From Handel to Hip Hop: Archaeology of Popular Music
It’s easy to think of popular music as being songs by Barbra Streisand, The Beatles, and Lady GaGa, or perhaps big band music from the 1940’s. In fact, composers have been writing “hits” for centuries and great melodies have spread through society just as easily in 1600 as they do now. It is fun to trace the connections between Schubert and Scott Joplin, Chuck Berry and Coolio! If you are “In the Mood” for the top tunes throughout history, come join the Magellan Quartet as they play timeless classics, from Handel’s Water Music to the latest in Hip Hop.
From Yesterday to Y2K and beyond: The Evolution of the String Quartet
Ever since Franz Joseph Haydn got three of his buddies together to jam, string quartets have been one of the most beloved ensembles in the Classical world. Composers have often expressed their deepest, most personal thoughts through the medium, and it is fascinating to see how Beethoven, for example, developed his musical style from his earliest pieces through the onset of deafness into his final days. The string quartet remains just as vital today as it was in the 1700’s, staying ever-current with the possibilities of amplification, ethnic flavors, influences from other genres like rock and jazz, and additional instruments such as gongs and wine glasses. The Magellan Quartet picks movements from some of the most important, ground-breaking pieces throughout the medium’s history. You’ll be amazed what four string players can do!
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed (Theme and Variation in works from Pachelbel to Paart)
What do composers Pachelbel, Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Gershwin, and Paart have in common with the Chartres Cathedral, a protractor, the Dalai Lama, Rainer Maria Rilke, T.S. Eliot, and the classic 64 box of Crayola Crayons? This lecture-recital features music from four centuries, all composed in theme and variation form. Commentary includes references to geometry and mathematics, in addition to observations from famous writers, composers, cultural leaders, and architects. (This program is also available in the Musical Morsels shorter length).