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Great website about classical music

May 11th, 2011

ClassicalMusicCity.com is a new and innovative web site devoted to the classical music industry. It is the most comprehensive, free source of classical music information on the web that includes information resources in the form of video, articles, news, reviews and listings. It has everything from video of masterclasses, an archive of famous classical music cartoons, classical music composer’s biographies, sheet music, youth orchestra audition notices, recordings and concert announcements. All content goes through administrative approval, so it is a safe and fun place for children to roam and discover the wonders of classical music. Lots of informative content for parents too.

With over 10,000 pages and growing, you can easily find what you need. Search by keyword, topic, type of content or even by regions from as large as “worldwide” to as small as a state. It offers the traditional navigation via tabs at the top of the page which includes audio, auditions, jobs, events, articles, video, blogs and more. It also features a list of over 30 directories in the left hand column for everyone and everything from music teachers, musicians, ensembles, schools, venues, to medical professionals who specialize in treating injuries to musicians.

The real innovation comes in the form of a clever and colorful map of the CITY. Each building is a whimsical design based upon musical symbols and instruments and iconic classical music images. The buildings are topical, so when you click on the image you are taken to content (video, announcements, news, links, articles, etc.) that is related to the “theme” of that particular building. The map is colorful and bright and especially enticing to younger users. (Go to main page at www.ClassicalMusicCity.com)

Just scroll down the page and below the map are slider boxes that contain the latest additions to the site, including featured members, video, articles, news, links, sheet music, auditions and jobs.

Here is a quick overview some of the buildings and what each contains.

MUSIC SCHOOL - Looks like a french horn and contains content for pre-college level students, parents and teachers. Includes directories for accompanists, pre-college teachers, music schools, and student performing groups. Also has information on competitions for pre-college students, Early Childhood Music, Games, Kid’s Corner, Music History, Music Theory, Parent’s Lounge, Pedagogy, Practicing Tips, Recital Hall, Summer Programs, Video of Performances.
CAFE - Looks like a violin and features the “lighter” side of classical music including Alternative Music Styles, Comedy, Folklore and Anecdotal Tales, Interesting and Outrageous Ideas, Let’s Talk About, People in the News, Reviews of Concerts.
MOVIE THEATER – Has a bass clarinet on the front of the building and it contains 100′s of theaters showing all the video contained on the site. Includes concert footage of all types including folk and alternative styles, Cartoons, Comedy/Satire., Documentary, Educational “how to” video and classical music masterclasses. Also famous film footage from Hollywood, tips on Health and Wellness for musicians and classical music in the form of Performance Art.
CONCERT HALL – Looks like a piano and is the logo for the site. Directories for musicians, both professional and amateur, as well as performing ensembles like orchestras, bands and choirs, and composers and conductors. Also find Audition Repertoire Lists, Concert Announcements, Educational resources for kids, Major Artists, Program Notes, Recital Hall, Reviews , Summer Festivals, Venues for Instrumental/Choral Concerts, Video.
HOUSE OF WORSHIP – Information on sacred music including recordings and video and directories for churches, choir directors, ensembles.
LIBRARY – Audio/MP3 Recordings (Free), Biographies, Book Reviews, Directory of Industry Professionals, Discography, Dissertations and Papers, Educational Resources, Libraries and Collection, Periodicals, Podcasts, Rare and Unusual Instruments, Reference Materials, Videographies.
OPERA HOUSE – Contains directories for opera companies, venues and opera musicians, a Children’s Corner, composer and conductor biographies, Educational resources, Libretti, video of Major Artists and reviews.
MARKETPLACE – Merchant Directory that includes retailers, service providers (like accountants, entertainment lawyers) musicians for special occasions, music publishers. Visitors can buy or sell sheet music, instruments, and music accessories.
PROFESSIONAL CENTER – Music related information on Taxes, Accounting, Appraisals, Career Counseling, Financial Planning, Insurance, Legal Services, Travel.
CAREER CENTER – Alternative Career Paths, Artist Management, Audition Advice, Career Development, Opera, Orchestra auditions , Resume Tips.
RECORDING STUDIO – Directory of Industry Professionals and Recording Studios, Discographies, Recording Equipment, Industry Issues, New Releases, Recommended Recordings, Reviews of Recordings, Software, Technical Advice, and video.
COMMUNITY CENTER – This building is for the people who support classical music in a non-performance capacity. Find a directory for Arts Administrators and Arts Patrons and services organizations like unions and teacher’s associations. Also news on Arts Advocacy, Awards, Economic Impact Studies, Grants, Scholarships

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Everything You Need To Know About Classical Music Gear

April 23rd, 2011

Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, Western art, or ecclesiastical and concert music, in the period from the 9th century to the 21st century. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period.

Classic music is still played by many of today’s musicians. European classical music is largely distinguished from many other non-European and popular musical forms by its system of staff notation, in use since about the 16th century.

Classical and popular music are often distinguished by their choice of instruments. The instruments used in classical music were mostly invented before the middle of the 19th century. Some of them had been designed even earlier, and codified in the 18th and 19th centuries. They consist of the instruments found in an orchestra, together with a few other solo instruments such as the piano, harp, accordion, and organ.

The great majority of classical music gear fall into six major categories – bowed strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, keyboard, and the guitar family. The first four form the basis of the modern symphony orchestra.

The classical guitar was originally a Spanish-derived, six-stringed instrument. It is played using a plectrum or the finger-nails, with frets set into the fingerboard. Popular music tends to use amplification for both the six-stringed instruments and the four-string bass guitar. The guitar family gradually supplanted the lute which had come to prominence during the Renaissance.

The piano is widely used in Western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment. It is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal. Although not portable and often expensive, the piano’s versatility and ubiquity have made it one of the most familiar musical instruments.

The piano is sometimes classified as both a percussion and a string instrument. In the period from about 1790 to 1860, during the Mozart-era, piano underwent tremendous changes, which led to the modern form of the instrument. Early technological progress owed much to the English firm of Broadwood, which already had a reputation for the splendor and powerful tone of its harpsichords.

The accordion is played by compression and expansion of a bellows, which generates air flow across reeds. A keyboard or buttons control which reeds receive air flow and therefore determine the tones produced. The accordion’s basic form was invented in Berlin in 1822 by Friedrich Buschmann. The accordion is one of several European inventions of the early 19th century that used free reeds driven by a bellows.

The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the family of string instruments, which also include the viola and cello. The oldest documented violin to have four strings, like the modern violin, was made in 1555.

Significant changes occurred in the shape and structure of the violin in the 18th century, particularly in the length and angle of the neck, as well as in the bass bar. Most of the old violins have undergone these modifications, and hence are in a significantly different shape than their forerunners, undoubtedlys with differences in sound and response.