oboeinsight

This group of listening samples was fun, but it was so darn obvious which was the 100% human sample. I’m going to guess you have as easy of a time with it as I do. Still, it is interesting to think about it and how we know right away which one was completely human.

Of course if you can’t tell fill me in if you dare! :-)

… little late! This was broadcast on November 19 of last year, but I neglected to put it up. Or maybe I remembered to and this is a repeat. You tell me!

You can listen to Ira Flatow (I always thought his last name was PLATO … silly me!) interviewing physicist and musician Dr. John Powell. He has a book out called “How Music Works: The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond”. I have always been fascinated by the difference between instruments, as well as the difference between two instruments playing the exact same notes in the same octave … how while one might sound screechingly high while the other might sound mid-range or even low. (Compare, for instance, an oboe playing a high G compared to a flute playing a high G. We sound quite high. The flute? Not so!)

To read the transcript or click on the audio link go here.

It really is quite interesting!

You can also hear and see him in these two videos (he’s funny, too!):

I wish I could put the program here, but I haven’t a clue how to do that, but go here and listen to a program about Angela Casagrande. I found it interesting and fun. It’s 14 minutes long, but surely you can spare a bit ‘o time, can’t you?

I’ve often wanted to say to an audience, “Do you KNOW how nervous I am right now?” or “This reed is such a pain. It really wants to honk in the lower register.” But of course we aren’t supposed to admit our fears and foibles.

Except maybe on blogs, eh?

So anyone live in or near Ottowa? Here’s some concert info:

Angela Casagrande, the story-telling oboist
The Double-Double (Reed) Concert
with bassoonist Kirstin Day and Jane Perry piano
Music by Edward Elgar, Francis Poulenc and others
Friday, February 4th 7:30 p.m.
First Unitarian Congregation on Cleary Ave (off Richmond Road near Woodroffe)
Tickets: $20, $15 for students and seniors or pay what you can

Fitting for today, “Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple”

Johann Sebastian Bach, BWV 82 “Ich habe genug”, I. Aria

Thomas Quasthoff, Baritone
Albrecht Mayer, Oboe
Berlin Baroque Soloists
Cond.: R. Kussmaul

You can always listen by going here. Perhaps you’ll agree that KUSC really is a quality station. So maybe the change I blogged about will cause the programming to change as well.

I’ve not written about the horror of the shootings in Arizona. I don’t usually write about things like that here. I just try to leave as much ugliness and sorrow off of this blog as I possibly can.

And I just don’t have words. So I think it’s best to not even try.

But today this music hit me, and while I will be putting this up on a Sunday Morning Music post at the end of this month, I needed it today. Maybe you can use this as well.

Lord Make Us Instruments (no composer listed)
Drakensberg Boys’ Choir