A symposium is a tightly choreographed social gathering where men drank together, conversed, and enjoyed themselves in a convivial atmosphere. Some of the more popular musical forms are equally applicable in the cocktail world. Take for example, the enduring form of theme and variation. There are many famous examples to choose from--this blog has already … Continue reading The Friday Symposium: Themes and Variations
Tag: Friday Symposium
The Friday Symposium: Death and the Composer
A symposium is a tightly choreographed social gathering where men drank together, conversed, and enjoyed themselves in a convivial atmosphere. Franz Schubert died at 31, but he is hardly the only or even the youngest composer to die before their potential had been fully realized. Pergolesi died at 26; Bellini at 33. Mozart died just … Continue reading The Friday Symposium: Death and the Composer
The Friday Symposium: Christmas Edition
A symposium is a tightly choreographed social gathering where men drank together, conversed, and enjoyed themselves in a convivial atmosphere. Last year's Christmas Playlist was such a hit, I decided to make two more. Taking a break from all things classical, here's a playlist of classic songs that have been jazzed up. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5uNOhC94LrIoRNuEx6P6yp A traditionalist … Continue reading The Friday Symposium: Christmas Edition
The Friday Symposium: A Schubertiade
A symposium is a tightly choreographed social gathering where men drank together, conversed, and enjoyed themselves in a convivial atmosphere. As chronicled here, Mozart exploited his remarkable talents to become the first freelance composer in history. As such, he was beholden only to those who paid for his compositions and not to any one church … Continue reading The Friday Symposium: A Schubertiade
The Friday Symposium: Assessing the Recorded History of Beethoven’s Ninth
One of the great joys of classical music is delving into the often rich recorded history of a particular composition. Conductors, often lampooned in popular culture, are all very serious students of the music they perform and their directorial decisions significantly shape the music we hear. How? Tempo is the most obvious lever, but so … Continue reading The Friday Symposium: Assessing the Recorded History of Beethoven’s Ninth
A Gertus History of Music 