Musical surprises #20: The end of Sleeping Beauty is a French song
That’s not the whole surprise, because it’s a fairly well-known fact that the big tune in the apotheosis of The…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…