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…
Musical surprises #13: The male variation in Sugar Plum was originally in C minor
Tchaikovsky has a reputation for bringing high production values to the composition of ballet scores by conceiving them architecturally and symphonically. But in practice, he’s as likely to borrow, copy…
Musical surprises #12: The ‘tango’ is a maxixe is a polka with a habañera rhythm
The maxixe was a lower-class dance that caused outrage in upper and middle class society in late 19th century Brazil. Not only did partners hold each other by the buttocks,…
Musical surprises #11: Listen long enough, and words become a melody
We often talk about a language being ‘musical’, or a speaker having ‘sing-song’ tones when they talk. But we mean this only in a vague sense: we don’t mean that…
Musical surprises #10: Le Corsaire doesn’t go like you think it does
Here’s a nice Christmas ‘spot the difference’ quiz: listen to the music of the two clips below and see how many differences (apart from tempo) you can identify. Corella’s is…
Musical surprises #9: Hornpipes are in 3…
Well, sometimes they are anyway. For many people, especially dance teachers, ‘hornpipe’ is synonymous with 2/4 time. But there are also triple meter hornpipes, often notated in 3/2, particularly common…