A top 10 list of Children's books
Russia's classical music identity was forged as a compromise between two competing schools of thought. Nationalist composers wanted to create music that reflected Russian folk music and folklore. Conservatories trained musicians using traditional Western European techniques. Something had to give.
An examination and analysis of the Late Middle Ages painting The Arnolfini Portrait by Belgian painter Jan van Eyck.
The Ars Nova period in music history began in 14th-century France and would lay the groundwork for modern music notation.
An examination of seven successful female composers who lived before the 20th century.
Eleven classical composers who died in unusual or mysterious ways. How did they die, and what was unusual about it?
Read on to learn about eight classical composers who died in the prime of their lives. How did they die, and what did they accomplish?
What is the meaning of "Dark Side of the Moon"? What are the themes and ideas that thematically unite the tracks of Pink Floyd's timeless album? The exploration starts here.
The Portinari Altarpiece is an Early Renaissance painting by Flemish painter Hugo Van Der Goes. The painting depicts a Nativity scene on three panels.
This is a book review of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a shorter allegorical novel about a young man in search of his treasure.
This article provides excerpts and details from five of the meanest, harshest, and most unsympathetic reviews of Classical composers that are viewed as geniuses today.
This article describes how the Nickelodeon cartoon Hey Arnold! could relate to both adults and children. The writers of the show took advantage of this idea to infuse the show with radically opposing emotional and contextual ideas. Specifically referring to the episode Road Trip, tragedy is...
Here is a look at 10 of the most beautiful movements of Beethoven's music. This article comes highly recommended to people looking to expand their listening knowledge of Beethoven's music or classical music in general.
Primavera is a world famous painting by Sandro Botticelli that depicts a Spring Pastoral setting. The meaning of this painting is still widely disputed, but today it is seen as one of the great masterpieces of the Early Renaissance.
Beethoven's musical output can be divided into three different periods—the early, middle, and late periods. This article focuses on the late period, looking at the music that Beethoven wrote that was his most ambitious and was written while he was completely deaf.
Henry V is the first major Shakespeare film adaption by Kenneth Branagh. The play Henry V is the capstone to Shakespeare's Henriad, a tetraology of plays that are among Shakespeare's greatest. Branagh rises to the task and proves that he deserves to stand amongst the greatest filmmakers in...
Lincoln is a 2012 political drama about the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The film focuses on the final few months of Lincoln's life and the passing of the 13th Amendment, the amendment that ended slavery in the U.S. Read the full review here.
Giotto di Bondone was the first Italian artist that would make up the line of artists responsible for the Italian Renaissance. Lamentation of the Death of Christ is a fresco painting by Giotto that is part of a set of thirty seven paintings for the Scrovegni Chapel in Italy. This painting would...
The Inheritors is the second novel by William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies. This book is a fictional account about one of the last Neanderthal tribes first encounter with primitive Homo sapiens. Read the full review here.
Amelie is the story of a young woman who does good deeds for the locals around her. As she dedicates her life to helping others she has a difficult time figuring out her own life. The powerful visuals, feel good nature of the film, and superb acting make this film something everyone should watch....
Looking at the AFI's top 50 heroes and villains list, T.E. Lawrence from Lawrence of Arabia comes in at #10 on the hero side...but was Lawrence of Arabia really a hero? This article takes a closer look at the good and evil done by T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia.
This a review of the comedy film Bridesmaids. Written by former Saturday Night Live cast member Kristen Wiig, this film is one of the funniest films to come out in 2011.
This is a guide to the fingerings used to play major and minor scales and arpeggios on the piano.
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time is told from the view point of Christopher, a teenager with a mental disability who is trying to solve the mystery of who murdered his neighbor's Poodle. Detailed insights into Christopher's thought process open a new world to readers where they...
Mozart's final symphony, Jupiter, was a symphony that opened doors for future composers of symphonic music. Inspired by composers like Bach and Handel, Mozart incorporates polyphonic ideas as he shifts the emotional weight of the symphony towards the final movement of the symphony.
This is an article that explains the mechanics of sonata form, a structural device frequently used in classical music. Understanding sonata form can improve the listeners appreciation and knowledge of classical music.
Beethoven's 3rd Symphony changed the symphonic landscape forever, which led many to ask, what is the meaning of Beethoven's 3rd?
Beethoven's musical output can be divided into three different periods—the early, middle, and late periods. This article focuses on the middle period and looks at the music that Beethoven wrote, which has since become his most popular.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that is about a fat, nerdy, overweight Dominican named Oscar who is looking for love, and to become a successful fantasy/sci-fi writer. The novel explores immigration in the U.S., life under and after the brutal Dominican...
A Visit From The Goon Squad is a novel by Jennifer Egan that explores the lives of many different characters that are loosely interrelated to one another. This book includes settings in the past, present, and future and has characters that range from being music producers, kleptomaniacs, and...
Much Ado About Nothing is a film based off of the Shakespeare play of the same name. Shakespeare's play, a romantic comedy, is directed by Kenneth Branagh who presents a faithful adaption of Shakespeare's play and delivers a great performance as Benedick, too. Recommended for people who like...
Descent From The Cross is an early Flemish painting by Rogier van der Weyden that depicts Christ being taken off the Cross after he was crucified. Van der Weyden was a highly accomplished painter that was able to use a number of ideas and techniques that helped make this painting a very powerful...
Beethoven's musical output can be divided into three different periods: early, middle, and late. This article focuses on the early period and how Beethoven rose to become the greatest composer of his time.
This is a book review of The Shadow of the Wind, the first adult novel published by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (author of The Angel's Game). Zafon's haunting portrayal of Post War Spain is about the coming of age story of Daniel Sempere. While Daniel comes of age, he is also trying to solve the mystery...
"The Night Circus" is a popular novel that is about an ongoing competition between two magicians in a traveling circus that only runs at night. On a deeper level, the book draws inspiration from "The Tempest" and the character Prospero.
Here are five car recommendations for people who play the double bass and are looking for an affordable and economical car to haul it around with.
Beethoven's 9th Symphony has been regarded as one of the finest musical compositions ever written. Over 180 years after its premiere it is still widely admired and critically acclaimed. The musical ideas in it had been developing in Beethoven's mind for over 31 years before it was first...
Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States, and he had a very aggressive personality. One thing he was known for was fighting in duels. Although it's unknown how many duels he fought in, some standouts have been well-documented. These are 3 of those standouts.
Leonin and Perotin are two of the earliest composers of Western classical music that we have a record of. Through the music they left behind, we are able to see a clearer picture of where classical music came from.
Freedom is a documentary film about the history and current state of ethanol in the United States., This film examines why ethanol could be a very useful source of fuel, and it debunks a lot of the myths started by ethanol's detractors.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina has often in legend been posthumously declared the savior of Western music. This article looks into the validity of this claim, and how the legend spread and overshadowed Palestrina's musical accomplishments and contributions.
This is a music theory based hub that explains how to build major, minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales. These scales have been the building blocks to Western music for over 400 years, and are still an important part of creating music today.
This article is about the early history of the symphony in Western classical music. Beginning in Italy and continuing through Haydn, early symphony composers opened the door for future composers that would become synonymous with the genre.