External Resources and Tools
Last Update: 2022-06-22
Table of contents
Music Ownership
With the obvious exception of concert reviews and media that are sent to me for reviewing, all music discussed in this blog has either been purchased as physical CD (the vast majority, actually), or purchased and downloaded from on-line stores. All music is legally purchased (hopefully with the artist getting a share of the purchasing price!) — I would never even consider gray or black channels such as BitTorrent and the like.
In general, I’m not a friend of subscription models such as Spotify or IDAGIO, as these don’t suit my listening habits & needs, particularly when comparing recordings. I do often use these services, though, when preparing for a concert, to listen to a reference recording that I don’t have in my personal library.
YouTube Videos
I may occasionally refer to YouTube videos as “external references” — assuming that such videos are either legal or would be taken down if challenged for legal concerns. It is entirely possible that there are links to YouTube videos in my blog that have been taken down since my posting. Feedback about such dead links is welcome, of course. I am periodically checking my external links for their validity, but certain dead links may go unnoticed. I will remove dead or inappropriate links when notified.
Music Scores
Wherever possible, I use pocket scores to follow the music I’m listening to. In case I don’t already have a score, and particularly for smaller and older works, I use downloaded scores (PDF format) from IMSLP.org, provided downloading is free and legal in Europe.
I have started adding information on printed scores that I used (with links towards amazon.com); I merely want to provide information on which score I used — I have not compared different scores, and so, such information cannot mean endorsement, except for stating that the score I used covered my needs as a listener (I’m not a musicologist!).
As for the scores from the IMSLP project: note that those scores which are freely available are typically older editions that are no longer covered by copyright protection — those can definitely not serve the needs of a musicologist, or of a serious artist.
Amazon Links
Wherever possible, the “—Find media on amazon.com — (#ad)” and similar / equivalent links point to the exact CD discussed in the blog — with a few exceptions:
- Occasionally, the CD label shown in the linked page looks different, as I may have an older release of the same recording, or the label may have changed since I purchased the music. I stuck to this rule even in cases where a complete edition has become available (likely at a better price per CD), while I was discussing individual CDs (e.g., for some recordings of the Beethoven piano sonatas or string quartets).
- Conversely, in the case of the “Arthur Rubinstein Complete Album Collection” I’m referring to that collection (which is what I have), even though individual CDs may also be available for some of the recordings.
- In some cases, a CD is no longer available, so I selected a (supposedly) equivalent recording from the amazon catalog without extra remarks.
- In rare cases, an individual recording may no longer be on the market, but it may now be available as part of a bigger collection — in this case, I marked the link accordingly.
- As the biggest share of the blog visitors reside in North America, the amazon links point to amazon.com, i.e., the U.S. branch.
Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases that are actuated through such links.
Concert Reviews
Upon invitation, I started reviewing concerts for Bachtrack.com. I did so between 2014-10 and 2018-09. However, I did not earn money with this, Bachtrack just organized the press tickets. These reviews were in German, the rights remain with Bachtrack.
I have always written a separate blog review about such concerts, in English. These are not translations of the corresponding reviews for Bachtrack.
Finally: I may get a free press ticket (possibly one for my wife, too). This typically is the only compensation I get. I’m offered a concert visit, and in return, I’ll spend a day or two of my time writing and posting a review. With very rare exceptions, I also do not get compensation for travel expenses in connection with concert visits.
Images, Icons, Thumbnails, etc.
- The UPC-A and EAN-13 bar code graphics are created using free barcode generators, such as Barcode Software by TEC-IT.
- There are a few blog posts with animated GIFs (typically for instances of collections of moderate quality photos at low resolution). These animated GIFs are created using a free online GIF-building utility, initially from GIFMaker.me (now discontinued), later (as of 2022) from EZGIF.com .
- QR codes for URLs are included for iTunes, amazon.com or similar downloads where I can’t locate a valid UPC-A or EAN-13 bar code. Such QR codes are created using an open access QR code generator, such as Barcode Software by TEC-IT.
- The “loupe” / magnifying glass image on the Search pages is based on a design by pngtree.com (free PNG downloads).
- I may occasionally use third party icons. These are either from Google or from free download sites such as iconsdb.com
