Tag: music

Looking At Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir Performing “Cloudburst” Live

Carl Setzer

I love Eric Whitacre’s work, as it speaks deeply to me. The soaring sopranos, amazing blends of voices, interweaving of tight-textured harmonies with breath-takingly open chords all delight me. His Virtual Choir pieces, though, achieve the highest levels of awesome. This one, Cloudburst (where gets bonus points from me by basing it upon an Octavio Paz poem) hits me strongly.

Inspired by a Midwestern thunderstorm, the song captures the audio essence of the storm. From a musical perspective, I adore his use of clapping and finger snapping to achieve the feel of heavy rain. And his interweaving of harmony and dissonance really strikes a chord (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun).

Regarding the “virtual choir” nature of this work, in addition to the choristers in the auditorium, there are an 30 choristers currently standing in 30 countries, all Skyped in.

And this pushes technical boundaries, too. VOIP communications suffer from lag issues, and I delighted at the way Eric dealt with that: the piece was written to use it. Turning a liability into an asset: genius.

So, please, enjoy Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir performing “Cloudburst” at a TED talk.

 

 

I’m experimenting with posts other than poetry. And this video delighted me so very much, I wanted to share it with you. I hope you like this post, as well as the music. Let me know what you think in the comments, or via a “like” or share. 

And now, Google Music

Carl Setzer

I value knowing what’s going on in the tech world. Yet, there is so much change, coming so fast, that sometimes I miss the obvious.

I subscribed to YouTube Red some time ago. My focus: ad elimination. So much of my family’s video time is spent on YouTube, so it was a prudent investment.

I didn’t realize that the subscription includes Google Music. I discovered this today, so used it as my music delivery mechanism. Music is such a core part of my being, that the way I access it has value.

I like the interface. So far, the selection has been solid. Spotify, of late, has been quite a resource hog. Accessing via a web browser seems to use resources better, or at least more gently.

Anyway, I’m exploring shifting over fully, and cancelling my Spotify account. I’ll be diving deeper into Google Music and share what I learn.

Steel Magic Northwest is close to meeting their Kickstarter Goal

Carl Setzer

Steel Magic Northwest is a great local group (located in Edmonds) that provides access to music for a number of youth and adults. I know a number of kids, and adults, who benefit greatly. And they have a great time! The music is brilliant and the audience is having a grand time, too.

 

They’re using Kickstarter to fund their summer program, so I highly encourage you to head over to their site and give them a few dollars. They’re doing a all or nothing campaign for $3,000, and are at $2,910. Just $90 more dollars! Now, the campaign ends Friday (June 30th), so I (again) encourage…nay, implore you to head over right now and help this program do amazing for our community this Summer.

Evening Music Plays 

Carl Setzer

The saxophone plays

I picture women, dancing

With suit clad men

Echoes from the Beats

And their Bebopping 

Friends

Evening Of Jazz

Carl Setzer

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Evening jazz fills me 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Warmed by memories 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Happier times of my youth 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>A bountiful world, opportunity 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Filled to the brim, perhaps even 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Overflowing. So much perspective 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Grown, eyes different…in so many

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Ways. So many ways, indeed. 

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Once I LISTENED to Music 

Carl Setzer

​No longer 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Do I listen deeply 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Pulling apart 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Words, lyrics 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Melody 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Harmony 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Trying so hard 

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>To embrace

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>A song’s

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p style=”font-family:’Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans, sans-serif;”>Soul 

Ed Sheeran’s “Castle On The Hill”

Carl Setzer

Ed Sheeran has not been terribly exciting to me. However, his song, Castle On The Hill delights me deeply.

It’s opened me up to exploring more of his music.

What do you think?

Gregorian Chant

Carl Setzer

Gregorian chant

Reaches deep within my soul

Carries me upward