Cranky Comments on the “Music for the Humanities” CD

 

Track [1] -- this is a very poor selection for this CD, in that it is not at all characteristic of the Chinese approach to texture.  It is not a traditional Chinese texture.  The texture is homophonic.  You can hear three layers in this music: the melody, the accompaniment, and a bass line.  The melody + accompaniment texture is homophonic.  Traditional Chinese music does not use homophonic textures.  Heterophony, or heterophonic texture, is the preferred texture in traditional Chinese music.

 

Track [10] – Wrong piece!!  Not the most famous Dido’s Lament from the opera!  Additionally, the singer uses too much vibrato for my taste for this early music.  Also, note that this selection does not appear in chronological order; it should be after track [7], after Palestrina and before Bach and Handel.

 

Track [17] -- stupid selection.  This piece is almost always heard in the original version for baritone [male singing voice] and piano.  I cannot imagine why this oddball selection is included in this anthology.  The Romantic Era cult of the virtuoso is well covered in selection [16], the Chopin étude.

 

Track [18] -- stupid selection.  Famous piece, yes; typical of Wagner or represntative of his contribution to the evolution of music?  Not at all.

 

Track [23] -- not the most representative example of Glass's music.  The use of the tambourine is not typical.  Better examples would be from the operas Einstein on the Beach or Satyagraha.