Category: Music

  • Spotify

    A regular feature of the blog is the inclusion of a Spotify playlist. This is a curated set of audio pieces to accompany the articles on the blog. Sometimes the link between the playlist and the articles is not obvious, sometimes it is. Trying to work it out is part of the puzzle. To listen…

  • Lucia – Sweden’s celebration of mid-winter

    Lucia is celebrated on the 13th December annually in Sweden but the festival has ancient roots. Celebrated for centuries, St Lucy’s Day is a welcoming back of the light at the time of year when the short days mean darkness and cold. To mark the occasion girls and boys dress in white gowns and process…

  • Spotify this week

    Most weeks the blog is accompanied by a playlist of audio on Spotify. To listen to the playlist use the player above or go to Spotify.com or the app and search for “Music to read a blog by”. If you have a paid subscription you will be able to hear all of the playlist. Free…

  • Spotify playlist

    This week the Spotify playlist features music from Kazakhstan, France and Aotearoa New Zealand amongst other places. To listen click on the player above or go to Spotify online or in the app and search for “Music to read a blog by”.

  • Reinventing tradition: Khazakh music

    A musical renaissance is going on in Kazakhstan. Each month Songlines, the British magazine dedicated to world music, features articles and audio from around the globe. This month one of the articles is about the reinvigoration of traditional music and instruments in the country of Kazakhstan in Central Asia. Once part of the Soviet Union,…

  • Fiddler on the Roof

    It has been many decades since “Fiddler on the Roof”, a musical and movie was made but it still has a message to tell. Fiddler on the Roof is the story of a Jewish community in Russia at the start of the last century. The times were turbulent with persecution and unrest, and the family…

  • Spotify this week

    Listen to this week’s Spotify playlist in the player above or by heading over to Spotify in the app or online and searching for “Music to read a blog by”. Paying subscribers will hear all the tracks uninterrupted, while those with a free subscription will have advertising breaks. Those with no subscription will hear extracts…

  • The Spotify playlist

    Most weeks a playlist is created to go along with the blog entries. The music and (occasionally) other audio comes from the Spotify platform and you can listen either using the player above or by heading over to Spotify and searching for “Music to read a blog by”.

  • The Spotify playlist

    Each week a playlist is curated to reflect the articles on the blog. To listen to the playlist click on the player above or go to Spotify online or in the app and search for “Music to read a blog by”. Paying subscribers to Spotify will hear all the tracks while a free subscription will…

  • The Spotify playlist

    Most weeks, a playlist on the streaming platform, Spotify, accompanies the entries on the blog. Each of the pieces reflects something in the blog although sometimes the link is obscure. To listen to the playlist click on the player above or head over to Spotify online or in the app and search for “Music to…