Its freshness, its warmth, its beautifully rounded forms and sculptured melodies offer universal experience to men of all walks of life and all shades of faith. Handel achieved with this work the most widespread critical recognition ever accorded a composer, for among his acclaimers are not only every English-speaking church congregation, small or large, but also Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms and every musician who ever tried his hand at choral writing.”

Handel composed music in almost every form known in his day: oratorios, operas, harpsichord music, organ concertos, masques, church works, anthems, concerti grossi, orchestral suites, etc. Musicologists have explored this wealth of musical compositions and prepared editions of many of Handel’s compositions in order that these can be performed in the most authentic way, the manner in which they were originally written. Only during the twentieth century that the world came to know the full range of his works. This is due to the extensive research and series of studies. For the general public, Handel’s Messiah remains to be an epic

creation of its kind.

The popularity of Messiah began in London in 1749 when Handel led a benefit performance for the Foundling Hospital. This was its premier performance, and for the next nine years that followed, Handel conducted the oratorio annually. Since that time, its universal popularity has hardly wavered, for it is music of strength, sincerity, religious passion and meaning, set down with the greatest skill for chorus and soloists. Handel cast it in three parts, the first telling of the prophecy of the Messiah’s coming, the second relating the suffering and death of Christ, and the third describing the resurrection of the son of God. Jennens, the compiler of the libretto, sent a text to be printed at the head of the oratorio, summing up its spirit: “And without controversy, great is the mystery of Godliness; God was manifested in the Flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached among the Gentiles, gave man belief in the world, and was received up in Glory. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Hallelujah Chorus Sheet Music

The Brandenburg Concertos of Johann Sebastian Bach

The famous masterful set of Six Brandenburg Concertos was composed bye Johann Sebastian Bach during his service as Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. Christian Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg, commissioned composers to write works for his court orchestra. Impressed after meeting Bach in 1719, he asked him to write a set of concertos. The assignment was finished ahead of time in 1721. Bach named the set ‘Six Concertos for Divers Instruments.’ Humbly, he submitted the compositions to his benefactor with the plea that he not judge ‘their imperfections too harshly,’ and that he try to find in them ‘the profound respect and the very humble allegiance that they seek to convey.’ Bach used the Italian form of the concerto grosso he inherited from Vivaldi and others. This work, a remarkable expression of Bach’s adventurous mind, stands as his earliest essay in absolute music on a grand scale.

His felicitous idea of contrasting the ripieno (large instrumental group) with the concertino (small cadre of solo players) was done by using a different set of solo instruments for each of his concertos – except No. 3 where the orchestra is divided into three parts (violins, violas, cellos) to replace the solos. No. 1 is scored for a wind ensemble of horns and bassoon added to the strings, while the violino piccolo is prominent. No. 2 has a flute, oboe, trumpet and violin in solo positions. No. 4 features a violin and two flutes (or recorders); No. 5 the flute, violin, and harpsichord; and No. 6 only the strings as in No. 3. The originality, variety, vigor, and glorious melody are audacious statements of Bach’s genius.

Karl Geiringer, in his expert study of Bach writes, “The Brandenburg Concertos seem to embody the splendor and effervescence of court life at Cöthen, and, moreover, they reveal the composer’s delight in writing for a group of highly trained instrumentalists. There is an exuberance and abundance of inspiration in this music which only a genius, aware of his newly achieved full mastery, could call forth. Craftsmanship and richly flowing melodic invention, logic and zest for experimenting, counterpoise each other here to an extent rarely equaled again even by Bach himself.” Ernest Human declared Bach’s position far ahead of his own time in his luxuriance of melody, his intensity in harmony “or the way he could force the most complex polyphony into the service of the profoundest emotional expression, or the freedom and variety of musical speech to which he could attain even while he fettered himself with seemingly the most crabbed forms…Within the…older forms that lay ready to his hands…he could indulge himself to his heart’s content in the sounding of the very depths of human soul…There is hardly an emotion that is not expressed, and with a poignancy that remains undiminished even after three generations of post-Tristan developments.”

Facts About the Mozart Effect and Intelligence

In 1993, Gordon Shaw and Frances Rauscher, scientists from Irvine, California discovered that listening to Mozart can increase intelligence. Within weeks, record shops in the US rode the bandwagon with banners such as “Make Your Child Brighter!” and “Get Brainier Listening to This Music!” One state even allocated substantial funding to enable pre-schoolers to receive a listening diet of this classical ‘wonder music’.

Soon enough, this commercial frenzy triggered skepticism among critics. They had to know how good if this research could really stand up under scientific scrutiny.

Ten years later, after a number of studies, scientists were able to conclude that there is a so-called Mozart Effect – actually and impressive raising of spatial IQ (the ability to solve jigsaw-like tasks for 15 minutes after listening to Mozart) – but no proven case for a longer-lasting benefit.

To investigate the issues further, according to Paul Robertson, a professor in music and psychology, it is helpful to understand the background both of the original research and of the historic role music played in education and healing.

The systems of Western Music are based on the pre-scientific belief that music is a reflection of ‘universal laws’ predating even the Ancient Greek philosophers – Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras et al—who later created our basic cultural view.

The concept of the “harmony of the spheres,” which is now generally misunderstood as merely a poetic fancy, was used by all significant thinkers and scientists in their early scientific experiments and construction of musical instruments to comprehend the structure of the universe.

Though scientific apparatus and concepts have changed greatly since then, whole areas of musicality often seem to offer surprisingly similar insights.

Gordon Shaw, as a distinguished physicist, with the intention of setting an unshakeable foundation in modern science, made an algorithm of intelligence; a theoretical computation, in fact, of how neurons of the brain fire in order to ‘think’.

With this pattern Shaw was able to generate a whole raft of resulting patterns. He then generated color pattern printouts to make the raw information meaningful.

Shaw’s university colleague Frances Rauscher, a music cognition expert, pointed out that the human auditory system is best able to recognize both pattern and incongruity. So Shaw used the same computer brain algorithm to make tonal patterns instead.

What they heard coming out of the machine was something very close to 18th-century music. The next step was inevitable. If brain patterns resembled musical ones, surely those same musical patterns might prime the brain to function better.

Auditory specialist Dr. Alfred Tomatis then discovered that the music of Mozart and Gregorian chants are the most powerful way to reeducate and recalibrate the auditory system and brain coordination. The structural nature of these kinds of music helps clarify time/space perception. The nature of the music echoes the way in which the brain becomes familiar with the development of ideas.

Tomatis believed that because Mozart’s music most perfectly reflects the ideal pre-language vocalizing it creates an ideal learning condition.

Eminent psychiatrist Dr. Oliver Sachs suggests in some of his work that Mozart’s music is neurologically perfect, while the great educationist Lozanov also based much of his ground-breaking ‘suggestopedic’ work on the belief that Mozart provides a uniquely productive learning environment which favors the Alpha brain rhythms known to be associated with enjoyable and open, assimilating states of mind.

Dr. Peter Fenwick, a neuro-psychiatrist completed some studies of the unborn child’s responses to music. Once again, it’s Mozart that has the most beneficial effect – helping sleep and Alpha-wave patterns. From account of a certain woman named Margot Cleg, her husband benefited from Mozart’s music. Some years ago, her husband, Philip fell into a coma following surgery. Three days later, with Philip still unresponsive and in intensive care, Margot, remembering Dr. Fenwick’s lecture, was able to persuade the doctors to allow her to play her unconscious husband his favorite Mozart recording - The Clarinet Quartet performed by Jack Brymer and a certain quartet –the Medici.

Shortly after the music started Philip’s brain monitor began to flicker and by the end of the final variation he was almost completely coherent. The following day he was out of the intensive care and recovering fast.

Perhaps the Mozart effect could be the “real thing.” As far as experts know, there are no dangerous side effects.

Writing Career for Musicians

If you love music and you love writing, this career would be a logical path to follow.

What does it take to become music journalist or critic? You love music and writing. Are these enough for you to hack it in the competitive world of music journalism?

Most music journalists or critics originally planned to be professional musicians. Some start out as instrument majors in the music college while some hold a graduate degree in musicology. It is good not to be careful not to let your musical skills aside. If you love music and you love writing, this career would be a logical path to follow, but it is of great importance that you have a practical and theoretical background in music. The knowledge one must have to enter this field is incredibly vast. There is no clear-cut path to wealth and success in this field yet. As a start, get a musical education first, then journalistic experience second.

Keep abreast of the current music scene, regularly patronizing a library of CD or audio collection (acquired either from stores or online), reading constantly, branching out beyond classical music, and being prepared for what may be a long journey with primarily abstract rewards.

Listen to everything you can in as many versions as you can and get as many scores as you can. Pick apart the details and pay close attention. With that, you have more to say.

Exploring Music Criticism Career

The Role

It is a very broad job that could range from high-intensity, full time writing of features, reviews and previews for one or a large number of different publishers (newspapers, magazines, websites) to low-intensity part time work, perhaps as a supplement to another job.

The Highs

Autonomy, particularly in staff positions; freedom to follow your own schedule; conversations with great musicians; attending concerts; feedback from readers; writing about what you love; community respect.

The Lows

Meager pay; lack of job security; no steady paycheck or medical benefits for freelancers

The Salary

Pay varies hugely. Before accepting a job, try to find out how much the money will buy in the locality. Being paid in US dollars is often a better deal than receiving local currency.

The Training

There is no formal career path but it helps to play an instrument well, have a degree in music performance, musicology, composition, or music history and to obtain some formal training as a writer (like a degree in English, communication, or journalism). Beyond that, experience is what counts.

Where to Find Work

Anywhere. Get your name on every arts and music mailing list, and try to make contacts at newspapers, magazines, and websites that publish music reviews or music feature articles. Get to know the critics and arts editors in your local community in person and meet other professionals in the national field.

Vivian Schweitzer, a New York-based freelance writer said, “If being a music critic is your dream then hold out for it, by all means. But you have to be realistic. If you want to write about classical music full-time, it’s going to be very hard.”

Everyone has a chance, but you may have to wait a little before money comes in.

A Guide to Appreciating the Japanese Instrumental Koto Piece - Rokudan

Among the most renowned koto pieces is titled "Rokudan," or "Six Sections." It is distinctive of the danmono type of instrumental pieces comprising of various "steps," or sections, called dan. Each dan carries 104 beats and is iterated several times, with distinguished variation. A short intro of 4 to 8 beats (four beats in the instance of "Rokudan") sets out the piece, and each dan succeeds the last without a break. The first 4 beats are followed by 6 dan, each having 104 beats long. Listening to the piece once, nonetheless, could indicate that the danmono is anything but a mere theme-and-variation form, as the sections are hard to differentiate. Even after hearing the piece many times, one may not be able to tell apart where a new dan starts since the melody of each dan is comprised of short figures that are normally hard to distinguish. The second and third dan are probably recognizable as associated to the first, for they’re closer to the melodious content from the first dan; afterwhich the similarity in thematic material begins to be less clear. Some fundamental melodic figures can be heard once more, but in another pan of the dan, or in another range or rhythmical pattern.

Hence, instead of trying to differentiate every section, it makes better sense to listen for the repeated short melodic figures as well as greater overall patterns. Some of the short melodic-rhythmic patterns that recur have a settling dotted figure and octave jumps. As for bigger patterns, the jo-ha-kyu construction could be employed to the piece as a whole. The first two dan constitute the introductory section or the jo; the 2nd two dan determine the tempo increasing, as in a ha section; then the tempo gains its height in the final two dan, or the kyu section. The pace slows down just toward the end, in the last 22 beats or so, finishing in a long glissando. This figure is also observed in individual dan, in which one can also feel a gradual building up of tension.

In listening to this courtly piece, we hear from the start four beats of "introduction" a long note of 2 beats followed by a coming down note a 4th away, then an interval of a 5th (ex. 8-4). This figure is easily heard throughout the piece. The accompanying beat of silence makes up the first beat of the material doubled in each dan.

A deliberate listener can hear an assortment of timbres and engaging tonal effects. Occasionally the pick of one finger slithering down the string creates a pitchless sound; sometimes glissandos sweep the strings. There might be changes in pitch that sound almost like a sliding from a note to the next and then back again. This is an effect of altering the pressure maintained in the left hand on the string when the right hand plucks it. Such soft shifting of pitch and tone color afford koto music a particular beauty.

Koto: The Ancient Japanese Musical Instrument

The Koto is a 13-string Japanese musical instrument which produces a unique sound through plucking. This ancient instrument was said to have been brought to Japan from China in the 9th century. It is considered a distant relative of the ancient Chinese instrument- the qin, which dates back to the 5th century.

In the Japanese literature, the earliest mention of this instrument was written in an ancient handsroll in the Genji Monogatari or The Tale of Genji 12thC (translated in English as follows):

“Is my lord aware

Of an agitated heart

Unsteady as the rope

Slackened when our vessel halts

Charmed by the sound of a koto?” -Gosheki lady

The refined music of the koto is well known to several foreigners because it has become familiar outside Japan thanks to concerts, records, and CD’s. Whether performed as a solo instrument or in an ensemble, having a vocal part or without one, for several centuries the koto has been among the most popular traditional music instruments of Japan.

The modern-day koto is a long (nearly 1.8 meters), wooden instrument with 13 strings, traditionally silk but now, also nylon is used. Bridges (known as ji) bear the strings above the surface of the instrument, one bridge for every string. These bridges can be moved so that the player can adjust them at various places across the string, depending on the needed tuning.

Similar to the prototype of the shakuhachi, the ancestor of the koto came to Japan from China in the early centuries of cultural interchange, then the instrument was slowly adapted to its current form. After many centuries of use by an elite few, in the Tokugawa period the koto slowly spread in popularity to other segments of Japanese society. At this time, changes in learning and in the koto repertoire induced numerous men and women to learn it (Malm 1959:169). Growing numbers included merchants, the class that formally held the bottom status but which was advancing quickly in riches and influence. Near the beginning of the Meiji period in 1868, the koto could be discovered in numerous private homes and in teahouses and theaters, and skilled koto operation had become a mark of good upbringing for young women. A lot of of the sokyoku (or koto music) pieces played today were composed in the Tokugawa period, when fresh schools and styles of performing rose up. During this time the koto was involved in ensembles with the shamisen, and later, the kokyu or shakuhachi, combinations that contributed a significant form of chamber music into Japanese life.

Japanese Music: The Komuso, Shakuhachi, and Zen Buddhism

The Komuso (Japanese mendicant monastic) became organized into the Fuke religious sect of Buddhism in 1600-1868 during the Edo period in Japan. They developed a Zen style of shakuhachi playing. Zen Buddhism is a philosophy that’s propagated all-over Asia and the world in diverse forms, but it’s established on the idea that intellect is not required in the pursuit of truth. We can explore to know about matters, but we don’t actually know them. To recognize them, we must cast away our notions of scientific investigation and coherent reasoning and rather trust on heightened consciousness and intuition about life.

Several means for attaining that state of heightened awareness of enlightenment (satori in Japanese) have been suggested. These include pondering (koan) or paradoxical enigmas (the most famed is "What is the sound of one hand clapping?") and the practice of zazen, seated in silent meditation. To the Fuke sect, playing the shakuhachi was also reputed a means for attaining enlightenment. For this reason, the shakuhachi wasn’t regarded a "musical instrument" by its performers, but a hoki or "spiritual tool." The spiritual approach to the "playing" or use of the instrument is known as suizen, or "blowing Zen"

The goal of shakuhachi, according to suizen, concurs with the goal of Zen: to attain enlightenment, carrying on into limitless "knowing." How this is done isn’t developed precisely (as it cannot be from the Zen perspective), but one basal notion is called ichoon jobutsu or "enlightenment in a single note." As stated by to this theory, one may reach enlightenment all of a sudden when blowing a single tone.

Breathing is important in shakuhachi playing and its association with Zen. The exhaling of breath is listened upon in the dynamic level and tone quality of a pitch, at the same time, it bears with it the possible action of instant spiritual enlightenment. Thus, each instant of "performance," whether the intake of breath or its very slow release, whether the elusive, delicate filling in of a tone or the explosion of air via the instrument, can be translated in the context of a bigger spiritual life.

The breathing pattern is crucial in determining to play the shakuhachi. Each phrase takes one entire breath, with striking shifts in dynamic level according to how quick the air is expelled. The typical set phrase in shakuhachi honkyoku music conforms to the instinctive breathing pattern, the sound getting fainter toward the end of the phrase when the air in the lungs runs out. If this dynamic pattern is interrupted by a gradual or sharper increase in volume, it creates a marked impression on the listener.

In the zen shakuhachi playing, the concept of ma (meaning “space” or “interval”) is very much observed. Basically, ma revolves around the idea that sound is enhanced by silence and silence is enhanced by sound conforming to the concepts of emptiness and space of the Zen.

The Shakuhachi and The Samurai of Japan

The shakuhachi, a Japanese, wind blown instrument made from bamboo, looks amazingly simple in structure yet delivers an array of tones from gentle and ethereal to rough and fierce. This transverse flute is constructed from a length of bamboo taken from the bottom portion of a bamboo stalk, including pan of the root. The name shakuhachi is derived from the length of the stock instrument. Shaku means a traditional unit of measure equivalent to about 30 cm. and hachi corresponds to 8, together meaning 1.8 shaku or about 54 cm. (Players also use different lengths, occasionally to match the range of the other supporting players’ instruments.) The standard shakuhachi bears four holes in the front of the instrument and another in the back for the thumb of the left hand.

The shakuhachi’s versatility in producing pitch and tone is in fact, due to its construction. Vertically held, the flute has a mouthpiece on top which is cut obliquely on the side away from the player. By partly covering the finger holes and changing the angle of the lips to the mouthpiece, a player can bring out a wide variety of tone qualities and pitches. The shakuhachi easily produces microtones including tones ranging from "pure" with few overtones to very breathy sounding virtually like white noise. A lot of Western-influenced modern-day compositions have been composed for the shakuhachi because of its wide-ranging pitch and tone quality.

Solo shakuhachi performance was widespread throughout the Tokugawa period (1600-1867). This was considered a golden age in Japanese cultural life. It was an era of peace, wherein the shogun living in Tokyo governed over a united country, while the Kyoto emperor bore only nominal power. After centuries of violent struggles between other factions of patricians and military leaders, Japan embraced peace and flourished under it.

Masakazu Yoshizawa, Japanese flautist and musician image via Wikipedia

But long-lasting peace entailed trouble for members of the samurai class. Samurai warriors relished high status throughout the years of fighting, but afterwards, a lot of samurai of lower rank were let go from their duties, becoming ronin or "masterless samurai.’ The Tokugawa government felt it expedient to maintain the social class system constituted in earlier times: at the top were samurai, succeeded by farmers, craftsmen, and finally, merchants. By issuing orders designed to set up limits between these classes, the government tried to forbid movement between them. For this understanding, even though they were without a means of

backup, ronin weren’t granted to change their class status as samurai, though some handled to do so. Several became teachers or writers, others turned to become farmers, and still others became employed bodyguards for rich merchants. The picture of the proud, haughty, brave samurai, as envisioned in samurai movies, is predominantly established on the ronin of the Tokugawa era, who were in reality, unemployed samurai.

image via Wikipedia

Some other choice for the ronin was to take religious orders and solicit on the streets and highways of Japan. As a matter of fact, in Tokugawa society, it was regarded more honorable to beg than to "lower" one’s social status by becoming a merchant or farmer. A group of ronin who took religious orders were known as "komuso." Komuso (literally meaning "emptiness monks") were Buddhist priests who roamed the countryside, playing the shakuhachi and begging. The standard komuso get up included a huge, basket-shaped hat made of cane, wherein the wearer could see through but not be seen. It was rumored that the komuso were government undercover agents who are taking advantage of their right to travel all-over the country sporting a costume that concealed their identity.

These samarai-turned-priests created their brand on the shakuhachi repertoire. The main solo or honkyoku repertoire for the instrument, comes from the pieces performed by the komuso. All of these pieces, the most phantasmal and meditative of the present-day shakuhachi repertoire, have a spontaneous rhythm; lacking a regular beat.

For a shakuhachi player, making music is more than show of skill and the production of exquisite sounds. It is a deeper spiritual experience similar to that of meditation or prayer.

Woodstock - The Most Important Rock Festival in History

The Woodstock festival happened on a farm in the town of Bethel, in upstate New York (USA), between 15 and 18 August 1969. The event brought together about 450 000 people to listen to lots of music - were more than 30 attractions, among the biggest names in time, like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix - and celebrate peace.

Read more: Woodstock - The Most Important Rock Festival in History

The Basque Txalaparta: A Unique Percussion Instrument

The Basque Txalaparta, looks something like a crossover between a xylophone and a shipping pallet is and perhaps one of the most peculiar musical instruments in the world.

The origins of this instrument are quite obscure, but according to one theory, it most likely developed from the skill competitions held during the celebrations at the end of the apple harvest.

The vertically held clubs which are used to strike the wooden beams are very much similar to the ones used for mashing apples to produce cider. A txalaparta is typically played by two musicians, each one holding two clubs while facing each other. Interlocking rhythms are produced as one musician plays the first and third beat while the other player does the second and fourth, and so on.

Because most txalapartas aren’t tuned alike, they produce various mixtures of sounds, for this reason, it is best suitable as a solo instrument. And, also since it is accustomed to be performed in front of an audience in order to display the virtuosity demanded to produce all those complex rhythmic patterns, few txalaparta duos were able to make a CD recording.

Harkaitz Martinez and Igor Otxoa, who for more than a decade have been performing as the Oreka TX duo. They surmounted these limitations with their Nomadak TX project. They were able to tune their txalapartas to a regular scale, they also filmed the trip they did as they played with musicians from other cultures. The Basque natives region were from the northern region of Spain. Some have migrated to Mongolia via India, others to northern Scandinavia and Morocco.

Qualities to Look for in a Music Teacher for Your Child

When faced with a music teacher you have initially chosen for you or for your children, here are some pointers to gauge their capacity. Some teachers allow you to sit in on their class and this is the perfect time to observe their techniques.

Is the teacher enthusiastic? Does the teacher motivate using stickers and prizes or, even better, by praising the nice thing about the music itself? Does the teacher demonstrate to the student how to practice? After watching the teacher in the studio, ask some questions:

What is the teacher's educational background and training? Is the teacher licensed to teach?

Where does the teacher perform? Good musicians and role models will perform and likewise teach. They will be involved in directing or attending workshops and other activities sponsored by professional organizations.

What sort of students does the teacher have? Does he or she work with novices and young children or just advanced students?

What kinds of goals does the teacher create for students? Good teachers would have both short-term and long-term goals.

What type of performance opportunities does the teacher offer for her students?

How many students does the teacher have? Does he or she teach all of these students in person?

Does the teacher use a single method entirely? Teachers may favor one method over another, but they tailor fit instruction to the student.

Does the teacher give the students chances to play with others? Some instruments, like the piano, can be isolating.

Generally speaking, it is much easier to overcome performance anxiety if one performs often. Not all "performances" have to be recitals. Playing at family parties or at nursing homes can be considered performing experience.

Good music teachers must be good communicators. If they have problems talking with parents, they will not do any better with students.

If a teacher appears more focused about enforcing rules than about determining the skill of the student, find another teacher. Some of this attitude can be learned by asking about practicing. Good teachers are more interested about effective practice than they are about the exact number of minutes spent during practice.

If the student has studied music before, the teacher would want to hear the student play to check where they should begin. A good teacher, however, won't criticize a previous teacher or that teacher's methods.

Teachers who are more concerned in telling you about their professional achievements than they are in learning about a prospective student may be a better bet as a performer than as a teacher. If your child is the prospective student, he or she must come with you to meet the teacher. Throughout this interview, a good teacher will talk with your child more than with you.

How to Find a Music Teacher For Your Child

Word -of-mouth is a good process to use to grow a list of possible music teachers for your child or yourself. As experts remark, laymen in the community might not be able to judge the musical value of the instruction, but they definitely know which teachers are producing students who love music. The local music teachers association can also give names of certified instructors. You may ask for a calendar of recitals being given by students of these suggested teachers. Attending a recital given by a teacher's students can tell you quite a bit. Were the students melodious—or mechanical? Were they well-prepared? Did they appear pleased with what they were able to do? University or college music departments normally have information about local music teachers. And musicians who teach in the public schools know teachers who can append your child's instruction in the school orchestra or band with private lessons. Additionally, well-informed staff in music stores can direct you to good teachers.

The method of teaching and learning, particularly when done one-on-one, is subtle and complex. A comfortable personality match is vital when searching for a music teacher.

Read more: How to Find a Music Teacher For Your Child

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The Beauty Of Mozart's Symphony No 40

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 40th Symphony, or the G minor Symphony (which Wagner calls a work of “indestructible beauty”) was a product of Mozart’s personal travail he was experiencing during the time of its composition.

It does have an air of tragedy reflected even in the choice of the G minor key, which is associated with tragic emotions. The same key was used in The Magic Flute, in Pamina’s aria “Ach ich fuhls” as she wishes for death, and such works as the Symphony No. 25, the String Quartet K.478 share the same emotional climate. F.J. Fétis, a biographer, wrote “Although Mozart has not used formidable orchestral forces in his G minor Symphony, none of the sweeping and massive effects one meets in a symphony of Beethoven, the invention which flames his work, the accents of passion and energy that pervade and the melancholy colour that dominates it result in one of the most beautiful manifestations of the human spirit.” According to musicologist Eric Blom, in this symphony, Mozart blended romanticism with the Classical perfection of formal balances so that they meet in perfect equilibrium: “It is in this respect at least the perfect musical work.”

Read more: The Beauty Of Mozart's Symphony No 40