Friday, November 16, 2007

Listening to Hear, Hearing to Listen

Students at Princeton have composed an entire symphony on computers. Listen here.

And related to recent class discussions: Wintley Phipps (read here, too) offers a history lesson on the spirituals, and sings Amazing Grace. It is unforgettable and just moving. Watch and listen here.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

WoW! that was very powerful....i had never thought of the black keys on a piano in tearms of slavery. THe emotion he showed while singing "Anazing Grace" was truly captivating.

Unknown said...

I have to agree music in an orchestra setting tends to have a larger impact. I have had the oppurtunity to play in an orchestra setting and the feeling that comes with playing the music and hearing the people around you is incredible. There is a certain emotional link when listening to the orchestra and playing in one as well. And when you know the origin of the music then you can also sense what the people who wrote the music were thinking and how their emotions were influencing them while they wrote the music.

Anonymous said...

that is really interesting about the black keys on the piano... something you never really think about- and he has an amazing voice.. my favorite part was when he hummed out Amazing Grace, it gave me goosebumps.- J.Graves

Phil said...

All good comments. Glad you find this moving and interesting.

Anonymous said...

Well...first off- A laptop orchestra...an interesting concept. It makes me wonder if these Princeton graduate students will create a new genre in modern music using the computer. Will that open up sub-genres in techno? Secondly, I really enjoyed learning about the black scales and the history behind "Amazing Grace!" What a moving performance...Phillips was awesome!

Anonymous said...

I mean Phipps...of course...

Anonymous said...

this was such a powerful song!! It moved me so much and I'm sure it moved many other people. I think it is very interesting on the black keys on the piano. It represents slavery very well. His voice was amazing and I only wish I could sing like that!
Kendall Burgess
2nd Period

Anonymous said...

wintley phipps did not just sing "Amazing Grace," he poured his whole heart into that song. While watching and listening to it in my kitchen, my mother walked over and it even brought tears to her eyes. The emotion and power behind that anthem was monstrous. After seeing that video, the students from Princeton are completely changing the definition of music and making music more technological instead of traditional as Phipps sang it.

-claire b

Anonymous said...

That was a great song. Wintley Phipps is a great singer. He came to my church and had a concert. It was good. The Amazing Grace song was incredible.
jotour

Anonymous said...

I never would have imagined that just five black keys could play just about any spiritual. I think this shows how just simplicity in music can be inspiring especially in terms of slavery, it is interesting to see how those simple songs can be so powerful.

-logan h