Measure for measure - interviews with musicians

In August 2023, I launched a new YouTube channel called ‘Measure for measure’ where I host conversations with musicians and music scholars.

Music speaks for itself but I find that music appreciation can be enormously enhanced by a close examination of its elements - melody, rhythm, and harmony - and of the historical context in which it is set. This knowledge often remains behind the closed doors of music classrooms, between the teacher and the student, or within the mind of a professional musician as they work through a piece of music. 

I find the metaphorical language musicians use to describe musical textures and syntax remarkably illuminating in a way that deepens and enriches listening experience. Works of classical music are full of puzzles hidden by the composers to challenge and delight both the performers and listeners. So my goal with this project is to bring this knowledge to a broader audience and hopefully enable a deeper appreciation of classical and ethnic music. 

The thematic focus of these conversations will be classical music in a broad sense (Medieval/Renaissance to contemporary) as well as folk/ethnic music from around the world. 

The first episode is with cellist Philip Sheegog, and here he plays Caroline Shaw’s In manus tuas, with some added reverb magic to recreate the acoustics of the space in which the piece is meant to be performed. We talk about the origin story of the piece and how Philip interprets it. Highly recommend listening to the music in headphones to immerse yourselves in the soundbath that Philip created.