Musical surprises #19: That Russian sound is Italian
When you think of Russian folk music, what do you hear in your head? Probably the sound of someone playing a tune on a balalaika with that heart-rending tremolo on…
Musical surprises #18: 5/4 isn’t that odd in the 19th century
There’s a fairly common belief that until Stravinsky came along, everything was either in 4/4 or 3/4. When I was at school in the 70s, I remember one music lesson…
Musical surprises #17: Sometimes a strathspey is a reel is a jig
It’s not just the tango that’s complicated or misleading: Scottish music is apparently prey to the same terminological confusion. Writing about naming conventions in collections of dance tunes dating back…
Musical surprises #16: The skating in Les Patineurs is nothing new
I wasn’t going to post this since I thought it was no longer surprising, but then I overheard an announcer on Radio 3 only this morning give full credit to…
Musical surprises #15: It’s musicians who count weirdly, not dancers
The term ‘dancers counts’ is often used in a rather perjorative way – as if they’re incapable of seeing and hearing the world normally. Even dancers use the term against…
Musical surprises #14: ‘Let it snow’ is not a Christmas song
There is not a name for the precise mixture of rage and musical indigestion I feel when I have to put up with Sainsburys christmas music. When I was in…