Jul 19 2009

The grand Islamic choral tradition. Not.

Category: Iran,Islam,musicharmonicminer @ 8:30 am

Iran: Artist gets five year jail term for musical Koran

An Iranian artist has been sentenced to five years in prison for having put the Koran to music. According to ‘Fardanews’, the Iranian authorities considered the move “offensive to Islamic morality”.

Mohsen Namju is accused of having ridiculed the Koran, “reciting it in a western and anti-Islamic style”.

One of the major experts on recitation of the the Koran in Iran, Abbas Salimi, reported the musician to the Islamic court in Tehran.

The court found the artist guilty for having breached “Islamic morality”.

After the sentence, Abbas Salimi was reportedly “very satisfied” and underlined the importance of “defending the sacredness of god’s book”.

“No-one should be able to ridicule it,” he said.

Under Islamic law, music is allowed if it does not result in provoking the faithful.

Combining the recitation of the Koran and popular songs, like the Iranian artist, is not tolerated under Islamic Sharia law.

And you thought your local church was musically conservative. Along these lines: is there any equivalent to jazz in Islam?

Just kidding.


Jul 13 2009

Getting the footwork right

Category: musicharmonicminer @ 8:35 am

Organists have to learn to play the pedals, but this is ridiculous… in a good way.

Imagine Bach seeing this.


Jul 01 2009

On the value of music

Category: musicharmonicminer @ 8:47 am

A friend of mine, a classical guitarist, sent me the link to a post titled We need music to survive. It’s all worth reading, a meditation on the value of music.

One of my parents’ deepest fears, I suspect, is that society would not value me as a musician. I remember my mother’s reaction when I announced my decision to study music instead of medicine: “You’re wasting your SAT scores!” My parents love music, but at the time they were unclear about its value.

The confusion is understandable: We put music in the “arts and entertainment” section of the newspaper. But music often has little to do with entertainment. Quite the opposite.

After you read the rest of the article at the link above, you might pop over here.  You’ll note that I disagree with the author (at the link above) about some of the finer points of the relationship between “art” and music, but I’m in sympathy with his general point.  To me, the mere fact of music, that it exists at all, and is what it is, is a very deep mystery.


May 26 2009

E for Effort?

Category: character,college,education,higher education,musicamuzikman @ 9:30 am

I spend most of my occupational time teaching these days.  It is the most recent step in a career evolution that has spanned 33 years and counting.  I was fortunate enough to have figured out ways of making my passion my vocation and thus have enjoyed a professional career in the music virtually all my adult life. There was a brief detour for a couple years in real estate investing or what is now called “house-flipping”.  The one good thing I can say about that is…I survived (just barely).

The full-time teaching chapter of my story has so far occupied about ten years, though I have taught in some capacity pretty much since I got out of college.  I suppose that means I’ve been around long enough to have formed some opinions and perspectives on the subject of learning, particularly in the area of music.  I freely admit the following observations are purely anecdotal, based on nothing more than my own life experiences and would not stand the challenge of academic rigor.

To put it bluntly, many college students with whom I come in contact on a daily basis display a disturbing lack of passion, curiosity, self-motivation or determination. There are very few young people I encounter with any real fire in their belly! Continue reading “E for Effort?”

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May 16 2009

The REAL story of Samson and Delilah?

Category: arab,Islam,Israel,multi-cultural,music,politics,racismharmonicminer @ 8:52 am

It seems that there is no story where the demands of art cannot be impressed into the service of politically correct “creativity,” and this “SAMSON” AND OPERATIC INSANITY appears to be on the same general plain as a crucifix in urine, or maybe a star of David in pig blood.

In Belgium, a government-funded opera company is presenting a bizarre reworking of the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah. This “updated” version of a nineteenth century Saint-Saens melodrama depicts Samson as a Palestinian “freedom fighter”, not an Israelite, and portrays Delilah as a despicable Israeli agent, not a Philistine temptress.

In the climax of the production, Samson straps on a suicide vest and blows-up the Israeli “oppressors.” This politically-correct operatic indulgence follows announced plans by La Scala—on of the world’s most prestigious opera-houses—to produce a full-scale musical version of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and by the Shanghai opera to offer a lavish, five hour singing-and-dancing adaptation of Marx’s “Das Kapital.” As the composer Franz Liszt once aptly observed: “All music is an insane asylum, but opera is the wing for incurables.”

Just a couple of observations, and a plug:

It WOULD be a government-funded opera company producing this trash. What private company would do it with the intent of making a profit? Of course, the Saudis will fund nearly anything that puts Israel and Jews in a bad light, and I’m just guessing that, much like Washington D.C., the Belgian government and lobbying apparatus is full of people on the Saudi payroll, who seem to own 1 out of 3 former congress critters and state department drudges.

As far as a Jewish Delilah goes, it would make more sense to cast Tokyo Rose as General MacArthur’s secret lover.

And the plug. The REAL story of Samson and Delilah, a story about sex and violence, and yet rated G.    “God Brings Down The House” is a particular show stopper.  At the link, just click the cover of Samson and Delilah, and then at the linked site you can play excerpts of the tunes.  Eat your heart out, Belgium.


Mar 07 2009

It Ain’t Your Money To Spend

Category: economy,musicharmonicminer @ 3:46 pm

I always said that jazz tells the truth.

Now Kathleen Stewart speaks truth to power.

It Ain’t Your Money To Spend

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Feb 04 2009

Musically celebrating the Inauguration

Category: humor,music,politicsharmonicminer @ 4:30 pm

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Jan 25 2009

Music of the heart

Category: musicharmonicminer @ 9:41 am

You may have seen this already, but it’s short, and worth revisiting. If it’s new to you, enjoy.

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Jan 17 2009

Marsalis on today’s music students

Category: education,higher education,music,societyamuzikman @ 9:39 am

Here are comments by a legendary musician on music students today. Some of his comments may apply to students in other areas, but it’s really about the music. Mild language warning.

Branford Marsalis’ take on students today

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Dec 18 2008

Merry Christmas

Category: Christmas,musicharmonicminer @ 2:02 pm

Music Majors With Time On Their Hands, always a dangerous combination

Carol of the Bottles

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