- Anonymous 4
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Antonín Dvorák
- Georg Friederich Händel
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Modest Mussorsky
- Sergei Vassilievich Rachmaninov
- Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov
- Bedrich Smetana
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Richard Wagner
Literature
- Douglas Adams
- Apuleius
- Aristophanes
- Augustine of Hippo
- Bonaventure
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Charles Dickens
- Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
- Dostoevsky (P.S.U.)
- George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans)
- Thomas Stearns Eliot
- Euripides
- Robert Heinlein
- Frank Herbert
- Homer
- Victor Hugo
- Clive Staples Lewis
- Lewis: Into the Wardrobe
- Lucretius (Titus Lucretius Carus)
- Luminarium
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
- Plato and His Dialogues
- Marcel Proust
- Jean Racine
- William Shakespeare
- Shakespeare Online
- Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
- Sophocles
- Terence
- John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: The Encyclopedia of Arda
- John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: The Tolkien Society
- Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
- Vergil (Publius Vergilius Maro)
- William Wordsworth
Organizations
- American Visionary Art Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Cincinnati Art Museum
- Cincinnati Arts Association
- City Journal
- The Clarion Review
- The Cloisters
- Dayton Art Institute
- Dumbarton Oaks
- First Things
- Hermitage
- Intercollegiate Studies Institute
- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Russell Kirk Center
- Library of Congress
- Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
- Louvre
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Metropolitan Opera
- Musée de Cluny
- Musée d'Orsay
- Musée Rodin
- Musei Capitolini
- Museo Nazionale Romano
- Music Hall
- National Gallery of Art
- National Review Online
- New Criterion
- Perseus Project
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Playhouse in the Park
- Strathmore
- The Tolkien Society
- Touchstone Magazine
- Musei Vaticani
- Walters Art Museum
Popular Music
- The Beatles
- Belle & Sebastian
- The Chieftains
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
- The Eagles
- The Guess Who
- Journey
- Led Zeppelin
- Pink Floyd
- R.E.M.
- Simon and Garfunkel
- The Supremes
- They Might Be Giants
- U2
- The Velvet Underground
- The Who
Visual Arts
- Hieronymus Bosch
- Émile Antoine Bourdelle
- Paul Cézanne
- John Constable
- Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi)
- Vincent van Gogh
- Winslow Homer
- Michelangelo (di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni)
- Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin
- Pheidias
- Praxiteles
- Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)
- Rembrandt (Harmenszoon van Rijn)
- Norman Rockwell
- Auguste Rodin
- Andrei Rublev
- Joseph Mallord William Turner
AtomMusic
In Greek mythology, the muses were the daughters of Zeus the king of the gods and Mnemosyne the goddess of memory. The muses inspired men to create what we commonly call the fine arts. In this digital realm, you will find music of both high and low culture, from literature to the visual arts to what we narrowly call music in English. Enjoy and be grateful for being human; for the muses have richly blessed our race.Folk Music
Popular music before the age of mass culture
Monday, December 26, A.D. 2011
O Holy Night
Here is “O Holy Night” sung by the choir at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King:
I was aghast when I saw the cathedral’s interior. Then, I discovered that it is the Roman cathedral in Liverpool, which was built in the lamentable years of the Sixties. Its design reminds me of something that one would find on Coruscant. Did the post-conciliar architects consult Ralph McQuarrie before building their temples? At least, Liverpool’s cathedral looks better than Los Angeles’ monstrosity.
Nonetheless, it heartens me that Albion’s Roman communities are keeping alive its choral traditions.
Friday, December 9, A.D. 2011
Hatikvah
Given my recent trip to ארץ ישראל, I thought that I would offer the Israeli anthem, which means “the hope.” The song reminded me of one of my favorite pieces, “Vltava,” from Smetana’s Má Vlast. I discovered that both works owe some of their beauty to an Italian Renaissance tune, “La Mantovana.”
Hatikva is not as sublime as the Czech masterpiece, but it makes for a worthy anthem. You may read the poem’s words on Wikipedia.
On the long flight to Tel Aviv, I repeatedly transitioned between states of sleep and consciousness while catching glimpses of other people on the plane, hearing random conversations, and watching film sequences on personal entertainment monitors. I was particularly intrigued and confused by scenes from the neighboring monitor’s display of The Tree of Life. Then, I caught the faint sound of Smetana’s “Moldau,” and I quickly grabbed an earphone set to listen to the movie’s soundtrack. Imagine the joy of a man in a desert who happens upon a spring, and you have some idea of my psychic state at that moment.
on Friday, December 9, A.D. 2011
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Monday, July 4, A.D. 2011
Anchors Aweigh
As a patriotic and filial tribute, I present Charles A. Zimmerman’s “Anchors Aweigh” on this Independence Day:
Thanks for serving, Dad!
Wikipedia has an article on the song’s development in naval culture.
on Monday, July 4, A.D. 2011
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Thursday, April 7, A.D. 2011
Virgen Madre Alegrate
To everyone on the old calendar, I wish you a lovely feast of the Annunciation!
A few months ago, my friend Andrew sent me a Spanish version of “O Pure Virgin” by Nectarios of Aegina:
The singer is Fr. Elias, who also happens to be a music professor. He serves the mission of San Nicolas de Mira in Caracas, Venezuela. Many blessings to the Orthodox community there!
on Thursday, April 7, A.D. 2011
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Friday, December 31, A.D. 2010
Lombardo’s Auld Land Syne
Here is “Auld Lang Syne” by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians:
I wish you the best in the new year.
on Friday, December 31, A.D. 2010
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Monday, December 27, A.D. 2010
Good King Wenceslas
As a proud descendent of the Czechs, I must pay homage to Good King Wenceslas with his Christmas tune. Here it is by the Irish Rovers:
Note that the good king practices Christian charity on the feast of Saint Stephen. The feast of Stephen is on December 26 in the West but on December 27 in the East. I have no idea why the date differs. So, for you new calendarists, happy feast of Saint Stephen, either yesterday or today!
Thursday, December 23, A.D. 2010
Enya Hails the Messiah
Here is Enya (Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin) singing “Veni Emmanuel.”
I read that Enya’s songs sometimes have scores of voice layers of her singing and that she does each take individually. If I understand the process correctly, it seems quite impressive. I had assumed that some sort of digital recording magic created the various layers, but I guess that it only integrates them.
on Thursday, December 23, A.D. 2010
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Thursday, November 4, A.D. 2010
Lezginka
My favorite part of Aram Khachaturian’s Gayaneh is the Lezghinka dance. Here it is performed by Chilean students in the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Juvenil:
Armenian Dionysian is what I would call it. Moreover, I think that the Chilean kids did a pretty good job.
on Thursday, November 4, A.D. 2010
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Thursday, March 25, A.D. 2010
Gabriel Appeared
For those on the new calendar, happy feast of the Annunciation!
I found the following video on YouTube. It features a concert by a small choir singing Pavel Chesnokov’s “Gabriel Appeared.” The Russians can sing . . .
Moreover, I wish everyone, East and West, a productive holy week and a bright and joyous Pascha.
on Thursday, March 25, A.D. 2010
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Thursday, January 7, A.D. 2010
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Christ is born!
Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates the Nativity on the old calendar. Many blessings to you on the feast.
Enjoy this lovely hymn by Charles Wesley, sung in Saint Paul’s Cathedral.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
