Timeline: Vermont Public Classical

We’ve been telling the story of the Estonian "Singing Revolution," how a people used song to affect real, political and historical change.

We’ve been telling the story of the Estonian “Singing Revolution” and how non-violent, musical protest changed the course of a culture and a nation.

After World War II, the iron curtain of the Soviet Union fell on all the member states. One of the goals of Stalin’s regime was to bring uniformity across the vast territory that was now under Soviet control. Russification is a term used to describe the cultural assimilation that was taking place. Russian citizens would come by the thousands and settle in these other territories, to influence the labor force and local politics. Smaller countries, like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia saw, not just the end of their independence but the eventual eradication of their culture, their way of life.

Has music ever changed the world? Can culture hold a people together? This story explores those questions.

Originally aired Jan 25, 2016 The years 1813 to 1816 were a dry period for Beethoven. He was wrestling with his health and with his family. His brother, Casper, had passed away and left behind a son, Karl – Beethoven’s beloved nephew. Ludwig entered into a nasty custody battle with Karl’s mother and lost. Beethoven often wrote in his journal prayers that this time of suffering would come to an end.

Originally aired Jan. 18, 2016 At the dawning of the 19th Century Beethoven had not given up hope that his doctors would find a treatment to reverse his hearing loss. His condition was not only affecting his musical output but also his social life, which was very important to him.

This episode was originally aired on Jan, 11, 2016. Ludwig van Beethoven has been called the most admired composer in all of music history. His legacy stands as a monument for the entire 19th Century and beyond.

We’ve been tracing the Palchikoffs and Sergei’s violin through the 20th Century; starting in Russia during the civil war after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, to the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and finally to California, where Sergei retired and passed away in 1969 leaving the violin to his daughter Kaleria.

We’ve been telling the story of Sergei Palchikoff, his family and his beloved violin that survived the bombing of Hiroshima 75 years ago. I’ve spent the better part of a year piecing this tale together from newspaper articles, old recordings and online resources. After the first episode aired on VPR Classical something remarkable happened. I got a phone call from Carmel, California; it was Anthony Drago, Sergei’s grandson.

On Timeline, we’ve been telling the story of the Palchikoff family, their experiences fleeing Russia, settling in Japan and surviving the bomb. It’s also the story of Kaleria’s father, Sergei and his beloved violin which today, 75 years later, is being used to play songs of peace.

August 6, 1945, was a clear, blue Monday morning in the city of Hiroshima. At 7:09 air raid sirens shattered the morning air as allied weather planes flew over, driving a city of around 345,000 people indoors and into shelters. About 15 minutes later, the planes left, the skies emptied and the all-clear sounded; Hiroshima woke back up and started their Monday over again.

Over the past few episodes we’ve been telling the stories of hibaku-pianos and violins, musical instruments that survived the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago. In our last episode we were telling the tale of Sergei Palchikoff and his violin.

We’re listening to violinist, Soichi Sakuma performing at a school in 2017 on a hibaku-violin, an instrument that survived the atomic blast of Hiroshima in 1945. On Timeline we’ve been telling the stories of instruments just like this, relics of a time of great suffering and how they have been rescued, restored and are now being used to play songs of peace. This violin that we are hearing right now, has a history of violence and conflict spanning well over a hundred years. The story of this instrument is really the story of its original owner, Sergei Palchikoff and his family.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the past few episodes we’ve been looking at musical instruments that have been rescued from the ashes and rumble of those explosions. They’ve been reclaimed and are now being used to promote peace and to bring understanding of the real human cost of war.

World War II was the bloodiest conflict in recorded history. It’s estimated that somewhere between, 70-85 million people died, about 3% of the global population at the time. That number is too big to comprehend. I don’t think anyone can truly grasp or understand that level of loss and suffering. So today we’ll talk about just one young woman and her piano.

We’ve been discussing the ways that music has changed the world, exploring how art and music has affected us as a species and as a society. In this episode, we’ll discover one piano tuner’s passion to change hearts and minds through restored instruments.

Show notes test for Maxime's eyes only! Sorry if you see this otherwise.

“In the beginning was the voice. Voice is sounding breath, the audible sign of life.” Those beautiful words were written by Otto Jespersen, an early 20th century Danish linguist, in the book Language, Its Nature, Development and Origin. Jespersen was on to something with that statement, voice as “the audible sign of life.” It reminds me of another popular quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Music is the universal language of mankind.”

You’re at a wedding reception, this song starts to play and suddenly the dance floor is full of people moving together in rhythm. The crowd intuits the pulse of the music, corporately agrees on where the beat is and starts to move together. That’s how group dance works. This ability is something we share as humans and with other members of the animal kingdom. But do we ever think about what it takes to make this happen? How do we dance together and why?

Which came first, language or music? It’s not just a “chicken or the egg” type of question. Many linguists and theorists have debated this subject. For a long time the accepted norm stated that music appears “to be derived from language,” meaning that music is a subset of verbal communication. But modern research is painting a different picture. There’s an earlier episode of Timeline called “Baby Talk” that dives into that research regarding the development of human communication.

Do you remember the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”? The director starts a movie about space by first showing us early humanity. We are introduced to two warring factions of hairy proto-humans, yelling and grunting at one another over some unknown conflict. That night one of the tribes wakes up at sunrise to a strange, black, rectangular object. In the shadow of this monolith, one of the members of the tribe picks up a bone and examines it. After a moment, it begins to beat the ground with this first “tool.”

Over the years we’ve talked about a lot different subjects and explored the development of music throughout history. We’ve had deep discussions about where music comes from and what music is. We’ve looked at the ways music touches our lives and influences our health and behavior. We’ve explored the ancient past and modern practice. However, over the past few months I’ve been asking a question, “so what?” What does all of this mean? Maybe a better question is, for what? What is this exploration for?

originally aired December 10, 2018 Art is everywhere and always has been. It lines the walls of museums, buildings and caves. It fills our halls and ears with sound and music. It captures the eye with beautiful movement and imagery. Art doesn’t just express our passions and history; it defines, influences and shapes culture and civilization.

On Timeline we’ve asked a lot of questions; what is music? How was music created? Why is music written? Here’s another interesting question I’d love for us to ponder, where is music?

Another favorite episode of Timeline... Musical labels are useful. The title of a genre or style comes in handy in the record store, on the radio or for streaming services, because when you click on or tune into a station it’s helpful to know what programming to expect. But these labels can also be problematic and divisive. Today there are many labels that separate the musical landscape but none are more controversial then the terms, popular music and classical music.

Originally aired April 10, 2017... In the 20th century no medium affected culture more than film. The music written to accompany the images, story and dialogue has become a huge part of the movie-going experience. In many cases it’s impossible to separate the musical theme from the film itself; the two become one in our minds.

Join VPR Classical host James Stewart as we listen to a special Timeline podcast presentation “Music and the Mind.” We’ll explore the connections between the how the mind works and how we process music.

Here is another favorite episode of Timeline... Today, music is everywhere. Invisible signals are flying through the air carrying every possible genre or style that a person could ever want. We can access them from our homes, cars and phones enjoying content from around the world. In the 19th century this type of technology was just a dream in the minds of scientists and inventors, but the 20th century saw an explosion of communication and the rise of a device we call the radio.

Here is another favorite episode of Timeline from the vault... It was her first piano lesson with me, but she wasn’t new to the instrument. She had learned from YouTube tutorials and her own explorations to play some of her favorite songs. After a good first lesson her mother came over and said, “She is very talented”. I smiled and agreed. Then her mother said, “It’s surprising to me because I’m not musical at all.”

Here is another favorite episode of Timeline... Picture yourself at the beach watching the waves rise and break over the sand. You can see the water gather and rise as each waves comes in. Once a wave breaks the water level drops again. You watch the peaks and valleys rolls onto the beach. These waves transfer huge amounts of energy from one place to another traveling through the water and displacing it. We call this a mechanical wave because it needs to travel through a medium, in this case water. The number of waves that crash during a specific period of time is called the frequency.

Here's another favorite episode of Timeline chosen by listeners and staff at VPR. German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote that “If music confers no survival advantage, where does it come from and why does it work?” Why do humans sing? Why do we make music at all?

Let's start at the very beginning. Where does music come from? I believe that music is at the heart of everything. It is the language of a vibrating, living cosmos. And this isn’t exaggeration; this is the basis of a current theory about what truly makes up the universe.

We are going to spend the rest of 2019 looking back at some of our favorite episodes as chosen by listeners and staff. This episode, from 2017, explores how music has always been written with a specific venue in mind. We look at the past and make some speculations about the present and the future.

We’ve spent over a dozen episodes exploring ancient musicians. We’ve covered more than four millennia of time, traveling from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to medieval Europe and Japan. In the fourth chapter of the book The Mystery of Music, Vermont author, Lewis Holmes, makes an intriguing observation; the role of music and musicians in society throughout known history hasn’t changed… period.

The epic work "The Tale of the Heike" cannot be assigned to a single author. It is the result of an oral tradition that grew over centuries, from one generation to the next by Japanese medieval, lute-playing bards called the biwa hoshi. However, the most widely read version of the Heike was compiled by a 14th century blind monk named Akashi no Kakuichi.

“Marcabru, the son of Lady Bruna, was begotten under such a moon that he knows how love wreaks havoc, -Listen!- for he never loved any woman, nor was he loved by another.” These are the words of the 12th century troubadour, Marcabru. The troubadours were poets and composers of secular songs, a tradition that began with William IX, the Duke of Aquitaine. Unlike William, Marcabru was not royalty. He held no title and most likely earned a living through his art. There are 44 surviving poems attributed to Marcabru and four of them have notated melodies.

In Hinduism, Krishna, the god of compassion, tenderness and love, is the eighth avatar or incarnation of Vishnu. In art, Krishna is usually depicted with a flute in his hand; his music calling devotees to him. In many of these paintings and sculptures, Krishna stands side by side with Radha, the supreme goddess. These two are linked by divine love and together represent feminine and masculine aspects of God. This picture, this tale of supreme love, comes to us from the work of a 12th century poet and composer, Jayadeva and his epic work Gita Govinda.

As we’ve explored the book The Mystery of Music, by Vermont author Lewis Holmes, we’ve traveled to ancient Sumeria, two eras of Egypt, Israel, Greece and China. Today, we’ll visit medieval Japan and learn about the life of one remarkable composer/singer, named Otomae.

There is so much power in language, names and the meanings of words. Take, for instance, the Chinese symbols used for the word courtesan or prostitute, chang and ji. These symbols are closely related to those for sing and talent. This is no coincidence. Chinese courtesans were known for their musical ability along with the carnal services they provided. In Lewis Holmes’ book The Mystery of Music we learn about one such courtesan in the city Chang’an during the Tang dynasty. Her name was Fu Niang; which is sadly ironic because though the name means “lucky damsel” Fu Niang’s life was anything but lucky.

Let's continue our exploration through Lewis Holmes book The Mystery of Music and travel to ancient China around 100 BCE. Listen to the words of this beautiful ode written so long ago...

During the time of Alexander the Great, the city of Athens gave rise to something new in Greek culture. Up to this point, music was seen as subordinate to words; melody and rhythm worked in service to text or “logos.” Around 5th century BCE “The New Music” movement challenged these ideas introducing songs without words, new musical tools like modulation, intense competitions and a new instrument, the cithara. The cithara was a concert lyre with as many as eleven strings. The greatest virtuoso on this new instrument was the famed Stratonicus of Athens; at least that’s how he tells the story.

The scholar Michael Schmidt, in the book The First Poets, calls Pindar “the most careful architect that poetry has ever had.” Pindar was active around fifth century BCE and was the master of victory odes, or epinikia, which honored athletes and Olympic crown winners. He most likely wrote these songs on the lyre or the aulos, ancient pipes with double-reeds like oboes. 45 of these victory songs survive today; the first written for a winner of the 400-yard dash and last for a wrestling champion. It seems that Pindar was one of the first artists to see a way of cashing-in on the “cult of sportsmanship” that sprung up in Greek society.

In the biblical text of I Samuel chapter 16 we find the first king of Israel, Saul, suffering from a troubled mind. Saul’s advisors suggested that he seek a musician, a skillful player of the lyre, which might ease his pain. The lyre was an important symbol of divine connection, a means of communicating with God. The advisors recommended a shepherd boy named David, whose musical talents were well-known. Saul called on the young musician and David’s lyre calmed the “evil spirits” that plagued the king’s mind. In the very next chapter, David slays the giant Goliath with nothing but a sling and a rock. These two stories are given equal weight in the narrative. David is described as the warrior artist, the military musician. His musical influence is evident in three major world religions. Judaism and Christianity both revere David’s psalms as the model for religious musical expression and Islam honors David for having “the most beautiful voice that God created.”

This next excerpt from Lewis Holmes’ book “The Mystery of Music” reads more like a pulp-fiction mystery novel however, the story is preserved on 3000 year old papyri. It has torture, conspiracy, bribery and, yes, a bit of music.

The galas were active starting around 2600 BCE, associated with funeral rites. Later writings state that they performed hymns of mourning and praise meant to keep the gods happy and hold off adversity. The term is “heart pacification.” If there was a natural disaster, drought or plague, or a military defeat then the gods must be angry and must be appeased. If everything is calm and peaceful then it was necessary to keep the gods happy and pacified.

At the mouth of the Euphrates River, in modern, southern Iraq, you’ll find the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. And when I say ancient, I mean very ancient. There’s evidence to suggest that this city was occupied as early as 6500 BCE over 8000 years ago. Ur was an important center of civil and cultural life for the Sumerians, the inventors of the first written language. In this ancient tongue we find the writings of the first author and composer of record in the history of the world, the Akkadian princess Enheduanna.

Welcome to our first episode looking at the lives of ancient musicians as detailed in Lewis Holmes’ new book “The Mystery of Music.” The book gives brief biographical sketches of 30 musicians and composers from many different cultures and we’ll look at a few of them together. Let’s begin with one of the earliest musicians we know by name, a flutist to Pharaoh in the Old Kingdom of Egypt over 4,500 years ago, Ipi.

We’re going to spend some time in the coming episodes exploring musicians from the ancient past; looking at composers and music makers from civilizations long gone. We’ll learn new names and discover how times have changed and how somethings about music, economy and society never change.

For the past few episodes we’ve been exploring different aspects of music therapy. We’ve talked about how music is being used to treat those with chronic pain, dementia, memory loss and ADHD. This episode, we thought it would be nice to talk to a practitioner of the growing field…

The ancient King of Israel, Saul, was said to have suffered from intense insomnia and a troubled mind. He employed a young musician named David, to play the lyre and help him find peace, rest and sleep. The story of David and Saul demonstrates that we’ve always understood the healing qualities of music; it’s ability to alleviate pain and ease the mind. However, it’s only been in the past few decades that we’ve truly begun to study music’s true palliative power.