Those are the words that Robert Schumann (also born in 1810) used to describe Frederick Chopin’s music. Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal contained a terrific article on Chopin by classical pianist Byron Janis. The piece contains some interesting insights of the man from a performer who, at age seven,  first “met” Chopin through his music. Janis recalls how he learned that Chopin, like his music, was “filled with intense emotions and tender poetry”. I’m always fascinated by quotes and descriptions of great composers contemporaries and Janis passes on a gem from Franz Liszt. He captured Chopin’s “otherworldly” quality by introducing him to friends with the words “I’d like you meet a man who comes from another planet”. This planet never saw his like before and will never again, I imagine. Read the whole article here.

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There have been many an article about presenting the right image when applying for a job. Successfully landing that job can involve things as simple as having a well crafted resume free of typos. An article in the March 9 Wall Street Journal highlights one more important piece of your presentation, the cover letter. Columnist Sarah Needleman says that with the stiff competition for jobs these days, a good cover letter helps you stand out. Thankfully it doesn’t have to be an “epic”, just make it brief. Use it to fill in holes in your resume, or show that you understand the industry your seeking a position in. If you’re in the “job search business” right now this article is worth a look.

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You’re not alone, and, it’s not your fault. A new book on how the human brain interprets music demonstrates that listeners rely upon finding patterns within the sounds they receive in order to make sense of it and interpret it as a musical composition.

What was that?

Philip Ball, author of The Music Instinct, has drawn on the latest scientific findings from neuroscientists to show structure and patterns in music are a fundamental part of musical enjoyment. It seems the “old” masters like Bach and Mozart instinctively knew how to write music that made our brains happy, but when the moderns presented us with atonal music in the 20th century our poor little minds weren’t equipped for what they heard and we’re no closer to understanding it on an instinctive level.

The author adds “Some of the things that were done by those composers such as Schoenberg undermined this cognitive aid for making music easier to understand and follow. Schoenberg’s music became fragmented which makes it harder for the brain to find structure.

“That isn’t to say, of course, that it is impossible to listen to, it is just harder work. It would be wrong to dismiss such music as a racket.“

Professor David Huron, an expert on music cognition at Ohio State University, has studied some of the underlying reasons why listeners struggled with such modern classical pieces.

He said: “Much of what the brain does is to anticipate the future. Predicting what happens next has obvious survival value, and brains are remarkably adept at anticipating events.”

Read the full article featured in The Telegraph out of the UK here.

Also, scroll down to a previous post dated Jan 28, 2010 on the brains musical abilities.

The scenes we’ve witnessed of the destruction of much of Haiti are staggering and heartbreaking. The world has stepped forward with amazing amounts of aid money. Still more is needed and we cannot afford to let the plight of the Haitian people to slip off our radar. To that end you’re invited to a free musical event inspired by a blind Haitian violinist’s dedication to music education and his friendship of nearly three decades with SJSU faculty pianist, Dr. Gwendolyn Mok. The San Jose State University School of Music and Dance will host a Haiti benefit concert for the victims of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the impoverished nation on January 12, 2010 and to rebuild the New Victorian School in Port-au-Prince. I will be there this Sunday night at 7:30 for this musical benefit. Yes, it’s free, but we hope you will give generously to the Haitian people and to the New Victorian School.

You will enjoy music by David Maslanka, Benjamin Britten, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky, Brian Belet, Eliza Gilkyson, Xavier Montsalvatg, and a dance number choreographed by Donald McKayle.

Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 7:30 pm

San Jose State University School of Music and Dance Concert Hall

260 South 7^th Street, San Jose, CA 95112.

Parking fee is waived at SJSU’s South Garage (South 7^th and East San Salvador)

TICKETS: Free admission to the public

Bring your checkbook and your cellphone and I’ll see you there.

Thank you in advance.

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Historic Krakow, Poland

Just received word today from my friends at Earthbound Expeditions that our “Follow in Chopin’s Footsteps” tour of Poland, Prague and Paris in late May is filling up fast and if you’ve thought about joining us, now is the time to get on board.  Our trip will be fully guided by an expert Earthbound Expeditions program manager, we’ll stay in comfortable 4 star accommodations, enjoy classical concerts highlighting the works of Chopin, Mozart, Dvorak, Smetana and Beethoven and explore some of the most beautiful and fascinating cities in central Europe. Best thing is it will be an intimate group of just over 20 KDFC listeners. So don’t delay. Click through to Earthbound Expeditions for information on a trip of a lifetime.

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One of our regular listeners, Jack from San Anselmo, made me aware of a review in the Wall Street Journal of a new book by Ruth Katz that explains how Western music developed its common and innately understandable language and then lost both its grammar and coherence. The book, A Language of its Own, takes us on a journey from Plato who bemoaned the state of music in the 4th century B.C., writing “Through foolishness they deceived themselves into thinking that there was no right or wrong way in music, that it was to be judged good or bad by the pleasure it gave.” to modern times and a modern British composer who stated “I can’t be responsible for the audience.” WSJ reviewer James Penrose concludes by saying “To be sure, “A Language of Its Own” is not a long moan about the rise and fall of Western music. Ms. Katz is an elegant analyst, not a polemicist. And she is hopeful that our musical tradition can regain its footing, perhaps by re-creating the “abstracting” process that allowed Western music, despite its inability to describe what it does, to beguile and fascinate us for so long.”

Looks to be a fascinating read. The full review is here.

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The concept of the  Mozart Effect was  described by French researcher, Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis in his 1991 book Pourquoi Mozart? He used the music of Mozart in his efforts to “retrain” the ear, and believed it promoted healing and the development of the brain. The theory has taken more than a few knocks over the years, but new research backs the initial theory. Doctors in a Tel Aviv hospital have shown playing Mozart music to premature babies seems to help them gain weight faster and become stronger.

“It’s not exactly clear how the music is affecting them, but it makes them calmer and less likely to be agitated,” said researcher Dror Mandel, a lecturer at Tel Aviv University. Though the sample size was small, the scientists said their findings were statistically significant.

Read the whole article from the Live Science website here.

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Chopin ca. 1849

It’s Chopin’s 200th birthday year and my friends at Earthbound Expeditions have put together a once in a lifetime 10 day tour, beginning May 14th, tracing Chopin’s life. From his birthplace to scenic sights in his homeland, concert experiences and even an option after to tour Paris for three days in his beloved adopted home, it will be a journey we’ll never forget. So why don’t you join me and a small group of fellow classical music fans for this memorable celebration of one of the greatest figures in music.

Some of the highlights include:

- Two special Chopin concerts in Warsaw

- An evening dinner concert in Krakow featuring traditional Klezmer music

- Tickets to two concerts during the 65th annual Prague Spring Music Festival

- Walks and lectures led by local experts in the historic city centers of each city visited

Follow this link to Earthbound Expeditions, or call 800 723-8454 for details about what awaits as we journey “In Pursuit of Chopin“.  I can’t wait.

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Well, I can say that because I don’t have to live in it. I know it can be overwhelming sometimes in “real” winter weather so I asked for response on the Morning Show today. Interestingly enough most people didn’t seem to mind the snow, it was the cold that bothered them.

Like Kathy in New  England…

“This comes from Alton Bay New Hampshire. We will have a very white Christmas with our 2nd snow fall this week. 8-10 inches shrank down to about 5-6 inches when this last storm finished in rain. Relatively chilly 30 degrees and very windy. But, that’s New England!”

We heard from Leslie in Utah…

“Enjoying your wonderful music from the Salt Lake Valley, at the western slopes of the Rockies in Utah, just 14 miles from the ski resort of Alta.  Cold, 15′ F with snow on the ground but sunny and blue skies.  Nice day to go skiing, but very cold.”

Ah, Alta. I had one of my best ski experiences there. Finally there’s Katie in not too far away Placerville, Ca with this…

“Hi Hoyt Snow and no power here in Placerville leads to some creative problem solving…like how to make my mornin’ coffee!! My Honda Accord with an inverter plugged in gave me my ground coffee beans. And the barbeque boiled the water!!”

She even sent proof!

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, thanks for sharing the Sounds of the Season with us (and with your freinds, too).

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A tweet message came in just moments ago referring to this article from New Scientist about a recent performance of the Stanford Mobile Phone Orchestra or MoPho. It’s the perfect melding of music and technology for the orchestra’s co-director Ge Wang, assistant professor at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He believes that the iPhone may be the first instrument that millions of people will carry in their pockets. Read a review of a recent performance of MoPho here. Want to make music with your I-phone or I-pod Touch? Check this out.

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