Before they were tragic characters in nineteenth-century opera, courtesans were the original Renaissance women: highly educated, socially refined, independent figures with significant literary, artistic, and musical training. This hour on Harmonia, we’ll explore the sound world of courtesans / from sixteenth-century Venice to Qing dynasty China and beyond.
Inner States | By Alex Chambers - February 19, 2025
For years now, Nathan Dillon has been driving around southern Indiana, singing to old folks. He’s not old, himself, but he knows how he wants to spend the rest of his time.
Harmonia | By Sarah Huebsch Schilling - February 17, 2025
Grab a partner and head to the dance hall! This week on Harmonia, we’re throwing a dance party that spans several centuries. We’ll explore dances that were danced by professionals and amateurs alike as well as dance music that isn’t meant to be danced to at all. Our featured release is J.S. Bach Suites & Sonatas, Vol. 3 performed by Shirley Hunt.
For Valentine’s Day, we’re exploring romance in the Great American Songbook, including songs like “Isn’t It Romantic,” “A Fine Romance,” and “This Is Romance.”
How does a ship’s trumpeter end up leading Venice’s most prestigious 15th-century wind band? This week on Harmonia, we’ll explore the impact of maritime culture on music from the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries.
The Poets Weave | By Romayne Rubinas Dorsey - February 9, 2025
Gabrielle Myers reads "Bounty Set to Burst Forth," "Symbol Shake," "Never Rest in Dormancy Beyond the Proper Time," and "The First Fire of Fire Season."
Arts & Culture | By Lisa Robbin Young - February 8, 2025
As we journey towards our next Mystery Artist, we find that in the early 20th Century, the US was a veritable "melting pot" of Afro-Caribbean and Latin music styles. But why? And can we trace this music back any further?
On this program, we’ll explore the few times Charlie Parker worked with vocalists, as well as some vocal interpretations of classic Charlie Parker tunes.
Night Lights | By David Johnson - February 1, 2025
Jazz is usually thought of as an album format, but once upon a time you could drop a coin into a slot and fill up a bar or restaurant with the sounds of artists such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Horace Silver spinning off a three-minute-long machine-operated platter.
Arts & Culture | By Lisa Robbin Young - February 1, 2025
So much of the early indigenous music of the Americas was documented through the lens of Europeans, which makes tracing some music history more complicated.