Tag: music

  • The Women’s History Museum of Zambia

    Zambia, a land-locked country that shares borders with Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi, has a rich history and the place of women in that history is celebrated in a virtual museum. The Women’s History Museum of Zambia brings together artefacts, stories, recordings and research to propose and explore ways in…

  • This week’s playlist

    Most weeks, a curated Spotify playlist of audio to go alongside the blog is created and offered to readers. This list presents music and sound from the platform that relates in some way to the blog entries. Sometimes the link is obvious and sometimes it is not quite as evident… To listen click on the…

  • Reader contributions

    This week there are links from the United States, Australia and New Zealand. A festival of joyful celebration was held in New York: The Pinkster Stroll. Reviving an old custom that enabled enslaved people to come together in one of the country’s oldest African American holidays, The Pinkster Stroll is an uplifting occasion to dress-up…

  • Articles from elsewhere

    Most weeks, the blog receives contributions from readers to share. A new section has been introduced as part of the revamp of the week’s newsletter: Reader contributions. This section will be short summaries of those links that readers have sent in so others can explore ideas and events from elsewhere. Anyone can send in suggestions…

  • Restoring opera

    Opera is known for its sets and costumes as well as, of course, music and acting, but what happens when operatic productions are revived years after a performance? Opera brings together lots of different elements to create worlds on stage so it is not surprising that sets and costumes can be elaborate. Moby Dick? No…

  • Can you help the blog change?

    In this important year for the blog, its twentieth, it is time to rethink what it is and how it works. You, dear readers, might be able to help. The original idea for the blog was to write about music and textiles from the point of view of Shetland and the textile studio in Yell.…

  • Matariki

    It is the season of Matariki, Māori New Year, in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Matariki cluster of stars, also known as The Pleiades, marks the start of this time of year as it rises in the sky. For those on the East Coast of the country the cluster is easily visible, but for those on…

  • This week on Spotify

    Most weeks that the blog is published a curated playlist on the streaming platform, Spotify, is created and shared. The items on the playlist reflect the blog entries somehow. Half the fun is finding out what that link could possibly be! To listen to the tracks just click on the player above or head over…

  • What’s on Spotify?

    This week’s playlist features: Haneko odori by Tomoe-Ryu Yutadaiko This traditional Japanese taiko drumming piece was recorded in Québec, Canada by the ensemble. The title, taken from the album, is translated as “Bouncing Dance”. Elijah. Op. 70. MWV A25 by Felix Mendelssohn Contralto Clara Serena continues this playlist with a piece from Elijah, the oratorio…

  • The Spotify playlist

    The Spotify playlist is a curated set of audio tracks that relate in some way to the blog entries. To listen, click on the Player above or head over to Spotify and search for “Music to read a blog by”. Paying subscribers to the platform will hear all the tracks uninterrupted while free subscriptions will…