McCarten Violins
Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino from southern Italy and Bombino from Niger start out NPR’s global music recommendations. Hearing songs from different cultures alongside each other teaches us that there is beauty in difference, and also that music is an activity that links the entire world together. Learn tidbits of history while discovering some great new music in this Latitude blog post on NPR.
The Monks of Norcia, a Benedictine order in Italy, have produced a CD of a gregorian chant. Perhaps surprisingly, this type of CD is currently very popular. The 1994 album Chant sold about 6 million copies!
Also, the monks are now brewing beer to bring the community together, and to earn income.
Listen to the NPR story here.
If you want to know about violin making, you’ll want to study the life and work of Antonio Stradivari, perhaps the greatest luthier of all time. “His interpretation of geometry and design for the violin has served as a conceptual model for violin makers for more than 250 years,” states the Smithsonian. Read about Stradivari here!
Below see a romanticized, yet beautiful portrait of the maker.
