Thomas Schoenberger http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog Music Licensing and Compositions Tailored for Your Audience Fri, 11 May 2012 01:15:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Medici Family and Music Patronage http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/11/medici-family-and-music-patronage/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/11/medici-family-and-music-patronage/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 01:15:41 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=69

Lorenzo Il Magnifico

So much has been written on the famous art patronage of the Medici’s. But this revolutionary family was equally at home in playing the role of  music patrons. The rulers of Florence for most of the period 1434-1737, they were renowned for their patronage of learning, literature, the arts and science. Musical chapels were maintained at the city’s cathedral and baptistry from 1438; especially influential were Lorenzo the Magnificent (ruled 1449-92) and his son Giovanni, who ruled as Pope Leo X from 1513 and patronized many famous musicians. Duke Cosimo I (ruled 1537-74) reorganized and enlarged the chapels and began the practice of retaining musicians and dancers at court. He was also the first to commission musical festivities for family and state occasions. Intermedi were staged between the acts of plays, and in 1600 the first operas were given: Caccini’s Il rapimento di Cefalo and Peri’s Euridice (the earliest complete extant opera). A later Medici heir apparent, Prince Ferdinando (1663-1713), patronized Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Handel and others. Art and Music always walk hand in hand as history points out.

 

Signing off – Thomas Schoenberger

]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/11/medici-family-and-music-patronage/feed/ 0 When Lost Music is Found Again – Brahms Piece Rediscovered! http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/07/when-lost-music-is-found-again-brahms-piece-rediscovered/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/07/when-lost-music-is-found-again-brahms-piece-rediscovered/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 01:09:42 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=65

Johannes Brahms

Just wanted to share a nice story on a newly discovered Brahms piece, found this winter under compelling circumstances. There is still so much missing music waiting to be rediscovered. Finds like this seem to be coming in droves, thanks to updated investigative methods.

Read on!
Signing off – Thomas Schoenberger
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The Grasshopper -
“A Tragic Cantata”….. Published in 1878. This is a multi-part song, with engraved graphics all through the sheet music showing insects in human costumes and doing human things. The composer describes it on page 2 as “an ancient tragic theme with modern perversions.” You can’t make this stuff up…….

 

Signing off – Thomas Schoenberger

 

 

]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/05/more-music-and-pets/feed/ 0 In Honor of Prolific Composers – Simon Sechter http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/03/in-honor-of-prolific-composers-simon-sechter/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/03/in-honor-of-prolific-composers-simon-sechter/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 01:02:11 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=58

Simon Sechter

This little known composer seems to have eclipsed Telemann in his output of original music. With over 5.000 fugues to his name, his typical Austrian work ethic seems to have produced a body of work that defies human endurance. Simon Sechter, composer of the week.

Signing off – Thomas Schoenberger
]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/05/03/in-honor-of-prolific-composers-simon-sechter/feed/ 0 Oldest Known Song – Polyphonic Music http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/28/oldest-known-song-polyphonic-music/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/28/oldest-known-song-polyphonic-music/#comments Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:55:19 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=51 The oldest known song is Syrian, about 1400 BC. Scholars claim no polyphonic music was written before the middle ages, but they are clearly incorrect, and recent discoveries of cuniform tablets, demonstrating a suprising melodic sense, inspire musicians worldwide.
A wonderful website on these discoveries can be found here http://www.amaranthpublishing.com/hurrian.htm
My studies of ancient melody have inspired me to write a series of musical pieces based on this archeological findings.
More later.
That’s it for now. Thomas Schoenberger
]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/28/oldest-known-song-polyphonic-music/feed/ 0 The Mystery of Creation http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/25/the-mystery-of-creation/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/25/the-mystery-of-creation/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:32:30 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=36 There are trivial truths and the great truths.  The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false.  The opposite of a great truth is also true.” – who said this, I’m trying to remember… Life is full of mystery!  We should enjoy and appreciate the incredible mysteries of creation!

In fact, anything that we learn, we learn from our senses.  Anything we learn from our senses and/or the scientific instruments that extend our senses, in other words anything that we experience can not be said to be true with total certainty.  This dilemma is best expressed by one of my favorite observations by the great sage Chang-Tzu:

“Once upon a time, I, Chang-Tzu, dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither when suddenly I was awakened.  Now I do not know  whether I was a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am a butterfly now dreaming I am a man.”

As a composer, I am not always sure where my melodies come from. I ascribe my creativity to weather,mood, lack of sleep, etc…but always to free will, whatever that is.

Thomas Schoenberger

]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/25/the-mystery-of-creation/feed/ 0 Music and pets –The Barking Muse http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/22/music-and-pets-the-barking-muse/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/22/music-and-pets-the-barking-muse/#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:10:42 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=46  Composers have traditionally written songs for their love interests. But its also common for composers to create songs for their pets. Mozart composed for his starling. Some of the great romantic era composers would dedicate songs to their “noble” pets. Composers would commonly name their pieces after a certain animal, hoping to capture the” spirit of the beast”
In modern times, one might find a piece dedicated to a pet rock, or a non GMO plant. I know of one composer bent on writing music for extinct animals. I heard another composer wrote a love song for “Nessie.”
I personally stick to writing music about humans, ideas, feelings, thoughts and moods.But I do take some of my ideas from the songs of birds. Having traveled extensively through 20 countries, I have listened to the sounds of Raven in Rome, Swallows in Spain, and Finches in Freiburg. The sheer complexity of sound found in the animal kingdom has no doubt had a hand in the very development of music in mankind.
Thomas Schoenberger
]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/22/music-and-pets-the-barking-muse/feed/ 0 Music and Free Will http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/17/music-and-free-will/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/17/music-and-free-will/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:54:55 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=40 As a practical matter, whether or not there is such a thing as free will, and whether or not one personally believes in free will, one must live one’s life as if he or she does have free will. There is no alternative.  That is the way the rules of existence are structured.  What the modern advaitists, Balsekar and Liquorman point out is that if you intellectually and viscerally are convinced there is no such thing as free will you will be released from the pain of suffering from a sense of sin or guilt.  Such a person will be far less judgmental of others. Harris makes the same point.My sense is that Mozart personified free will the older he got, and Beethoven perfected the model by his 29th year ( when he started to grow deaf) More on free will and music in future blogs

]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/17/music-and-free-will/feed/ 0 More on Music and Autistic Spectrum Disorder http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/17/more-on-music-and-autistic-spectrum-disorder/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/17/more-on-music-and-autistic-spectrum-disorder/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:28:46 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=33 Many children with autism would find peace,enhancement, and self mastery by learning a musical instrument.Parents of autistic children sometimes find surprisingly deep math and music skills. This is a nice site I ran across while looking for a suitable teacher of an autistic child of 9, who shows an interest in piano and Ipads.

http://www.music-for-music-teachers.com/autism.html

 

Thomas Schoenberger

]]> http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/04/17/more-on-music-and-autistic-spectrum-disorder/feed/ 0 Thomas Schoenberger to Join Board of Miracles of Mozart http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/03/27/thomas-schoenberger-to-join-board-of-miracles-of-mozart/ http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/2012/03/27/thomas-schoenberger-to-join-board-of-miracles-of-mozart/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:55:52 +0000 admin http://www.thomasschoenberger.com/blog/?p=55 Thomas Schoenberger, award winning composer and innovator, has joined the board of Miracles of Mozart, a non profit organization committed to fostering music in child centric special needs communities.” Its a perfect fit” says Schoenberger, who has done extensive work with autistic children since 1992. Miracles of Mozart is busy developing a classical music concert series that can be ” exported and performed” to a global audience, since, as Schoenberger states “Music has no borders, no border guards, and no time zone”
James Nederestek, founder of Miracles of Mozart said, “We are pleased to bring Thomas Schoenberger on board. Thomas was the pioneer of infant music in the 1990′s and his composing skills are astounding” Thomas brings a special brand of prolific creativity to the fore, and we are delighted with this development.”
Plans for a 2013 concert series featuring special needs children in a performance environment are under way. Visit the miracles of Mozart website located at http://miraclesofmozart.com/wordpress/?page_id=58
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