Music
Women Composers - Part 1
Elizabeth Moonlight takes us on a journey through music history to discover some remarkable women composers.
Music
Music is a big part of our virtual worlds. In this section we try to highlight some music pieces that have featured in one of the 3DX venues or that have some special significance otherwise. We also try to delve into some of the more obscure corners of musical history for your entertainment. If you have a suggestion for a music topic, please let us know.
Music
SOS
Beethoven? Abba? Morse? Help! SOS. A previous blog describes how Beethoven's Fifth Symphony starts with the famous rhythm ta-ta-ta-taaa ( ♪♪♪ ♩ ), which in Morse Code symbolises the letter 'V'. Of course, Beethoven did not use the Morse Code to inspire his composition, as Morse Code was invented some 30 years after Beethoven wrote…
Music
Pachelbel's Canon
This is the second entry in our series of articles that explores the connection between modern pop, rock and metal songs with the world of classical music. In this article we will explore the influence of Pachelbel's Canon on some modern pop and rock songs. How Pachelbel's Canon left a mark on modern pop and…
Music
Russians
This is the first entry in a series of articles that will explore the connection between modern pop, rock and metal songs with the world of classical music. Many musicians drew inspiration from or downright copied classical pieces. In these articles we will introduce some notable examples. At the start of 1985 the cold war…
Music
Delia Derbyshire
In late 1963, a good year before the first Star Trek episode aired, the BBC launched its quirky science fiction show Dr. Who . But what has this to do with music you may ask? The iconic theme of Dr. Who is widely regarded as a significant and innovative piece of electronic music. Arguably it…
Music
The Blue Danube
"An der schönen blauen Donau" is arguably one of the most popular pieces of music in the classical repertoire; a waltz composed in 1866 by the Austrian composer Johan Straus II and first performed in 1867 in Vienna. Curiously, the initial performance was not the overwhelming succes you might have thought it to be. A…
Music
V for Victory
Today, June 6th, is a day of remembrance. Eighty years ago to the day, the Normandy landings signified the start of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation. No piece of music is more associated with this day than Beethoven's Fifth Symphony . Most people will remember it as the main theme used in…
Music
Vieni, o mio diletto
"Vieni, vieni, o mio diletto" is an aria from Vivaldi's opera "Ercole su'l Termodonte" . It was believed that the score of the opera had been lost, but the archives still contained 30 arias and 2 duets, and Alessandro Ciccoloni restored the score from the fragments found. The opera tells about the ninth feat of…
Music
Lakmé
Lakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. The opera includes the popular "Flower Duet" for a soprano and mezzo-soprano, performed in act 1. The Hindus go to perform their rites in a sacred Brahmin temple under the high priest, Nilakantha. Nilakantha's daughter…