How you can harness the transformative power of music
Music is so powerful that multiple selections of classical, jazz, rock, and folk music were recorded and placed aboard the Voyager 1 probe so that if it made contact with other forms of life in the galaxy, those beings might gain some insight about humanity through music. That’s because music can Read More...
Global warming soundtrack sounds eerily beautiful
An astonishing experiment by a music student and his teacher at the University of Minnesota has yielded a piece for string quartet that is as hauntingly beautiful as it is moving. Their goal: giving global warming a sound representation, just as animated color maps from NASA provide a visual Read More...
Subway Sets brings obscure talents into the spotlight for sold-out concerts
New York City has been cracking down on musicians performing on subway platforms. It is too bad, given the crop of talents that can be found there on a regular basis. This, at least, is the opinion of Dan Pierson, the founder of Subway Sets. A couple of years ago, the Brooklyn resident started Read More...
The song remains the same
Two tales about the magic of music. Paulo Coelho | April/May 2010 issue The stand-in singer (Sent by Murali) The story goes that tickets were all sold out for the presentation by a famous tenor, but on the big day, with the house filled to capacity, it was discovered that a traffic problem would Read More...
Music: An ode to the human voice
Ton Maas | April/May 2010 issue Why don't you play an instrument? Why don't you write your own songs?â? Singer Maura Oâ??Connell has been asked the same questions dozens of times. â??Because Iâ??m just a singer,â? was her standard reply. But it didnâ??t sit right with her. Why be ashamed Read More...
Doctor makes music that crosses cultural divides
Physician and singer Rupa Marya is on a mission to break boundaries musically and nationally.. Marco Visscher | Sept/Oct 2009 issue Rupa Marya felt a sense of pride mixed with disbelief when she learned last year that the album she had just released was the top seller in the world music Read More...
Avant-garde organ song to last 631 years
John Cage's "As Slow as Possible" will be played in a former church in Germany for a very, very long time. Ursula Sautter | May 2009 issue “One need not fear about the future of music,” American experimental composer John Cage once wrote. Well, the future of Cage’s own music seems assured, Read More...
Videos: John Cage's 'As Slow as Possible'
A former church in Halberstadt has specially designed an organ to play John Cage's experimental composition. The Editors | May 2009 Read More...
Pop star Aviv Geffen is a force for peace in Israel
After the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, Aviv Geffen’s “Cry for You” became the anthem of the Israeli anti-war movement. Today, he’s still speaking up for peace. Sander Donkers | April 2009 issue “I am an unusual artist. Before I came on the scene, no one had the Read More...
French rap star Abd al Malik inspires change among inner city youth
Abd al Malik embraced rap as a way to channel his frustration, tell his story and critique society. Carmel Wroth | April 2009 issue French rapper Abd al Malik has no trouble explaining why young men in the French ghettos usually celebrate New Year’s Eve by torching cars. “When you live in a Read More...