Why Verdi Wrote an Opera about Sex Work
Giuseppi Verdi's 1853 opera La Traviata was a shocker when it was first performed. Nineteenth-century audiences didn't expect to watch a sex worker die of tuberculosis at the opera.
What Exactly is K-Pop, Anyway?
Since the late 90s, K-Pop has been one of South Korea's most important cultural exports. Fans have a deeply emotional attachment to the music.
Player Pianos and the Commodification of Music
Half of all American homes had a piano or player piano a century ago, but very few do now. Whatever happened to the parlor piano?
“Thoughts and Prayers” in Greek Tragedy
With national tragedies now as frequent and predictable as sunrises, no phrase has lost consolatory power more swiftly than “thoughts and prayers.”
The Long, Winding History of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”
Julia Ward Howe wrote her most famous poem, the legendary Civil War song, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” in a single burst of inspiration 156 years ago.
The Gender Politics of the First Boy Bands
Crooning, a musical style of the late 1920s and early 1930s, was fraught with gender panic. Where the singers manly enough?
Jane Addams’s Crusade Against Victorian “Dancing Girls”
Jane Addams, a leading Victorian-era reformer, believed dance halls were “one of the great pitfalls of the city.”
The Lasting Power of Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”
Twenty years ago, Janet Jackson released her single "Got ‘Til it’s Gone." Today, we celebrate the layered artistry that led to the video's timeless appeal.
Why We Will Never Hear What Mozart Heard
Modern pianos are the product of a 600-year evolution—from Hermann Poll's 1397 clavicembalum, to clavichords, harpsichords, and the modern grand piano.
Was Graceland Elvis’ Greatest Aesthetic Masterpiece?
When you think of the aesthetic life of Elvis Presley, you probably think of the gaudy glitz of Graceland. But what did the tacky décor really mean?