Portamental is dedicated to the exploration of music in all its forms and the promotion of musical understanding for all. Contributors include:
Pianist, instrumentalist, vocalist, arranger, molecular biologist and music theorist. Former Music Director of the Achordants. For arranging services, see Broze Brothers Music; for performing and lessons, see Yuri Broze.com.
Accomplished guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and photographer.
Composer, arranger, double bassist, writer, and didgeridoo builder. Music Director of Brandeis University's Rather Be Giraffes. For arrangement and other sundry music services, check out MusicaRanger.
We like InterCaps.
Welcome to the smarter music blog! I am always struck at first by the “why” of blogging, and in fact the tiny and short lived blog I wrote only a handful of entries for while living in Asia was dominated by reflexive commentary on the processes of its own creation. Maybe I’ll reproduce one or [...]
I’m an introvert — I love people and I’m very social, but I feel like I need to recharge with some alone time after a period of social activity. Extroverts are those people who can enjoy being alone, contemplating things, and getting a chance to have some time in their own heads, but afterwards, they [...]
This is such a delightful word I have caught myself using, and is particularly noteworthy in its conventionality of etymology. It seems to me (and others) that its slow introduction to the English language is due to the Spanish word for “storm,” tormenta. Slowly — possibly through the American/Mexican border, the word has begun to [...]
It’s been often stated that technological advancement has helped propel humanity towards a life of leisure, increasing our free time and reducing the amount of time we need to work. But despite this, it seems that most people are all willing to put in overtime hours instead of doing what they might otherwise claim they [...]
The modern-day practice of religion is generally a form of paying respect to those who came before us — either by honoring their lifestyles, traditions, or the base of knowledge they were able to leave us. The Abrahamic religions by far are the most prevalent, and we owe Abraham a great deal of respect for [...]
There seems to be a pointed dearth of groundbreaking composers these days; at least, it’s difficult to pinpoint those who are truly revolutionary and inspiring leaders of the art, since there’s no longer a sense of celebrity attached to knowledgeable and skilled art music masters. Why is this? I suspect the reasons are (at least) [...]
Is musicological literature valued based on some logical framework of excellence and insight, or is it really a contest of who can write most inspirationally and eloquently? I’m reminded of a certain presidential candidate whom I support enthusiastically. Then again, maybe while writing about art, it’s ones duty to try to enhance the inspiration encouraged [...]
Somebody please remind me to write about the difference between the Internet generation’s cultural nostalgia versus that of those coming before. It’s a profound shift in the national rhetoric, and it’s positively fascinating. Technology is a vehicle to organize people who have otherwise been manipulated and culturally defined a priori by major national corporations.
