[This post is #8 in the Western Classical Music Series] Every block of stone has a statue in it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it — Michelanglo The beauty of an artwork is not just … Continue reading
Pierre de Fermat was born in in the first decade of the 17th century. He was an amateur mathematician, but one who became very famous for his “Last Theorem”: no three positive integers a, b, and c can satisfy the … Continue reading
[This post is #7 in the Western Classical Music Series] Why should you care about periods and eras in WCM? Because they’re invaluable if you wish to appreciate a WCM work in perspective historically. On a broad level, WCM has … Continue reading
[This post is #6 in the Western Classical Music Series] After looking at some of the Forms used in WCM, let us look at some of the popular Genres or Styles that make up the world of WCM. Note that … Continue reading
[This post is #5 in the Western Classical Music Series] After understanding a few key musical concepts, let us now familiarize ourselves with some of the Forms used in WCM. What exactly is Form and what is Style? I like … Continue reading
[This post is #3 in the Western Classical Music Series] Related to the challenges in appreciating WCM for Indians, are the differences between WCM and Indian Classical Music (ICM). Note that by “Indian Classical”, I am referring to both Hindustani … Continue reading
[This post is #2 in the Western Classical Music Series] After briefly understanding what is Western Classical Music, let us think about some of the challenges involved in appreciating it, and why it’s still worth it. Challenges Complexity & Patience Understanding … Continue reading
[This post is #1 in the Western Classical Music Series] For some, Western Classical Music (WCM) is what plays in the background in elevators, reception rooms, and lounges. For others, it is what snobbish ‘intellectual’ artsy folks indulge in pretentiously. … Continue reading
The encouraging response to my teaser post has propelled me towards thinking of an outline for how to structure this series. Here is the first draft of my proposed outline. Introduction What is Classical Music? Brief History. Differences between Hindustani … Continue reading
I have been tweeting on weekends about Western Classical Music and learning to appreciate it. Some folks have rightly pointed out that Twitter is a very difficult medium to impart as well as imbibe anything useful and lasting, and that … Continue reading