Stuck on sloppy handwriting from the 17th century, a musician recently turned to artificial intelligence to help solve a motet’s textural problems. Despite many negative impressions, ‘the process of exploring ChatGPT opened my eyes to its potential’ as a valuable research partner.
Can AI Decipher a Manuscript Better than You? Read More »
Boston’s Musicians of the Old Post Road have again uncovered music by known composers whose works have been neglected. Their latest album is centered on Christoph Graupner (and a few contemporaries). Here the music is ‘so vividly shaped and shot through with energy that the composer’s unique play of rhythm, texture, and harmony remain difficult to ignore.’
Discovering Graupner on the Old Post Road Read More »
Pioneering American folklorist Francis James Child, born 200 years ago, will be celebrated this week for his lasting cultural influence, especially for his collection known as the Child Ballads. Today, folk revivals ‘find an essence of identity against the commodification of culture,’ protesting how ‘everything can be sold.’
Celebrating the ‘Founding Parent’ of Folk Studies in America Read More »
Robert L. Kendrick’s ambitious new monograph, a detailed look at the oratorio in Catholic Italy and Hapsburg Vienna, covers more than a century of repertoire, connecting Biblical stories — fratricide, child sacrifice, forbidden love, death — with political events and considers the social and moral impact on the listeners.
Life Lessons and Catholic Oratorio Read More »
American countertenor Reginald Mobley’s much-anticipated second solo album, ‘Solitude,’ is a collection of mostly English songs, with familiar tunes and a few surprising additions. Backed by lutenist Brandon Acker and bassist Doug Balliett, it’s music of substance and haunting beauty.
Solitude: Reginald Mobley Unplugged Read More »
