Free time in the summer can involve taking the family to museums. Of course, what one finds in a “museum” today varies widely! Somewhere out there has to be a Museum for the History of the Horseshoe. And probably there’s a Museum filled with Historical … Read more
Berg, Lyric Suite In my years as an undergraduate majoring in music composition, we spent considerable time analyzing music of what’s called the “Second Viennese School” or the “New Viennese School”—essentially Arnold Schoenberg and his students Anton Webern (1883-1945) and Alban Berg (1885-1935). (The “First … Read more
The press abounds in articles about people not wanting to go back to work. Various circumstances come in play, from those abandoning jobs in search of something more fulfilling to some folks who apparently do not want to work at all. Hard work is woven … Read more
Carissimi, Plorate, Filii Israel (from Jephte) The oratorio was developed in Italy during the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church’s response to Lutheran reforms. The priest Philip Neri (1515-1595) began holding prayer services during the penitential season of Lent in the Oratory (prayer hall). Music was important … Read more
The arrangement was that I would spend a set of days at Highlands Latin School (Louisville, KY), working on a project with Memoria Press. I didn’t, though, know how the days would unfold. First, I love this place. Our roots at Professor Carol are linked … Read more
Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy Percy Grainger (1882-1961) is another composer, with others like Bartók and Kodály, who collected folk songs and incorporated them into his compositions. The new technology of the gramophone made field recordings possible, while that same leap in technology threatened the cultural forces … Read more
All growth is a leap in the dark. A spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience. —Henry Miller This oft-cited quotation from American novelist Henry Miller sums up a small, but notable, leap taken in our household. The leap began with a notice in … Read more
Carlos Simon, Amen! Professor Carol has had a close association with the Dallas Winds for many years, giving their pre-concert lectures and doing other promotional work. Now that we are in Winston-Salem, she agreed to serve on the board of the Piedmont Wind Symphony. There … Read more
An exceptional degree of collegiality characterizes today’s educational renewal. Whether you experience it under the title “Renewal of Educational, the “Classical Revival,” the “Homeschool Movement,” or another designation, the urgent mission to restore the standards of learning once common in Western Culture generates a palpable … Read more
Professor Carol will teach a live online mini-course for children in the grades 2-5 range in four daily sessions, Monday-Thursday, June 20-23. Details of the course and registration information can be here. Each day will begin with a one-hour session (including specific time for questions … Read more