Up and Coming Pianists #2 Benjamin Grosvenor

Pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is 18 and lives in the U. K. and is well on his way to becoming an international artist. You can look up his bio on his website http://www.benjamingrosvenor.co.uk/

What I really admire about this young artist is that he is already like the older masters who are established at the international concert stage in so many ways, not only his beautiful playing, but his serious approach to the job. Listen to him at 16 and Watch him play at 11!

Music as Sales Rep.

Have you ever thought about how manipulative and commercial music can be? Advertisers use it to try to get you to buy it, It gets piped into hospital elevators to try to make you relax and not think about your gown, just trying to make you think your hospital is a ritzy hotel, it gets piped into ritzy hotels to make you think you're in a ... ritzy hotel... Movie makers use it to cue you as to the moment of the leading lady's first glimmer of understanding that the new acquaintance she's dealing with is a blackguard. It is blasted through the loudspeakers of all the mall shops to go with the tone of the line of clothing they sell-- nothing is as simple as buying a shirt- it's not just an outfit you buy, it's a whole package, a way of life.

People use music to market themselves: convertible owners and souped-up "can't afford to buy a real engine so I amplified my muffler" car owners turn up the woofers on their gigantic speakers and vibrate their way down the boulevards in hopes that the rest of the world will think the whole party is in their car 24/7... "look at me... I'm just a fuzzy outline because I'm vibrating so much, but I want you to look at me anyway (if you can track me) because I'm so cool..."

Throughout history royalty has been quick to support the arts because of the advantage of dazzling your guests with the incredible sounds of your own personal orchestra. And young ladies were ever so much more eligible to suitors as accomplished singers or harpsichord or pianoforte players (but not so much violin players- that was too immodest- with all those arms lifting and playing about, and the cello- for a young lady- never!! Let us not speak of that!!)

Yes, music is a manipulator, an enhancer. Aaron Copland wrote the score to a movie and when it was reviewed for the first time, a moment that was supposed to be dark and gripping got a laughter response. The makers were horrified. This was not supposed to be funny! Copland quickly rewrote the music with severe dissonance instead. A second review of the film brought no laughter, instead, everyone felt the tension. Copland himself said he wishes the audience could see each film three times, once normally, with the music, once without the music, then once with the music turned back on. Then people would pay attention to the importance of the music.

Here is a tiny example: Music is what made this funny baby movie so successful. It's pretty cute already, but the clever musical accompaniment makes it irresistibly funny. Enjoy!

Imponderables #1

Why and How did this happen?

Grand Piano appears on a sandbar in Florida?