The Partita in D minor for solo violin (BWV 1004) by Johann Sebastian Bach was written between 1717 and 1720. It is a part of his compositional cycle called Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. Except for the ciaccona, the movements are dance types of the time, and they are frequently listed by their French […]
Stormy Weather
“Stormy Weather” is a 1933 torch song written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Ethel Waters first sang it at The Cotton Club night club in Harlem in 1933 and recorded it with the Dorsey Brothers’ Orchestra under Brunswick Records that year, and in the same year it was sung in London by Elisabeth Welch […]
Astor Piazzolla
Astor Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. An excellent bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with different ensembles. He is known in his native land as “El Gran Astor” (“The Great […]
Amelie (Soundtrack)
Amélie is the soundtrack to the 2001 French film Amelie. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet was introduced to the accordion and piano-driven music of Yann Tiersen by his production assistant. Greatly impressed, he immediately bought Tiersen’s entire catalogue and eventually commissioned him to compose pieces for the film. The soundtrack features both compositions from Tiersen’s first three […]
MayTree
MayTree was started in 2000 by the members of the university a cappella club called “Gigahitz” where they created a 6 member group called “Mi wansung (美완성, a pun on the korean word that means incomplete and describes that they are beautifully complete.).” Three members of this original lineup left the group for personal reasons, […]
Don’t Leave Me This Way
“Don’t Leave Me This Way” is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leo Huff and Cary Gilbert. The Blue Notes’ original version of the song, featuring Teddy Pendergrass’s lead vocals, was included on the group’s 1975 album Wake Up Everybody. Though not issued as a single in the United States at the time, the Blue […]
Mozart – Clarinet Concerto in A Major
The Clarinet Concerto in A major K622 by Mozart, was completed in October 1791 for the clarinettist Anton Stadler. It consists of three movements, in a fast–slow–fast succession. 1. Allegro, 2. Adagio, 3. Rondo. The work was completed a few weeks before the composer’s death, and has been described as his swan-song and his last […]
Billie Piper
Billie Piper’s career began when she was selected to appear on the Saturday-morning children’s television show Scratchy & Co. She later landed a role in a television commercial promoting the pop magazine Smash Hits. She was offered a record deal at the age of 15, and in 1998, became the youngest artist to debut at […]
Big Mountain
The evolution of the Big Mountain band started in 1986 as the San Diego reggae band Rainbow Warriors. In 1988, future Big Mountain frontman Joaquin “Quino” (pronounced Keeno) McWhinney joined as the lead singer of the band Shiloh. Quino is of Mexican/Irish heritage, and several members of his family were mariachi musicians. His interest in […]
D:Ream
D:Ream is a Northern Irish/English pop & dance group. In 1992, D:Ream released the single “U R the Best Thing”, a piano-house tune which did not chart. However, thanks to a Sasha remix, it was Pete Tong’s Essential Tune of 1992. “Things Can Only Get Better”, released in the spring of 1993, gave the group […]