Yet another third-party melody in The Nutcracker?
Think of the scene in Nutcracker where all the guests go to bed, and in particular the tune in the bass that repeats and fragments until everyone’s gone. Then listen…
The perils of video
Two recent conversations have caused me to remember an interview between Christopher Hampson & his long-term notator Caroline Palmer about his ballet Canciones that I transcribed and posted on the…
Zorn’s ‘Grammar’ online, for all your polka mazurka needs
I got my copy of Zorn’s ‘Grammar’ via Abe Books a few years ago, but it occurred to me that it must surely be out of copyright, and digitised by…
The Scotch Snap: everything you needed to know, and a hundred more questions
Scotch Snaps: The Big Picture from Philip Tagg on Vimeo. This is probably the most interesting video I’ve ever seen on a musical question. If you want to know why,…
Conference on musical improvisation
Interesting conference coming up in September 10th – 13th this year at Oxford University – Perspectives on Musical Improvisation. I’m half tempted to submit a proposal for a paper, since…
The Steamboat, the Nutcracker and Bon voyage, cher Dumollet
On Christmas day of all days, I’ve had possibly the most interesting comment ever posted on my blog with regard to the score of the Nutcracker. Jesse Kleinman has pointed…