Song of Fire https://obergh.net/songoffire/ musings about music Sat, 02 Dec 2023 19:23:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://obergh.net/songoffire/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cropped-sof-copy-32x32.jpg Song of Fire https://obergh.net/songoffire/ 32 32 Jethro Tull: Comparing “A Passion Play” and “Thick as a Brick” https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/12/02/jethro-tull-comparing-a-passion-play-and-thick-as-a-brick/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/12/02/jethro-tull-comparing-a-passion-play-and-thick-as-a-brick/#respond Sat, 02 Dec 2023 19:23:23 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6725 Jethro Tull released "A Passion Play" in 1973 after abandoning efforts to record a different album. Fans were excited to learn that the music would follow a similar structure to the previous hit, the masterful epic "Thick as a Brick." But the new album left many fans and critics disappointed.

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/12/02/jethro-tull-comparing-a-passion-play-and-thick-as-a-brick/feed/ 0 The disco backlash https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/06/12/the-disco-backlash/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/06/12/the-disco-backlash/#respond Mon, 12 Jun 2023 21:42:12 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6711 Was there an element of racism and homophobia in the disco backlash? Undoubtedly so. Haters knew that disco was popular with black and gay audiences. Nevertheless, there were certainly good reasons to be annoyed with disco, given its ubiquity and mindlessness.

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/06/12/the-disco-backlash/feed/ 0 Music in American Horror Story https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/01/13/music-in-american-horror-story/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/01/13/music-in-american-horror-story/#respond Fri, 13 Jan 2023 22:51:24 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6692 American Horror Story incorporates music in many of its seasons to advance the plot. I’m not talking about the soundtrack or background music used to set the mood, but rather music that is part of the actual story. Here are descriptions of these various creative uses of music.

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/01/13/music-in-american-horror-story/feed/ 0 Operas featuring horror and the supernatural https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/01/12/operas-featuring-horror-and-the-supernatural/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/01/12/operas-featuring-horror-and-the-supernatural/#respond Fri, 13 Jan 2023 03:11:24 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6684 Horror is no stranger to the world of classical music, particularly when it comes to the stage, and is present from the earliest days of opera. It was the rise of the Romantic movement in music in the early 19th century, however, when spooky themes really took off, similar to the popularity of Gothic novels...

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2023/01/12/operas-featuring-horror-and-the-supernatural/feed/ 0 “13 Witches” celebrates the divine power of female energy https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/08/29/13-witches-celebrates-divine-power-of-female-energy/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/08/29/13-witches-celebrates-divine-power-of-female-energy/#respond Mon, 29 Aug 2022 14:34:42 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6489 Mysterious, magical, healing, seductive, dangerous, sacred, strange, wonderful... My new album "13 Witches" portrays various characteristics of famous witches from history and legend.

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/08/29/13-witches-celebrates-divine-power-of-female-energy/feed/ 0 Music and sound as battle weapons https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/08/21/music-and-sound-as-battle-weapons/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/08/21/music-and-sound-as-battle-weapons/#comments Sun, 21 Aug 2022 15:24:18 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6461 Inverse magazine ran an interesting article on ancient lore and how warriors intimidated their enemies using music and sound as weapons. Author Adrienne Mayor compiled the information while researching her book "Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs."

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/08/21/music-and-sound-as-battle-weapons/feed/ 2 Novels with original music, and other artistic pairings https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/05/01/novels-with-original-music-and-other-artistic-pairings/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/05/01/novels-with-original-music-and-other-artistic-pairings/#respond Sun, 01 May 2022 22:27:42 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6400 I am fascinated by creative works that link two or more types of art. Most often the pairing involves fiction and actual music, but other combinations occur as well, including non-fiction, art, and film.

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/05/01/novels-with-original-music-and-other-artistic-pairings/feed/ 0 Musical perception in 2022: Is music dead? https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/04/27/musical-perception-in-2022-is-music-dead/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/04/27/musical-perception-in-2022-is-music-dead/#respond Wed, 27 Apr 2022 17:08:35 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6390 Music expert Rick Beato recently posted a video, "Why Gen Z Doesn't Care About Music," offering his opinion on young people's musical perception and relative disinterest in music compared to previous generations. He cautions that his view is a generalization. Many young people still care about music, of course. He cites a preoccupation with video games as the main culprit.

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/04/27/musical-perception-in-2022-is-music-dead/feed/ 0 The problem with Netflix’s Archive 81 https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/01/22/the-problem-with-netflix-archive-81/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/01/22/the-problem-with-netflix-archive-81/#respond Sat, 22 Jan 2022 17:23:25 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6356 Archive 81 is a mess. I really wanted to like the series. I delight in a horror story in which music plays a role. It has a wonderful and diverse cast. But there are so many problems with the story, both large and small.

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]]> https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/01/22/the-problem-with-netflix-archive-81/feed/ 0 The 10 most beautiful, melodic languages https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/01/21/the-10-most-beautiful-melodic-languages/ https://obergh.net/songoffire/2022/01/21/the-10-most-beautiful-melodic-languages/#respond Fri, 21 Jan 2022 20:00:48 +0000 https://obergh.net/songoffire/?p=6342 Choosing the most beautiful languages poses a challenge. First of all, “beautiful” is a subjective term. What appeals to one person may not appeal to another. Secondly, the profusion of closely related languages makes it difficult to choose only one representative from a group. Finally, who among us has heard every language on earth to...

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