What are some examples of one composer borrowing from another and improving upon the idea?
This happens a lot and is perhaps most prevalent in sets of variations. A well known example in the classical music world is the Caprice No. 24 (Paganini). The long list of interpretations included on the Wikipedia page is worth a look, however, I would recommend the Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Lutosławski. Though the dates of composition are pretty close with the Rachmaninoff and Lutoslawski, these three works represent three very different eras of musical thought. Another example that I suggest you look into is the Dies Irae plainchant. This Wikipedia entry also lists a number of interpretations, but there are many, many more. This is one of the most frequently quoted melodies in all of classical and contemporary music. It crops up in movie and TV soundtracks quite a lot too as a foreboding "doom" motif. Lastly, just for fun, here is one off the beaten path. In jazz, taking another composer's work and putting your own spin on it is absolutely commonplace. It is one of the primary forms of innovation. However, this is usually seen within the genre. Of Human Feelings by Ornette Coleman focuses not on a jazz or even pop reference. Rather, he directly quotes the opening bassoon theme from the Rite of Spring in the tune "Sleep Talk". I certainly am not going to tread on one of the most important works of the 20th century and say that Coleman's playing is an "improvement", but I will say it does expound upon the idea.
What does lounge-y mean?
The word is often used when describing a song. I'm guessing it means that the song has a light beat and is suitable for being played in a cocktail lounge, therefore making it somewhat bland. Is this right?
What is it called when theres multiple songs in one?
i call it a medley but i'm not the only one: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medley it's not a remix as others try to suggest. a remix is when you create a new mix using the original multitrack recording, and it could include new overdub tracks
How does mileage reimbursement work???
Started a job where mileage reimbursement is offered .34 cents per mile. Company accountant Inofrmed me filing with my taxes will get a bigger refund. Is there any truth to this? Or his he trying to save the company some money? Furthermore, I'm salaried & was told by yet another source that I would not be able to itemize mileage due to this unless I owned a home or a small business. Vry confused and would like to be prepared when I further discuss this matter with the accountant. Please advise. Thank you :)
Beethoven is of the Romantic Period/Era, yes?
There is a lot of misinformation out there. Beethoven's compositional career somewhat straddled both eras, yes, that is true. To call his music Romantic is incorrect, from the standpoint of how he structured his music. I see one responder says the the piano sonatas 20 thru 32 are considered Romantic. I would like to ask, considered such by whom? Beethoven scholars would call the sonatas 20 thru 29 his middle period sonatas, and the last three his late period sonatas -- but I have yet to hear somebody refer to them as Romantic sonatas -- they quite simply are not. I would prefer to say that Beethoven's expansion of the musical thinking of the time set the stage for the Romantic era. I have addressed this particular issue in another questions not too long ago, and my answer was not well received. I am happy to listen to anybody who wishes to support the opposite position in a convincing and intelligent manner. Who know, you could change my mind! Cheers, G.
When did Frank Zappa make his best live recordings, and what makes them stand out?
For me, the undoubted best live Zappa albums are the ones from 1974 with the lineup that became known to fans as the “Roxy band” because it appeared on the live album Roxy and Elsewhere which was released contemporaneously instead of later on.The best representation of this band was on the album You Can’t Do That Onstage Anymore, Vol. 2: The Helsinki Concerts, which had a smaller band than the Roxy gigs but one that was tighter from having toured for months. One of the tunes from those Helsinki gigs, “Inca Roads,” first appeared in edited form on the brilliant 1975 studio album One Size Fits All.Why this band? It was the peak combination of staggering musical talent and individuality. The band included jazz keyboard great George Duke, versatile reed player and vocalist Napoleon Murphy Brock, tuned-percussion (vibes, marimba, tympani) virtuoso Ruth Underwood, drummer Chester Thompson (who would go on to be the touring drummer with Genesis), and others. Previous Zappa bands had talented musicians, but not at this level. Ruth Underwood was my particular favorite, a truly unique and underappreciated musician.I prefer the Helsinki concerts to the Roxy ones because they had more emphasis on the music and less on the jokes, banter, and “audience participation.” This may have been because Zappa felt that the Finnish audience didn’t understand English or some of the uniquely American cultural references that he’d use in the U.S.Subsequent Zappa bands also overflowed with monster musical talent, but this band was really allowed to express themselves while later bands were there more as musical robots to do Zappa’s bidding and play his difficult compositions at the fastest possible tempos. (Zappa eventually discovered digital sampling synthesizers like the Synclavier and stated that he preferred them because he didn’t have to bother with human musicians.)I prefer this band over the late 70s band that someone else mentioned with Terry Bozzio on drums, Adrian Belew on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Patrick O’Hearn on bass. Undoubtedly those are all fantastic musicians, and I agree that Zappa was a better guitar soloist by then. But others in that band started down the “technically superb musical robot” path of Zappa’s later bands; and I’m not a big fan of the poo-poo/wee-wee and sexist humor that began to take over during that period.
What classical music is similar to Chopin's Nocturnes?
Absolutely none. Some will tell you “oh he liked Mozart and Bach! Listen to them!” Others will say “Oh well Liszt and Schumann were contemporaneous with Chopin! Listen to them!” Everyone’s got their opinions on who is similar to Chopin, but none of them are anywhere near close. Just the fact that you get such a wide range of answers should be telling enough that there is no answer. If there were any individual composer that was similar to Chopin, they would be cited constantly. Sadly there are none.I have listened to Chopin exclusively for the past three years. I’ve tried several dozen times to listen to other music and try to get out. There is no way out. Chopin’s music is uniquely phenomenal by any and all metrics that a Chopin fanatic would use. All you’ll get is an occasional melody that you can respect from Liszt or a fragment of counterpoint that you can appreciate from one of the classical classical pianists. A prelude from Rach here and there are alright as well. Other than that you’re stuck with Chopin.
Famous madmen in history?
Ludwig Van Beethoven He used to pour water on his head as he composed music. As he took walks, he would hum a tune and flail his arms as if composing music while walking through town.