Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1899; U.S. Library of Congress. "Circus and the City: New York, 1793-2010" is an exhibition now showing at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery. It is, as it sounds, a big look at the development and pageantry of the circus over time through many different angles. One of those is through music. Leon Botstein, conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and president of Bard College, wrote about that part of the story in a catalog essay, "Circus Music in America." In it, Botstein discusses the composers behind the music of the circus, from Igor Stravinsky to Charles Ives, and the surprising influence their compositions had on modern American popular culture, from radio dramas to motion pictures to TV shows. |
Sunday, October 28, 2012
From Bill Powell
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
Isn't it a shame that music as of late consists of a goof in T shirt and jeans strumming a Geetar with back up of a key board of some sort. The only real bands or orchestras on TV are re-runs of the great Lawarce Welk. Think about it. And the only singers seem to be black girls screaming. What a shame to see music degenerate to that level. Wonder if kids still take Band in school and if they do where are they going to get a job professionally. God help us. How about Stardust and In The Mood? johnny
Post a Comment