iTunes LP: Information Please

In the latest update to what is, for the most part, an excellent music service, Apple has unveiled iTunes LP. This upgrade to the traditional iTunes format allows users to interactively browse the inserts and cover art that would normally go along with a hard-copy CD or album. Previously, CD inserts were only available through iTunes in the form of PDF files that could be downloaded along with some of the albums in their catalog.

While I applaud Apple's effort to further resuscitate "album art," I'm disappointed that they haven't addressed the primary issue -- the very small number of albums for which booklets are available. In the past few years, I've downloaded over 30 albums and only three of them had an accompanying PDF booklet. In fact, none of the albums I've downloaded for my Hopeless Journey have had booklets and it is these classical albums for which I am most in need of information. Even if Apple doesn't do it, somebody needs find a way to distribute information along with classical recordings; I can't imagine that many consumers already know enough about the works of Philippe de Vitry or Guillaume de Machaut to really understand what they're listening to when they hear a recording of medieval music. While Allmusic provides a partial solution with its scholarly discussions of famous compositions, these discussions are generally limited to the big-name composers and award-winning albums.

Maybe I'm spoiled by the Information Age, but really... information please!

Awareness of Sound Quality: A Look at How We Listen

I never really considered myself an audio snob in the past. Until recently, I listened primarily to rock music, a genre that, although often rich in texture, is not hurt a great deal by a small loss in sound quality. I would happily don five-dollar headphones or transmit my music over the relentless static of a mostly-unused radio frequency... sometimes I felt like the raw sound actually contributed to the power of the music. Not so with classical.

As we delve into the Renaissance period, it is going to become more and more important to listen with a good sound system. The more vocal texture a composer adds to his pieces, the more we lose when we settle for low sound quality. Last night, I found myself overwhelmed by the power of a cyclic mass by Petrus de Domarto and it occurred to me that I had heard the mass before and experienced nowhere near the same level of bliss. I eventually realized that the previous time I had been listening through my iPod, while last night I had been listening through iTunes on my laptop. Needless to say, in the future legs of my journey I'll be avoiding the use of portable audio whenever possible.

Traditionally, sound quality has depended on the speakers/headphones and the player, but in the digital age the encoding of the audio file is also important. If you want to listen to classical music, particularly of the choral variety, I recommend listening through a pair of noise-canceling headphones and a relatively powerful source (like a computer or stereo system). In general, you'll also get better sound quality from a CD than a sound file with "lossy" encoding (this includes anything from iTunes), but I haven't found this to be essential. Of course, there are plenty of more expensive options for those who are even pickier than I am -- see the link below if this is you.

If you're stuck with cheapy equipment and portable audio, don't fret, there is still plenty to discover in early music. The important thing is just to be aware of the difference sound quality can make and to bear it in mind when you choose how you listen.

Related Links: Portable Audio for Snobs

Correction

Léonin & Pérotin: Sacred Music From Notre Dame Cathedral can no longer be found on iTunes for some reason. You can get it from here:

http://www.amazon.com/Leonin-Perotin-Sacred-Notre-Dame-Cathedral/dp/B000QQOWUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1240193799&sr=8-1

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