5 Links to Consider | February 26, 2024
A round-up of this week's compelling and considered clicks, compiled from The Absolute Sound's veteran staff of experts and reviewers.
These are the 50 greatest composers of all time - and an essential album from each
We asked 174 composers to choose the 50 greatest composers of all time. A tough task: here's how they rank... All products were chosen independently by our editorial team. This review contains affiliate links and we may receive a commission for purchases made. Who are the best composers of all time? We asked 174 leading contemporary composers for their choices. Do you agree with our choices? Read on at Apple News..
We asked 174 composers to choose the 50 greatest composers of all time. A tough task: here's how they rank... Classical Music Got Invented with a Hard Kick from a Peasant's Foot
The very first things you see on a page of music are the time signature and metronome markings—those numbers that literally set the pace for the performance. They make the whole process seem mathematical and precise, but—as I’ll show—nothing could be more misleading. Let me start with a simple question: Why do we have time signatures in the first place? Sure, they indicate the rhythmic pattern of the music, but why does rhythm need a pattern? It isn’t hard to imagine a music without meter, and the more you think about it, the more peculiar the time signature seems. Is there any reason why music should be constrained by an unyielding pattern? Why should these musical handcuffs repeat bar after bar in a composition? Read the full op-ed..
The Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1566) The day the music industry sued someone for $72 trillion
In 1999, the recorded music industry was swimming, drowning in money. CDs had been on an upward trajectory for more than 15 years, reaching sales of 2.4 billion globally and one billion units in the U.S. alone in 2000. Despite the massive scale of the CD industry and plants running flat out around the world, the promised decline in prices never came. In fact, the industry was caught in a price-fixing scheme that inflated the cost of CDs between 1995 and 2000 with a marketing plan called “minimum advertised pricing.” It’s estimated customers were overcharged US$500 million and up to US$5 per album. (The case was settled with a fine and a promise to give US$75 million to public and non-profit groups.) At the same time, labels moved to eliminate the more affordable CD single. The dam began to burst on June 1, 1999, when v1.0 of Napster was released into the wild. Within 18 months, the service had more than 80 million users sharing MP3s they didn’t pay for. Other illegal file-sharing programs popped up. Audio-Galaxy, Kazaa, BearShare, Grokster and dozens more. Other music fans turned to legal-but-often-used-illegally software like BitTorrent and uTorrent, programs that powered networks like The Pirate Bay... Read full article...
4. Ancient Maya Temples Were Giant Loudspeakers? Centuries before the first speakers and subwoofers, ancient Americans—intentionally or not—may have been turning buildings into giant sound amplifiers and distorters to enthrall or disorient audiences, archaeologists say. Temples at the ancient Maya city of Palenque (map) in central Mexico, for example, might have formed a kind of "unplugged" public-address system, projecting sound across great distances, according to a team led by archaeologist Francisca Zalaquett of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Performers and priests may have stood atop these temples or in specialized projection rooms, which still exist, to broadcast songs and chants throughout the squares. The Maya are known to have to held public rites to commemorate enthronements, births of nobles, and war victories as well as to honor deities, Zalaquett said. The "amplifiers" would have been the buildings themselves, and their acoustics may have even been purposely enhanced by the strategic application of stucco coatings, Zalaquett's findings suggest. Measurements at some of the buildings still bearing stucco suggest it may have changed the absorption and reflection of sounds. Read full article on National Geographic…
Frederick Delius - On hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Frederick Delius (1862–1934) was an English composer known for his impressionistic orchestral and choral works inspired by nature, literature, and his travels. His music, including A Mass of Life and On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, blends rich harmonies and lyrical melodies, reflecting both Romantic and early modern influences.
For more show reports, expert reviews, features, and commentary subscribe to our newsletter here.
Watch equipment reviews, interviews, and more on our YouTube Channel here.