Welcome, friends, to our second ranking episode! Speaking of friends, it’s back to St. Gall for to meet Notker’s bestest buddy in the whole Universe, Tuotilo! Join us as we put their friendship to the ultimate test to find out who’s the real maestro of St. Gall! With special cameos by some of America’s most beloved politicians and a random shot of UK drill rap thrown in for good measure, the zaniness is fully on tap this time ‘round! Plus, there’s a...

THE WAIT IS OVER!!! Welcome to Notker Balbulus Part 2. The Bio! The Ranking! The Brodie being the Brodie! Need we say more? Smash that play button and LET’S DO THIS!!! ============================ LINKS Notker Balbulus: Sequnezen, Tropen & Gregorianischer Choral aud dem Kloster St. Gallen by Ordo Virtutum on Amazon Music https://www.amazon.com/Dilecte-Deo-Galle/dp/B004PUAGJG Chant Wars by Sequentia on Amazon...

WE MADE IT!!! Welcome, friends, to the episode you’ve all been waiting for. Eh, well its prequel anyway. We’ve split the episode into two parts for release in simo. In this prefatory episode you will learn the critical information you need to approach classical music on its own terms. In this first segment you will discover: 1. The four reasons you’re hearing classical music wrong, and how to fix them! 2. The exact roadmap for Season 1 3. The final steps in the birth of Gregorian chant,...

Hello, and welcome to our FINAL BACKGROUND EPISODE! Now brace yourself for a veritable tidal wave of musical knowledge as we trace the origins and development of Christian chant through the better part of the 1st millennium CE. This episode is absolutely jam packed with hard-to-find information and positively GORGEOUS music from half a dozen early chant traditions. Along the way, we will encounter young lectors who competed against pagan singers, alongside incredible early music theorists...

The first half of our final background episode comprises an all too brisk survey of some of the most interesting musical contributions of ancient Rome. Find out how the Romans REALLY felt about music and learn why, as Polybius once said, custom is always king. Oh! And we have emperor Nero's ACTUAL singing practice routine! That alone is worth the $0 cost of admission (I mean it's worth more than that, but you're getting it for free anyway because we're such a swell pair of guys)....

Western Classical Music: Where did it come from and how did it "get that way?" We think we can answer the first question in two episodes, but the second one... well, you could build an entire show around that! Today, we trace the origins of WCM from the earliest notated fragments in the world to the first named composers in history. Join us as we overturn the claim that "Not a note of music has survived from the ancient world," and find out what deck-sanding and kosher lunch meats have in...

We are back, and today we're headed east to meet two ancient classical music traditions that survive and thrive down to this day. Join us for an episode packed with music philosophy, microtones, and soooooo many instruments! Plus, find out why it's never a good idea to make deals with tectonic plates! =============================== INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC LINKS Indian Classical Music Website https://www.indianclassicalmusic.com/ Ravanhatta...

Ancient Egyptians just loved to Egypt. And you know who else does? YOU! I mean, that's why you're here, right? Join us for the third segment of episode 0c(1) to uncover such timeless truths as: Which scales did the ancient Egyptians use and was there a master scale as per ancient Sumer? Why did ancient Egyptians REALLY start calling their kings Pharaohs? And who were the four female Hemet-Neter who co-wrote the one surviving work of popular music that comes down to us from these times (we...

Our best episode yet! Who would have thought there'd be so much to say about music in ancient Sumer and the Akkadian empire? Join us as we trace the life of an ancient Sumerian classical musician. Along the way we'll uncover such exciting truths as: Why was Inanna the coolest goddess there ever was or ever could be?Why was there a Chief of Lamentations in ancient Akkad and what was his connection to Gibson guitars? What is the best animal to sacrifice to your instrument if you happen to be a...

Ok! We are back after a halfway successful attempt to put ourselves ahead of schedule. Last time we left you in the Stone Age, but DON'T PANIC. This time we're bringing you out of it! Join us as we stumble through shingles and chronic fatigue respectively all for the love of telling you weird stuff that no one else cares about, such as: What happened when the first wave of Proto Indo-Europeans reached Spain? How can you combat modern pseudoscience with ancient tuning standards? Why...

What we've been up to, when we'll be back, and what's the best thing you can do for another human being in the meantime. P.S. Forget the caveat at the end. I was able to get the lossless version in at the very last moment, so this IS the high quality sample! Enjoy!

Surprise! Schedule updates are just so boring and utilitarian, aren't they? Not when they come with a recording of one of the world's greatest cellists performing one of the world's greatest cello pieces! CAVEAT: The YouTube performance linked below is not the same performance as the recording heard in this episode, but it's the same musicians and conductor in both concerts. Jacqueline du Pre & Daniel Barenboim - Elgar Cello...

Ok! After three weeks of tech setbacks and editing catastrophes, victory is finally at hand! By victory, we of course mean this episode. Welcome to our mammoth second half of the first background episode. We think it beats the stones off of last week’s episode because this one has 18 examples of tribal music and prehistoric instruments. I mean, even your favorite podcast can’t say that. And they’re definitely way better than us. CAVEAT 1: Yes, editing points are still obvious and there’s a...

Hello, and welcome to our first real episode! Still not ranking anyone, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun talking shop! In this episode, we explore the most fundamental question of all: What is Music? Join us as we trace the evolutionary roots of human musicality from its origins in the animal kingdom through to its emergence with the dawn of self-aware upright bipeds. Finally, we'll resolve such time-honored questions as which came first; music or language, does that tree falling in...

Welcome to our pilot episode, where we discuss the uncredibly serious business of ranking classical composers!

Introducing... Settling The Score!