Uploaded September 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Fractions within fractions. It's like Inception.
----------
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
----------
Music:
- Charles Ives: Piano Sonata #2 "Concord, Mass., 1840-1860" Mvt. 3: "The Alcotts" (1919, rev. 1947), performed by Thomas Little
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
----------
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
----------
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.
Fractions within fractions. It's like Inception.
----------
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
----------
Music:
- Charles Ives: Piano Sonata #2 "Concord, Mass., 1840-1860" Mvt. 3: "The Alcotts" (1919, rev. 1947), performed by Thomas Little
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
----------
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
----------
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.
![Composition Masterclass #7: Orchestrating Flutes
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Todays pieces:
- “Pieza V” by Paulo Muena [w/ MIDI render]: 0:00
- “To & Fro” by Uncle Phil [w/ MIDI render]: 13:34
- “A Walk in the Park” by Uncle Phil [w/ MIDI render]: 19:11
- “Lesion” by Hunter Wentz [w/ MIDI render]: 24:55
- “Moderato” by Hunter Wentz [w/ MIDI render]: 40:17
Music:
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
https://classical-nerd.tumblr.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Composition Masterclass #7: Orchestrating Flutes](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NU1kPIn8f4A/mqdefault.jpg)
![Great Composers: Antonín Dvořák
A look at a famous Bohemian.
This was a viewer request from Mikel P. of the HMB Music Class and YouTuber Edivaldo Junior. See the current request queue at http://lentovivace.com/requestqueue.html.
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Antonín Dvořák: In Nature’s Realm, Op. 91, performed by the DuPage Symphony Orchestra conducted by Barbara Schubert and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/ybbcte9y
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Great Composers: Antonín Dvořák](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NrPGpw15LAY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Opera Guide: Alban Bergs Lulu
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
📚 Sources/further reading:
“The Operas of Alban Berg, Vol. 2: Lulu” by George Perle
“The Music of Alban Berg” by Douglas Jarman
“Alban Berg: Lulu (Cambridge Opera Handbooks)” by Douglas Jarman
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Alban Berg: Piano Sonata, Op. 1, performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/BergSonata
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Opera Guide: Alban Bergs Lulu](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O8PUAj0Cuf8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Great Composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A look at the confluence of Russian and European.
This was a viewer request from YouTuber PastorDolph. Please note that requests for future videos are on hold for the time being, given the extraordinary number of requests Ive already received.
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, performed by Ellen Bridger and the Intermountain Classical Orchestra conducted by Jeff Manookian and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/y8tjxfog
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Great Composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OhI4ekucvXE/mqdefault.jpg)
![A Complete Guide to New Complexity and its Core Composers
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
0:00 Introduction
9:51 Brian Ferneyhough
21:55 Michael Finnissy
33:09 Chris Dench
45:31 Richard Barrett
53:18 James Dillon
58:42 Conclusion
This was requested by DerSibbe, Charlie powell, Mishibijiw Piano, Guy Berreby, 洪孟思, harpynerpy, and Alice Wyan, whose patron bonus DOUBLED the weight of this request. See all requests at http://lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
📚 Sources/further reading:
“Brian Ferneyhough” by Lois Fitch (Intellect, University of Chicago Press, 2013)
“Brian Ferneyhough: Collected Writings” edited by James Boros and Richard Toop (Routledge, 1995)
“Uncommon Ground: The Music of Michael Finnissy” edited by Henrietta Brougham, Christopher Fox, and Ian Pace (Ashgate, 1997)
“Modern Music and After (3rd Edition)” by Paul Griffiths (Oxford University Press, 2010)
“The Concept of New Complexity: Notation, Interpretation and Analysis” by Stuart Paul Duncan (DMA dissertation, Cornell University, 2010)
“Re-Complexifying the Function(s) of Notation in the Music of Brian Ferneyhough and the ‘New Complexity’” by Stuart Paul Duncan (Perspectives of New Music, Winter 2010, Vol. 48 No. 1)
“On Complexity” by Richard Toop (Perspectives of New Music, Winter 1993, Vol. 31 No. 1)
“Brian Ferneyhoughs Lemma-Icon-Epigram” by Richard Toop (Perspectives of New Music, Summer 1990, Vol. 28 No. 2)
“Developing an Interpretive Context: Learning Brian Ferneyhoughs Bone Alphabet” by Steven Schick (Perspectives of New Music, Winter 1994, Vol. 32 No. 1)
“Michael Finnissys History of Photography in Sound: Under the Lens” by Christopher Fox (The Musical Times, Summer 2002, Vol. 143 No. 1879)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNhGYMJmu3Y
https://www.scorefollower.org/featured-composer-dench/
“Discontinuous Dialogues: Chris Dench in Conversation with Bruce Petherick” by Chris Dench (Context, Vol. 15/16)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOfGw_G2KEA
https://chrisdench.com
https://fdleone.com/2018/05/01/chris-dench/
http://bostonmicrotonalsociety.org/index.php/microtonal-musicians/chris-dench/
“Portfolio of Original Compositions: Music of Possibility” by Richard Barrett (PhD thesis, University of Leeds, 2017)
“Resistance and Reflection: Richard Barrett in the 21st Century” by Arnold Whittall (The Musical Times, Autumn 2005, Vol. 146 No. 1892)
“Everything is Connected: Richard Barrett at 60” by Tim Rutherford-Johnson (Tempo, July 2020, Vol. 74 No. 293)
“Codex: Embodied Communication in Richard Barrett’s Scores for Improvisation” by Hannah Reardon-Smith (Directions of New Music, February 2017, Vol. 1 No. 1)
“Contemporary British Composers 3: James Dillon: Currents of Development” by Keith Potter (The Musical Times, May 1990, Vol. 131 no. 1767)
“James Dillon: String Quartets as Complex Causal Network” by Michael Spencer (Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 33): https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/82872/2/James_Dillon_Quartets_article_(5).pdf
“Interview: James Dillon” by Amanda MacBlane: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55215c2ce4b0e4ad50063b7d/t/55a73d08e4b03f10bdc34daf/1437023496700/o+SEP11+A+Scottish+composer’s.pdf
https://www.rednoteensemble.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/TanzHaus-Production-Info.pdf
https://assets.cla.umn.edu/wbaq/music/pdf/U%20of%20M%20Dillon%20Release%20Southern%204.3.11.pdf
“Divisions Without Hierarchy: Four-Dimensional Modeling of Submeter and its Use in Empirical Analysis of the Musics of the New Complexity” by Aaron J. Kirschner (PhD dissertation, University of Utah, 2017)
Music:
- Brian Ferneyhough: Transit, performed by the London Sinfonietta conducted by Elgar Howarth [original upload: rGFHH2YW8CQ]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
- Brian Ferneyhough: Dum Transisset I-IV, performers unknown [original upload: 06dUqMrd5aQ]
- Brian Ferneyhough: Time and Motion Study II, performed by Neil Heyde and Paul Archbold [original upload: rW2b4ByT8dM]
- Brian Ferneyhough: Bone Alphabet, performed by James Beauton [original upload: eyedqvWwY5Y]
- Michael Finnissy: String Trio, performed by the Gagliano Trio [original upload: NE3gEI2s33I]
- Michael Finnissy: Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by Michael Finnissy, orchestra unknown [original upload: O0TaBKLEhuc]
- Chris Dench: severance, performed by Geoffrey Morris [original upload: RbD-BUHkx-U]
- Richard Barrett: codex I, performed by Ensemble Studio6 [original upload: ptEa_Zkk4jU]
- James Dillon: echo the angelus, performed by Noriko Kawai [original upload: UuCZhVwIf_U]
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. A Complete Guide to New Complexity and its Core Composers](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PcmHEpXFWgk/mqdefault.jpg)
![The “Supermusic” of Alvin Lucier
🎶 Support the channel: http://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
0:00 Introduction
1:00 I: Son of a Politician
4:25 II: Brainwave
14:23 III: The Acoustics of Space
33:55 IV: Music of Sight
39:13 V: Beats Me
📚 Sources/further reading:
“Chambers” by Alvin Lucier and Douglas Simon (Wesleyan University Press, 1980)
“Finding Oneself: Alvin Lucier and the Phenomenal Voice” by Brandon Labelle
“Music 109: Notes on Experimental Music” by Alvin Lucier (Wesleyan University Press, 2012)
Cymatics by Hans Jenny (republished by MACROmedia, 2001)
https://nwr-site-liner-notes.s3.amazonaws.com/80755.pdf
https://monoskop.org/images/f/fb/Alvin_Lucier_A_Celebration_2011.pdf
https://api-depositonce.tu-berlin.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/d59981bb-bd6d-4b8b-9be6-1e64c8804666/content
https://www.james-saunders.com/interview-with-alvin-lucier/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2011/10/28/sound-messenger-for-composer-lucier/oONVJVKa1wdVB7pfc2fTpM/story.html
Stock footage for this video come from the documentary Cymatics: The Healing Nature of Sound (1968)
Music:
- Alvin Lucier: “Music on a Long Thin Wire,” various performers, all unknown
- Alvin Lucier: “Music for Solo Performer” and “Bird and Person Dyning,” both performed by Alvin Lucier (from “Music with Roots in the Aether” by Robert Ashley)
- Alvin Lucier: “I Am Sitting in a Room,” performed by Alvin Lucier
- Alvin Lucier: “(Hartford) Memory Space,” performed by Joan La Barbara, Daniel Fishkin, Cleek Schrey, Ron Shalom, Henry Birdsey, Zach Rowden, Trevor Saint, Ronald Kuivila, Emerson Jenisch, and Sam Boston: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2BmQ79PpM
- Alvin Lucier: “Quasimodo The Great Lover,” realized by Laura Cameron, Matt Rogalsky, and an international team: https://mattrogalsky.bandcamp.com/track/quasimodo-the-great-lover-alvin-lucier
- Alvin Lucier: “Music for Piano with Slow Sweep Pure Wave Oscillators,” performed by Mischa Salkind-Pearl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YezjsqCP4OA
- Alvin Lucier: “Crossings,” performed by Tim Ward, Chris Finkel, Thomas Ridenour, Roy Wiseman, Robert Dick, William Purvis, Claudia Coonce, Bob Bielecki, Philip Rucktenwald, Andrew Seligson, Veronica Salas, and Shem Giubbory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHkoZqmfwjI
- Alvin Lucier: “A Tribute to James Tenney,” performed by Matt Smiley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgbu_SzWpUo
- Alvin Lucier: “Exploration of the House,” performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ilan Volkov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5rYJVmALQk
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. The “Supermusic” of Alvin Lucier](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PwokwS31xvM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Richard Wetz: The Forgotten Brucknerian
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
📚 Sources/further reading:
https://repertoire-explorer.musikmph.de/en/product/wetz-richard-2/
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Feb06/Wetz_Requiem_7771522.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Feb02/Wetz.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/May01/wetz.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/july00/wetz.htm
http://www.brucknerjournal.com/Issues/ewExternalFiles/bruckner_journal_v6_2.pdf
https://books.google.com/books?id=QUJRPVLcXoAC
This was requested by Brockenflabel, Carlos Montejano, Balt Montejano, Jacqueline Montejano, and KingJellybean. See all requests at http://lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Richard Wetz: Symphony No. 2 in A (1919), Op. 47, performed by the Osaka Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hiroshi Kodama [original upload: GgzrghR4RhA]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Richard Wetz: The Forgotten Brucknerian](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PxPrTHnX1lA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Great Composers: Richard Strauss
Twenty. Horns.
This was a video request from YouTubers The Major, Logan Campbell, Ryan Leonard, Reece Rivalland, and Nkap Nkap. See all requests at http://www.youtube.com/classicalnerd.html
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, performed by the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Barbara Schubert and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/y9vjftmu
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Great Composers: Richard Strauss](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QJV9IS3Hh_A/mqdefault.jpg)
![How to Run a Summer Festival [with Connecticut Summerfest co-founders Gala Flagello and Aaron Price]
Thanks again to Gala and Aaron for their time!
Connecticut Summerfest: https://www.ctsummerfest.org/
Gala Flagello: https://www.galaflagello.com
Aaron Price: http://aaronpricemusic.com/
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
https://classical-nerd.tumblr.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. How to Run a Summer Festival [with Connecticut Summerfest co-founders Gala Flagello and Aaron Price]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QW-iMaRX4eE/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Theremin Cello [with Dr. Jonathan Golove]
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
0:00 Introduction
0:21 History
6:06 How it Works
Thanks again to Dr. Golove for both his time and for lending me the space-control theremin seen briefly here and (more thoroughly) in my previous video.
📚 FURTHER WATCHING:
Mental Radio by Jonathan Golove may be watched, in its entirety, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOTKMR0vN6Q
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, sight-read by Jonathan Golove, theremin cello
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. The Theremin Cello [with Dr. Jonathan Golove]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q_emtOWcY08/mqdefault.jpg)
![Keyboards of the Sigal Music Museum [with Dr. Tom Strange]
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
Special thanks to Anne Q. Barr, Marie Q. Henry, and (of course) Dr. Tom Strange for their crucial roles in helping to make this incredible visit happen. Visit their Web site at https://sigalmusicmuseum.org
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Thomas Little: “C’est la Vie” from the Sonata for Violin and Piano (2018), performed by Michele Zimmerman and George Mobley and available for purchase on Bandcamp: https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com/album/sonata-for-violin-and-piano
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, arranged for harpsichord and performed on the fly by Thomas Little
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Keyboards of the Sigal Music Museum [with Dr. Tom Strange]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QigOvnKHQhc/mqdefault.jpg)