The man believed to be the father of the Malawian child who pop star Madonna wants to adopt has said that he opposes the move.
James Kambewa told a US TV station that he would be able to look after four year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James, even though he had never met her.
He said that he wanted the little girl to be raised "as a Malawian".
Madonna's appeal against a court ruling that denied her request to adopt the child is to be heard on Monday.
She has already adopted a boy, David, from Malawi.
'Capable'
Mr Kambewa told CBS television's "The Early Show" that he wore a necklace bearing his daughter's name around his neck, even though he had never seen her in person.
"I want to take care of her, and I'm capable to take care of my baby," he said. "Mercy, she is a Malawian - so [I] need her to grow as a Malawian as well with our culture."
A spokeswoman for Madonna said that she did not know if Mr Kambewa was Mercy's father.
"All I know is that Mercy has been in an orphanage since the day she was born," Liz Rosenberg said.
Last month Madonna's application to adopt Mercy was rejected because of a requirement that prospective parents be resident in the southern African state for 18 to 24 months.
Age of Empires(AOE)
Download AOE
Review of AOE
AOE is incredibly fun and addictive. I suggest you not to play this game. Once started to play, especially on LAN, and u master a lil, u r sure to get addicted to it. u can even play with computer when LAN or your friends are not available. we've got to choose from different maps(a lot more than u need).
You begin with only a tribal council fire and three villagers and must learn where to hunt and fish, gather wood and stone, and mine for gold. Once you have built a basic economy, you can begin expanding your village and researching new technologies that will eventually enable you to irrigate farms, smith iron and steel weaponry, perfect masonry for your city walls and educate your military cadets into deadly legions. Along the way, you’ll have to deal with wild animals, famine, enemy raiders, and a vast map full of uncharted territories.
When u become economically sound, u have to lauch attacks on your frens(they r ur enemy on AOE). If u win the attack, u won.Else either one(u or ur fren) can launch an attack...
This way...Its simple and fantastic...
Try it
Well your parents may say : OMG all the time PC games.I am fed up with this child".
You don't pay attention to them...
Well its not always bad to play games,you know.
There r some games, which really looks realistic,strategic and among all interesting.
Here are the list of the games:
1. Age of Empires
2. Need for Speed
3. Counter Strike
4. Dotta
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder, front man, guitarist, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. Formed in 1983 by Mustaine and bass player David Ellefson following Mustaine's departure from Metallica, the band has since released eleven studio albums, six live albums, two EPs, thirty singles, thirty-two music videos, and three compilations.
As a pioneer of the American thrash metal movement, Megadeth rose to international fame in the 1980s, but experienced numerous line-up changes, due partly to the band's notorious substance abuse problems. From 1983 to 2002, Mustaine and Ellefson were the only continuous members of the band. After finding sobriety and securing a stable line-up, Megadeth went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums, including the platinum-selling landmark Rust in Peace in 1990 and the Grammy nominated, multi-platinum Countdown to Extinction in 1992. Megadeth disbanded in 2002 after Mustaine suffered a severe nerve injury to his left arm. However, following extensive physical therapy, Mustaine reformed the band in 2004 and released The System Has Failed, followed by United Abominations in 2007; the albums debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #18 and #8, respectively. Megadeth, along with their new lead Guitarist Chris Broderick, are currently working on their 12th studio album which is scheduled for release in September 2009.
Megadeth is known for a distinctive guitar style, often involving complex, intricate musical passages, and trade off guitar solos. Mustaine is also known for his original "snarling" vocal style, as well as his recurring lyrical themes, often involving politics, war, addiction, and personal relationships.
As one of the most commercially successful of all heavy metal bands, Megadeth has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide,[1] with six consecutive albums being certified platinum in the USA. The band has also received great critical acclaim with seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance. In the band's 24 active years, Megadeth has had 20 official members, with Dave Mustaine remaining as the driving force, main songwriter, and sole original member following the end of his musical partnership with David Ellefson in 2002, due to personal disagreements. Megadeth is hailed as one of the bands among the "Big Four of Thrash," along with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, who were responsible for creating and popularizing the genre in the 1980s.
MOVIE meter: Up 93% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director: Bryan Singer
Writers (WGA): Tom DeSanto (story) &
Bryan Singer (story) ...
Contact: View company contact information for X-Men on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 July 2000 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Tagline:
Evolution Begins. more
Plot:
Two mutants come to a private academy for mutants whose resident superhero team must oppose a powerful mutant terrorist organization.
Plot Keywords:
Mutant | X Men | Superhero | Near Future | Senator
Awards:
11 wins & 23 nominations more
Swine Flew
DES MOINES, IA - As the cases of Swine Flu continue to multiply around the globe, a parallel outbreak of Swine Flew is plaguing farmers and rural residents throughout the U.S.
Iowa hog farmer David Lyons described the startling phenomena. "I came out of the house about six in the morning, and I saw three of my sows floating up in the air. They'd grown wings overnight and were flying…like really big birds. I was in such a state of shock I couldn't move, but then they just flew off over that cornfield and that's the last I seen of them."
Experiences similar to Lyons' have been reported by dozens of other hog farmers throughout the Midwest.
"Half of my hogs flew off yesterday to God-knows-where," said Ted Zigler, a Kansas hog producer. "If this keeps up, I'm going to go broke. I'll have to switch to growing Tofu."
Like so many others, Lisa Conklin of rural Wisconsin said she never thought she'd see the day when pigs could fly. "I always used to say, 'Yeah, that'll happen when pigs fly. Now they are."
Conklin expressed a concern raised by many Americans since the onset of Swine Flew. "Let's just pray that monkey's don't start flying out of our asses."
IN AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY, April 29 (AP) - (Kyodo)—New Zealand now has 14 cases of confirmed or probable swine flu, with three more people testing positive for Influenza A, health officials said Wednesday.
The government said it was working on the basis that anyone who tested positive for Influenza A and has recently traveled to Mexico or the United States is also likely to have the swine virus, which is a subset of Influenza A.
Late Tuesday, Health Minister Tony Ryall confirmed that three people among a group of 11 tested had tested positive for the H1N1 strain of swine flu.
The group, consisting of 10 students and one teacher from Rangitoto College in Auckland, had recently returned from a three-week school trip to Mexico.
"Ministry of Health is assuming that all people who have tested positive to Influenza A and traveled with the Rangitoto College party have swine flu," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, two of the cases announced Wednesday were not part of the Rangitoto College group but had traveled to affected areas in Mexico and the United States.
However, samples will still be sent to the World Health Organization laboratory based in Melbourne, Australia, for confirmation.
All 14 cases are currently in home isolation and are being treated with antiviral medication.
Although there are still no confirmed cases in Australia, the number of suspected cases has risen to 91, with authorities expecting the country will not escape an outbreak of swine flu.
"This flu is indeed moving fast and we are conscious that whatever steps we take, it may not be possible to stop this disease coming into Australia," Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.
Thermal scanners will soon be dispatched to major Australian airports, while all international flights must now inform Australian quarantine authorities of any suspected cases onboard.
Entertainment News
US man convicted in NYC of stalking Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks exits Manhattan criminal court following her testimony, Wednesday, April 29, 2009, in New York. Banks, host of TV's America's Next Top Model, testified in a Manhattan courtroom where Brady Green is on trial charged with stalking the former Victoria's Secret model. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)
Enlarge Photo
AP
AP - Thu Apr 30, 4:29 PM ET
NEW YORK - A Georgia man who told police he and Tyra Banks "had a thing together" was convicted Thursday of stalking the supermodel-turned-TV host.
* Slideshow: Tyra Banks
* Video: Tyra Banks Takes The Stand Wednesday CBS 2 New York
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* Redmond O'Neal avoids jail, gets drug court program Reuters - 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
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*
FILE - In this Nov. 11, 2008 file photo, Redmond O'Neal appears at the courthouse in Malibu, Calif. O'Neal was arrested in September with his father Ryan O'Neal and charged with felony methamphetamine possession. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, file)
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*
FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2009 file photo, Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn arrive for the 81st Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Sean Penn files for legal separation from his wife AP - Thu Apr 30, 5:01 PM ET
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* NBC exec O'Brien, 42, dies on "Parenthood" set Reuters - 9 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tragedy struck NBC's pilot "Parenthood" on Wednesday night when network drama vice president Nora O'Brien died unexpectedly on the Berkeley, Calif., set of the show starring Peter Krause, Maura Tierney and Erika Christensen.
* 'Deal' game show taping to move to Conn. AP - 38 minutes ago
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co will buy a 30 percent stake in Hulu.com, bringing popular TV shows such as "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" to the video website founded by NBC Universal and News Corp.
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LOS ANGELES - The son of Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett is getting a chance at a clean slate.
*
Brady Green arrives at Manhattan criminal courthouse in New York April 29, 2009. Green, accused of stalking TV host and former supermodel Tyra Banks, was found guilty of trespass, harassment and stalking on Thursday, prosecutors said. REUTERS/Eric Thayer
Man found guilty of stalking Tyra Banks Reuters - 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man accused of stalking TV host and former supermodel Tyra Banks was found guilty of trespass, harassment and stalking on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Movie News
* Court grants Redmond O'Neal rehab chance AP - 2 hours, 13 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES - The son of Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett is getting a chance at a clean slate.
* Studios delay several big films in Mexico for flu Reuters - 2 hours, 24 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Several major Hollywood studios are delaying the release of big-budget summer movies in Mexico due to the influenza outbreak in that country, a key market for U.S. films, the distributors said on Thursday.
*
Hayden Panettiere: Wants to Footloose With Chace Crawford(E! Online)
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* Actress Julia Ormond returns to spotlight Reuters - Thu Apr 30, 5:14 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - You might have missed Julia Ormond among the high-tech wizardry and Brad Pitt buzz in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last year, but the British actress isn't complaining.
*
FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2009 file photo, Robin Wright Penn, left, and Sean Penn arrive for the 81st Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
Sean Penn files for legal separation from his wife AP - Thu Apr 30, 5:01 PM ET
NEW YORK - Sean Penn and Robin Wright apparently tried to make it work but now, it seems their marriage might be over for good.
Music News
* Rob Thomas tune helps NBA playoffs keep the beat AP - Thu Apr 30, 3:15 PM ET
LOS ANGELES - Rob Thomas is rocking the basketball playoffs, again.
*
In this TV publicity image released by CBS, actors, from left, Sean Murray, Cote de Pablo, Michael Weatherly and Mark Harmon of the CBS series 'NCIS,' are shown. (AP Photo/CBS, Art Streiber)
Putting the soundtrack before the script at 'NCIS' AP - Thu Apr 30, 11:45 AM ET
NEW YORK - It's become standard practice for TV shows to use edgy, contemporary songs at key plot points, whether it's an OMG moment on "Gossip Girl" or the latest Izzie drama on "Grey's Anatomy."
*
FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2008 file photo, singer Britney Spears performs on ABC's 'Good Morning America' show at the Big Apple Circus in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)
Britney Spears' 'Circus' tour will travel Europe AP - Thu Apr 30, 7:33 AM ET
LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears is taking her "Circus" tour across Europe.
*
In this photo provided by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Grammy award-winning singer Usher reacts as a billboard with his childhood image is unveiled with his mother, Jonnetta Patton, left, looking on, Wednesday, April 29, 2009 in Atlanta. Usher was on hand to unveil a billboard with his childhood photo on it, hoping to bring awareness to a national youth advocacy campaign for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. (AP Photo/Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Gregory Smith)
Usher unveils childhood snapshot on billboard AP - Thu Apr 30, 7:29 AM ET
ATLANTA - Grammy-winning artist Usher credits the Boys & Girls Club of America for making a difference in his life, so the least he could do was lend the group a slightly embarrassing photo of himself as a 7-year-old.
*
Singer Tony Bennett stands in front of a projection of a watercolor painting he made of Duke Ellington, before presenting it to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris to take Jazz Fest stage AP - Thu Apr 30, 7:17 AM ET
NEW ORLEANS - Rock musician Ben Harper and country singer Emmylou Harris take the stage for the second half of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Entertainment Video
*
'Wolverine' gets immortalized in wax
Hollywood Nation: 4/30 FOX News - 1 hour, 9 minutes ago
'Wolverine' gets immortalized in wax
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The latest celebrity and entertainment headlines including Sean Penn's divorce, Britneys' new concert dates, and Tyra's stalker convicted.
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The latest celebrity and entertainment headlines including Sean Penn's divorce, Britneys' new concert dates, and Tyra's stalker convicted.
*
The basketball-loving director talks about his documentary 'Kobe Doin' Work' about one game in the life of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. (April 30)
Spike Lee goes to 'work' on Kobe AP - 2 hours, 59 minutes ago
The basketball-loving director talks about his documentary 'Kobe Doin' Work' about one game in the life of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. (April 30)
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Gig Guide for 4/30 FOX News - Thu Apr 30, 4:04 PM ET
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Dear Abby
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* When Friends Ask Too Much Dear Margo - Fri Jan 23, 3:00 AM ET
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* Diners report seeing Virgin Mary in food griddle AP - 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
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FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Police said a man wanted to go to jail with his arrested brother, so he shoved an officer and got his wish. David Jacob Ginnis, 35, pleaded guilty Wednesday to assault on a police officer and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with the full sentence suspended.
* Barbecue joint needs permit for busty mannequin AP - 42 minutes ago
READING, Ohio - A man who runs a suburban Cincinnati barbecue joint says the busty mannequin he put out front has been good for business, but city officials say he needs a permit to keep her there. The Design and Review Board in suburban Reading said under city rules, the figure is considered a sign, requiring a permit.
* Police: Burglar took jellybeans, but nothing else AP - Thu Apr 30, 3:21 PM ET
NORTH EAST, Pa. - Police in northwestern Pennsylvania say a burglar took some jellybeans from a home — but nothing else. Police said Thursday that they are stumped by the burglary in North East Township. Sgt. Mark Zaleski said it remains unclear whether the suspect wanted only jellybeans. Or maybe that's all the thief had time to grab.
* Bird loses meal to power line, causing outage AP - Thu Apr 30, 3:32 PM ET
SALEM, Ore. - Utility workers suspect an osprey made a mess of its breakfast by dropping a fish on a power line, turning out the lights for folks trying to find their own way to start the day. Salem Electric workers called to an outage on the west side of the state capital Wednesday found a burned 14-inch fish beneath the line.
Most Popular Entertainment News
*
Sean Penn, best actor nominee for his role in the film "Milk," and his wife, actress Robin Wright Penn, arrive at the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood, California in this file photo fromFebruary 22, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Sean Penn files for legal separation from his wife AP - Thu Apr 30, 5:36 PM ET
NEW YORK - Sean Penn and Robin Wright apparently tried to make it work but now, it seems their marriage might be over for good. Penn and his actress wife are separating after 13 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
*
Tyra Banks exits Manhattan criminal court following her testimony, Wednesday, April 29, 2009, in New York. Banks, host of TV's America's Next Top Model, testified in a Manhattan courtroom where Brady Green is on trial charged with stalking the former Victoria's Secret model. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)
US man convicted in NYC of stalking Tyra Banks AP - Thu Apr 30, 4:29 PM ET
NEW YORK - A Georgia man who told police he and Tyra Banks "had a thing together" was convicted Thursday of stalking the supermodel-turned-TV host.
* Could Adam Lambert be first gay "American Idol"? Reuters - Thu Apr 30, 4:45 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Adam Lambert wears eyeliner and diamond stud earrings, sings like a dream and has won a rare standing ovation from tough-minded judge Simon Cowell.
*
Jonas Brothers Ready to Get "Paranoid," Channel Johnny Depp(E! Online)
Jonas Brothers Ready to Get "Paranoid," Channel Johnny Depp E! Online - Thu Apr 30, 12:46 PM ET
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*
Commuters, wearing protective face masks to prevent infection from swine flu, ride in a bus in Mexico City Thursday April 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
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NEW YORK - The swine flu outbreak has boosted sales for an acclaimed history of the 1918 pandemic, and helped biologist Nathan Wolfe get a six-figure deal for a book about viruses.
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Some Idiots says, "Behind every successful man, there is a woman" But nobody knows the fact "Women go only behind the successful men".
A consultant is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.
A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.
Colleges don’t make fools, they only develop them.
When do you congratulate someone for their Mistake? Answer : On their Wedding !
The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, "I've some bad news. You have cancer, and you'd best put your affairs in order."
Adrian was shocked, but managed to compose himself and walk into the waiting room, where his son had been waiting.
"Well son, we Irish celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate When things don't go well. In this case, things aren't well. I have cancer. Let's head to the pub and have a few pints."
After 3 or 4 pints, the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs and more beers. They were eventually approached by some of Adrian's old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating. Adrian told his friends they were drinking to his impending end.
"I Have been diagnosed with AIDS. "
The friends gave Adrian their condolences, and they had a couple of more beers.
After the friends left, Adrian's son leaned over and whispered, "Dad, I thought you said you were dying of cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS."
Adrian said, "I don't want any of them sleeping with your mother after I'm gone."
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She’s one of the hottest models in the fashion industry and last night (April 28) Bar Refaeli was spotted at the H&M Launch of the Matthew Williamson 2009 Spring Collection.
The Israeli-born knockout sported a smug smile as she posed aboard The Majesty in a black t-shirt, distressed jeans, and black heels.
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Well,
We are Sulekrish co. the best you can get for the great innovations. The wold itself speaks about your creativity and we offer you new visions and new logic's to make your world a perfect place.
The web is not yet registered.The site is created in a partnership between SULAV TIMSINA and KRISHNA NEUPANE both the engineering students of Kathmandu University, Nepal.
About SULAV TIMSINA::
well currently I m studying Electronics and Communication Engineering at Kathmandu University. Inspired by the work of my friends,I hoped this site , as of others, will gain us success as well will be beneficial to you. I expect your time out here in the site was not just the waste.
My contact info:
sulav7155@yahoo.com
9803310112
Jhapa, Nepal
About KRISHNA NEUAPNE:
I am doing Electrical and Power Engineering in Kathmandu University. This is a new beginning for me and my friend as web masters. We are looking to serve the world with our visions and concept, as much as we can possibly. I expect this site will be a good one to provide communication between you and us.
Thanking you for your time at this site.
My contact info:
krishnaneupanes@hotmail.com
9841962692
Chabahil, Kathmandu
Just months after Coldplay released their #1 debut album, Parachutes, in England, they were hailed as Band of the Year 2000 in the music press. How did these four college friends become the poster children for a nation's emotions? It may have happened at the speed of light, but it wasn't as easy as it seems.
Coldplay secured a permanent position in Britain's music elite by writing beautiful, simple songs that gently pulled at the heartstrings of a nation. Somewhere in between the confident, vulnerable guitar playing of Jonny Buckland, the melodic bassline of Guy Berryman, thoughtful drumming of Will Champion, and lead Chris Martin's stark, tenor vocals are answers for the soul. Although melancholy stands behind every Coldplay song, each one is also steeped in an unusual and sincere optimism rarely found in English bands. Songs face an inevitable sadness and yearning - a little thing called being real - to get to a better place where the truth held firm in pure emotion is pivotal. Songs like the remorseful "Trouble," with its memorable piano-line, the lonely "Spies" and mega-hit single "Yellow" reveal a hybrid of lyrics that can only be described as joy and remorse, all wrapped into one. "We just want the songs to reflect reality," says Chris.
In doing so, Coldplay may well be the most profound British act to emerge out of the millennium thus far. No one is more surprised by their popularity than the band. Who knew such an austere and tactile musical existence would lead to such greatness? Yet it has.
It all began when the members of Coldplay met in 1996 - their first week of college (University College London). Two and a half years later, they had their first official band session - a rehearsal in Jonny's bedroom in January of 1998. Jonny and Chris had been working on songs since they met, but the other two members hadn't really been around much until Guy joined the band to play bass just before dropping out of engineering school. The other two stuck with their studies, while also pursuing music.
Will, also still in school, loved playing guitar but was persuaded to become Coldplay's drummer so the band could play their first gig (at a Cuban Caf?at a festival for unsigned bands called "In The City" in Manchester) in late 1998. They had just six songs written including "Don't Panic" and "High Speed" - now found on Parachutes. They soon released 500 copies of an EP called Safety (financed by their now manager, Phil) and released the single "Brothers And Sisters" on a small English label called Fierce Panda, after which the UK label Parlophone signed them in 1999 just before final exam time. As they say, the rest is history, or in the stars, or whatever. In any case, another EP on Parlophone, The Blue Room, followed, as did the single "Shiver."
Before the band, lead singer/guitarist/pianist Chris Martin grew up in a close family from Devon, England. In fact, he still lives at home as the eldest of five kids raised by a teacher mum and accountant dad, where he started bashing out tunes on the family piano at an early age. Typical of the first-born, he is an over-achiever and self-proclaimed worrier. Although anything to do with "injustice" will rile him up, no one can accuse him of being the typical tortured and drunken English musician since he rarely drinks, never smokes and admits life can be pretty damn good. He's a shy product of boarding school where he soon graduated to the guitar and has been in bands since the age of 15. He considers the big three in music to be: Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Tom Waits. Oh, and the Flaming Lips aren't bad either.
Lead guitarist Jonny Buckland doesn't think he's a very good guitar player, but the rest of the world begs to differ. He was born 22 odd years ago in London, then his family relocated to Mold, North Wales when he was just four. Jonny first picked up a guitar at the tender age of 11, encouraged by his older brother who was a huge My Bloody Valentine fan. Both boys grew up in a house filled with Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix from their dad's record collection. Yet it wasn't until Jonny discovered The Stone Roses that he started taking the guitar seriously. People describe him as shy and nonchalant, but he argues he's just happy to be quiet.
Bassist Guy Berryman was born in Scotland, although his family later moved to Kent, England where he started to collect rare groove and funk records when all the other kids were into indie rock. He started playing bass at age 13 and is still inspired by a love of those early records.
Words like "calm," "reliable" and "enthusiastic" are used to describe drummer Will Champion. He was born in Southampton, England to teacher parents who encouraged him to spend his formative years learning to play a variety of instruments including guitar, bass, piano and the tin whistle. He had never played drums before joining Coldplay but was so musically inclined that he quickly caught on. "He's very quiet and very wise," says Chris about Will. "As a musician, he's got the most amazing sense of melody. He can play just about anything ... and he can do little impressions. He's good at entertaining people."
When the band went into the studio early last year with co-producer and engineer Ken Nelson to record Parachutes, they agreed that nothing would go on the album that they all four didn't agreed on. This led to a fierce and gut wrenching recording session that the guys thought might be their last. Songs ended up veering from fragile to forceful, from understated to epic, all-the-while carried by Chris' gorgeous vocal range and endearingly bashful lyrics. On a bittersweet morning in May, the album was finished.
No one predicted that just a short time later, Parachutes would debut at #1 and continue to hover in the Top Ten Charts for the remainder of the year. The band was also nominated for an esteemed Mercury Music Prize, received the Q Award for Best Album, signed to an American label (Nettwerk America/Capitol) and were exhausted by year's end from endless promotional duties and touring. Having been tirelessly in the spotlight for months now, the members of Coldplay are reticent to talk about themselves - subscribing to the school of thought that "those who say less tend to be wiser." Yet what they have to say can be heard in the music, which speaks louder than any words spoken ever will.
Chris admits that the last track on the album, "Everything's Not Lost," is the message of Coldplay's entire work up until now. The song says that when things happen to you in life, your first inclination is to think everything's terrible, what's the point? Then you realize the point is simply that - that it's not that bad and you have to keep going. Finally, you come to realize that life is good. Look for Coldplay to embark on their first-ever American tour in the beginning of 2001.
Biography for
John Mayer (VII) More at IMDbPro »
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Date of Birth
16 October 1977, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
Birth Name
John Clayton Mayer
Height
6' 3" (1.91 m)
Trade Mark
Fender Stratocaster
Trivia
Attended Berklee School of Music in Boston
He decided to call the album "Room for Squares", a characteristically wry take on jazz sax player "Hank Mobley" 's 1963 LP, "No Room for Squares".
He is the second of three children
Was lead guitarist of a band called Villanova Junction when he was in high-school.
Has an older brother named Carl and a younger brother named Ben. Ben is 18 months younger than John.
His favorite condiment is A1 Sauce because you can put it "on anything."
Tried out for acting in 6th grade, but never got a manager.
Used to play clarinet.
His favorite song of his own is 3x5 from the album Room for Squares
His favorite foods are sushi, kobe beef and other Japanese food, as well as veal.
His favorite movie is Good Will Hunting (1997).
Drives a steel-blue BMW
His first job was in a supermarket in Fairfield, Connecticut. Later he worked in a gas station.
His parent's ages are 19 years apart
Played flute in elementary school
Started playing guitar at 13
Used to play violin
Wrote his Grammy award winning song "Daughters" in the shower
The movie Back to the Future (1985) inspired him to play guitar.
Drives a silver Porsche Cayenne.
His parents are Richard and Margaret Mayer
Is a big fan of Opie & Anthony and also Ron & Fez on XM Satellite Radio. He debuted the single "Waiting On the World to Change" when he dropped by unannounced at their New York studio on June 14, 2006. Since then, he has regularly checked in with both shows, either calling in to contribute to the topic or just stopping by to hang out.
When he was seventeen, he was suddenly stricken with a cardiac arrhythmia that sent him to the hospital for a weekend. The trauma of the incident sparked his songwriting, and he penned his first lyrics the night he got home. Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from crippling panic attacks that only subsided when he was twenty-six, and even now, he keeps a Xanax (an anti-anxiety drug) with him, just in case.
Grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut with James Blake.
Divides his time between New York City and Los Angeles.
Former boyfriend of Jennifer Aniston, they met at a party [2008].
Good friends with singer Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West.
Broke up with Jennifer Aniston again [March, 2009].
Personal Quotes
"It's almost charity work, what people have done, turning other people on to my music."
"Connecticut's where I built the parts, Boston's where I assembled them, and Atlanta is where I sold them to people."
"I love coconut, because when you think you're done eating coconut, 25 minutes later, a little piece of coconut comes out of the back of your mouth, and then you say, "Hey! It's more coconut!" I think any food with that kind of determination needs a little respect."
"I am beginning to know what it feels like to be a woman. To have people looking at you all the time. And I'm sorry ladies, I had no idea! But people are looking at me all the time. It's like I have musical boobies!"
[crowd cheers] "That was a good response and I'm not going to ask you to do it again. There's nothing I hate more than going to a concert and the guy says 'You having a good time?' and you scream your head off and then the guy says 'I can't hear you!' and I'm like 'The fuck you can't!' I absolutely hate it when guys do that. So I promise you I'll never make you do that. If you scream respectably the first time anyway."
"So we've got one more song to play for you tonight...[crowd grumbles]...what, you know there's an encore too. The encore is sort of like the condom in the pocket: everybody knows it's there but nobody talks about it."
"I've always said I've got the coolest fans, and I brag about you like grandchildren when I talk to other artists"
"I've realized you can use a fork as a spoon if you use it rapidly enough."
"Ladies, if you want to know the way to my heart...good spelling and good grammar, good punctuation, capitalize only where you are supposed to capitalize, it's done."
About the xBox game 'Halo': "I'm good. I'm fierce. And I'm not some gaming overachiever. I just have a skill. I was born to kill bionically augmented men."
"High school is like a spork: its a crappy spoon AND a crappy fork, so in the end, its just plain useless."
"Love is a hot shower where your skin never prunes."
"I get recognized somewhere in between like local meteorologist and national meteorologist"
"I love you all so much. We really need to come up with a new name for 'fans'. How about really good friends who can't come over my house."
"I don't mind making sissy rock... I'll rock your ass sensitive-style"
"I'm not really good at keeping my own secrets. I can keep other people's secrets pretty well. Unless they're really good and people deserve to hear them. And I'll disseminate the information accordingly."
[As he ties his shoe onstage] "It's very difficult to tie one shoe with the same tension as the other one, because if one should be a little tighter than the other, the show's gonna suck. I'm a man of symmetry."
History
Main article: History of music
Prehistoric eras and antiquity
The development of music among humans must have taken place against the backdrop of natural sounds such as birdsong and the sounds other animals use to communicate.[citation needed] Prehistoric music is the name which is given to all music produced in preliterate cultures.[citation needed][4]Ancient music can only be imagined by scholars, based on findings from a range of paleolithic sites, such as bones in which lateral holes have been pierced: these are usually identified as flutes,[5] blown at one end like the Japanese shakuhachi. The earliest written records of musical expression are to be found in the Samaveda of India and in 4,000 year old cuneiform from Ur.[citation needed] Instruments, such as the seven-holed flute and various types of stringed instruments have been recovered from the Indus Valley Civilization archaeological sites.[6]
India has one of the oldest musical traditions in the world—references to Indian classical music (marga) can be found in the ancient scriptures of the Hindu tradition, the Vedas. The traditional music of China has a history stretching for around three thousand years. Music was an important part of cultural and social life in Ancient Greece: mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration and spiritual ceremonies; musicians and singers had a prominent role in ancient Greek theater In the 9th century, the Arab scholar al-Farabi wrote a book on music titled Kitab al-Musiqi al-Kabir ("Great Book of Music"). He played and invented a variety of musical instruments and devised the Arab tone system of pitch organisation, which is still used in Arabic music.[7]
Western cultures
During the Medieval music era (500-1400), the only European repertory which has survived from before about 800 is the monophonic liturgical plainsong of the Roman Catholic Church, the central tradition of which was called Gregorian chant. Alongside these traditions of sacred and church music there existed a vibrant tradition of secular song. From the Renaissance music era (1400-1600), much of the surviving music of 14th century Europe is secular. By the middle of the 15th century, composers and singers used a smooth polyphony for sacred musical compositions. The introduction of commercial printing helped to disseminate musical styles more quickly and across a larger area.
Allegory of Music, by Filippino Lippi
The era of Baroque music (1600-1750) began when the first operas were written and when contrapuntal music became prevalent. German Baroque composers wrote for small ensembles including strings, brass, and woodwinds, as well as choirs, pipe organ, harpsichord, and clavichord. During the Baroque period, several major music forms were defined that lasted into later periods when they were expanded and evolved further, including the fugue, the invention, the sonata, and the concerto.[8] The music of the Classical period (1750-1800) is characterized by homophonic texture, often featuring a prominent melody with accompaniment. These new melodies tended to be almost voice-like and singable. The now popular instrumental music was dominated by further evolution of musical forms initially defined in the Baroque period: the sonata, and the concerto, with the addition of the new form, the symphony. Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are among the central figures of the Classical period.
In 1800, the Romantic era (1800-1890s) in music developed, with Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert as transitional composers who introduced a more dramatic, expressive style. During this era, existing genres, forms, and functions of music were developed, and the emotional and expressive qualities of music came to take precedence over technique and tradition. In Beethoven's case, motifs (developed organically) came to replace melody as the most significant compositional unit. The late 19th century saw a dramatic expansion in the size of the orchestra, and in the role of concerts as part of urban society. Later Romantic composers created complex and often much longer musical works. They used more complex chords and used more dissonance to create dramatic tension. With 20th century music, there was a vast increase in music listening as the radio gained popularity and phonographs were used to replay and distribute music. The focus of art music was characterized by exploration of new rhythms, styles, and sounds. Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, and John Cage were all influential composers in 20th century art music.
Jazz evolved and became a significant genre of music over the course of the 20th century, and during the second half of that century, rock music did the same. Jazz is an American musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions. The style's West African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note.[9] From its early development until the present, jazz has also incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music.[10] Jazz has, from its early 20th century inception, spawned a variety of subgenres, ranging from New Orleans Dixieland (1910s) to 1970s and 1980s-era jazz-rock fusion.
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed in the 1960s from 1950s rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, and country music. The sound of rock often revolves around the electric guitar or acoustic guitar, and it uses a strong back beat laid down by a rhythm section of electric bass guitar, drums, and keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, or, since the 1970s, digital synthesizers. Along with the guitar or keyboards, saxophone and blues-style harmonica are used as soloing instruments. In its "purest form", it "has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody."[11] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, rock music branched out into different subgenres, ranging from blues rock and jazz-rock fusion to heavy metal and punk rock, as well as the more classical influenced genre of progressive rock.
Non-Western Classical traditions
Indian classical music is one of the oldest musical traditions in the world.[12] The Indus Valley civilization has sculptures which show dance[13] and old musical instruments, like the seven holed flute. Various types of stringed instruments and drums have been recovered from Harrappa and Mohenjo Daro by excavations carried out by Sir Mortimer Wheeler.[14] The Rigveda has elements of present Indian music, with a musical notation to denote the metre and the mode of chanting.[15] Indian classical music (marga) is monophonic, and based around a single melody line or raga rhythmically organized through talas. Carnatic music is largely devotional; the majority of the songs are addressed to the Hindu deities. There are a lot of songs emphasising love and other social issues. Hindustani music was also influenced by the Persian performance practices of the Afghan Mughals.
Asian music covers the music cultures of Arabia, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Chinese classical music, the traditional art or court music of China, has a history stretching over around three thousand years. It has its own unique systems of musical notation, as well as musical tuning and pitch, musical instruments and styles or musical genres. Chinese music is pentatonic-diatonic, having a scale of twelve notes to an octave (5+7 = 12) as does European-influenced music. Persian music is the music of Persia and Persian language countries: musiqi, the science and art of music, and muzik, the sound and performance of music (Sakata 1983). See also: Music of Iran, Music of Afghanistan, Music of Tajikistan, Music of Uzbekistan).
The music of Greece was a major part of ancient Greek theater. In Ancient Greece, mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration and spiritual reasons. Instruments included the double-reed aulos and the plucked string instrument, the lyre, especially the special kind called a kithara. Music was an important part of education in ancient Greece, and boys were taught music starting at age six. Greek musical literacy created a flowering of development; Greek music theory included the Greek musical modes, eventually became the basis for Western religious music and classical music. Later, influences from the Roman Empire, Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire changed Greek music.
Performance
Main article: Performance
Chinese Naxi musicians
Performance is the physical expression of music. Often, a musical work is performed once its structure and instrumentation are satisfactory to its creators; however, as it gets performed, it can evolve and change. A performance can either be rehearsed or improvised. Improvisation is a musical idea created without premeditation, while rehearsal is vigorous repetition of an idea until it has achieved cohesion. Musicians will sometimes add improvisation to a well-rehearsed idea to create a unique performance.
Many cultures include strong traditions of solo and performance, such as in Indian classical music, and in the Western Art music tradition. Other cultures, such as in Bali, include strong traditions of group performance. All cultures include a mixture of both, and performance may range from improvised solo playing for one's enjoyment to highly planned and organised performance rituals such as the modern classical concert, religious processions, music festivals or music competitions. Chamber music, which is music for a small ensemble with only a few of each type of instrument, is often seen as more intimate than symphonic works.
Aural tradition
Many types of music, such as traditional blues and folk music were originally preserved in the memory of performers, and the songs were handed down orally, or aurally (by ear). When the composer of music is no longer known, this music is often classified as "traditional". Different musical traditions have different attitudes towards how and where to make changes to the original source material, from quite strict, to those which demand improvisation or modification to the music. A culture's history may also be passed by ear through song.
Ornamentation
Main article: Ornament (music)
The detail included explicitly in the music notation varies between genres and historical periods. In general, art music notation from the 17th through the 19th century required performers to have a great deal of contextual knowledge about performing styles. For example, in the 17th and 18th century, music notated for solo performers typically indicated a simple, unornamented melody. However, it was expected that performers would know how to add stylistically-appropriate ornaments such as trills and turns. In the 19th century, art music for solo performers may give a general instruction such as to perform the music expressively, without describing in detail how the performer should do this. It was expected that the performer would know how to use tempo changes, accentuation, and pauses (among other devices) to obtain this "expressive" performance style. In the 20th century, art music notation often became more explicit and used a range of markings and annotations to indicate to performers how they should play or sing the piece.
In popular music and jazz, music notation almost always indicates only the basic framework of the melody, harmony, or performance approach; musicians and singers are expected to know the performance conventions and styles associated with specific genres and pieces. For example, the "lead sheet" for a jazz tune may only indicate the melody and the chord changes. The performers in the jazz ensemble are expected to know how to "flesh out" this basic structure by adding ornaments, improvised music, and chordal accompaniment.
Production
Main article: Music production
Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. Amateur musicians compose and perform music for their own pleasure, and they do not derive their income from music. Professional musicians are employed by a range of institutions and organisations, including armed forces, churches and synagogues, symphony orchestras, broadcasting or film production companies, and music schools. Professional musicians sometimes work as freelancers, seeking contracts and engagements in a variety of settings.
There are often many links between amateur and professional musicians. Beginning amateur musicians take lessons with professional musicians. In community settings, advanced amateur musicians perform with professional musicians in a variety of ensembles and orchestras. In some cases, amateur musicians attain a professional level of competence, and they are able to perform in professional performance settings. A distinction is often made between music performed for the benefit of a live audience and music that is performed for the purpose of being recorded and distributed through the music retail system or the broadcasting system. However, there are also many cases where a live performance in front of an audience is recorded and distributed (or broadcast).
Composition
Main article: Musical composition
An old songbook showing a composition
"Composition" is often classed as the creation and recording of music via a medium by which others can interpret it (i.e. paper or sound). Many cultures use at least part of the concept of preconceiving musical material, or composition, as held in western classical music. Even when music is notated precisely, there are still many decisions that a performer has to make. The process of a performer deciding how to perform music that has been previously composed and notated is termed interpretation. Different performers' interpretations of the same music can vary widely. Composers and song writers who present their own music are interpreting, just as much as those who perform the music of others or folk music. The standard body of choices and techniques present at a given time and a given place is referred to as performance practice, where as interpretation is generally used to mean either individual choices of a performer, or an aspect of music which is not clear, and therefore has a "standard" interpretation.
In some musical genres, such as jazz and blues, even more freedom is given to the performer to engage in improvisation on a basic melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic framework. The greatest latitude is given to the performer in a style of performing called free improvisation, which is material that is spontaneously "thought of" (imagined) while being performed, not preconceived. Improvised music usually follows stylistic or genre conventions and even "fully composed" includes some freely chosen material. Composition does not always mean the use of notation, or the known sole authorship of one individual. Music can also be determined by describing a "process" which may create musical sounds; examples of this range from wind chimes, through computer programs which select sounds. Music which contains elements selected by chance is called Aleatoric music, and is associated with such composers as John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Witold Lutosławski.
Music can be composed for repeated performance or it can be improvised: composed on the spot. The music can be performed entirely from memory, from a written system of musical notation, or some combination of both. Study of composition has traditionally been dominated by examination of methods and practice of Western classical music, but the definition of composition is broad enough to include spontaneously improvised works like those of free jazz performers and African drummers such as the Ewe drummers.
What is important in understanding the composition of a piece is singling out its elements. An understanding of music's formal elements can be helpful in deciphering exactly how a piece is constructed. A universal element of music is how sounds occur in time, which is referred to as the rhythm of a piece of music. When a piece appears to have a changing time-feel, it is considered to be in rubato time, an Italian expression that indicates that the tempo of the piece changes to suit the expressive intent of the performer. Even random placement of random sounds, which occurs in musical montage, occurs within some kind of time, and thus employs time as a musical element.
Notation
Main article: Musical notation
Notation is the written expression of music notes and rhythms on paper using symbols. When music is written down, the pitches and rhythm of the music is notated, along with instructions on how to perform the music. The study of how to read notation involves music theory, harmony, the study of performance practice, and in some cases an understanding of historical performance methods. Written notation varies with style and period of music. In Western Art music, the most common types of written notation are scores, which include all the music parts of an ensemble piece, and parts, which are the music notation for the individual performers or singers. In popular music, jazz, and blues, the standard musical notation is the lead sheet, which notates the melody, chords, lyrics (if it is a vocal piece), and structure of the music. Scores and parts are also used in popular music and jazz, particularly in large ensembles such as jazz "big bands."
In popular music, guitarists and electric bass players often read music notated in tablature (often abbreviated as "tab"), which indicates the location of the notes to be played on the instrument using a diagram of the guitar or bass fingerboard. Tabulature was also used in the Baroque era to notate music for the lute, a stringed, fretted instrument. Notated music is produced as sheet music. To perform music from notation requires an understanding of both the rhythmic and pitch elements embodied in the symbols and the performance practice that is associated with a piece of music or a genre.
Improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creation of spontaneous music. Improvisation is often considered an act of instantaneous composition by performers, where compositional techniques are employed with or without preparation. Improvisation is a major part of some types of music, such as blues, jazz, and jazz fusion, in which instrumental performers improvise solos and melody lines. In the Western art music tradition, improvisation was an important skill during the Baroque era and during the Classical era; solo performers and singers would improvise virtuoso cadenzas during concerts. However, in the 20th and 21st century, improvisation played a smaller role in Western Art music.
Theory
Main article: Music theory
Music theory encompasses the nature and mechanics of music. It often involves identifying patterns that govern composers' techniques. In a more detailed sense, music theory (in the western system) also distills and analyzes the elements of music—rhythm, harmony (harmonic function), melody, structure, and texture. People who study these properties are known as music theorists.
Cognition
Further information: Hearing (sense) and Psychoacoustics
A chamber music group consisting of stringed instrument players, a flutist, and a harpsichordist perform in Salzburg
The field of music cognition involves the study of many aspects of music including how it is processed by listeners. Rather than accepting the standard practices of analyzing, composing, and performing music as a given, much research in music cognition seeks instead to uncover the mental processes that underlie these practices. Also, research in the field seeks to uncover commonalities between the musical traditions of disparate cultures and possible cognitive "constraints" that limit these musical systems. Questions regarding musical innateness, and emotional responses to music are also major areas of research in the field.
Deaf people can experience music by feeling the vibrations in their body, a process which can be enhanced if the individual holds a resonant, hollow object. A well-known deaf musician is the composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who composed many famous works even after he had completely lost his hearing. Recent examples of deaf musicians include Evelyn Glennie, a highly acclaimed percussionist who has been deaf since age twelve, and Chris Buck, a virtuoso violinist who has lost his hearing. This is relevant because it indicates that music is a deeper cognitive process than unexamined phrases such as, "pleasing to the ear" would suggest. Much research in music cognition seeks to uncover these complex mental processes involved in listening to music, which may seem intuitively simple, yet are vastly intricate and complex.
Sociology
This Song Dynasty (960–1279) painting, entitled the "Night Revels of Han Xizai", shows Chinese musicians entertaining guests at a party in a 10th century household.
Music is experienced by individuals in a range of social settings ranging from being alone to attending a large concert. Musical performances take different forms in different cultures and socioeconomic milieus. In Europe and North America, there is often a divide between what types of music are viewed as a "high culture" and "low culture." "High culture" types of music typically include Western art music such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern-era symphonies, concertos, and solo works, and are typically heard in formal concerts in concert halls and churches, with the audience sitting quietly in seats.
Other types of music—including, but not limited to, jazz, blues, soul, and country—are often performed in bars, nightclubs, and theatres, where the audience may be able to drink, dance, and express themselves by cheering. Until the later 20th century, the division between "high" and "low" musical forms was widely accepted as a valid distinction that separated out better quality, more advanced "art music" from the popular styles of music heard in bars and dance halls.
However, in the 1980s and 1990s, musicologists studying this perceived divide between "high" and "low" musical genres argued that this distinction is not based on the musical value or quality of the different types of music.[citation needed] Rather, they argued that this distinction was based largely on the socioeconomics standing or social class of the performers or audience of the different types of music.[citation needed] For example, whereas the audience for Classical symphony concerts typically have above-average incomes, the audience for a rap concert in an inner-city area may have below-average incomes. Even though the performers, audience, or venue where non-"art" music is performed may have a lower socioeconomic status, the music that is performed, such as blues, rap, punk, funk, or ska may be very complex and sophisticated.
When composers introduce styles of music which break with convention, there can be a strong resistance from academic music experts and popular culture. Late-period Beethoven string quartets, Stravinsky ballet scores, serialism, bebop-era jazz, hip hop, punk rock, and electronica have all been considered non-music by some critics when they were first introduced.[citation needed] Such themes are examined in the sociology of music. The sociological study of music, sometimes called sociomusicology, is often pursued in departments of sociology, media studies, or music, and is closely related to the field of ethnomusicology.
Media and technology
Further information: Computer music
The music that composers make can be heard through several media; the most traditional way is to hear it live, in the presence, or as one of the musicians. Live music can also be broadcast over the radio, television or the Internet. Some musical styles focus on producing a sound for a performance, while others focus on producing a recording which mixes together sounds which were never played "live". Recording, even of styles which are essentially live, often uses the ability to edit and splice to produce recordings which are considered better than the actual performance.
As talking pictures emerged in the early 20th century, with their prerecorded musical tracks, an increasing number of moviehouse orchestra musicians found themselves out of work.[16] During the 1920s live musical performances by orchestras, pianists, and theater organists were common at first-run theaters.[17] With the coming of the talking motion pictures, those featured performances were largely eliminated. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) took out newspaper advertisements protesting the replacement of live musicians with mechanical playing devices. One 1929 ad that appeared in the Pittsburgh Press features an image of a can labeled "Canned Music / Big Noise Brand / Guaranteed to Produce No Intellectual or Emotional Reaction Whatever"[18]
Since legislation introduced to help protect performers, composers, publishers and producers, including the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992 in the United States, and the 1979 revised Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works in the United Kingdom, recordings and live performances have also become more accessible through computers, devices and Internet in a form that is commonly known as Music-On-Demand.
In many cultures, there is less distinction between performing and listening to music, since virtually everyone is involved in some sort of musical activity, often communal. In industrialized countries, listening to music through a recorded form, such as sound recording or watching a music video, became more common than experiencing live performance, roughly in the middle of the 20th century.
Sometimes, live performances incorporate prerecorded sounds. For example, a disc jockey uses disc records for scratching, and some 20th century works have a solo for an instrument or voice that is performed along with music that is prerecorded onto a tape. Computers and many keyboards can be programmed to produce and play Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) music. Audiences can also become performers by participating in karaoke, an activity of Japanese origin which centres around a device that plays voice-eliminated versions of well-known songs. Most karaoke machines also have video screens that show lyrics to songs being performed; performers can follow the lyrics as they sing over the instrumental tracks.
Internet
The advent of the Internet has transformed the experience of music, partly through the increased ease of access to music and the increased choice. Chris Anderson, in his book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, suggests that while the economic model of supply and demand describes scarcity, the Internet retail model is based on abundance. Digital storage costs are low, so a company can afford to make its whole inventory available online, giving customers as much choice as possible. It has thus become economically viable to offer products that very few people are interested in. Consumers' growing awareness of their increased choice results in a closer association between listening tastes and social identity, and the creation of thousands of niche markets.[19]
Another effect of the Internet arises with online communities like YouTube and MySpace. MySpace has made social networking with other musicians easier, and greatly facilitates the distribution of one's music. YouTube also has a large community of both amateur and professional musicians who post videos and comments.[citation needed] Professional musicians also use YouTube as a free publisher of promotional material. YouTube users, for example, no longer only download and listen to MP3s, but also actively create their own. According to Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, in their book Wikinomics, there has been a shift from a traditional consumer role to what they call a "prosumer" role, a consumer who both creates and consumes. Manifestations of this in music include the production of mashes, remixes, and music videos by fans.[20]
Business
Main article: Music industry
The music industry refers to the business industry connected with the creation and sale of music. It consists of record companies, labels and publishers that distribute recorded music products internationally and that often control the rights to those products. Some music labels are "independent," while others are subsidiaries of larger corporate entities or international media groups. In the 2000s, the increasing popularity of listening to music as digital music files on MP3 players, iPods, or computers, and of trading music on file sharing sites or buying it online in the form of digital files had a major impact on the traditional music business. Many smaller independent CD stores went out of business as music buyers decreased their purchases of CDs, and many labels had lower CD sales. Some companies did well with the change to a digital format, though, such as Apple's iTunes, an online store which sells digital files of songs over the Internet.
Education
Non-professional
Main article: Music education
The incorporation of music training from preschool to post secondary education is common in North America and Europe. Involvement in music is thought to teach basic skills such as concentration, counting, listening, and cooperation while also promoting understanding of language, improving the ability to recall information, and creating an environment more conducive to learning in other areas.[21] In elementary schools, children often learn to play instruments such as the recorder, sing in small choirs, and learn about the history of Western art music. In secondary schools students may have the opportunity to perform some type of musical ensembles, such as choirs, marching bands, concert bands, jazz bands, or orchestras, and in some school systems, music classes may be available. Some students also take private music lessons with a teacher. Amateur musicians typically take lessons to learn musical rudiments and beginner- to intermediate-level musical techniques.
At the university level, students in most arts and humanities programs can receive credit for taking music courses, which typically take the form of an overview course on the history of music, or a music appreciation course that focuses on listening to music and learning about different musical styles. In addition, most North American and European universities have some type of musical ensembles that non-music students are able to participate in, such as choirs, marching bands, or orchestras. The study of Western art music is increasingly common outside of North America and Europe, such as the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, or the classical music programs that are available in Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China. At the same time, Western universities and colleges are widening their curriculum to include music of non-Western cultures, such as the music of Africa or Bali (e.g. Gamelan music).
Academia
Musicology is the study of the subject of music. The earliest definitions defined three sub-disciplines: systematic musicology, historical musicology, and comparative musicology or ethnomusicology. In contemporary scholarship, one is more likely to encounter a division of the discipline into music theory, music history, and ethnomusicology. Research in musicology has often been enriched by cross-disciplinary work, for example in the field of psychoacoustics. The study of music of non-western cultures, and the cultural study of music, is called ethnomusicology.
Graduates of undergraduate music programs can go on to further study in music graduate programs. Graduate degrees include the Master of Music, the Master of Arts, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (e.g., in musicology or music theory), and more recently, the Doctor of Musical Arts, or DMA. The Master of Music degree, which takes one to two years to complete, is typically awarded to students studying the performance of an instrument, education, voice or composition. The Master of Arts degree, which takes one to two years to complete and often requires a thesis, is typically awarded to students studying musicology, music history, or music theory. Undergraduate university degrees in music, including the Bachelor of Music, the Bachelor of Music Education, and the Bachelor of Arts (with a major in music) typically take three to five years to complete. These degrees provide students with a grounding in music theory and music history, and many students also study an instrument or learn singing technique as part of their program.
The PhD, which is required for students who want to work as university professors in musicology, music history, or music theory, takes three to five years of study after the Master's degree, during which time the student will complete advanced courses and undertake research for a dissertation. The DMAis a relatively new degree that was created to provide a credential for professional performers or composers that want to work as university professors in musical performance or composition. The DMA takes three to five years after a Master's degree, and includes advanced courses, projects, and performances. In Medieval times, the study of music was one of the Quadrivium of the seven Liberal Arts and considered vital to higher learning. Within the quantitative Quadrivium, music, or more accurately harmonics, was the study of rational proportions.
Zoomusicology is the study of the music of non-human animals, or the musical aspects of sounds produced by non-human animals. As George Herzog (1941) asked, "do animals have music?" François-Bernard Mâche's Musique, mythe, nature, ou les Dauphins d'Arion (1983), a study of "ornitho-musicology" using a technique of Nicolas Ruwet's Language, musique, poésie (1972) paradigmatic segmentation analysis, shows that bird songs are organised according to a repetition-transformation principle. Jean-Jacques Nattiez (1990), argues that "in the last analysis, it is a human being who decides what is and is not musical, even when the sound is not of human origin. If we acknowledge that sound is not organised and conceptualised (that is, made to form music) merely by its producer, but by the mind that perceives it, then music is uniquely human."
Music theory is the study of music, generally in a highly technical manner outside of other disciplines. More broadly it refers to any study of music, usually related in some form with compositional concerns, and may include mathematics, physics, and anthropology. What is most commonly taught in beginning music theory classes are guidelines to write in the style of the common practice period, or tonal music. Theory, even that which studies music of the common practice period, may take many other forms. Musical set theory is the application of mathematical set theory to music, first applied to atonal music. Speculative music theory, contrasted with analytic music theory, is devoted to the analysis and synthesis of music materials, for example tuning systems, generally as preparation for composition.
Ethnomusicology
Main article: Ethnomusicology
In the West, much of the history of music that is taught deals with the Western civilization's art music. The history of music in other cultures ("world music" or the field of "ethnomusicology") is also taught in Western universities. This includes the documented classical traditions of Asian countries outside the influence of Western Europe, as well as the folk or indigenous music of various other cultures. Popular styles of music varied widely from culture to culture, and from period to period. Different cultures emphasised different instruments, or techniques, or uses for music. Music has been used not only for entertainment, for ceremonies, and for practical and artistic communication, but also for propaganda in totalitarian countries.
There is a host of music classifications, many of which are caught up in the argument over the definition of music. Among the largest of these is the division between classical music (or "art" music), and popular music (or commercial music - including rock and roll, country music, and pop music). Some genres do not fit neatly into one of these "big two" classifications, (such as folk music, world music, or jazz music).
As world cultures have come into greater contact, their indigenous musical styles have often merged into new styles. For example, the United States bluegrass style contains elements from Anglo-Irish, Scottish, Irish, German and African instrumental and vocal traditions, which were able to fuse in the United States' multi-ethnic society. Genres of music are determined as much by tradition and presentation as by the actual music. Some works, like George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, are claimed by both jazz and classical music, while Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story are claimed by both opera and the Broadway musical tradition. Many current music festivals celebrate a particular musical genre.
Indian music, for example, is one of the oldest and longest living types of music, and is still widely heard and performed in South Asia, as well as internationally (especially since the 1960s). Indian music has mainly three forms of classical music, Hindustani, Carnatic, and Dhrupad styles. It has also a large repertoire of styles, which involve only percussion music such as the talavadya performances famous in South India.
Music therapy
Main article: Music therapy
Music therapy is an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their health. In some instances, the client's needs are addressed directly through music; in others they are addressed through the relationships that develop between the client and therapist. Music therapy is used with individuals of all ages and with a variety of conditions, including: psychiatric disorders, medical problems, physical handicaps, sensory impairments, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, communication disorders, interpersonal problems, and aging. It is also used to: improve learning, build self-esteem, reduce stress, support physical exercise, and facilitate a host of other health-related activities.
Music has long been used to help people deal with their emotions. In the 17th century, the scholar Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy argued that music and dance were critical in treating mental illness, especially melancholia.[22] He noted that music has an "excellent power ...to expel many other diseases" and he called it "a sovereign remedy against despair and melancholy". He pointed out that in Antiquity, Canus, a Rhodian fiddler, used music to "make a melancholy man merry, ...a lover more enamoured, a religious man more devout." [23][24][25] In November 2006, Dr. Michael J. Crawford[26] and his colleagues also found that music therapy helped schizophrenic patients.[27] In the Ottoman Empire, mental illnesses were treated with music.[28]
See also
Music portal
* List of basic music topics
* List of music topics
* Wikipedia Books: Music
References
1. ^ Mousike, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, at Perseus
2. ^ John Cage, 79, a Minimalist Enchanted With Sound, Dies
3. ^ Nattiez 1990: 47-8, 55
4. ^ "Primitive music" is an obsolescent term for prehistoric music.[citation needed]
5. ^ Son et musique au paléolithique", Pour La Science,. 253, 52-58 (1998)
6. ^ The Music of India By Reginald MASSEY, Jamila MASSEY. Google Books
7. ^ Touma (1996), p.170
8. ^ Baroque Music by Elaine Thornburgh and Jack Logan, Ph. D.
9. ^ Alyn Shipton, A New History of Jazz, 2nd. ed., Continuum, 2007, pp. 4–5
10. ^ Bill Kirchner, The Oxford Companion to Jazz, Oxford University Press, 2005, Chapter Two.
11. ^ allmusic - Rock and Roll
12. ^ World Music: The Basics By Nidel Nidel, Richard O. Nidel (page 219)
13. ^ World History: Societies of the Past By Charles Kahn (page 98)
14. ^ World History: Societies of the Past By Charles Kahn (page 11)
15. ^ World Music: The Basics By Nidel Nidel, Richard O. Nidel (page 10)
16. ^ American Federation of Musicians/History
17. ^ Hubbard (1985), p. 429.
18. ^ "Canned Music on Trial" part of Duke University's Ad*Access project.
19. ^ Anderson, Chris (2006). The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More. Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-0237-8.
20. ^ Tapscott, Don; Williams, Anthony D. (2006-12-28). Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. Portfolio Hardcover. ISBN 978-1591841388.
21. ^ Woodall and Ziembroski, 2002
22. ^ cf. The Anatomy of Melancholy, Robert Burton, subsection 3, on and after line 3,480, "Music a Remedy"
23. ^ Ismenias the Theban, Chiron the centaur, is said to have cured this and many other diseases by music alone: as now thy do those, saith Bodine, that are troubled with St. Vitus's Bedlam dance. Project Gutenberg's The Anatomy of Melancholy, by Democritus Junior
24. ^ "Humanities are the Hormones: A Tarantella Comes to Newfoundland. What should we do about it?" by Dr. John Crellin, MUNMED, newsletter of the Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1996.
25. ^ Aung, Steven K.H., Lee, Mathew H.M., "Music, Sounds, Medicine, and Meditation: An Integrative Approach to the Healing Arts", Alternative & Complementary Therapies, Oct 2004, Vol. 10, No. 5: 266-270.
26. ^ Dr. Michael J. Crawford page at Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychological Medicine.
27. ^ Crawford, Mike J.; Talwar, Nakul, et al. (November 2006). "Music therapy for in-patients with schizophrenia: Exploratory randomised controlled trial". The British Journal of Psychiatry (2006) 189: 405–409. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.105.015073. PMID 17077429. http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/189/5/405.
28. ^ Treatment of Mental Illnesses With Music Therapy - A different approach from history
Further reading
* Colles, Henry Cope (1978). The Growth of Music : A Study in Musical History, 4th ed., London ; New York : Oxford University Press. ISBN 0193161168 (1913 edition online at Google Books)
* Harwood, Dane (1976). "Universals in Music: A Perspective from Cognitive Psychology", Ethnomusicology 20, no. 3:521-33.
* Johnson, Julian (2002). Who Needs Classical Music?: Cultural Choice and Musical Value. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514681-6.
* Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra. "Piano Improvisation Develops Musicianship." Orff-Echo XXXVII No. 1 (2004): 11-14.
* Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra. "The Singing Muse: Three Centuries of Music Education in Germany." Journal of Historical Research in Music Education XXVI no. 1 (2004): 8-27.
* Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra. "Didaktik of Music: A German Concept and its Comparison to American Music Pedagogy." International Journal of Music Education (Practice) 22 No. 3 (2004): 277-286.
* Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra. "General Music Education in Germany Today: A Look at How Popular Music is Engaging Students." General Music Today 18 no. 2 (Winter 2005): 14-16.
* Molino, Jean (1975). "Fait musical et sémiologue de la musique", Musique en Jeu, no. 17:37-62.
* Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1987). Music and Discourse: Toward a Semiology of Music (Musicologie générale et sémiologue, 1987). Translated by Carolyn Abbate (1979). ISBN 0-691-02714-5.
* Owen, Harold (2000). Music Theory Resource Book. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-511539-2.
* Small, Christopher (1977). Music, Society, Education. John Calder Publishers, London. ISBN 0-7145-3614-8
* Habib Hassan Touma (1996). The Music of the Arabs, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-88-8
* Woodall, Laura and Brenda Ziembroski, (2002). Literacy Through Music.
External links
Find more about Music on Wikipedia's sister projects:
Definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity
* BBC Blast Music For 13-19 year olds interested in learning about, making, performing and talking about music.
* The Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary, with definitions, pronunciations, examples, quizzes and simulations
* The Music-Web Music Encyclopedia, for musicians, composers and music lovers
* Dolmetsch free online music dictionary, complete, with references to a list of specialised music dictionaries (by continent, by instrument, by genre, etc.)
* Musical Terms - Glossary of music terms from Naxos
* "On Hermeneutical Ethics and Education: Bach als Erzieher", a paper by Prof. Miguel Ángel Quintana Paz in which he explains the history of the different views hold about music in Western societies, since the Ancient Greece to our days.
* Monthly Online Features From Bloomingdale School of Music, addressing a variety of musical topics for a wide audience
* Arts and Music Uplifting Society towards Transformation and Tolerance Articles meant to stimulate people’s awareness about the peace enhancing, transforming, communicative, educational and healing powers of music.
http://www.wikimusicguide.com/