Notes & Strokes

Ready for a wave of beauty? Then have we got a great episode for you! Our art for this week's episode brings us to a new region for the podcast - Japan! And our music takes us to a composer who was fascinated with the culture and art from the East, so no wonder we are able to do a Strokes in Notes episode on these two, Hokusai and Debussy. What works connect these two? Brew up some tea and tune in to find out!

 

Art:

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849): The Great Wave off Kanagawa

 

Music:

Claude Debussy (1862-1918): La Mer (1903-05)

We promised a part two to our Chagall shenanigans, and here it is! Last time we covered the inner circle of his gargantuan Paris Opera ceiling, and now we'll cover the rest of the beauty surrounding it. Operas, ballets, symphonies - what more could we ask for in a Notes in Strokes episode? Sadly, Chagall gave us way too much to try to encircle in just a couple of episodes, so we've come up with a way to boil things down. We hope you enjoy this second visit to the Paris Opera!

 

Art:

Marc Chagall (1887-1985): Ceiling for the Paris Opera (1963-1964)

 

Music:

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): L'Oiseau de feu (1910)

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé (1909)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Die Zauberflöte (1791)

BOO!

Well now that we've got your attention, welcome to an extra special episode celebrating the darker things in life. Sadly, there's no chocolate, but there's plenty of witches, death, magic and more - all to celebrate Halloween! Although we've talked a lot about the beauty of art and music, for this episode we're going to add a little more by discussing how the Macabre has inspired artists and composers alike. Grab your most sinfully delicious brews and join us as we venture into a Macabre landscape of art and music!

 

Art:

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543): The Nobleman (1538)

Francisco Goya (1746-1828): Witches Sabbath (1797-1798)

Hieronymous Bosch (ca. 1450-1516): Death and the Miser (1485/1490)

 

Music:

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): "Čury Mury Fuk" from Rusalka (1900)

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921): Danse Macabre (1874)

Hector Berlioz (1803-69): Songe d'une nuit du sabbat from Symphonie Fantastique (1830)

Well, since our last episode was a "Notes in Strokes" installment, we've got another "Strokes in Notes" follow-up. But instead of a gorgeous multi-paneled altarpiece by two craftsmen like last time, we've pulled things back into a much humbler mien - a haunting canvas by a single artist. We've been dying to release this episode, so here it is! Let's dive into this art and music connection between Böcklin and Rachmaninoff!

 

Art:

Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901): The Island of the Dead (1883)

 

Music:

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): The Isle of the Dead (1908)

We know it's been a while since our last installment of our dual series Notes in Strokes/Strokes in Notes, so we hope you haven't forgotten about it! This week, we're diving into a fascinating connection between a ceiling and some operas. Never thought those two things would have a link? Well, that's just one of those odd art and music things that we love to talk about! Tune in as we explore the colorful and lyric connections between Marc Chagall and opera!

 

Art:

Marc Chagall (1887-1985): Ceiling for the Paris Opera (1963-1964)

 

Music:

Georges Bizet (1838-75): Carmen (1873-74)

Christoph Gluck (1714-87): Orfeo ed Euridice (1762)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Fidelio (1804-14)

We might not be behind in the last minute of the final quarter, but we're still gonna throw a Hail Mary. This episode is all about a very important figure in the art realm - Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Venerated for centuries, the Madonna has inspired many different artists and composers to create beautiful works regarding many aspects of her life. So we’ve decided to take this episode to venerate the artists and composers behind these gorgeous works!

 

Art:

Michelangelo (1475-1564): Pieta (1498-1499)

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510): Mary with the Child and Singing Angels (1477)

Jan van Eyck (1390-1441): The Ghent Altarpiece: Virgin Mary (1432)

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882): The Girlhood of Mary Virgin (1848-1849)

 

Music:

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179): Ave Maria

Josquin Deprez (c.1450-1521): Ave Maria ... Virgo Serena (c.1475)

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901): Quattro pezzi sacri: Ave Maria (1889)

Let's welcome a new season with a new season! The question is: "Are we welcoming Autumn with Season 2 of N&S or vice versa?" Either way, KC and Izaac are beyond excited for both seasons.

Autumn's colors inspire so much beauty, but we've got more than just colors for you in this episode - plenty, decay, harvest, a certain fermented drink... How do artists and composers depict all these elements of this gorgeous season? Well, join us for the first episode of N&S's Season 2 to find out!

 

Artwork:

Filippo Parodi (1630-1702): Allegory of Autumn (Bacchus) (1670s)

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c.1525-1569): The Return of the Herd (1565)

Nicholas Poussin (1594-1665): Autumn (or The Spies with the Grapes of the Promised Land) (1660-1664)

 

Music:

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): La Quattro Stagioni: L'autunno (1716-17)

Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809): Die Jahreszeiten: Der Herbst (c.1800)

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Das Lied von der Erde: Der Einsame im Herbst (1908-09)

O, say can you see... well... I guess... "hear" in the case of our podcast... aaaanyway... In honor of the different American holidays we've passed around this time of year, we wanted to create an episode focused on artists and composers who hail from this nation! Their unique styles are so inspirational that we couldn't resist doing an episode specifically on them. We hope you enjoy this celebration of the diverse and immense talent that has stemmed from America!

 

----more----Art:

Charles Wilson Peale (1741-1827): George Washington at Princeton (1778)

 

Edmondia Lewis (1844-1907): The Death of Cleopatra (1876)

 

Edward Hopper (1882-1967): Nighthawks (1942)

----more----Music:

Charles Ives (1874-1954): Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord, Mass. 1840-1860" (1915)

 

Florence Price (1887-1953): Piano Sonata in E Minor

 

Charles Ives: Symphony No. 1 (1898-1902)

 

Florence Price: Symphony No. 1 in E Minor

 

Charles Ives: Symphony No. 4 (1910s-1920s)

 

Florence Price: Symphony No. 4 in D Minor

 

Charles Ives: Holidays Symphony (1897-1913)

Well we've reached yet another change in surroundings this year, but don't sweat - we've got a new episode for you! Summer is well-known for warmer temperatures and the blazing sun, but did you know that the season inspired some great art and music? Well, we're looking forward to showcasing some of these masterpieces, so grab some coffee or tea (maybe iced this time around), and join us as we take a look at these beautiful works centered around the season, Summer!

----more----

Art:

Tintoretto (1518-1594): Summer (1546/48)

Georges Seurat (1859-1891): Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte (1884-1886)

Nicholas Poussin (1594-1665): Summer (1660-1664)

Music:

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): La Quattro Stagioni (1716-17) - L'estate

Franz Haydn (1732-1809): Die Jahreszeiten (1799-1801) - Der Sommer

Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-47): Das Jahr (1841) - August

For this week's episode, take a trip down memory lane to your first impression of Notes & Strokes. What did you think? How did it make you feel? What were you doing while you listened? Is the memory clear as day, or a little muddled? Well, if you can't recall every detail, you can definitely relate to this week's topic! We are exploring a period of art and music where perfect detail was not the goal. We're glad you're joining us this week to take a look at these works from the period of Impressionism!

----more----

Art:

Claude Monet (1841-1926): Impression: Sunrise (1872)

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919): Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (1876)

Berthe Morisot (1841-1895): The Cradle (1872)

----more----

Music:

Ernest Chausson (1855-99): Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Quartet (1889-91)

Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1890s)

Claude Debussy: La Cathédrale Engloutie from Preludes - Book 1 (1909-10)

Claude Debussy: Voiles from Preludes - Book 1