Month: September 2019

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s new weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

#MfEMonday – National Anthems from around the World

23rd September 201923rd September 2019 Music for Everyone

With this week seeing the start of the 2019 Rugby World Cup (did you see England play yesterday?!) here are some interesting facts about some of the National Anthems you might come across!

National anthems are generally played on national holidays, but it was Wales who were the first country to start the close connection with sporting events, during a rugby game against New Zealand in 1905.

Mexico – in 1853, Mexico held a contest to see who could write the most inspiring poem to serve as the lyrics for their official national anthem. A poet’s girlfriend tried to get him to enter, but he wasn’t interested, so she locked him in a room filled with pictures of scenes from Mexican history until he came up with something. His ten verse poem went on to become the national anthem and the girlfriend went on to become the wife!

France – while lots of national anthems are about the glory of a nationhood or liberation, ‘La Marseillaise’ should come with a parental warning with gory references to blood soaked flags and soldiers slitting throats… nice.

Japan (hosts of the Rugby World Cup) – ‘Kimigayo’ is one of the oldest anthems in the world with lyrics dating back to (somewhere) around 800. A short and operatic anthem, this tune uses a pentatonic scale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29FFHC2D12Q

Switzerland – the ‘Swiss Psalm’ has different lyrics for each of the countries four official languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh.

What do you do during your lunch break? Not getting a proper break away from your desk? A SINGING break has a host of fabulous benefits, and could help you get through the rest of your afternoon too! The Nottingham Lunchtime Voices meets every Tuesday lunchtime at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham city centre, especially designed for workers who need a break! http://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/adult-music/workers-lunchtime-choir/
Have you ever heard of a Hornucopian dronepipe? Or (my personal favourite) the Hyperbass Flute? Yes that’s right, they’re all instruments! Weird ones, but instruments none the less… click here to see the 13 weirdest musical instruments ever (electronic badger anyone?)

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

23/09/2019

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – All things Strings!

16th September 201916th September 2019 Music for Everyone

Our new season is getting off to a great start with all of our regular rehearsing groups getting back together for the new season. This weekend saw three of our Youth Groups starting again – East Midlands Youth String Orchestra – conductor Richard Howarth, Strictly Strings – conductor Abi Smith and the East Midlands Youth Windband – conductor Phil Smith. All three groups met at NTU, Clifton at 2:00 yesterday afternoon and more information can be found on our website – https://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/youth-music/

For those interested in stringed instruments, the first clear record of a
violin-like instrument comes from paintings by Gaudenzio Ferrrari. In his Madonna of the Orange Tree, painted 1530, a cherub is seen playing a bowed instrument which clearly has the hallmarks of violins. A few years later, on a fresco inside the cupola of the church of Madonna dei Miracoli in Saronno angels play three instruments of the violin family, corresponding to violin, viola and cello. The instruments Ferrari depicts have bulging front and back plates, strings which feed into peg-boxes with side pegs, and f-holes. They do not have frets. The only real difference between these instruments and the modern violin is that Ferrari’s have three strings, and a rather more extravagant curved shape.

Horsehair graces the bow for violins and cellos, and each bow has about 150 individual hairs. Horsehair has many small bumps that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and those bumps create the friction that produces the characteristic subtle weeping tone of the violin. The most popular horsehair, which is said to produce a good tone, is white horsehair from Mongolia.

Yet, this claim seems based mostly on the fact that horse breeding is a bustling industry in Mongolia, and their horses have relatively long, bushy tails for their height, making them a perfect source of horsehair. Yet, the horse sacrifices the hair of his tail for the sake of the tone of the violin, which is a bit sad. Who was it that said that when they play the violin they can hear the braying of a horse?

A double bass player arrived a few minutes late for the first rehearsal of the local choral society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. He picked up his instrument and bow and turned his attention to the conductor. The conductor asked, “Would you like a moment to tune?” The bass player replied with some surprise, “Why? Isn’t it the same as last year?”

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

16/09/2019

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

https://www.cmuse.org/jaws-theme-octobass/

#MfEMonday – 150th anniversary of Berlioz’s death

9th September 20199th September 2019 Music for Everyone

With this year being the 150th anniversary of the death of Hector Berlioz, we’re looking forward to performing Villanelle from his Les Nuits d’ete with Emma Brown at the Albert Hall on 12 October.

In contrast to the sinister psychopath in the BBC’s popular drama Killing Eve, Berlioz’s Villanelle is a carefree and flirtatious character who sings of love and the joys of spring!

The scoring of Villanelle is modest by Berlioz standards. Berlioz was famed for his use of large orchestral forces (his last opera Les Troyens was so large it was never performed in his lifetime!), and his championing of unusual instruments such as the Octobass.

Click here to hear the Jaws theme played on the Octobass!!

10 reasons we love Berlioz https://www.classicfm.com/composers/berlioz/guides/reasons-love-berlioz/
On this day – 09 September 1971 saw the release of John Lennon’s Imagine album.
This week in History – In 2014 Channel 4’s game show Countdown achieved a Guinness World Record for the ‘most series broadcast for a TV game show’ when it reached its 6,000th episode. Can you solve these Countdown Conundrums? https://www.mirror.co.uk/interactives/mood-challenge-go-solving-10-13164113

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

09/09/2019

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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#MfEMondays – Reflecting and Looking Forward

2nd September 20192nd September 2019 Music for Everyone

Well, what a year 2018/19 was for Music for Everyone! Here are just some of the office team’s favourite highlights from the past year:

Summer School – an amazing 3 days of music making celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, all brilliantly captured on our blog by Helena (just in case you missed it!).

National Lottery Grant for Open Voices – an incredible £10,000 was awarded to MfE to help support the future of our 3 Open Voices groups.

Big Youth Music Experience – 6 months of events for young singers and players, culminating in the BIG weekend in July and plenty of radio/tv appearances (Robin’s a pro now!)

Sherwood Open Voices: Les Misérables – Sherwood Daytime Voices joined Open Voices for a spectacular performance of Les Mis, featuring solos from the choir members and amazing costumes for Sherwood Art Week, raising over £200 to boot for Open Voices!

The office is buzzing with the excitement of the new season starting soon, if you are in one of our regular groups, check out all the term dates on the website: http://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/adult-music/ and http://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/youth-music/

The Autumn term is filling up nicely and more details for events in 2020 (…yes, it really is 2020!…) will be coming out very soon. We’re looking forward to seeing you all over the next year for more MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS!

With the Autumn term fast approaching, why not get in the mood for the next season with music inspired by autumnal vibes! http://www.classical-music.com/article/best-classical-music-inspired-autumn
‘Autumn: The Seasons’ as you might not have heard it before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pByceAzSjqw (NB: other seasons are available!)
Happy ‘Meteorological’ Autumn everybody! For meteorologists, Autumn officially begins on 1 September.

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

02/09/2019

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF