Edited by Scott Burnham (NHC Fellow, 1998–99) and Michael P. Steinberg Few composers even begin to approach Beethoven’s pervasive presence in modern Western culture, from the concert hall to the comic strip. Edited by a cultural historian and a music theorist, Beethoven and His World gathers eminent scholars from several disciplines who collectively speak to the range … Continued
By Thomas Brothers (NHC Fellow, 2003–04) In the early twentieth century, New Orleans was a place of colliding identities and histories, and Louis Armstrong was a gifted young man of psychological nimbleness. A dark-skinned, impoverished child, he grew up under low expectations, Jim Crow legislation, and vigilante terrorism. Yet he also grew up at the … Continued
By Scott Burnham (NHC Fellow, 1998–99) It is a common article of faith that Mozart composed the most beautiful music we can know. But few of us ask why. Why does the beautiful in Mozart stand apart, as though untouched by human hands? At the same time, why does it inspire intimacy rather than distant … Continued
By Robin D. Moore (NHC Fellow, 2004–05) Music and Revolution provides a dynamic introduction to the most prominent artists and musical styles that have emerged in Cuba since 1959 and to the policies that have shaped artistic life. Robin D. Moore gives readers a chronological overview of the first decades after the Cuban Revolution, documenting the … Continued
Heitzenrater describes his transition from an early focus on classical music to the revelation that multi-track recording could enable him to reach new creative heights in musical composition and engineering. Curator’s note: John Heitzenrater, a founding member of the band Hindugrass, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator whose performance career spans more than three decades … Continued
Peter Holsapple describes his dismay as a Beatles fan growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina when subsequent pop rock, in his opinion, failed to live up to their high standard. That all changed one day when he listened to an album by the band Big Star. He reminisces about how the opportunity to play with … Continued
Matt Smith is a nationally recognized musician, founder of Six String Ranch, and Music Studio Director of Phoenix Academy Austin, a youth residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. Here he recounts how, as a young street musician, he came to understand both the importance of deep listening and the power of manipulative rhetoric. In addition … Continued
As a child, Ken Stringfellow had difficulty relating to others and understanding seemingly inscrutable social cues. Turning to his parents’ collection of LPs changed all that. By immersing himself in symphonic compositions, he was able to understand and translate the emotions of others as they were represented artistically. Curator’s note: Ken Stringfellow is a singer, … Continued
Crawford recalls how a potentially traumatic move to a new high school at the age of fourteen could have been a distressing experience, but ultimately showed him the power of community, acceptance, and music.
Sansone remembers a childhood opportunity to watch from the wings of his hometown theater as Gladys Knight performed. As he describes it, seeing her transform into a dazzling presence on stage, captivating the audience with her music, her persona, and her appearance, was the first time Sansone felt consciously struck by the effect that great … Continued