Naxos Music Library

Playlist Optimization Updates - 1.9.12

2012-01-09T15:17:00.003-06:00

Hi Folks!

Our IT team is doing some "behind the scenes" playlist optimization shortly to improve some of the speed and functionality on some areas of the playlist pages. See their message below for some more details.

Maintenance will begin at approximately 4:00 CST (22:00 GMT) and last approximately 10 minutes.
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This outage should last no longer than 10 minutes.
During this time, Playlist functionality will be unavailable, some pages related to playlists may generate unexpected results.
Other site services and features will remain unaffected.
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Happy Listening!
Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
MusicLibrary@NaxosUSA.com
www.NaxosMusicLibrary.com
www.NaxosVideoLibrary.com

Music for all occasions!

2011-12-20T11:28:00.010-06:00

We love music. You're shocked, we know, and we want to make sure that finding those perfect albums, or songs, or pieces aren't what's stressing you out in the coming days.

Hope you enjoy these Hanukkah and Christmas favorites! Many thanks to Amy Edmonds and the Ball State University Library!

Catalog Number: 624284001555

Catalog Number: 8.554714

Catalog Number: TROY744 - Track 12

Catalog Number: 75442270972

Catalog Number: 5099991898258

And finally, a Festivus for the 'restofus!
Catalog Number: 3570-MCD - Track 11

Happy holiday listening,
The Naxos Family

200 To-Do Liszts

2011-10-21T17:10:00.008-05:00

People have been talking about it all year.
"1811...2011...times 14, carry the 3...I'm pretty sure that was...THAT WAS 200 YEARS AGO!"

October 22 is a big birthday for a really big composer. One of those biggies that even people who aren't really into classical music know about. Most of my family isn't hep to classical music, but they know a few piano pieces, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, etc. when they hear them.

I expect lots of legit bloggers will weigh in with why they love/hate/do not deign to offer an opinion on Liszt. To me the best thing about these big anniversaries is that we have to revisit our opinions on composers. I listened to some of the late piano music just this morning (not always my cup of tea) to remember that Liszt was more than just kind of fancy and uppity in the 1991 film Impromptu.

But I'm really just here for the facts, ma'am. My hope is that you'll take the time to think about the work itself. Weigh it for yourself. They're your ears and you're in control of them.

Liszt was the son of a steward in the service of the Esterházy family, patrons of Haydn. He was born in 1811 at Raiding in Hungary and moved as a child to Vienna, where he took piano lessons from Czerny and composition lessons from Salieri. Two years later, in 1823, he moved with his family to Paris, from where he toured as a pianist. Influenced by the phenomenal violinist Paganini, he turned his attention to the development of a similar technique as a pianist and in 1835 left Paris with his mistress, the Comtesse d’Agoult, with whom he travelled widely during the following years, as his reputation as a pianist of astonishing powers grew. In 1844 he separated from his mistress, the mother of his three children, and in 1848 settled in Weimar as Director of Music Extraordinary, accompanied by Princess Sayn-Wittgenstein. He now turned his attention to composition and in particular to the creation of a new form: the symphonic poem. In 1861 Liszt moved to Rome, where he found expression for his long-held religious leanings. From 1869 he returned regularly to Weimar, where he had many pupils, and later he accepted similar obligations in Budapest, where he was regarded as a national hero. He died in Bayreuth in 1886, four years after the death of his son-in-law Wagner. As a pianist he had no equal, and as a composer he suggested to a younger generation of musicians the new course that music was to take.

Happy Liszt-ening!
(Sorry, I just couldn't help it!)

Mo

*Here's how I really like to think of Liszt (and his buddy Chopin): http://harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=302

Blue Note Records!

2011-09-20T10:23:00.007-05:00

It is with great pleasure that we announce the entire Blue Note Records catalog is being uploaded to Naxos Music Library - Jazz! We've included a short description of the label, in case you're not familiar with the "ins and outs" of Blue Note.

If you're interested in more information on becoming an NML-Jazz subscriber - our contact information is below!

Blue Note Records, established in New York by German-born record executive Alfred Lion and art director Francis Wolff in 1939, is a renowned jazz label that has produced a number of legendary albums including John Coltrane’s “Blue Train” and other classic albums from iconic artists such as Herbie Hancock, Jackie McLean, Dexter Gordon, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter and many others. The label is revered by jazz fans across the globe. Throughout the fifties and early sixties and continuing for the next five decades, Blue Note continues to discover and launch impressive talents to a new level.

Check out the September NML newsletter for more information!

Happy Listening!
The NML Team

Naxos of America, Inc.
615.465.3836 (direct)
Nick@NaxosUSA.com

Join in the conversation!

Sneak Preview: NML and CMS 2011

2011-09-09T10:53:00.004-05:00

Will you be at CMS in Richmond this October? If so, be sure to look for our ad. on the back cover of the program book!

Naxos Music Library Adds EMI Classics Catalog

2011-08-19T10:01:00.002-05:00

Good morning, music lovers!

It is with boundless pleasure that we announce that the complete EMI Classics catalogue is now available to NML and NML-Jazz institutional subscribers! This vast catalog of recordings includes EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, and Blue Note Records.

Today, more than 225 albums are available in NML with the remainder of the 7200 album catalog available by the end of 2011. More details will be available shortly. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all of the updates.

We hope you’re as excited as we are and look forward to many months of wonderful new music! These additions represent the first of many great things to come - so stay tuned for more updates as we near the end of 2011.

As always our ears and inboxes are open - so please feel free to drop us a line!

Happy historical listening!

Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Rise Above the Noise!

2011-06-15T10:41:00.002-05:00

We made this excellent infographic and I like it so much I wanted to share. Check it out!

Music Challenge Day 3 - Only the Living

2011-05-17T14:27:00.007-05:00

Day 3 of my spontaneous music challenge was focused on living composers. If you're familiar with my blogging or my social media-ing at all, you know that I'm a big proponent of living composers. Here are a couple of my picks from that day of listening.

I started out my day with Lera Auerbach's Cetera desunt, "Sonnet for String Quartet No. 3." I really enjoy Auerbach's work in general, but the feminist part of me especially likes it because she's a quite successful young female composer. Not yet forty, she's been cranking out lovely work that teeters between tonality and atonality for years. Her work gets paired with Shostakovich often on records, and not without reason. There's some of that same forcefulness in her writing, some of that bow-breaking intensity, some of the endlessly building tension.
C71104

The new music movement (or alt-classical or indie chamber, or whatever you want to call it) is a thing I really like, despite many of the pretensions assumed to surround it. In the end a lot of it is just good music. Newspeak is one of those prestigious New York new music ensembles that perform the compositions of all those hot young New York composers. They're under the direction of David T. Little, a percussionist and composer of my favorite work on this disc--the title track, sweet light crude. This piece wends its way through light and simple loveliness into angular modern beauty, then groove territory and frenetic chamber rock and minimalist breakdown in what I would call the B section, and back to a lovely, sad denouement. The composer notes that this is "about love and addiction; about misery; about the perversity of loving your captor. It’s a love song to oil."
All the works here are worth a listen, but the title track really stood out to me as exceptionally composed and performed.
NWAM026

To be entirely frank, I think a lot of the doom and gloom surrounding the classical music scene would dissipate if people would recognize living composers as what they are--the Bachs and Beethovens and Brahmses of today. Sure, it doesn't look exactly the same. But would you really want it to?

Pro musica,
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Music Challenge Day 2 - All New Stuff

2011-05-13T16:25:00.007-05:00

Music Challenge Day 2 - All New Stuff

This challenge was intended to get listeners going on different things. In point of fact, the mandate was to "not listen to a single work you've heard before."

Now, I listen to music as part of my job. I do it when I'm doing still other parts of my job. And I'm passionate about music discovery. So I listen to a lot of new music.
But I normally sprinkle in favored composers and works, mix eras, genres, and styles, fold in some outside listening (a little punk, a little hip-hop, a little folk). With this project I vowed to listen only to works I had never heard for the entire day, and (since I also listen to lots of living composers) I tried to focus on historic or non-living composers that I had somehow missed.

I started out with some Taneyev String Quartets on new label Northern Flowers. What lovely work! I couldn't believe how much I had missed out on with Taneyev, especially the very sensitive viola and cello writing. Some people just totally ignore the lower voices in string quartets, making them fill out chords mechanically. Not the case here.
NF9933

Then I moved on to Morton Gould's Saint Lawrence Suite. Woefully, I'm a singer and former pretend-string player who always wanted to be a percussionist, so I listen to very little wind band music. But this work may have started a sea change in me. All the rich, bright timbre of the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble was put to good work here. There are some sweet bluesy, jazzy elements to the suite that play nicely with the quick, light, Copland-esque moments that occur from time to time. This is also the only original work for wind band ever nominated for a Grammy for composition.
8.572629

I also discovered M.K. Čiurlionis for myself in this project. Among my other listening, this last stood out. Perhaps it was the opening, in dark Eastern European style writing that called to mind Borodin's quartets, or perhaps that the composer seemed mutable, even a tad volatile. This Lithuanian composer was also a painter, something I felt I could hear in the compositions before I saw the work. I listened to the String Quartet in C minor and the Theme and Variations, both of which could have tended toward the measly or graceless without the correct force of playing. I have to say, the Vilnius String Quartet brought it on that point.
NF9987

What did you listen to?

Pro musica,
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Music Challenge Day 1- Listen to a Composer You Hate

2011-05-10T13:32:00.011-05:00

This week I challenged our social media buddies and myself to get outside of their usual comfortable realm of listening. Four days of boundary pushing (some light lifting, some not so light). Here are my thoughts from each day.

DAY 1: Listen to a Composer You Hate

Confession time, Internet.

I hate Mozart.
It's not personal. It's musical.

And here we go.
Anyone: But he was a child genius!
Me: I know.
A: But he revolutionized the world of music in both performance and composition!
M: I know.
A: But he WAS the classical era!
M: I know.
A: But you like opera. He wrote some great operas. Lots of them!
M: "Great" is a relative term. If you mean too long to be justified by the content, then...yes.
A: Not even Nozze?
M: Nope. I can stand it, but just barely.
A: Cosi?
M: Ugh.
A: What about the choral music?
M: Meh. Some of it is okay.
A: Everyone likes the Requiem!
M: It's all right, I guess.
A: And Amadeus! Did you see Amadeus?!
M: Yep.
A: Didn't you like it?
M: Nope.
A: ...was it the powdered wigs?
M: Yeah, that's it. That's exactly it. That's the reason behind my ire for the entire output of an absurdly prolific composer.

So that's how it usually goes. I'm not known for writing composers off in such a manner. I'm not trying to be snarky. In point of fact, I always say that I'll listen to just about anything to make my ears smarter. And I will, even with Mozart. ONCE.
It doesn't change the fact that I basically dislike his music. True, it's genius composition. True, it's unparalleled in it's classical-ness. True, I could never compose anything an nth as impressive or lasting. I'm just not a fan.

So today I listened to Mozart. All day, marathon listening. Piano trios, symphonies, operas, string quartets, choral works, everything. I put aside my historical disdain and opened up my ears. It was at once harrowing and humbling.

Because I still dislike Mozart. I wanted to come out of this loving his music, feeling freshly washed and clean, wrapped in beauty and classical symmetry. But it didn't happen that way. At the end of my listening project I just wanted to hear something that wasn't balanced and proper. I wanted to hear something that could make me weep at my desk with flayed emotion, something that confused my ear or beat it into submission. Something that said something. Maybe if I wanted better results I should have not started with My Number One Big Issue. You live and learn.

The only thing I can really say for the experience is "I tried again." At least I didn't just write off the composer because of my leftover feelings about his work. I checked my old opinions against new experience, so it's not just an untested, ridiculous prejudice. But I recognize the gifts that he had and the beauty he gave to the world. It's just not my cup of tea.

Jedem Tierchen sein Pläsirchen.

Pro musica (all of it!),
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

NML App for Android--Now on Amazon Appstore

2011-04-08T14:05:00.006-05:00

I know what you're thinking. You need another place to get our apps, right? RIGHT?

Now you can get the NML app on Amazon's Appstore for Android! Click the giant logo to go!

Don't forget that all of you institutional users will need to take an extra step to generate an app login. Sign up for a free Student/Member Playlist Account through your institution's NML page. The login for that account is also your app login.

Here's to options!

Pro musica,

Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Where My Girls At? Pt. II

2011-03-14T15:28:00.006-05:00

As a woman and as a musician I stand fully behind Women's History Month. First, women fought to be taught music. Once music was considered a worthwhile pursuit for well-off ladies (in the parlour only, of course), they had to fight to perform, fight for the stage in the opera and the concert hall. And you would hope or maybe even expect that women would be much more welcomed as composers in this day and age. While there are many more being performed (especially in the new music/alt-classical/contemporary classical movement), the reality remains that female composers still fight for exposure, performance, and Aretha's most coveted commodity: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Furthermore, it's amazing how many people, classical music devotees included, can't name a female composer other than perhaps Joan Tower.

So here are a few of my favorite living composers who happen to be women (and their works). Movers, shakers, wave-makers, iconoclasts, creators. Listen up.

(I'm getting a little minimalist on you here--just names and music. I don't want to color your expectations too much. I hope all with rococo tendencies can forgive me.)

Sofia Gubaidulina - Bassoon Concerto - CHAN9717

Emma Lou Diemer - Piano Quartet - LAN0328

Joan Tower - Wild Purple - 8.559215

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich - Fantasy for Harpsichord - TROY457

Tania Leon - Bailarin - BCD9239

Hilary Tann - Gardens of Anna Maria Lusia de'Medici - PH05019

Libby Larsen - Black Birds, Red Hills - INNOVA512

Julia Wolfe - Cruel Sister - CA-21069

Jennifer Higdon - On a Wire - ASO1001

Gabriela Ortiz - Altar de Neon - DOR-90245

Liza Lim - Weaver-of-Fictions - ABC4766439

Gabriela Lena Frank - HILOS - 8.559645

Lera Auerbach - Ballet for a Lonely Violinist - BIS-CD-1592

Augusta Read Thomas - Silhouettes - TROY855

Pro musica,

Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Where My Girls At? Pt. I

2011-03-14T13:16:00.021-05:00

We all know that the big winner for March is Women's History Month*. Some folks get in a twist about Women's History Month (as though the advances of the last 90 years mean that women no longer need our own history month) to which I say "Pshaw!"

Most people know about those big-name musical foremothers like Hildegaard von Bingen, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, and Clara Wieck-Schumann, but what about the others? Here's your freshman Intro to Music History, Lady-Style.

Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre
Like many women in music, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre was hailed as a virtuosic performer before she came to light as a composer. While she composed in most of the forms of the day, her most well known works remain those she wrote for her own instrument--the keyboard.

Found it on the NML: Harpsichord Suites Nos. 1-4, HCD31729

Barbara Strozzi
Barbara Strozzi was a noted Venetian woman, the adopted daughter of playwright Giulio Strozzi. The surviving body of her work is vocal in nature, both solo and ensemble, ranging from madrigals to arias. The heavily vocal nature and similar pitching corroborates the view that much of her work was written for her own performance in her home.

Found it on the NML: Il primo libro de madrigali, Op. 1, CTH2441-2

Alma Mahler-Werfel
Wife of Gustav Mahler. Alma Mahler was another woman composer whose work was largely suppressed by male influence--though not in such a benign way. Gustav Mahler thought it "unseemly" not only for women to compose, but for both members of a couple to compose. It is believed that he actively forbade her to compose, under the auspice of removing any barriers to her wifely duties. She resumed composition after Mahler's death.

Found it on the NML: 5 Lieder, 999018-2

Liza Lehmann
The English soprano Liza Lehmann actually composed little before her marriage and the end of her performing career. She had a respectable career as a singer, but when struck by Bell's palsy she lost fine control of her vocal folds. At that time she turned back to composition, for which she had shown an aptitude when young but never pursued seriously. She enjoyed a fair amount of popularity in her lifetime with song cycles such as Daisy Chain, Cherry Ripe, and In a Persian Garden, and often accompanied her own compositions at the piano.

Found it on the NML: Daisy Chain, 8.557118

Amy Beach
Amy Beach is particularly notable as the first American woman to experience large-scale success as a composer. As a young girl, Amy Cheney was, like many other females, to begin her career as a well-known performer. Once she married, becoming Mrs. H.H.A. Beach, her husband decided that she would compose rather than perform. She composed 300 works in her lifetime, nearly all of which were commercially published. This widespread success made her a giant among women in music.

Found it on the NML: String Quartet, Op. 89, CHAN10162

Johanna Beyer
Johanna Beyer worked in relative obscurity in her lifetime, largely ignored as a composer even by the experimental music community. She continued to study with teachers like Henry Cowell and Ruth Crawford Seeger, whose influence can be heard in her harmonic and contrapuntal language. The work has been explored further posthumously and Beyer is beginning to gain posthumous respect as an experimental composer.

Found it on the NML: Clarinet Suite No. 2 in Bb major, INNOVA589

Nadia Boulanger
The elder Boulanger sister composed much less prolifically than did the younger. It is believed that Nadia thought Lili to be much more gifted than she herself was, which likely led to her halt in composition. Nadia proceeded to have an extremely active international career as an organist, composer, conductor, and educator. She championed the music of her pupils at every turn, among whom were counted Bernstein, Virgil Thomson, Carter, and Copland.

Found it on the NML: Pieces for Cello and Piano, 8.223636

Lili Boulanger
Lili Boulanger was the possessor of another nascent performing career cut short by illness. She relied solely on private instruction for her musical education, as her frailty precluded a full conservatory education. Remarkably, she became the first woman to ever win the Prix de Rome with her work Faust et Helene in 1913. The broad use of orchestral color in her compositions was considered quite imaginative, as was her later exploration of polytonalality.

Found it on the NML: Faust et Helene, CHAN9745

Pro (women's) musica,
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

*Other March things that I deem "pretty awesome" include International Women's Day, International Book Day, National Grammar Day, and March Madness. I'm just saying.

Enhanced Search - Find What You're Looking For!

2011-03-09T16:39:00.024-06:00

The curtain opens on a college music library. It's a warm environment, and the sound of music fills the background, just audible enough to know that it's there. An Amazing Librarian is working behind the circulation desk, where a student approaches...

(Nick)
Hi - My name is Nick!

I'm putting on my recital and I've come to the College Music Library for some help. I've got a lot of "loud- bangy-things" on the program already, and think something on the Marimba would be great. Can you help me find what I'm looking for?

(Amazing Librarian)
Hello Nick! Let's use the Naxos Music Library to find something! Simply go to the Enhanced Search, and enter "Marimba" in the instrument field. That should get you started.

(Nick)
Wow...Great! However, I've heard of this composer.. Ney Rosauro - who composed a whole bunch of Brazilian music, which would round out the program nicely. Can these results be refined down?

(Amazing Librarian)
Yes they can! By adding the composers name to the Composer box - your search is refined! Look at that, here are 6 discs that contain music by Ney.

(Nick)
Great - but I've only got about 5 minutes left in the recital to add a new piece- would you mind narrowing it down for me?

(Amazing Librarian)
Not a problem! Simply enter the duration in the box, and include it into your results...and...Voila! We've got these 4 discs that contain Ney Rosauro marimba works between 5 and 6 minutes long! Happy Listening!

Include AND Exclude Terms!
Alright - while the above may be a bit "over the top" - it's an incredibly real scenario. With the new Naxos Enhanced Search - coming to the Naxos Music Library, Naxos Jazz Library, and Naxos Spoken Word Library soon - you'll be able to use these resources to aid members!

Not only will you be able to include and filter results in real-time, but you'll be able to "exclude" certain things from your searches as well!

Let's say that I'm looking for a disc to listen to that's got the following:
- A piece composed by Bach
- On the Naxos Label
- It contains the Viola
- It does not contain any Cello

*The NML has 2 discs that meet this criteria!

The new Enhanced Search will allow you to do this, with near instant results that can be constantly filtered "down" or "up" depending on your level of specificity. Here's the evolution of the above search.

First - All discs that contain pieces composed by Bach.

Second - Narrow that list down, by including only those Bach compositions on the Naxos label.

Third - Let's get this list more manageable - filter out anything that contains the Cello. This will return all of the discs that contain Bach, on the Naxos Label, with no cello.

Finally - We only want discs that contain the Viola, from that list. We get our 2 discs!

Results Filtered By Country
And the last, but certainly not the least, feature to mention here, is that country restricted recordings will no longer be shown in your search results. For our friends in the United States trying to do a search for Elvis (wanting Costello, but getting Presley) - the wait is over. For our friends in Hong Kong, Korea, Canada, and beyond - we're all getting customized results!

Here's an example of what 2 different subscribers will see - one is a student in the United States. The other, is a musician in Canada.

Canada - (No Restrictions on Recordings) - USA (Many Restricted Recordings)

All in all - we hope you enjoyed this short look at some of the interesting Enhanced Searches we were able to perform. We look forward to the days ahead where we can all search together!

We appreciate any and all feedback on the design plans - so please post below or email us directly with your comments! Who knows...you may be the one to add a feature that millions will use every day!

Happy Searching,
Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
Naxos of America, Inc.
615.465.3836 (direct)
Nick@NaxosUSA.com

Join in the conversation!

You Can't Handel The Truth

2011-02-23T15:10:00.005-06:00

Today is the 326th birthday of the incomparable, the illustrious, the inspired George Frideric Handel! The kicking king of Kappellmeisters! The hot harpsichordist of Halle! Old-school originator of the oratorio! So our purpose here is clear: sit back and marvel at the man, the master, the myth.

If you think you can Handel it. *

GRAND.

Handel, George Frideric (2/23/1685-4/14/1759)

Born in the German town of Halle in 1685, Handel studied briefly at the University of Halle, before moving to Hamburg in 1703, where he served as a violinist in the opera orchestra and subsequently as harpsichordist and composer. From 1706 until 1710 he was in Italy, where he further developed his mastery of Italian musical style. Appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, the future George I of England, he visited London, where he composed the first London Italian opera Rinaldo, in 1710 and settled there two years later. He enjoyed aristocratic and later royal patronage, and was occupied largely with the composition of Italian opera with varying financial success until the 1740s. He was successful in developing a new form, English oratorio, which combined the musical felicities of the Italian operatic style with an increased rôle for the chorus, relative economy of production and the satisfaction of an English and religious text, elements that appealed to English Protestant sensibilities. In London he won the greatest esteem and exercised an influence that tended to overshadow the achievements of his contemporaries and immediate successors. He died in London in 1759 and was buried in Westminster Abbey in the presence of some 3000 mourners.

Operas

Handel wrote over forty Italian operas, the majority for staging in London. The operatic conventions of the time, restricting subject and form, and the major use of castrato singers in the principal male rôles, led to a general neglect of this important part of Handel's work until recent years, with the increased cultivation of male soprano and male alto voices and a growing understanding of Handel's achievement within the limitations of the genre. Arias and other operatic excerpts, however, have retained a continued place in vocal and to some extent in instrumental repertoire. In particular the aria from the opera Serse of 1738, Ombra mai fù, popularly known as Handel's Largo, has re-appeared in every possible arrangement. Other arias are familiar in something approaching their original form. These include Lascia ch'io pianga from Rinaldo, Piangèro la sorte mia from Giulio Cesare and Care selve from Atalanta.

Oratorios

Messiah is by far the best known of all English oratorios. Its three parts deal with the birth, passion and resurrection of Christ, using a text in part derived from the Bible and from the version of the Psalms familiar from the Church of England Book of Common Prayer. The work was completed and first performed in 1742 and later repeated annually in London in aid of the Foundling Hospital. Israel in Egypt, Judas Maccabaeus, Samson, based on Milton, and Solomon are only some of the English oratorios of Handel that are familiar in whole or in part to choirs and audiences. To these may be added the secular oratorio Semele, with a text by the dramatist William Congreve, dealing with an episode from classical mythology and including, for a disguised Jupiter, the well known aria Where'er you walk.

Church Music

Handel wrote music for the Catholic liturgy in 1707, when he was in Rome. In England, under the patronage of the Duke of Chandos, he wrote a set of anthems, the so-called Chandos Anthems. The four Coronation Anthems, written for the coronation of George II in 1727, represent music for a royal ceremonial occasion at its most impressive. Other settings for the Anglican liturgy include the Utrecht Te Deum of 1713, celebrating the Peace of Utrecht, and the Dettingen Te Deum, a celebration of the victory of Dettingen over the French army in 1743.

Secular Vocal & Choral Music

The story of the shepherd and shepherdess Acis and Galatea and the monster Polyphemus forms the basis of the pastoral Acis and Galatea, first performed in 1718. The aria of Polyphemus O ruddier than the cherry is in popular baritone repertoire. L'allegro, il penseroso ed il moderato, based on Milton and completed in 1740, provides at least one popular soprano aria, Sweet bird. In the earlier part of his career Handel wrote a large number of solo and duo Italian cantatas, with instrumental accompaniment, as well as vocal duets and trios with the more economical accompaniment of basso continuo, a chordal and a bass instrument. This last repertoire deserves further exploration.

Orchestral Music

Since Corelli, a musician who was said to have found Handel's "French" style alien to Italian tradition, the concerto grosso had continued as the most popular Baroque orchestral form, with a small concertino group, usually of two violins, cello and harpsichord, contrasted with the whole string orchestra. Handel wrote and published in 1739 a set of twelve such concertos, Opus 6, designed originally for strings and continuo. An earlier compilation of six concerti grossi, scored also for wind instruments, had been published in London in 1734. Alexander's Feast is the name given to one of the concertos first performed with the choral work of that name, a setting of Dryden in celebration of the Feast of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music, in 1736. His sixteen Organ Concertos, the first six included in Opus 4 and a further six in Opus 7, served a practical and novel purpose as interval music, to be played at performances of oratorio. No. 13 is generally known as The Cuckoo and the Nightingale. The Water Music is a set of pieces written in 1717 to entertain George I as he was rowed up the Thames to supper at Chelsea, and the Music for the Royal Fireworks, written in 1749, preceded a firework display in Green Park, a celebration of the Peace of Aix-la-chapelle.

Chamber Music

Music for smaller groups of performers by Handel includes a number of Trio Sonatas, the majority for two violins and basso continuo, and a number of sonatas for solo instrument and continuo, six for recorder and six for violin. The publisher of the twelve sonatas of Opus 1, about 1730, described a dozen of these sonatas as for treble instrument and continuo, allowing potential performers a freedom of choice that was not altogether unusual at the time.

Keyboard Music

Handel was as versatile as any musician of his age. He excelled, however, as a keyboard-player, judged in an early contest in Rome with the harpsichordist Domenico Scarlatti, with the wisdom of Solomon, as the better organist, while Scarlatti was honoured as the better harpsichordist. Handel left a great deal of keyboard music, most of it for the harpsichord and much of it written early in his career. The first eight Suites for harpsichord were published by the composer in 1720, followed in 1733 by a second collection of eight Suites, assembled largely by the publisher. The G major Chaconne, using a popular Baroque variation form, consists of 62 variations on a simple repeated bass pattern.

The Air from Suite No. 5, with its five following variations, has won fame under the title The Harmonious Blacksmith, a reference to an unlikely anecdote concerning the inspiration of the piece.

Pro (Handelian) musica,
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

*I apologize for overusing this kitsch. I use it every year and it never gets old for me.

Celebrate Black History Month !

2011-02-04T15:33:00.006-06:00

If you aren't on our NML monthly update, you're missing out on great monthly offers (for some Free Stuff!)

Sign up for the Email Newsletter Here!

February is Black History Month--a time dedicated to honoring Black Americans and their contributions throughout history.

From a musical standpoint, Jazz is one of the greatest gifts that Black American musicians have given the world. In all its forms from big band to solo improv, from traditional to experimental, from formal to funky, Jazz has altered the musical landscape beyond recognition.

In honor of Black History Month Naxos is offering a three-month free trial of Naxos Music Library Jazz for your students. That's an extra two months of free streaming jazz from labels like Fantasy Records, Naxos Jazz, Jazzwerkstatt, and Innova! E-mail us now to start your trial.

Featured Jazz Labels

NML Jazz offers thousands of recordings from over 50 labels. In addition to enjoying the NMLJazz on your computer, it's got a fully functioning iPhone App! Check the App store to download and enjoy Jazz greats on the go!

We proudly feature the Fantasy Jazz collection--a monumental jazz catalog with over 23,000 tracks from nearly 500 renowned artists.

In addition the classics on Fantasy, you can find traditional, contemporary, experimental, and more on other labels like these.

Have a Jazzy Weekend!
Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
615.465.3836
MusicLibrary@NaxosUSA.com

Join in the conversation!

I. Love. Free Stuff. - Orchestras and the NML

2011-01-27T10:37:00.027-06:00

I’m such a sucker for free things. I’m guilty of buying that extra can of soup at the store, because – hey it’s “buy one - get one free". It’s only natural then, that the idea of getting (and giving) free NML excites me.

We’ve got some fantastic orchestra partners who utilize the NML as part of the promotional and research tools, and we wanted to talk a bit about how they’re using the NML! Imagine buying a concert package and getting to use the entire NML for free. Yes. Please.

This isn't an exhaustive list though, so check with your local Orchestra or Performing Arts organization and see if they have any fun NML programs too!

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

The BSO pulls out all the stops with a full-blown Naxos page. BSO subscribers can connect to the NML before they leave the house. You know – to listen to a bit of Mahler as you get ready, before going to enjoy some live Mahler, with a side of Mahler through the NML Android App on the way home. Mahler overload, Yes. Possible, Absolutely!

Toron to Symphony Orchestra

The TSO wants to make sure that everyone in the Toronto area has access to great music. They’ve created the “Beethoven on Demand” program, and offer the NML to their members. What a great program name, no?

Nashville Symphony Orchestra

Our very own Nashville Symphony Orchestra musicians and season ticket subscribers get to enjoy the NML. Hey, who knows, maybe the Nashville musicians listen to themselves on the awesome (Grammy Nominated!) “Metropolis” disc. (8.559635)

Also, let's be honest - I really just wanted an excuse to post this awesome cover art (and talk about a super-hero themed recording).

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

If you find yourself in Detroit Rock City, enjoy the NML and some “rock favorites” by legends Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison! Yes, these are all included in the DSO “subscriber subscription” to the NML (and yours too!).

Kansas City Symphony

The KC Symphony’s done a great job of providing donors and subscribers with a fantastic value-add. If you’re a donor to the Orchestra, one of the many perks (aside from Priority seating and ticket exchange) is an upgraded sound quality NML subscription!

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
The VSO musicians write us all the time talking about how much they enjoy using the NML. It’s great to be able to assist in the research and concert prep!

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
These “Manitobans” enjoy the NML , even when it’s too cold to go outside. Ok, maybe it’s never too cold for them, but when I see temperatures of -21 degrees Celsius, I start to shiver.

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

If I was an Edmonton Symphony Orchestra musician, I know I’d spend my “research and listening” hours near the giant wave-pool at the awesome indoor World Waterpark.

Until more "Free Things",
Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
MusicLibrary@NaxosUSA.com
615.465.3836

Join in the conversation!

Alt-Classical

2011-01-04T10:35:00.012-06:00

With all the buzz out there regarding small-label alt-classical, I thought I should let you know just how much you can find on the NML. Here's a quick sampling of labels and albums to hear in this genre.

New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam Records was formed as a haven for the young New York composers and performers whose music slips through the cracks between genres. Artists include the ‘adventurous cello songstress’ Jody Redhage and the band Build (made up of violin, cello, piano, bass and drums, and led by composer/violinist Matt McBane).

Sarah Kirkland Snider- Penelope NWAM023
Missy Mazzoli/Victoire- Cathedral City NWAM025
Janus- i am not NWAM024
Corey Dargel- Someone Will Take Care of Me- NWAM021

Cantaloupe Music
Cantaloupe Music is the record label created in March 2001 by the three founders of New York's legendary Bang on a Can Festival: composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe, and Bang on a Can managing director Kenny Savelson. Cantaloupe Music has made a massive impact in the new music community, and been recognized by critics and fans around the globe for its adventurous sounds. Their goal is to provide a home for "music that slips between the cracks."

David Lang - Child CA-21013
Tristan Perich - 1-Bit Symphony CA-21054
So Percussion/Matmos - Treasure State CA-21065
Evan Ziporyn - Melody Competition CA-21022

Innova
Innova recordings (founded in 1982) is the record label of the American Composers Forum. Innova champions work that pushes and challenges the boundaries of contemporary music. From Avant-jazz to Electronic music, to the very latest from the Classical frontlines, innova chronicles music before it hits mainstream ears.

Harry Partch - 11 Intrusions INNOVA561
Judith Shatin - Tower of the Eight Winds INNOVA770
Maya Beiser - Provenance INNOVA778

Non Classical
Established by Gabriel Prokofiev, the grandson of Sergei (yes, THAT Sergei Prokofiev), the label Nonclassical represents Gabriel’s determination to re-engage pop fans with classical music by breaking down the barriers of genre. Each CD of forward-thinking compositions comes with a selection of remixes from electronic producers.

John Matthias and Nick Ryan - Cortical Songs NONCLSS004
Mercury Quartet - Mercury Acoustic NONCLSS009
Gabriel Prokofiev - String Quartet No. 1 with Remixes NONCLSS001

Open up to the alt-classical movement. It might change the way you think about classical music. Just ask Judd Greenstein.

Pro musica,

Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

UPDATE: NML App for Android Now Live!

2010-12-27T10:47:00.009-06:00

The brand spankin' new NML App for Android is now live! Find it on the Android Market by searching "Naxos Music Library" (or just "Naxos" if you're into brevity) or hit this QR code with your Droid.

You will be able to listen to personal, institutional, and Naxos-created playlists as well as browse and stream the full NML on the go from your Droid!

Institutional Users

1. Visit the NML. If you are a member of an institution like a school, university, or public library, you can visit your institution’s unique webpage (ex. http://myschool.naxosmusiclibrary.com). Ask your librarian or contact us here at Naxos if you’re not sure how to get there.

2. Navigate to the Playlists tab and sign up for a Student/Member Playlist Account. You will receive a confirmation e-mail to the e-mail address you used to sign up. Click the link in the e-mail to confirm your account.

3. The login you created for your Student/Member Playlist Account will be your login for the app as well.

4. Any playlist in your personal folder or your institution’s folder will be available, in addition to all of our Naxos-created playlists. You can also browse and stream the full NML--from New Releases and Recent Additions to any old recording from any label--anytime, anywhere.

Individual Users

You will not need to adjust anything to use the app. Just use your normal NML login to log in to the app.

As always, if you have any questions or need help with the app, please call or e-mail me!

Pro (mobile) musica,

Mo

nmlhelp[at]naxosusa[dot]com

NML App for Android Goes Live 12.27.10

2010-12-20T10:08:00.033-06:00

We've heard that some people (clearly silly ones) think that classical music is behind the times.
We, keepers of the NML, disagree.
We think you should be able to listen to a Barbara Strozzi aria or a Mahler symphony just as easily as a Janelle Monae album. So we continue to work on making our music as mobile as possible.

You probably already know about our apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch--but Apple Resisters can now prepare to rejoice, because...

The Naxos Music Library App for Android will go live on December 27, 2010!

You will be able to listen to personal, institutional, and Naxos-created playlists as well as browse and stream the full NML on the go from your Droid!

Just search the Android Market for "Naxos Music Library" to download the free app!

Once the app is installed, it's time to make sure you have some playlists!

Institutional Users

1. Visit the NML. If you are a member of an institution like a school, university, or public library, you can visit your institution’s unique webpage (ex. http://myschool.naxosmusiclibrary.com). Ask your librarian or contact us here at Naxos if you’re not sure how to get there.

2. Navigate to the Playlists tab and sign up for a Student/Member Playlist Account. You will receive a confirmation e-mail to the e-mail address you used to sign up. Click the link in the e-mail to confirm your account.

3. The login you created for your Student/Member Playlist Account will be your login for the app as well.

4. Any playlist in your personal folder or your institution’s folder will be available, in addition to all of our Naxos-created playlists. You can also browse and stream the full NML--from New Releases and Recent Additions to any old recording from any label--anytime, anywhere.

Individual Users.

You will not need to adjust anything to use the app. Just use your normal NML login to log in to the app!

We'd like to also take a moment to give a big thank you to our developers. The app works and looks great--all that hard work has paid off. So THANK YOU!

As always, if you have any questions or need help with the app, please call or e-mail me!

In the meantime, check out these action shots.

Pro (mobile) musica,

nmlhelp[at]naxosusa[dot]com

Respect the Classics

2010-12-15T11:21:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I think the big names in classical music get a bum rap just for being well known. Maybe it's a form of classical music hipsterism. So on this, his 240th birthday, it's time to show some respect to The Most Classic of Classical Composers. He's the one everyone knows, and for good reason. It's 1770. Enter Ludwig van Beethoven.

Born in Bonn in 1770, the eldest son of a singer in the Kapelle of the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne and grandson of the Archbishop's Kapellmeister, Beethoven moved in 1792 to Vienna, where he had some lessons from Haydn and others, quickly establishing himself as a remarkable keyboard-player and original composer. By 1815 increasing deafness made public performance impossible and accentuated existing eccentricities of character, patiently tolerated by a series of rich patrons and his royal pupil the Archduke Rudolph. Beethoven did much to enlarge the possibilities of music and widen the horizons of later generations of composers. To his contemporaries he was sometimes a controversial figure, making heavy demands on listeners both by the length and by the complexity of his writing, as he explored new fields of music.

Stage Works

Beethoven wrote only one opera, eventually called Fidelio after the name assumed by the heroine Leonora, who disguises herself as a boy and takes employment at the prison in which her husband has been unjustly incarcerated. This escape opera, for which there was precedent in contemporary France, ends with the defeat of the evil prison governor and the rescue of Florestan, testimony to the love and constancy of his wife Leonora. Beethoven contemplated other operas, but eventually only wrote the one, first staged in 1805 and mounted again in a revised performance in 1814, under more favourable circumstances. The ballet The Creatures of Prometheus was staged in Vienna in 1801, and he wrote incidental music for various other dramatic productions, including Goethe's Egmont, von Kotzebue's curious The Ruins of Athens, and the same writer's King Stephen.

Choral and Vocal Music

Beethoven's most impressive choral work is the Missa Solennis, written for the enthronement of his pupil Archduke Rudolph as Archbishop of Olmutz, but finished too late for that occasion. An earlier work, the oratorio The Mount of Olives, is less well known. In common with other composers, he wrote a number of songs. Of these the best known are probably the settings of Goethe, which did little to impress the venerable poet and writer, who ignored their existence, and the cycle of six songs known as An die ferne Geliebte (To the Distant Beloved). The song Adelaide is challenging but not infrequently heard.

Orchestral Music

Beethoven completed nine symphonies, works that influenced the whole future of music by the expansion of the traditional classical form. The best known are the Third, "Eroica", originally intended to celebrate the initially republican achievements of Napoleon, the Fifth, the Sixth, "Pastoral", and the Ninth, "Choral". The less satisfactory Battle Symphony celebrates the earlier military victories of the Duke of Wellington. For the theatre and various other occasions Beethoven wrote a number of Overtures, including four for his only opera, Fidelio, one under that name and the others under the name of the heroine, Leonora. Other Overtures include Egmont, Coriolan, Prometheus, The Consecration of the House and The Ruins of Athens. Beethoven completed one violin concerto and five piano concertos, as well as a triple concerto for violin, cello and piano, and a curious Choral Fantasia,for solo piano, chorus and orchestra. The piano concertos were for the composer's own use in concert performance. The Fifth, the so-called "Emperor" Concerto, is possibly the most impressive. The single Violin Concerto is part of the standard repertoire, with two Romances, possible slow movements for an unwritten violin concerto.

Chamber Music

Beethoven wrote ten sonatas for violin and piano, of which the "Spring" and the "Kreutzer" are particular favourites with audiences. He extended very considerably the possibilities of the string quartet, even with his first, Opus 18 set of quartets, but it is possibly the named quartets, the group of three dedicated to Prince Razumovsky and known, therefore, as the Razumovsky Quartets, Opus 59, that are best known. The later string quartets offer great challenges to both players and audience, and include the remarkable Grosse Fuge (Great Fugue) a gigantic work, discarded as the final movement of the String Quartet, Opus 130, and published separately. Other chamber music includes a number of Trios for violin, cello and piano, with the "Archduke" Trio pre-eminent and the "Ghost" Trio a close runner-up, for very different reasons. The Cello Sonatas and sets of Variations for cello and piano, including one set based on Handel's See here the conquering hero comes and others on operatic themes from Mozart, are a valuable part of any cellist's repertoire. Chamber music with wind instruments and piano include a Quintet, Op. 16, for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.

Piano Music

Beethoven's 32 numbered piano sonatas make full use of the developing form of piano, with its wider range and possibilities of dynamic contrast. There are also interesting sets of variations, including a set based on God save the King and another on Rule, Britannia, variations on a theme from the Eroica Symphony and a major work based on a theme by the publisher Diabelli. The best known of the sonatas are those that have earned themselves affectionate nicknames, the Pathétique, Op. 13, Moonlight, Op. 27/2, Waldstein, Op. 53, Appassionata, Op. 57, Les Adieux, Op. 81a, and the Hammerklavier, Op. 106. Less substantial piano pieces include three sets of Bagatelles, and the all too well known FŸr Elise, with the Rondo a capriccio, known in English as Rage over a Lost Penny.

Dance Music

Famous composers like Haydn and Mozart were also employed in the practical business of providing dance music for court and social occasions. Beethoven wrote a number of sets of Minuets, German Dances and Contredanses, ending with the so-called Mödlinger Dances, written for performers at a neighbouring inn during a summer holiday outside Vienna.

So celebrate his incredible contributions--from his commanding and revolutionary use of harmony to his single-handed establishment of what would become the romantic symphonic form--by doing some exploratory listening. Personally, I'm going to spend some time with his less-known vocal works.

Pro musica,
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

NML iPhone App Tutorial

2010-12-06T10:25:00.003-06:00

Here's a step-by-step guide to setting up the Naxos Music Library iPhone App.

If you have questions or concerns, please e-mail me for assistance at nmlhelp@naxosusa.com.

Pro musica,
Mo

1-Bit Symphony

2010-12-03T14:29:00.004-06:00

Just one of the new things on the NML from our new friends at Cantaloupe Music. (Jewel case not included.)

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony (Part 1: Overview) from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

NML Droid App Glimpse

2010-11-19T14:23:00.002-06:00

See, I told you it was real.
Coming Christmas 2010.

App News!

2010-11-08T16:45:00.009-06:00

Hey there NMLers!

It is a new week and I have here, flowing through my fingers especially for you, a quick update with some excellent news.
App news, to be specific.

NML iPhone App:
Our app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod has been getting a lot of use since its release last year. We worked out the bugs and upped the pretty factor for version 2.0.
But now we're getting ready for some more updates!
3.0 is currently in testing. The biggest new feature is multitasking so you can keep working/playing/looking at pictures of kittens while your music plays!

NML Droid App
The developers are almost done with the long-promised app for Android! It's also in the final testing stages. If all goes according to plan, we hope to have this app out around December 1!
Get excited, iPhone mutineers!
(No screen shots yet, but we promise to put some up once the date gets closer.)

As always, please call or write if we can answer any questions about the apps-- current standing or coming updates--or the NML. We're always here to help!

Pro musica,
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Opera in the Present Tense

2010-11-04T16:20:00.016-05:00

If you're not an active opera fan you may not know that there's opera other than La Bohème performed in America. No, I don't mean Carmen. Or The Mikado.

I mean opera composed by people who are still alive. This is exciting to me not only due to the excellence of the music, the brilliance of the singers, and the incredible vistas of the sets which are art in themselves. It excites me because there is new life constantly being breathed into the genre.

Here's a sampling of some new American opera that's making waves.

Il Postino--Daniel Catán
Based on the 1994 film by the same name as well as the 1985 novel Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skármeta, this opera addresses the end of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's life in exile from his homeland. Premiered at LA Opera in August 2010.

Shadowboxer--Frank Proto and John Chenault
Based on the tumultuous personal life of boxer Joe Louis. Premiered at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in April 2010. Along with the pit, the opera calls for an 8-piece jazz combo onstage.

Moby Dick--Jake Heggie
Exactly what it sounds like. This adaptation of the classical Melville novel had a positively triumphant premiere with an all-star cast at the Dallas Opera in April 2010.

The Inspector--John Musto
To be premiered in April 2011 by the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Loosely based on Gogol's satire The Government Inspector.

Orpheus and Euridice--Ricky Ian Gordon
Orpheus and Euridice saw a smashing success in 2008 at Long Beach Opera. The work casts a soprano as Euridice and a clarinetist as Orpheus, both of whom dance throughout the opera.

Paradise Lost--Eric Whitacre
Whitacre is primarily known for his choral works and caused quite a stir when, at a very high point in his popularity, he announced this work. A mixture of styles was used in what he calls "music theatre." Inspired heavily by Japanese anime and manga, the show melds opera with musical theatre, electronica, film score, and Asian drumming.

Madame White Snake--Zhou Long
A classical Chinese transformation myth about a white snake demon who turns into a beautiful woman in order to experience love. Premiered February 2010, Opera Boston.

Before Night Falls--Jorge Martín
Produced by the Fort Worth Opera (my hometown, by the way) in May 2010, this work is based on the book and subsequent film of the same name. The story is autobiographical, a look at the life, imprisonment, and escape of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas.

Two Boys--Nico Muhly
The first opera from the 28-year old darling of the "nonclassical" genre, this is said to be the story of a murder hatched by two young men in a chat room. To be premiered at the ENO in 2011.

National Opera Week wraps up on Sunday, November 7. I hope that you will enjoy some more opera before that day and beyond!

Pro musica,

Mo
nmlhelp@naxousa.com

National Opera Week Festivities!

2010-10-27T15:19:00.018-05:00

National Opera Week is October 29-November 7, 2010!

I find that people rarely take a neutral position on opera.* They tend to love or hate opera, laud or lambaste it. But at least during National Opera Week, I encourage you to have equal-opportunity ears--you might just find something you'll love.
Below you will find some links and catalog numbers so you can check this out for yourself!

According to OPERA America, National Opera Week is not only a week to promote opera across the country, but is also a time to continue celebrating the accomplishments of the 2010 NEA Opera Honors recipients: Soprano Martina Arroyo, General Director David DiChiera, Composer Philip Glass and Music Director Eve Queler. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere fancy, you might have access to a free event, open recitals, and more.

If your hometown doesn't have these types of offerings, you can always worship at the temple of La Divina from home** by reading, watching, and listening. You can even sing if you are so inclined and your neighbors are out of town.***

Blogs
People Who Talk About Opera:
Opera Chic- If you were unaware, snarkiness is beloved in opera, and Opera Chic knows how to do it right. There's also opera news.
Operagasm- Don't worry about the name, the site is both practical for opera singers and hilarious for all parties.
Opera Tattler- Opera reviews and chat in San Fran and beyond.
An Unamplified Voice- Met Opera Reviews.

People Who Do Opera and Talk About It (Or Have Their Publicists Talk About It) Later:
Joyce DiDonato
Nicholas Phan
Anna Netrebko

Opera Houses:
Metropolitan Opera (Also check out the fabulous Met Player!!!)
New York City Opera
Washington National Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Royal Opera House
Teatro Colon

In the NML:
Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro-- 8.660102-04
Verdi, Tosca-- HCD31096-97
Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos--C67166-67
Bellini, La Sonnambula--NEI232475
Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin--ALC2007
Wagner, Tristan und Isolde--8.660152-54
Britten, Peter Grimes--LSO0054
Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor--CDS576
Adams, Nixon in China--8.669022-24

So get in the spirit, will you?

Pro musica,
Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

*My position is staunchly pro-opera.
**Preferably in pajamas with a glass of wine.
***Just kidding, who cares if your neighbors are there?

Oh, there's more.

2010-10-21T11:39:00.026-05:00

I expect that many of you are quite familiar with the classical realm of the NML. It’s what most institutions and individuals subscribe for, it makes up the greatest portion of our catalogue, and Naxos is a classical record label. It all makes sense.
What you may not know is that we have other stuff on the NML. Lots of other stuff.

We’re going to do a few posts on that “other stuff,” highlighting certain labels, popular artists and albums on the NML, different genres that can be found, and more.

To open this up, let’s talk about one of our favorite popular music sources in the NML: selections from the Sun Records catalogue.

You may be familiar with Sun Records as an historic record company in Memphis, TN or simply as the place where Elvis got his start. If you’re interested in learning more about the history, artists, recordings, and future of Sun Records, check out their website at www.sunrecords.com.

Sun Records
Founded: 1952, Memphis, TN
Founder: Sam Phillips
Styles: Rockabilly, gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, western swing
Key Artists: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Conway Twitty, Howlin’ Wolf

Found it on the NML:

Johnny Cash: Greatest Hits-Finest Performances
015047800711

Patsy Cline: Classics
015047800049

Howlin’ Wolf: The Memphis Sessions
015047800094

Jerry Lee Lewis: Jerry Lee’s Greatest
015047800247

Roy Orbison: At the Rock House
015047800254

Charlie Rich: The Memphis Sound
015047801596

Merle Haggard: Classics
015047800056

The Dixie Cups: Chapel of Love
015074800029

So anyway, lend an ear to those golden sounds of the past.
And don't shoot me if you contend that this music doesn't belong to the past.

I am, as always, pro musica-
Mo

nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Spooky Playlist Part II

2010-10-15T15:08:00.003-05:00

Some people I know like it when the spooky sneaks up on them. They listen to those songs that you don’t notice creeping you out until you’re already totally creeped out. Some of these are like that, all chamber-y and quietly weird. But some of them are big and intense like the sounds that always happen in horror movies. Those creep me out at my desk at work in the middle of the day. In April.

Where Part 1 was mostly programmatic symphonic music of the romantic period, these pieces tend to be less traditional in their instrumentation and their sound. So. Enjoy!

Spooky Playlist Part the Second:

Kodaly
Sonata for Solo Cello, op. 8

HCD31046 Tr. 3-5

Ligeti
Volumina

BIS-CD-509 Tr. 8

Crumb

Black Angels "13 Images from the Dark Land", "Images I"

BCD9139 Tr. 9-21

Feeney

Dracula

8.553964

Ligeti

Atmospheres
9.50022 Tr. 1

Penderecki

Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima

0010122BC Disc 2 Tr. 5

Bartok
Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta (Mvmt III- Adagio)

HSACD32510 Tr. 3

Xenakis
ST/48

1C1113 Tr. 3

Messiaen

Quatour pour la fin du temps
CHAN10480 Tr. 8-15

And of course, my favorite:

Pro musica,

nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Spooky Playlist Part I

2010-10-01T15:14:00.022-05:00

I know that October has barely managed to arrive and I'm already bludgeoning it to death with autumn/harvest/Halloween hoodlum-ery. I can't help it. I'm just excitable.
In honor of the advent of The Spookiest of Months I give you:

Spooky Playlist: Part the First*
A sampling of the creepy classics to suit all of your spooky needs

Bach
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538, "Dorian"
PSC1152 Tr. 10-11

Bach
Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542
8.550652 Tr. 4

Liszt
Prelude and Fugue on the name B-A-C-H, S260/R381
Carus83.171 Tr. 1-2

Mussorgsky
Pictures at an Exhibition –The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga)
8.553249 Tr. 20

Berlioz
Symphony Fantastique (Mvmt. V- Ronde du Sabbat)
LSO0007 Tr. 5

Britten
4 Sea Interludes (Mvmt. 1- Dawn and mvmt. 4- Storm)
CHAN9221 Tr. 34-37

Prokofiev
Alexander Nevsky (Mvmt. V- The Battle on Ice)
DOR-90169 Tr. 5

Mussorgsky (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov)
St. John’s Night on Bald Mountain, “A Night on the Bare Mountain”
BIS-CD-325 Tr. 17

Verdi
Messa da Requiem (Dies irae, dies illa)
CHAN9490 Tr. 2

Stravinsky
Le Sacre du Printemps (esp. Patr II, The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance)
KMHCD20 Tr. 14

Grieg
Peer Gynt Suite (Mvmt. IV- In the Hall of the Mountain King)
KMHCD20 Tr. 4

Orff
Carmina Burana (Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: O Fortuna)
8.570033 Tr. 1

Stravinsky
Firebird Suite (mvmt. 5- Danse infernale du roi Kastchei)
900706 Tr. 5

Rachmaninoff
The Isle of the Dead
HCD31551 Tr. 1

Saint-Saens
Danse Macabre
0094652BC Tr. 4

Falla
El Amor Brujo (Danza Ritual del Fuego)
V4768 Tr. 8

Kodaly
Sonata for Solo Cello, op. 8
HCD31046 Tr. 3-5

I leave you with this gem, which is unfortunately not in the NML and therefore does not qualify for the playlist but is excellent all the same.

*Part the Second is forthcoming and will contain other brands of creepiness.

Icons for Sign and Website Use

2010-09-10T15:36:00.000-05:00

Here are a few icons just in case you need them! You can use these:

1. on your library signage to promote your subscriptions to the Naxos Online Libraries
2. on your library site to link directly to the services
3. in other places because you are so creative! I was thinking maybe buttons to show your music library pride. Or a knitting pattern! Maybe? It's up to you.

If you are using this on your library's site, be sure to link to your school/library's unique URL if you want users to log in automatically. For example, link to http://yourschool.naxosmusiclibrary.com instead of http://naxosmusiclibrary.com.

I hope these will cover your needs for now!
Please drop me a line if you have questions or ideas to share (or if you need more icons!).

Pro musica,

Mo

nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Calling All App Users!

2010-09-02T11:47:00.026-05:00

So you have downloaded an app for the NML, NMLJ or NSWL.

That's great…unless you can’t use it.

What I have heard from a lot of librarians and professors lately is that they need an easy step-by-step guide to setting the app up for first time use. Here by popular demand is just such a guide!

Creating a Personal/Student Playlist for Naxos Apps

The iPhone app was designed with our institutional users in mind, so a subscription through a university, library, school, or orchestra works. It just works little differently on an iPhone than on a computer.

For one thing, it does NOT require any work with IP authentication or the university's proxy server.

To generate a login for the NML app, you should:

1. Visit the NML page for your institution (library, university, school, orchestra, etc.) from a computer by going through the institution’s unique URL: http://example.naxosmusiclibrary.com

2. Navigate to the Playlist area and click “Sign Up” in the "Personal/Student" playlist account area.

3. Create a login on the sign up page. This login, consisting of your email address and a custom password, then becomes your login for the app.

See the tutorial below if you need help creating a personal/student playlist account.

Once you are fully signed up you will have access to the institution’s playlists and you can create your own customized playlists as well. I recommend creating a playlist on a computer before attempting to access through the app. For some reason it seems to make your first access run more smoothly.

You can also use the app to search and browse the full NML anytime, anywhere! That means you can stream music anytime, anywhere!

Happy Mobile Browsing, Music Lovers!

Pro musica,
Mo

nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Librarians: Please feel free to share or link this on your library’s website, as well as share or embed the YouTube tutorial to help your patrons use the NML more effectively.

Lions and Tigers and Dragons, Oh My! The Music of Video Games

2010-08-30T14:49:00.004-05:00

Hi Friends,

Ever wonder what we're really like - as the "voices" behind the NML in the US? Well look no further than the latest blog posting on the official Naxos of America blog, Portara! Head on over and have a listen - it's music you may have never heard before!

Happy Gaming!
Nick

Nick@NaxosUSA.com
615.465.3836

Join in the conversation!

Living Music

2010-08-20T11:38:00.019-05:00

When most people think of classical music they think of the tried and true standbys of opera and orchestra—Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, Debussy, and so on.
You know, the dead white guys.
But when you love classical music like we do, you know that we also need to look forward in order to keep it growing and vital.
Today I want to briefly look at a few living composers who continue to change the face of art music by pushing boundaries, blending uncommon elements, or just quietly filling the world with the beautiful.

David Lang (b. 1957)
I have a slight obsession with the work of Bang On A Can co-founder David Lang. I’m deep in score study on his Pulitzer Prize-winning Little Match Girl Passion for SATB soli and percussion. Lang’s work is known to be quite easy on the ear-- especially as far as postminimalist composers go—but it is in truth mathematically conceived, heavily structured, and driven by fidelity to meter. Pieces like his orchestral work Pierced demonstrate the surprisingly accessible result of this percussionist’s metrical attention.
Lang also pushes the boundaries of art music by bringing in popular references. From Jimi Hendrix (Are You Experienced?) to reworking the Velvet Underground tune “Heroin” into an 11-minute, lush motivic meditation for voice and cello.

Found it on the NML:
- Pierced / 8.559615 / orch
- Heroin / 8.559615 / chamber
- Are you Experienced? / CHAN9363 / orch
- Memory Pieces / INNOVA734 / solo piano

Hilary Tann ( b. 1947)
Tann is a Welsh-born composer now living and working in the U.S. Her compositional style is often described as being reflective of her environmental background in Wales: lyrical, unvarnished, spare. The lyricism in her works, however, is at little risk for mawkishness by virtue of the composer’s astute attention to texture and harmony.
The Moor, an a cappella duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano, pits two voices, two textures, two rhythmic functions, against one another and allows them to rub and pass one another like feet on a bare floor. Though Tann’s Welsh heritage informs much of her output, she is known to draw inspiration from yet another culture noted for appreciation of simplicity. After cultivating a musicological interest for some time, Tann took a short teaching residence in the Kansai region of Japan and pursued study of the shakuhachi, or Japanese bamboo flute, which appears in several of her works.

Found it on the NML:
- Llef / PH05019 / chamber
- The Cresset Stone / PH05019 / chamber
- Shakkei / NSR1048 / orch

Osvaldo Golijov (b. 1960)
Born in Argentina to Eastern-European Jewish parents, Osvaldo Golijov spent his early life surrounded by tango, klezmer, Jewish liturgical, and classical chamber music. From this uncommon musical soup came a composer with a singular voice and a broad compositional scope.
Golijov’s music can swing between Jewish and Latin American cultures with astonishing speed, though most of his pieces have a prevailing cultural language. His work La Pasion Segun San Marcos (St. Mark Passion) is a massive bombshell of a piece, turning the genre dominated by Bach on its ear with blaring brass, pulsating percussion, and Spanish text. Other pieces, such as klezmer-influenced works Yiddishbbuk and Rocketeyka, have a distinctly Jewish tone. Still others, like Mariel for cello and marimba and much of his vocal work recorded by Dawn Upshaw, simply showcase a composer with an acutely advanced harmonic language.

Found it on the NML:
- La Pasion Segun San Marcos / CD98.404 / oratorio
- Yiddishbbuk / DSL-92108 / chamber
- Tenebrae / ORC100012 / chamber

Pro musica,

Mo
nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

Hey, Good-Lookin'

2010-08-13T16:09:00.003-05:00

You may have noticed some changes taking place that are starting to make this blog look pretty good. For instance, the orange-and-tan combo is gone! Things have been streamlined and reorganized! It could be 2010 instead of 1999!

But upping the pretty factor is not the only change that will be taking place on the NML blog.
In fact, we are going to blow this thing wide open.

From now on we plan to make this blog more functional and up-to-date. We want to make getting information a simple and enjoyable experience for you. We want to open up our content to include things that we are passionate about: more music content, more arts education content, more in general as we will be posting every week.

Don’t worry; you will still get your updates on the tech and usage side of the NML.

But along with those updates, maybe you’ll find something excellent to listen to, a point to raise in class, or a new angle on an issue. Maybe you’ll just get to know us better and feel more comfortable asking questions.

Want to get involved in what we’ve got cooking? Let us know what you want to see here by commenting, e-mailing, tweeting, or facebooking us.

We wanted to make things better for you because that’s what we are about--making classical music accessible.

Pro musica,

nmlhelp@naxosusa.com

New Feature: Search Composer by Work!

2010-07-30T15:30:00.025-05:00

The NML has always allowed you to search for music by composer and artist. But now we have a great feature that lets you search a composer’s NML recordings by work rather than album!

Curious how many recordings of Beethoven’s 5^th we’ve got? Browse over to Ludwig himself and have a look!

Need to see if we’ve got a recording of an abstract percussion and harp piece? Now you can, quickly and easily!

In light of the developments, here’s an easy step-by-step guide to searching a composer’s recordings by work. I'm going to use Ravel's Sheherazade as an example.

Getting Started

Once you click on the “Composers” tab you will automatically be dropped onto the list of composers whose last names begin with A.

From that screen you will simply select the letter of the composer’s last name under “Available Filters.”

Scroll down to find the appropriate composer and click on your chosen composer. This will take you to the composer’s page with a short bio and a rundown of the media in which that person composed—here called “category.”

Dual Search Tabs

Below the bio you will see two tabs: View by Album and View by Work.

View by work is now the default tab, but you can view by album if you choose to.

Here we see an alphabetical listing of the composer’s works with genre/category as well as other information. You can scroll through the list and click on the work to pull up a page with work details and information and a list of recordings on which this work appears.

Search by Category

You can also narrow your search by choosing to view only certain categories of the works. Click on the pull-down menu that reads “All Categories” and select your chosen category. This will take you to a page comprised solely of the composer’s works in that category.

Then you can easily select your chosen recording in the usual manner!

So there you go!

This wonderful new feature should help you find recordings more accurately in a shorter period of time. Efficiency leads to more music, friends.

And more music is always a good thing.

Pro musica,

NMLHelp@naxosusa.com

Join in the conversation!

Naxos Music Library on YouTube!

2010-07-21T16:23:00.000-05:00

Greetings Music Lovers!

By now I hope you all have seen the Naxos Online Libraries YouTube channel. Although only a few months old, there are 6 videos up with more on the way.
Share these videos on Twitter, Facebook, on blogs, websites, or however you'd like!

What tutorials would you like to see added to our list?

Naxos Music Library Overview
Creating a Student Playlist Account ***Use the login from the Student Playlist Account to access the Free NML iPhone app***
Building Playlists in the Naxos Music Library
Naxos Video Library Overview
Naxos Video Library Playlists
Naxos Music Library Jazz Overview
Naxos Spoken Word Library Overview [Coming Soon!]
Naxos Spoken Word Library Bookmarking [Coming Soon!]

Musically~

Anne

User Inspired Development - Usage Statistics Reporting

2010-06-09T10:23:00.020-05:00

Hi All,

We've got some pretty awesome (and big) news for you all! Our next NML design and development feature was 100% inspired by your feedback. Thanks for all of the help, support, and suggestions over the past few months!

You wanted better Usage Statistics.
You're 'gettin 'em!

Soon, the Naxos Online Library usage statistics windows will offer some great new features. We've taken some screenshots below of the new features. Be sure to comment below, email, or stop by our booths at the League of American Orchestras conference and ALA Annual Meetings later this month with all of your ideas and suggestions!

** As always, the development information and screenshots are taken from our test servers. Information, presentation, features, and everything else can (and most likely will) change from what's posted below. We're simply excited to give you a sneak peek!**

---------------------

Standard View Updated!

Nothing will change as far as "how" you access your usage stats. You'll still log in with your Administrator or Librarian account. However, now, the stats will load on the main NML page! No more crazy pop-ups!

There are a few things to note on this screen. First, all of the relevant data is available for a "6 month" snapshot by default.

Export to Excel!

Now, you'll be able to export whatever window you're viewing directly to an excel spreadsheet! You can export any of the windows we'll show below, so go crazy! Here's a screenshot of what the excel export looks like.

Top 20!

Want to see what you're users are listening to? Curious about what's most popular in your subscription? With the "Top 20" view, you'll be able to see what's most popular.

Our Orchestra friends will be able to see what type of music interests their subscrbers. Imagine knowing exactly what to program for next year!

Daily and Hourly Breakdowns!

Want even MORE information? Not a problem! Just like before, you can break stats down by day. Check daily usage, track information, and much more. A new "Hourly" stats feature has also been added.

Here are a few screenshots that show the process from top to bottom. The Red arrows show the "click" progression down the page.

Once you expand the window to the Hourly view, you're able to export THAT to Excel too!

We hope you enjoy these little previews of things to come. I know I LOVE showing off so many of the cool development features. The changes could go live as early as next week (6.16.10), but no promises!

Have questions or comments? Feel free to re-post this blog, write, or call anytime!

Happy Statistical Analysis,
Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
615.465.3836
Nick@NaxosUSA.com

Join in the conversation!

Free Music at ALA2010

2010-06-04T10:16:00.007-05:00

In just a few weeks Naxos will be convening with librarians from across the country at the ALA conference in Washington D.C. It will be my first library conference, so I am looking forward to meeting many of you in person! As you may have heard on our Twitter feed or in our newsletter, we will have a Foursquare competition at the ALA2010 conference! Visit the Naxos booth (#2544) and check-in on Foursquare to receive a Free gift bag with CDs from Naxos until they're gone!

Stop by, check in, get Free Music!

And say hello to your friendly, neighborhood Naxos representatives, Anne and Nick :)
Happy Friday!
Anne

Join in the conversation!

Blue is the new grey!

2010-05-28T09:55:00.006-05:00

Hi Friends,

Happy Friday! Below is a screenshot I saw this morning, and I just had to share. On our test servers, the NML's player window is blue!

Do you like the blue? If you could choose a color for the window, what would it be? Would you like to be able to change the color of the Player Window on the fly- or is it "All about the music, who cares about colors!"?

Leave your answer in the comment for a chance to win an NML "Prize Pack" complete with some fun items, as well as some CD's!

As always, feel free to call or write anytime.

- Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
615.465.3836
Nick@NaxosUSA.com

Join in the conversation!

600,00 Tracks and Climbing!

2010-05-12T11:04:00.013-05:00

What a great week this has been for the NOL Team!

Not only did we launch the Naxos Spoken Word Library App and welcome our 2,000th Twitter follower, but we also hit that wonderful 600,000 track marker!

To celebrate this milestone we've decided to spotlight a feature of the NML that will help you keep up with all of those additions!

The NML RSS Feed

Below you can find a step by step (and picture by picture) guide to using the RSS Feed available with the NML.

Adding as many albums per day as we do (sometimes, it's over 100 albums per day!) it can be tough to keep track of just how many new additions there are. The RSS feed includes every album added to the NML. For those who don't use RSS feed's currently, the page can feel a bit daunting...don't fret!

Thanks to the folks at www.feedicons.com for providing the icon to the left! Visit their site to download all shapes, colors, and resolutions of the RSS icon!

First, visit the "Home" screen in the NML. Simply click on the little house (see below). Then, click on the RSS Icon

In a separate tab, the window below will open. If you use an RSS manager, you'll know what to do here. You can also use the new version of Outlook to manage your feeds, and that's what I'll be showing below.

Next, Outlook will prompt you to "allow" the feed.

And voila! Every album added to the NML will now be available for you to quickly, and easily browse. I'll leave it to you to figure out how to use this information, but now you know how to get it!

Thanks to both our Label partners and all of you - our subscribers. It's time to start the countdown (or count up?) to 1,000,000 tracks!

Happy RSS'ing,
Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
615.465.3836
Nick@NaxosUSA.com

Join in the conversation!

Naxos Music Library

Naxos Video Library

NSWL iPhone App! - Updated

2010-04-13T10:37:00.013-05:00

The third App from Naxos is now complete. Soon, audiobooks and musical texts will be even easier to access on the go with the Naxos Spoken Word Library App!

Click Here to Download the App!

The NSWL allows for streaming of the Naxos Audio Books label, a wonderful new Bookmarking feature (see below for a great new App feature), and access to more than 500 titles!

Below are some screen shots from the iPod/iPhone/iPad App. This week, Nick will also be at the AISL annual conference (here in Nashvegas!), and he'll have the Beta version of the App for all to see and "play with"!

*As always, these shots were taken from a Beta version of the App. Things can, and most likely will, change between now and the release of the App on the App store. *

<---- Search Page

Album Page ---->

The ability to add and delete bookmarks on the go is a GREAT new feature of the NSWL app! Simply click on the + to start the process. These bookmarks are then available both on the App, and on the computer!

<---Add a Bookmark

Delete a
Bookmark --->

- Nick

Nick D'Angiolillo
615.465.3836
Nick@NaxosUSA.com

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