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1649–1708, English John Blow, an influential figure in English music, was a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, organist there and later, in 1700, its official composer. Among his students was the brilliant Henry Purcell. Blow’s own compositions were considerable. Besides his church music, which included over 100 anthems, he provided music for entertainments ...

Source: Definitive Opera Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

1649–1708 English composer Blow held various court appointments and served as the first Composer of the Chapel Royal (1700). His greatest gifts lay in the composition of vocal music, notably anthems and services for the church. Among the finest of his verse anthems is ‘God spake sometime in visions’, for the coronation of James II (1685). In this piece, ...

Source: Classical Music Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

The bagpipe principle is simple: instead of the player blowing directly on a reed pipe, the air is supplied from a reservoir, usually made of animal skin, which is inflated either by mouth or by bellows. The result is the ability to produce a continuous tone, and the possibility of adding extra reed-pipes to enable a single ...

Source: The Illustrated Complete Musical Instruments Handbook, general editor Lucien Jenkins

tube, place it near the mouth and direct a narrow stream of breath at its edge, and with a little practice, a pitched note can be produced. Blow a little harder and that note will jump to a series of ascending harmonics. It is not even necessary to mouth-blow – the corrugated plastic whirly-tubes sold as toys are ...

Source: The Illustrated Complete Musical Instruments Handbook, general editor Lucien Jenkins

Chinese sheng, which looks a little like a metal teapot with a thicket of 17 or more thin bamboo pipes emerging from its lid, with the spout to blow or suck down. Instruments working on the same principle can be found in the neighbouring countries of Korea, Laos, Thailand, Borneo, Vietnam and Japan. The Japanese ...

Source: The Illustrated Complete Musical Instruments Handbook, general editor Lucien Jenkins

frame, which gives a rumbling sound when shaken. Gershwin wrote for four tuned car horns in An American in Paris (1928), and Leonard Bernstein (1918–90) instructs the timpanist to blow a police whistle to break up the fight scene in West Side Story (1961). There is a starting pistol in Erik Satie’s (1866–1925) ballet Parade (1917), which also includes a ...

Source: The Illustrated Complete Musical Instruments Handbook, general editor Lucien Jenkins

two short cane reed-pipes – one with five holes and the other with three – are supported on a wooden ‘D’-shaped frame, with a small cow-horn reed chamber to blow into and a larger one forming the bell. Some double-reed pipes, such as the Indian murali, murli or pungi – the latter the instrument used by snake-charmers – ...

Source: The Illustrated Complete Musical Instruments Handbook, general editor Lucien Jenkins

a place in military bands, but was not regularly used in the orchestra until around 1800. The clarinet is usually made of African blackwood. To play it, you blow, gripping the mouthpiece, reed down, between your lips or lower lip and upper teeth. The clarinet has an acoustical feature that sets it apart: if you blow ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music, general editor Paul Du Noyer

Like so many of black America’s most enduring musical genres, hip hop was born out of invention. When, as the 1970s came to a close, a combination of disco and big record company involvement had diluted funk and soul to the extent that it had become boring to go out to a club on a Saturday night, something rumbled out of New ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music, general editor Paul Du Noyer

First performed at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden on 1 December 1951, this adaptation of Herman Melville’s short story saw E. M. Forster writing large portions of prose while Eric Crozier focused on the dramatic execution. Accordingly, Billy Budd was one of the most meticulously researched and well-written librettos of any Benjamin Britten opera. Typically for ...

Source: Definitive Opera Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

Don Carlo is their common foe, join forces against him. Da Silva agrees to help Ernani on one condition: if he wants Ernani to die, he need only blow his hunting horn and the deed is done. Act III The election of the emperor is imminent. By the tomb of Charlemagne, Don Carlo, having heard rumours of ...

Source: Definitive Opera Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

merely trying to protect him, he now offers himself gladly to be sacrificed in order to placate Neptune. As a despairing Idomeneus raises his weapon to strike the fatal blow, Ilia intervenes and offers to die in Idamantes’ place. Suddenly, Neptune’s great voice is heard, declaring that love has triumphed and that Idomeneus must now give up ...

Source: Definitive Opera Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

, Mime, can take the gold and the ring. Mime is forging a new sword for Siegfried, who hates him. Siegfried enters, shattering the sword with one blow, and asks Mime about his mother. Mime explains about his birth and shows him the shards of Notung. Siegfried orders him to re-forge the sword and leaves. The Wanderer ...

Source: Definitive Opera Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

together with the Te Deum and Jubilate composed to celebrate the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, brought Handel into contact with the Anglican choral tradition of Purcell and John Blow (1649–1708). Significant use of the chorus was also made in two dramatic works written with the help of poets in Chandos’s circle, in­cluding Alexander Pope and John Gay: the ...

Source: Classical Music Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

band No Doubt, Californian Stefani went out on her own to attempt a solo career away from the genre. After a 2001 smash single with Eve, ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’, she worked with dance and hip hop producers such as Dr. Dre and the ever-popular Neptunes, and the plan worked. Her debut, 2004’s Love Angel Music ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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