Music Articles archive
Read Michel Van Der Aa Wins The Grawemeyer Award For Music
November 25, 2012 – Watch an excerpt of a cello concerto/short film that has earned the Dutch composer the prize.
Listen Martha Wainwright On New Motherhood, And A Mother Lost
November 25, 2012 – Wainwright's newest album was inspired by two big changes in her family — a birth and a death.
Watch Alicia Keys: How A 'Girl On Fire' Keeps From Burning Out
November 25, 2012 – Now married and a mother, Keys says she's more vigilant than ever about remaining productive.
Listen Missy Mazzoli: A New Opera And New Attitude For Classical Music
November 23, 2012 – The young composer from Brooklyn battles the stereotypes in classical music.
Read The NPR Music Holiday Gift Wish List
November 23, 2012 – Our staff picks out a lavish holiday wish list, from the practical to the fantastical.
Watch How Much Does Crowd Funding Cost Musicians?
November 23, 2012 – Two bands add up what they've spent while asking you for money.
Read Five Reasons To Visit Your Local Record Store On Black Friday
November 21, 2012 – This Friday, independent record stores will offer new, reissued and limited-edition vinyl.
Watch Coleman Hawkins: Tenor Saxophone, Front And Center Jazz24
November 21, 2012 – Starting in the 1920s, Hawkins made an afterthought of an instrument into a star attraction. Jazz24
Listen Max Richter Recomposes 'The Four Seasons'
November 21, 2012 – The composer has done a brave thing for any artist in any medium: He's messed with a classic.
Listen The Mythic Power Of Bessie Smith
November 21, 2012 – A new 10-CD box set collects the complete works of the colossus who straddled jazz and blues.
Watch It Isn't (Just) Ironic: In Defense Of The Hipster
November 20, 2012 – A rising hit by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis helps refute the idea that irony dominates youth culture.
Watch The Insect Trust: An American Band Deconstructed
November 20, 2012 – Free jazzers, hippie rockers and country-blues musicians made up this ragtag late-'60s band.
Read Heavy Rotation: 5 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing
November 20, 2012 – Download new music from Foxygen, bassist Marcus Miller, folk singer Rayna Geller and more.
Listen Beethoven's Famous 4 Notes: Truly Revolutionary Music
November 19, 2012 – A leading conductor and an author explain the resonances behind a famous phrase in music.
Listen Bill Withers: The Everyman Singer With A Poet's Soul
November 19, 2012 – Since the singer's 1971 debut, he has had nine albums, all of which are now available in a box set.