28
votes
Why doesn't anyone write great symphonies any more?
Symphonies were historically commissioned pieces of work. The commission was to pay for the writing and then the performing. Commissioning for symphonies has mostly disappeared so orchestras are not ...
- 1,789
22
votes
Why doesn't anyone write great symphonies any more?
All musical forms, from Gregorian chant to hip hop, are most closely associated with a particular time and place, they go in and out of popularity. Older forms become a niche product, created and ...
- 15.3k
19
votes
Accepted
Was Freddie Mercury's voice range over 4 octaves?
Apparently it's not:
the late singer's inimitable voice was the subject of a study by a
team of Austrian, Czech and Swedish authors who set out to analyze
Mercury's voice from archived ...
- 2,845
19
votes
How do I play a 16⅔ RPM record?
While 16⅔ RPM might be rare, some DJ turntables have a pitch adjustment going as low as -50% (also known as ultrapitch). Note that "33" is really 33⅓, so 16⅔ is exactly half of it. A ...
- 291
17
votes
How do I play a 16⅔ RPM record?
You need something more ancient or actually, more specialist.
To give longer playback times, spoken word was often cut at 16 2/3, or even 8 1/3. Radio stations used to use them for pre-recorded shows. ...
- 7,685
16
votes
Accepted
Where does this famous rhythm pattern come from (oftenly used to knock on a door)?
This pattern comes from a fanfare often used at the end of a musical performance called "Shave and a Haircut- Two Bits"
I found this reference to it on Wikipedia:
In music, the call "...
16
votes
Accepted
Where is this "overused" piece of ending originated from?
Ah, the “shave and a haircut, two bits” ending! From what I found it was first used over 120 years ago (with no lyrics) in an 1899 song by Charles Hale, called “At a Darktown Cakewalk.”
Your pitches ...
- 326
15
votes
Why doesn't anyone write great symphonies any more?
There are still symphonic compositions being made but most are created as scores for movies. John Williams is one of the most prolific soundtrack composers, writing scores for Star Wars, Indiana Jones,...
- 251
15
votes
Are there any examples in classical music history of "mashups" of two unrelated works?
The technical term is "quodlibet" (meaning "whatever you please"). A famous example is Bach's "Goldberg Variations" in which two folksongs are combined in various ways. ...
- 261
13
votes
Longest-running artist in music history?
For a solo singer, you're going to have to live a long time to beat Tony Bennet
First hit, 1951 with Because of You - still touring in 2017
I spotted a poster for this outside the Albert Hall last ...
- 7,685
13
votes
Longest-running artist in music history?
The Isley Brothers are the only group to have hit the US Top 100 every single decade between the 50's and the 2000's. That's six decades and counting(!) Lead singer Ron Isley (age 76) has already ...
- 15.3k
11
votes
Has a B-side unexpectedly become more popular than A-side?
After a little research (A sides in parentheses):
“Rock Around the Clock” (“Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in
Town)”)– Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954.
“Tequila” (“Train to Nowhere") – The ...
- 15.3k
11
votes
Longest-running artist in music history?
Consider Charles Aznavour. Born on 22 May 1924, with a career starting arguably in 1946 (although he was performing as a child). From Wikipedia:
Charles's parents introduced him to performing at an ...
- 2,845
11
votes
Longest-running artist in music history?
Dame Vera Lynn has clearly beaten everyone else by several decades. Behold the facts -
First solo record release 1936
Debut US chart single 1948 (only US because there wasn't a UK chart for a few ...
- 491
10
votes
Has any instrumental music ever been used to carry information?
They've been using talking drums to communicate between African villages for centuries. (Drum telegraphy)
A village elder, usually the griot, would play the drum to announce weddings, births, deaths,...
- 852
10
votes
Accepted
How can the blues be linked to hip hop / rap music?
There's a hip hop relationship with the blues, but perhaps a distant one and not too evident.
There aren't many traces, if any, of the more traditional blues in hip hop. No 12 bar form and no blues ...
- 1,712
10
votes
Spinal Tap: Units confusion in building Stonehenge stage prop
Black Sabbath had a model of Stonehenge built as stage prop for the Born Again tour. Its size was misread by the makers who read the size as 15 meters instead of 15 feet. It came out so large that it ...
- 659
9
votes
Accepted
Are there other "psychedelic" genres than rock?
There is certainly a psychedelic funk genre, or so the creators of the band Funkadelic, a portmanteau of "funk" and "psychedelic", believed. They released three albums during their actual psychedelic ...
- 4,325
9
votes
What did Chopin think of the saxophone?
Chopin was uninterested in any instrument other than the piano. As is known, other than pure piano pieces, he only wrote the cello pieces and songs in his very early youth and the two concertos. And ...
- 1,712
9
votes
Accepted
Greatest longevity in Rock bands, keeping all initial members
Since you qualify initial members as recording the first album, thus dismissing an earlier single, I believe the winner would be ZZ Top. 1970-present gives them 47 years with the same lineup that ...
- 921
8
votes
Accepted
What was the first "supergroup"?
Although @WheatWilliams great answer has probably answered the question satisfactorily, I figured I'd add in my two cents for rock and jazz supergroups.
Rock
Using the "History" section of the ...
- 4,325
8
votes
Accepted
Songs with a backwards instrumental solo
I imagine this question is impossible to answer in full, but there are few examples I can think of off the top of my head or I was able to find fairly easily via Google.
Guitar
"Give It Away" by the ...
- 4,325
8
votes
How did Gilbert and Sullivan protect their operas from pirates?
In the begining of 19th century US law (copyright act of 1790) protected only American authors.(1) There were no international copyright agreements between the US and other countries, making it nearly ...
- 1,712
7
votes
Accepted
Why is the Stratocaster guitar so prevalent?
The Stratocaster actually wasn't that popular in the '60s. If you watch the Woodstock movie, for example, you will see more Gibson guitars of all marques, and Fender basses in the main. In the '60s ...
- 269
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