April 5, 2019
by Graham
4 Comments
This is unusual – I’m not commenting on pronunciation or usage this time, but asking for help. I’ve been asked to provide a translation of the German-language instructions to performers for the programme of our local Music Club, where we … Continue reading
February 23, 2015
by gpointon
9 Comments
During the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was normal for composers to give speed indications for their music in Italian. Beethoven started to vary this with German, and Schumann followed suit, but Italian is still the main language for … Continue reading
November 7, 2010
by Graham
2 Comments
Music is often used to depict works of art in other disciplines – Debussy’s “Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune”, for instance, is a musical interpretation of a poem by Mallarmé; there are likewise many overtures or symphonic poems based on … Continue reading
October 4, 2009
by Graham
1 Comment
Once you’ve decided how you’re going to pronounce Latin when you’re speaking English, the next problem comes up for singers. It’s not only English that has its own version of Latin pronunciation, but every language in Europe has its idiosyncratic … Continue reading
May 13, 2009
by Graham
2 Comments
This BBC programme about Henry Purcell is available on line for the next couple of weeks. In it Charles Hazlewood claims that we know so little about the composer that we are not even sure how to pronounce his name. … Continue reading
April 17, 2008
by Graham
7 Comments
Traditionally, since the days of Arthur Lloyd James and Kenneth Lee Pike, languages have been divided into two broad types: syllable-timed and stress-timed. French was considered the archetypal syllable-timed language (Lloyd James called this ‘machine gun rhythm’), in which each … Continue reading
November 4, 2007
by Graham
0 comments
Yesterday evening, the Really Terrible Orchestra, founded in Edinburgh by Alexander McCall Smith and his wife, gave a concert in London, and, according to the press reports, received a standing ovation at the end. How often are children told that … Continue reading