Gray’s Music: Over the Telegraph
Inventor of the telephone Elisha Gray also pioneered the world’s first purpose-built electric musical instrument.
Lady Gaga’s Return to Form
With Mayhem, Lady Gaga offers (again) utopia on the dance floor—but is there anyone left in the club to experience it?
When Singing Was a Crime
Calvinist reformers in sixteenth-century Geneva frequently punished people for immoral behavior—like singing.
How Roy Orbison’s Repertoire Shaped David Lynch’s Films
Drawing on the nostalgic feelings evoked by Orbison's music, Lynch added new layers to the cinematic traditions of film noir.
The Storied History of HBCU Marching Bands
Marching bands at historically Black colleges and universities can be seen as both celebratory emblems and complicated arbiters of Black American culture.
The Literary Inspirations for Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique
The creative works on which Hector Berlioz drew when writing his macabre and revolutionary symphony were fantastic indeed.
What’s the Legacy of Disco Music?
If you listen to Blondie, The Police, or the Pretenders, it’s in the beat.
Henry Cowell’s One True Desire
To “live in the whole world of music” was all the influential, experimental composer wanted—and did, even while imprisoned at San Quentin.
Memphis: The Roots of Rock in the Land of the Mississippians
Rising on the lands of an ancient agricultural system, Memphis has a long history of negotiating social conflict and change while singing the blues.