Music

Category: Music

The Best of the Beatles

Maybe we’re still feeling a little Sgt. Pepper-y, or maybe it’s because in about an hour Starbucks® is rolling out Paul McCartney’s latest album, but we must call to your attention an upcoming PBS program. On Monday, June 11 at 10 p.m., Wisconsin Public Television is broadcasting Best of the Beatles, the story of the early Beatles as told by Pete Best. Best, as you know, was booted out of the group and replaced by Ringo Starr just after they recorded Love Me Do, but he’s “not bitter.” It’s a fascinating, albeit somewhat biased, view of those early years from someone who was intimately involved.

To get another pretty good look at The Beatles’ rise to fame, read Bob Spitz’s well-documented book, The Beatles, A Biography.

Mozart’s Thematic Catalog

When you think Mozart’s Thematic Catalog, you naturally think Köchel. But did you know Mozart compiled his own thematic catalog? From February 1784 until December 1791 (three weeks before his death) he kept a record of his completed pieces. Here he included the dates, titles and sometimes instrumentation, along with the opening bars of each work.

The brilliant, technically advanced and well-funded people at the British Library have put together an online gallery called “Turning the Pages”. Here you can [virtually] flip through Jane Austen’s early work in her own hand; Mercator’s first atlas of Europe compiled in the 1570’s; the Diamond Sutra, the oldest printed “book” (China, 868) and Mozart’s thematic catalog, among many others.

You’ll need Adobe’s Shockwave plug-in to do the flipping. Mozart’s catalog also includes soundclips of the entries, text, and even the capability to hear the text read to you.

Only Two More Weeks!

Today may be Respect for Chickens Day, but it also signifies that it’s only 2 more weeks until the 105th anniversary of Meredith Willson’s birth. Watch for interesting tidbits about this son of Mason City, Iowa; The Music Man, and musicals in general.

Interesting tidbit no. 1: “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Goodnight, My Someone” are the same song. See for yourself.