Collection of music videos

Margarita Cozzolani Chiari (1602-1676/8) was born into a wealthy family, and it is believed that her musical education was provided through one of the two choirs that performed for local families and dignitaries. At the age of 18, she became a nun and entered the Benedictine monastery of Santa Radegonda in Milan . Her talent as a composer and performer was renowned in the area, making the monastery one of the city's main musical attractions. Sadly, some of her works were lost in World War II , but from those that survive, it is clear that she was a highly talented composer who wrote not only spiritual but also secular works. Her compositions were all vocal, ranging from solo monodies to full-throated vespers. What is so impressive, given that she spent her entire adult life in a monastery, is the profound knowledge and understanding of contemporary compositional techniques demonstrated in her works. In the last stage of her life, she composed less frequently due to her duties as prioress and abbess. Fortunately for us, thanks to the publications she produced during her lifetime, her compositions became known outside her monastery, and thus have (mostly) survived for our enjoyment. Cozzolani exemplifies how sacred music developed within convents and how nuns could, in this case, play an active role as composers.

“Bone Iesu, fons amoris” is a work belonging to his Concerti Sacri (opus 2), published in 1642, although it has vocal elements similar to a motet . It is written for two voices (duet) plus basso continuo, which links it to the “modern” Baroque music of its time. The text speaks of Jesus as the “fountain of love” (“fons amoris”), “life of our hearts,” comfort of the pure soul, etc.; there are also petitions: “make us submit to the divine will in this world” (“nos divinæ fac voluntati in hoc mundo subici”), indicating a devotional supplication. Another part of the text speaks of a “blessed sweetness” (“beata mellitudo”), of the “heart of lovers” (“Iesu cor amantium”), of eternally enjoying the beauty of the archangels, and of singing in the heavenly realms. Finally, he asks to be part of the heavenly “most blessed cohort” to praise Jesus eternally.

The piece follows the structure of the text, with musical episodes that change according to the lyrics, alternating between triple and duple meters. This creates interesting rhythmic variations and reflects emotional or textual shifts. Trills (“trilli”) and expressive accents are also present, especially in the expression “O beata mellitudo,” which evokes a sense of devotional exaltation. The piece reflects a profound spirituality typical of the Baroque period , where music is not merely decoration but a vehicle for prayer and meditation. It also exemplifies how sacred music developed within convents and how nuns could play an active role as composers.

Today, the Ensemble Savadi offers it to us.

Eric Coates (1886–1957) was an English composer and, early in his career, a distinguished violist. Born into a musical family, he was reluctantly allowed by his parents to pursue a musical career despite his desires and evident talent. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Frederick Corder (composition) and Lionel Tertis (viola), and played in string quartets and theater bands before joining symphony orchestras conducted by Thomas Beecham and Henry Wood . Coates 's prolific output includes the London Suite (1932), of which the well-known " Knightsbridge March " is the final section, the waltz " By the Sleepy Lagoon " (1930), and " The Dambreakers' March " (1954). His output consists almost entirely of orchestral music and songs.

Founded in 1979, the Taipei Wind Orchestra & Symphonic Band (TSB) has been actively performing for nearly 35 years nationwide, from standard classical wind ensemble repertoire to contemporary works, under the baton of Yui-Biau Hou . Comprising the Wind Orchestra, Brass Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Orchestra, and Youth Concert Band , the TSB boasts a high percentage of selected students and professional musicians from across the Taipei metropolitan area. The group has been instrumental in developing and expanding its repertoire and refining its performance standards by collaborating with living composers and world-renowned artists to educate future musicians and audiences.

Today we present the first movement, Happy Days (Elisabeth Tudor ), from Eric Coates ' suite The Three Elizabeths, performed by the Taipei Symphony Band conducted by Maestro Scott Hartman

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German violinist, organist, conductor, and composer, born in Eisenach into one of history's most prominent musical families. In 1703, he obtained his first job in Arndtstadt , and in 1707, he moved to Mühlhausen as organist, where he married his cousin Maria Barbara, with whom he had seven children. After his wife's death in 1720, he remarried Maria Magdalena, with whom he had thirteen more children. In 1723, he moved to Leipzig , where he resided until his death at the age of 65. Considered one of the three greatest geniuses in the history of music, along with Mozart and Beethoven, his influence has been notable on Haydn , Mozart , Beethoven , Mendelssohn , Schumann , Chopin , and many other renowned composers.

The oratorio is a dramatic musical genre without staging, costumes, or sets, and performed in concert form. Generally composed for solo voices, chorus, and symphony orchestra, sometimes with a narrator, its subject matter is frequently religious (stories from the Bible or the Gospels , the life of Jesus or the lives of saints, etc.), but it can also be secular (mythological heroes, historical themes, hymns to nature, etc.). Formally quite close to the cantata and opera , the oratorio typically includes an overture, recitatives, arias, and choruses.

The Ascension Oratorio (Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen: Praise God in His Kingdom) is an oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach for the Feast of the Ascension . The work was probably premiered on May 19, 1735. The text, in addition to the biblical and choral sources, is believed to have been written by Picander , with whom Bach had previously collaborated on the Christmas Oratorio . It is structured in two parts (Part 2: 16'20") to be performed before and after the sermon; this version is conducted today by John Eliot Gardiner (1943) , a prominent British conductor known primarily for his historically informed performances of Baroque and Classical music on period instruments.

Michael Daugherty (1954) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher. Influenced by popular culture, Romanticism, and Postmodernism, Daugherty is one of the most colorful and widely performed concert music composers of his generation. Currently, Daugherty is Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance . Since 2003, his music has been published by Boosey & Hawkes , and prior to that by Peermusic Classical .

Reflections on the Mississippi for Tuba and Symphonic Band . Daugherty says of his Concerto : “This concerto, composed in memory of my father, Willis Daugherty (1929-2011), is a musical reflection on family trips during my childhood to the Mississippi River near McGregor, Iowa . In the first movement of the concerto, “ MIST ” (0’36”), I reflect on the sunrise seen and heard through a mist over the Mississippi River. The title of the second movement, “ FURY ” (6’15”), recalls the turmoil of the Mississippi River in the fiction of William Faulkner and in the story of the “ Great Mississippi Flood ” of 1927. In “ PRAYER ” (10’24”), the third movement, I meditate on the tranquil mood of the Mississippi River seen from a high vantage point, gazing at the water as far as the eye can see, as the sunset turns into a clear, starry night. Finally, “ STEAMBOAT ” (Steamship, 16’52”) evokes colorful tales of life on the Mississippi of Mark Twain (1835-1910).”

The magnificent version we offer today is the work of the excellent tuba player Carol Jantsch accompanied by the UMich Symphony Band conducted by its principal conductor, Maestro Michael Haithcock .

Charlie Parker (1920–1955) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is considered one of the greatest alto saxophonists in the history of jazz, a key figure in its evolution, and one of its most legendary and admired artists, alongside Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. Along with Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie , and others, he is one of the pioneers of bebop . His style broke with swing and was based on improvisation over a melody, modifying chords and creating new variations on the structure of the themes. He also composed new pieces that have become jazz standards, such as " Ornithology," "Anthropology," "Scrapple from the Apple," "Ko Ko," "Now's the Time," and "Parker's Mood ."

A jam session is an informal gathering for musical improvisation. The classic definition of a jam session is attributed to George Frazier : "An informal meeting of jazz musicians, with temperamental affinity, who play for their own enjoyment unwritten and unrehearsed music." In its origins, the jam session was a highly competitive gathering. According to Peter Clayton and P. Gammond , it took on the atmosphere of a "gladiator's combat" when two or more players of the same instrument came together. Also, according to the same authors, the term "jam" was sometimes used as a synonym for jazz . Over time, the concept has come to be applied to other genres besides jazz, especially blues, rock, rap , and even folk music such as Irish and bluegrass .

Kortatu was a Basque musical group founded in 1984 in Irún ( Gipuzkoa ). They were part of the so-called Basque radical rock movement and were pioneers in introducing ska to Spain, always with a punk foundation. Their main influences were the British group The Clash and the Basque group Hertzainak . Their lyrics initially alternated between Spanish and Basque, eventually adopting the latter exclusively. Although they had a close relationship with the Basque autonomy movement, they never hid their sympathy for the Basque nationalist left. For example, their song " Sarri, Sarri " is dedicated to the escape of the writer, alleged ETA member, and state prisoner Joseba Sarrionandia , after he hid in the speakers used at an Imanol Larzabal concert held in Martutene prison.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), born in Ziburu / Ciboure ( Basque Country, France ), inherited his meticulous work ethic from his father, an engineer of Swiss origin, and his passion for music from his mother, born in Mendata ( Bizkaia, Spain ), who filled his childhood with folk songs. A few months after his birth, the family moved to Paris , where he began his piano studies at the age of six. At fourteen, he entered the Paris Conservatory , where he had the opportunity to study with Gabriel Fauré . In 1901, he premiered his Jeux d'eau , a piano work that helped him gain recognition in Parisian musical circles, where the influence of Ravel on Debussy , and vice versa, was being discussed. In 1921, he settled in a mansion near Paris , where he lived until his death. This mansion became a gathering place for eminent musicians and intellectuals.

Bolero (French: Le Boléro ) is a musical work composed by Maurice Ravel in 1928 and premiered at the Opéra Garnier in Paris on November 22 of that same year. The immediate success and rapid worldwide dissemination of Le Boléro , dedicated to the dancer Ida Rubinstein , made it not only one of the composer's most famous works but also one of the defining pieces of 20th-century music. It is an orchestral movement inspired by a Spanish dance; it is characterized by an unchanging rhythm and tempo, with an obsessive melody— an ostinato —in C major , repeated again and again without any modification except for orchestral effects, in a crescendo that, in extremis, ends with a modulation to E major and a resounding coda. Although Ravel said he considered the work a simple study in orchestration, Le Boléro hides great originality, and in its concert version it has become one of the most performed musical works in the world, to the point that until 1993 it remained in first place in the world ranking of rights of the Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique (SACEM).

Today we offer it in the interpretation of Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015), “prima ballerina assoluta” of the Bolshoi Theatre , accompanied by Le Ballet du XX ^e siècle.

Morocco is a multi-ethnic country with a rich culture and civilization. Throughout its history, it has received visitors from the east (Phoenicians, Jews, and Arabs), the south (inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa ), and the north (Romans and Vandals), all of whom have impacted Morocco 's social structure. The country is also home to various religions, including Paganism , Judaism, Christianity , and Islam . Politically, and by its origins, it is an Arab country in Africa , although it is sometimes referred to as an Arab-Berber state and at other times as an Arab state.

Reggada is a musical style and traditional dance well-known in northeastern Morocco , especially in the Oujda, Berkane , and Nador regions. It is sometimes associated with local variants or names such as " Laâlaoui ," which usually refers to both a typical vocal style and a substyle within the same Eastern Amazigh/Berber tradition. Reggada is a traditional warrior dance, characterized by strong shoulder and arm movements, sometimes imitating combat gestures. With a fast rhythm marked by the bendir (drum), ghayta (traditional oboe), and more recently by modern instruments, it is danced in a line or semicircle formation, where the participants dance in sync. Its origin is linked to ancient dances of Amazigh warriors who celebrated victory or motivated the tribe.

The Laâlaoui is a type of song within the Reggada repertoire, typical of eastern Morocco , especially Oujda . Many popular singers in the region combine Reggada with Laâlaoui , creating a festive sound that is very recognizable at weddings and regional celebrations. With a strong, repetitive rhythm, its lyrics often speak of love, nostalgia, regional pride, or celebration. Its origin is linked to the ancient dances of Amazigh warriors who celebrated victory or motivated the tribe.