Popular stories on MusicTales

1. 

   Music Theory

   The Andalusian cadence: distinct chord progression of flamenco that captivated all pop music genres

   The Andalusian cadence is a musical term denoting a chain of four chords that appear sequentially through each step of…

   March 15, 2020

2. 

   Music Theory

   Beatles songs with Dorian mode

   The Beatles' phenomenal success is often attributed to the striking euphony of their polyphonic vocals as well as the…

   August 26, 2021

3. 

   Songwriter

   Flat Foot Floogie: vulgar meaning of the swing hit song

   Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy) is a jazz swing song that became a nationwide hit when it was released in the US…

   July 1, 2021

4. 

   Songwriter

   Vivir Mi Vida: meaning and origin of Marc Anthony's salsa hit

   Vivir Mi Vida is a life-affirming hit by Marc Anthony, released on his 2013 album 3.0. The song marked his return to…

   July 28, 2021

5. 

   William Blake

   Prog rock version of Jerusalem was banned by BBC

   Jerusalem is a British national song based on a poem by William Blake printed in 1808. At the heart of the poem is the…

   July 2, 20184 comments

6. 

   Music Theory

   6 songs to unpack Ionian mode and the major scale

   The polyphonic aspects of Western classical music distinguish it from other musical traditions such as Indian Сlassic…

   February 7, 2021

7. 

   Classical Guitar

   Serenata Española by Joaquim Malats: the piano piece that conquered guitar world

   Serenata Española, written by Spanish piano virtuoso Joaquim Malats, has been the most popular work among guitarists…

   July 31, 2019

8. 

   Orchestra

   The symbiosis of music and architecture in mathematical glissandi by Iannis Xenakis

   The rapid growth of technology in the 20th century led to the beginning of a new era in the music industry when the…

   December 8, 20193 comments

9. 

   Songwriter

   D'yer Mak'er: meaning of Led Zeppelin's most controversial song

   D'yer Mak'er, released on Led Zeppelin's 1973 album Houses of the Holy, remains the most controversial track the band…

   May 10, 2021

10. 

    Songwriter

    There were no bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover

    (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover is an iconic song composed in 1941 by the American songwriting…

    July 8, 20184 comments

11. 

    Sarod

    Legendary Tansen could bring rain with music

    The history of Indian classical music is enriched with numerous artists who were able to channel very specific moods…

    July 31, 2018

12. 

    Orchestra

    Albinoni's famous Adagio is unusually solemn and offbeat because it wasn't, in fact, written by Tomaso Albinoni

    Adagio in G Minor, attributed to 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni, is widely familiar through its often use…

    March 20, 2018

13. 

    Songwriter

    Mariposa Traicionera: meaning and flamenco roots of Maná's top hit

    Mariposa Traicionera is one of the best-known tracks by Maná, a multi-awarded Mexican quartet whose flexible style…

    March 31, 20212 comments

14. 

    Songwriter

    Pedro Navaja: song meaning and origin of the lyrics

    Pedro Navaja is a true pop culture statement of a song written by Panamanian Latin-jazz musician Rubén Blades and…

    April 25, 2022

15. 

    Classical Guitar

    Giulio Regondi, the guitar prodigy behind early Romantic repertoire, was conned by false parent

    Giulio Regondi was one of the most virtuosic guitarists of the early Romantic period who began earning flattering…

    June 29, 20199 comments

16. 

    Classical Guitar

    Guitar virtuoso Napoléon Coste suffered from acute piano phobia

    The creative life of the brilliant French guitarist and composer Napoléon Coste happened to blossom during the Romantic…

    February 12, 20191 comment

17. 

    Nature Sounds

    Classical music examples imitating bees and buzzing insects

    The seemingly monotonous buzz that bees emit is a developed communicative function allowing these social insects to…

    May 6, 2020

18. 

    Poetry

    The best Qawwali lyrics performed by prominent singers of the century

    Phool Khil Jaaye by Abida Parveen and Asrar Shah Mere dil ki banjar zameen pe Oh maula Mere dil ki banjar zameen pe…

    December 23, 2019

19. 

    Veena

    Sundaram Balachander: the veena musician and filmmaker who introduced Carnatic culture to the world

    The veena is the oldest string instrument of the Indian subcontinent, first mentioned in the Rigveda dating back to…

    June 25, 2019

20. 

    Big band

    Begin the Beguine: meaning and origin of Cole Porter's song

    Begin the Beguine takes its title from the beguine, a slow Caribbean dance and music style related to rumba. Cole…

    June 17, 2023

21. 

    Poetry

    Lamento de la Ninfa: Monteverdi's song of love, fire and ice

    Lamento de la Ninfa is one of the most famous vocal pieces of Claudio Monteverdi, a leading Italian composer whose work…

    March 11, 2020

22. 

    Songwriter

    Suavemente: meaning behind Elvis Crespo's merengue hit

    Suavemente means softly or gently in Spanish, and Elvis Crespo turned the word into the hook of one of the best-known…

    May 26, 2021

23. 

    Ravanahatha

    The Ravanahatha: from Hela civilization to the primary instrument of Rajasthani folk

    The ravanahatha (also known as ravanhatta or rawanhattha) is an ancient stringed musical instrument that is suggested…

    December 21, 20181 comment

24. 

    Meditation

    Om Namah Shivaya: chant meaning and lyrics diversity in songs set in Panchakshari Mantra

    Om Namah Shivaya mantra has been an essential chant in Hinduism for over three thousand years. It is meant to express…

    September 17, 2020

25. 

    Sea Shanty

    Barrett's Privateers: origins and meaning of famous drinking song

    Barrett's Privateers, released in 1976 by Stan Rogers—Canadian folk musician and songwriter whose musical career was…

    August 7, 20221 comment

26. 

    Violin

    150 composers contributed to La Folia through the centuries

    La Folia is one of the most revered melodies in music history. Originating as a late fifteenth-century Portuguese dance…

    August 18, 2018

27. 

    Sitar

    The world's first sitar recording by Imdad Khan

    In 1904, the Gramophone Company sent its team to India in order to record the best Hindustani classical musicians and…

    November 3, 20192 comments

28. 

    Classical Guitar

    Asturias by Isaac Albéniz and its life in The Doors interpretation

    Asturias is a famous work by the Spanish composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz. This piece, coming at around six minutes…

    March 6, 2018

29. 

    Poetry

    Sufi lyrics expanded all over the world thanks to Qawwali songs

    Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia. It is part of a musical tradition that stretches back…

    October 5, 20181 comment

30. 

    Songwriter

    Muskrat Love: the polarizing song of America

    Muskrat Love is a sweet and slightly strange song about a romantic relationship between two anthropomorphic muskrats,…

    April 16, 2021