Category Archives: For Fun
Boo! A Halloween Special
With Halloween approaching, it seems only relevant that we shed light on some of the spookier aspects of classical music. Though no well-known composers or performers had superstitions around Halloween day itself, many had obsessions and superstitions surrounding curses, death, and other macabre topics. Arnold Schoenberg was well-known for his superstitions, suffering from triskaidekaphobia, or …
Less Respite, More Ruckus: Re-examining Classical Concerts, Past and Present
It’s a Friday night, and I’ve found myself in a dimly lit room packed wall-to-wall with people, some tapping away on their cell phones, others chatting, all eager for the set-up to complete so the featured musicians can come onstage and start the show. I notice that the man in front of me sips from …
Player Piano Rolls: Listening to History
When we tune in to All Classical, we barely pause to consider that, with the exception of live-streaming concerts, most of the music we hear has been recorded. Thanks to the innovations of recording technology from the twentieth- and twenty-first century, we can hear musical moments captured and preserved in time. Performance before wax cylinders, …
The Rise and Fall of the Marquam Grand: a tragedy
This is my second week in Portland, and already I am intrigued by the city’s vibrant music culture and its history. While searching to learn more about the city’s central musical sites, I discovered the story of the Marquam Building… Like many great operas, this story opens with a glorious and stunning entrance and closes …
