Apr 28, 2020The Angle of Fifths: An Alternative to Everyone’s Favorite CircleIn the bizarre Stay-at-Home world of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, teaching my Harmony classes remotely involves a lot of iPad (with Pencil) screen sharing. This has spontaneously revived something I have experimented with from time to time, normally on a whiteboard. A few years ago, I found myself in a…Music Theory4 min read
May 30, 2016Berlin, 1989.In November 1989, when the Berlin Wall was opened, I was a student living in Budapest, Hungary. This is a little slice of life from those days. Within a few days of the Berlin Wall opening on November 9th, 1989, I was on an overnight train from Budapest to Berlin…History4 min read
May 22, 2016Name That Chord! The Confusing World of the Cadential 6/4There is a bit of folklore out there (hopefully apocryphal) about a disagreement between two college-level Music Theory teachers that turned into a fist fight. No, no one insulted anyone’s wife or ancestral homeland. The stakes were way higher than that: it was about what’s the correct way to notate…Music5 min read
Published in Changing Notes·May 10, 2016An Old Favorite: CYCLE OF FRIENDS Turns 20“…exceptionally beautiful on many counts!” This month marks the 20th anniversary of what perhaps remains my favorite of the pieces I’ve composed over the years. Cycle of Friends, for soprano, chorus (SATB and sometimes SATB+SATB) and chamber orchestra, is a lush, emotional journey through five texts taken from such diverse…Choral Music5 min read
Jul 22, 2015What is a Tritone? And, What Isn’t It?Why augmented fourths are not the same as diminished fifths. — The word tritone is frequently used interchangeably with the terms augmented fourth and diminished fifth. Let’s see if we can clear that up. The intervals of the augmented fourth and diminished fifth indeed sound the same when played out of context on a piano, but they are not the same…Music3 min read
Feb 27, 2014Perfect Pitch: No Measure of Musical AbilityTo what extent does perfect pitch have any bearing upon one’s musicianship or ability to appreciate music? — I once saw a YouTube video of a dog demonstrating perfect pitch. A lovely Golden Retriever sat at what looked to be a makeshift, paw-friendly piano keyboard . Opposite and off screen, a woman played a penny whistle and addressed the dog in German. The woman would play a pitch…Classical Music7 min read
Dec 4, 2009What Is Musicianship?For years I have taught private lessons to people, mostly adult amateur choral singers, who approach me seeking to improve their “sight singing.” With the singular goal of “sight singing” in mind, my students often don’t immediately realize that the ability to sing music off the page at sight depends…Musicianship5 min read
Oct 21, 2009More Fascinating Folk Music: Sutartinės of LithuaniaWell, now I have Lithuania to add to the list of countries whose folk music to be obsessed with. In a discussion with a Moscow-trained teaching colleague about what folk music traditions might have influenced Stravinsky’s ear in his youth, I brought up the amazing vocal music of the Caucasus…Folk Music3 min read
Oct 12, 2009Seán Deibler, 1947–2009My college teacher, mentor and great friend ever since then, Seán Deibler passed away on August 19th. Most of what is important enough to me to write about on this blog can, in one way or another, be traced back to my 24-year association with him. …Philadelphia3 min read
Feb 4, 2009The Case for “Movable Do” in Classroom MusicianshipAgainst my better judgment, I’m jumping into the fray regarding methods used in the teaching of sight singing. Normally I try to stay away from such conflicts, but I can only take so much disparagement of my beloved Movable Do system. …Ear Training6 min read
