KatFin Does Music

  When searching for music on a favorite streaming platform, I think we most often search for the piece rather than a particular band, orchestra, or soloist. When we do search for the performer, what are we looking for exactly? In this blog, I will be discussing the role of performers, using Hilary Hahn, an American classical violin performer, as the example.  Hilary Hahn (1979 - present), born in Virginia, began learning to play the violin at age 4 through a Suzuki-method program, quickly moving into private lessons and performed with an orchestra as early as 11 years old. She debuted internationally in Germany at 16 years old and at 20, she obtained a bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where she had been admitted at 10 years old. Hahn's professional life has included international performances, recording contracts with big names such as Sony, receiving three Grammy Awards, and so much more. Hahn is known for her lively and interpretive style and I have come

  In this blog, I will be exploring a less mainstream style of music from an eastern culture, namely Mongolia. Throat singing is a peculiar style of music discovered by various Mongolian tribes, or sects in the Mongolian culture as well as by other indigenous tribes around the world such as in Canada and South Africa, but Tuvan throat singing is the most well known. It is unknown when Mongolian throat singing was developed, but it has its roots in the ancient tradition of sound mimicry, commonly used among herders and hunters alike. It imitates the sound of the mountains, rivers, and nature in general. Until the last few decades, it was used exclusively by the men as a form of communication with animals and spirits, while in the other cultures mentioned above, it was used primarily by women and girls as a way to soothe children. There are several different styles of throat singing depending on what elements are brought out and how the music is physically produced. Part of what makes th

  One time, many years ago, I looked up modern classical music in an attempt to find a fresh spin on the genre of classical music from the early 1800's. I didn't dig deep, but the question of if the classical genre was still being added to never left my mind. In my initial search, I came up with the renowned musician Ludovico Einaudi. His music is diverse to say the least, but some of it falls under what might be considered classical. As I revisited my search for this assignment, I came up with such a variety of musical innovation that somehow falls under the classical genre, or some form of it such as 'contemporary classical', 'neo-classical', etc. There are two main directions that classical music has gone in the last 100 years that I would like to discuss. One is the type of music Einaudi composes, it is very lyrical and, while it is minimalistic in technicality, the expression is all in the musicality of the player. The second appears to throw melody and mus

  Released on September 18, 2015 in their album "Country Evolution", Home Free's "Good Ol' Country Harmony" is an earworm that gives a nod to some of country music's greatest groups known for their vocals and/or harmonies. Home Free is based in Minnesota, but regularly travels all over the country on tour, so it's difficult to say exactly where this song was written. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W9ue85L9PA Timbre The first thing that jumps out at you about most of Home Free's music is that they are a cappella. They have a high tenor, tenor, baritone, bass, and vocal percussionist. They sing like no a cappella group I've heard before, blending in beautiful harmony and playing around with all sorts of soaring vocals, impressively low bass, and fun beats. Each singer has his own style and they work so well together. The Daily Country quotes the Star Tribune in saying that their "blend is 'spot on perfect'". Beat/Rhythm As

In this blog, I will be discussing the elements of the 3rd movement of Haydn's sonata in F major, Hob. XVI/23 , link below. Recording:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds79nmCS3-Q Written in 1773 in Austria, this is the final of three movements in Haydn's sonata in F major, and the funniest one. This sonata starts out light hearted, moving to somewhat somber, and ends in a bit of a joke. In this movement, one can make out two voices throughout the piece going back and forth as if they are having a conversation. I have found it is somewhat common for composers to write their music to be a conversation, and this piece really brings it out. This piece is unique in that the whole conversation is basically the two voices going back and forth telling jokes! It is something I haven't heard yet in another piece, and Haydn used a variety of musical elements to bring out to make it a really funny piece. The Melody One highlight in the melody is that he shifts between major, minor, an

Hi all!  My name is Kathryn Finley and I'm excited to be making my first blog post! For those who don't know me, I'm a quiet, adventurous gal from Alaska and one of my favorite pastimes is going on road trips and hiking. Right now, I'm preparing to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in music. I'm still not sure what will come after college, but, Lord willing, at some point I hope to give piano lessons. I'd say my relationship with music is on the moderate side. I play and listen, but I don't compose or really improvise at all when I play. In high school, I began to become invested in learning my instrument and start listening to music (rather than just playing it). Since then, the whole world of music began to open up for me as different genres and styles resonated. I learned country makes you feel at home, sea shanties and orchestral epic are terrific for pumping you up for that hike or next wilderness adventure, and baroque is jus