Music

Robert Samuels is co-organiser of the conference ‘Silence, Absence and Ellipsis in Words and Music’ to be held at Senate House, London, from 7-10 August. To open the conference, a concert of specially-composed works will be presented at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday 7 August in the Chancellor’s Hall. The concert is free and open to the public, and details are given here: Concert flyer

Helen Barlow can be heard on the BBC Radio 4 broadcast Pomp, Pageantry and Parade, for which she was a consultant, on Saturday morning, 27 July 2013. Presenter Courtney Pine looks at British military music, its development and functions, talks to serving Guards bandsmen and young musicians aspiring to a career in military bands, and considers whether the cost of present-day state ceremonial can be justified.

This week the OU’s iTunes U channel is promoting a selection of its content on World Music.

Norma Waterson: English Folk Singing

The tracks on this album focus on English Folk singing, the traditions behind the songs, and the stories behind the traditions. Performances from folk singer Norma Waterson complete the fascinating journey through English folk heritage.

Inuit Throat Singing

The 6 tracks in this album focus on Tanya Tagaq, who describes the amazing art of throat singing and how her heritage and culture, carried in her heart forever, has driven her to continue with this unique tradition.

Indian Raga Music

The tracks in this album focus on three instruments – the tabla, the alap and the voice – all central to the existence of Raga. Each instrument is broken down into the individual sounds that make up the intricate compositions.

Voice of Indian Song

Traditional Indian singing is intoxicating – but what is it about singing, and listening to others sing, that makes it so significant? In this album, Sudokshina Chatterjee breaks down the unique Indian style, and explains the emotions and meaning behind the songs of her culture.

Italian Cantastorie

This album explores the tradition of the Cantastorie – the Italian Storyteller. Cantastorie Mauro Geraci explains the intricacies of the music, the paintings, the instruments and the drama of the performance.

Open Learn

Black British Jazz

This video looks at the history of jazz and how the story dates back as far as 1919, documenting how successive waves of black musicians have contributed to developing new and uniquely British sounds, as well as addressing the problematic issues surrounding race and cultural identity.

Catherine Tackley is an invited speaker at a conference on the ‘Global Circulations of Jazz’ taking place on 27-28 June at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. The event is co-organized by the Centre Européen de Sociologieet de Science Politique (CESSP) and the Centre d’Etudes de l’Indeet de l’Asie du Sud (CEIAS) at the L’Ecole des Haute Etudes de Sciences Sociales. Catherine will give a paper on ‘Race, Identity and the Meaning of Jazz in Britain, 1935-1948′, presenting some of her recent research on Benny Carter, the West Indian Dance Orchestra and West Indian jazz musicians in Britain during and after World War Two (which will form a chapter in a forthcoming volume on Black Music in Britain). The conference is open to the general public.

The OU’s Music Department will be well-represented at the biennial conference on music in nineteenth-century Britain, to be held in Cardiff 24-27 June. Professor Trevor Herbert will speak on Military Music, Dr Helen Barlow on Listening Experiences, and Dr Rosemary Golding on the College of Organists. Three of our PhD students, Samantha Bassler, Andrew Cusworth and Martyn Strachan, will present on musical antiquarians, Welsh musical traditions and Sullivan’s music. The conference also includes a contribution from Dr Delia da Sousa Correa, from the OU English Department, who will speak on music in Daniel Deronda. Full details of the conference programme can be found here: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/music/newsandevents/events/conferences/13MNCB/

The programme for the second Atlantic Sounds Colloquium has now been launched. This event takes place at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, Cornwall, timed to coincide with Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, which takes place from 14-16 June 2013.

All events are open to the public and free to attend. For further information please email atlantic-sounds@open.ac.uk