Trying to rank Bach’s great moments is like trying to rank miracles in order of impossibility. Yet I’ve caught myself feeling that a moment in the B Minor Mass may be the greatest of all. This short essay, adapted from a chapter in my forthcoming ebook Why Bach?: An Audio-Visual Appreciation, says why. If features highlighted scores that play as a…[Read more]

The development of the Portuguese entertainment market and the rise of several types of musical theatre are inextricably bound to the complex symbolic and material process through which Portugal was established, presented, developed, and commodified as a modern nation-state between 1865 and 1908. During this period, several fundamental…[Read more]

The development of the Portuguese entertainment market and the rise of several types of musical theatre are inextricably bound to the complex symbolic and material process through which Portugal was established, presented, developed, and commodified as a modern nation-state between 1865 and 1908. During this period, several fundamental…[Read more]

Part One of this study seeks to define the nature of Spanish and Italian printed keyboard sources in the 16th and 17th centuries. In Chapter two, seven Spanish keyboard prints or theoretical works are examined, dating from 1546 to 1626. These works clearly state a conception of the ideals of keyboard playing; they also show the beginnings of a…[Read more]

Musico-analytical examination of Frank Ocean’s album Blonde and the lyrical references and musical allusions to a marijuana high.

Historical, analytical, and critical overview of John Zorn’s celebrated file-card composition, Cobra.

For Arnold Schoenberg, presentation (Darstellung) is an act of conscien- tious composition by which the formal/functional properties of motives and Gestalten, along with any possible development or variation, are real- ized in the creation of a coherent musical artwork. Presentation, then, is the manner by which a musical idea (Gedanke) is made…[Read more]

Book-length examination of the musical, artistic, and aesthetic practices of the American experimental composer and saxophonist, John Zorn.

The Smiths are one of the most commercially successful and in uential bands to emerge from the British post-punk movement in the 1980s. Along with elements such as lyrics, harmony, and musical form, a key component of The Smiths’ distinctive musical style involves their sound and, in particular, their sound as represented on studio recordings. D…[Read more]

In this essay, I examine how aspects of rhythm and metre play a fundamental role in shaping and defining Led Zeppelin’s musical style. At the same time, I will show how Led Zeppelin was able to modify, manipulate, and develop pre-existing musical models and forms through various rhythmic and metric strategies. Comparative analyses will be used i…[Read more]

Musico-analytical examination of Frank Ocean’s album Blonde and the lyrical references and musical allusions to a marijuana high.

Historical, analytical, and critical overview of John Zorn’s celebrated file-card composition, Cobra.

For Arnold Schoenberg, presentation (Darstellung) is an act of conscien- tious composition by which the formal/functional properties of motives and Gestalten, along with any possible development or variation, are real- ized in the creation of a coherent musical artwork. Presentation, then, is the manner by which a musical idea (Gedanke) is made…[Read more]

Book-length examination of the musical, artistic, and aesthetic practices of the American experimental composer and saxophonist, John Zorn.

The Smiths are one of the most commercially successful and in uential bands to emerge from the British post-punk movement in the 1980s. Along with elements such as lyrics, harmony, and musical form, a key component of The Smiths’ distinctive musical style involves their sound and, in particular, their sound as represented on studio recordings. D…[Read more]

In this essay, I examine how aspects of rhythm and metre play a fundamental role in shaping and defining Led Zeppelin’s musical style. At the same time, I will show how Led Zeppelin was able to modify, manipulate, and develop pre-existing musical models and forms through various rhythmic and metric strategies. Comparative analyses will be used i…[Read more]

Musico-analytical examination of Frank Ocean’s album Blonde and the lyrical references and musical allusions to a marijuana high.

Historical, analytical, and critical overview of John Zorn’s celebrated file-card composition, Cobra.

For Arnold Schoenberg, presentation (Darstellung) is an act of conscien- tious composition by which the formal/functional properties of motives and Gestalten, along with any possible development or variation, are real- ized in the creation of a coherent musical artwork. Presentation, then, is the manner by which a musical idea (Gedanke) is made…[Read more]

Book-length examination of the musical, artistic, and aesthetic practices of the American experimental composer and saxophonist, John Zorn.