There’s something special about the fifth scale degree of the tonic (major) key when raised a half-step. Granted, there’s something special about every non-key pitch in a tonal system, but what really captivates me about the flat six is its affective power in a Romantic context. Take a minute to listen to this excerpt: what do you feel when you hear the horn make its solo entrance above the sustained bassoon and strings?...

The other day, I treated myself to the manuscript version of Rachmaninoff’s fourth piano concerto, which I had never heard before. This version, dated sometime in late August of 1926, is the original version of the piece that the composer premiered that year, before revising it twice to cement what we know now as his fourth concerto. The music in this first iteration reveals a strikingly unfamiliar side of the composer....

I’d say that I probably enjoy about half of the songs on the radio today. The other half either make me feel less intelligent (e.g. Replay by Iyaz) or fall short of my desired melodic quota (e.g. Imma Be by Black Eyed Peas; I hate this song). I don’t think I can easily describe what’s in my tastes, but in general, most of the songs I like capitalize on the ever-popular I-V-vi-IV or i-VI-III-VII chord progressions somewhere in the chorus or refrain (e....

Following in the steps of my last post, here’s another nifty little eight bar passage—this one from the finale of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G, featuring the principal and second horns. The movement opens with a modest trumpet fanfare introducing a series of pastoral variations in the strings, but then it’s off to the races at rehearsal letter C when Dvorak calls upon the entire ensemble to repeat the main theme....

I’ve been tired and uninspired lately, so I will just take a moment to rattle off some thoughts about Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F. Feel like I could give the Romantic era business a rest anyway. Our good friend Dmitri wrote a bunch of brooding, controversial symphonies, but in this concerto, there is a nice slice of his more cheerful side, as can be found too in the Festive Overture and ninth symphony....