If you were unable to attend our premiere event on Teaching Arts Classically last May, you missed some terrific presentations and good company. We had such a wonderful time, we’re going to do it again. This time we will meet on the campus of University of … Read more
We call it “country driving” and anyone in Big Sky country knows what that means. Distances are relative, so driving 30 miles to buy your favorite brand of goat feed is normal procedure. When Hank and I drive across country, we use “country-driving” concepts to … Read more
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Cimarosa, Concerto for Two Flutes in G Major (G. 1077) As I was considering something by Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801) for a performance pick, I searched the Professor Carol website to see what we might have already said about him. As it turns out, he’s in … Read more
No, it’s not Christmas. It’s the beginning of the academic year—a date that always comes too quickly and catches us by surprise. The start of the academic year affects most of us, whether by the need to watch out for school zones or to fight … Read more
Haydn, Symphony No. 45 (Farewell) I started this series almost three years ago with a work by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). In between that first “performance pick” (No. 1) and this one (No. 136), Haydn has been missing. It confirms, I think, our tendency to take … Read more
I thought “the dog days of summer” referred to the conundrum some of us face in August: Should I chase that rabbit? Or just lie here and pant? Tiptoe around every corner and you’ll find a Classical root. Dog Days comes from ancient astronomy and … Read more
Bartók, Out of Doors — The Night’s Music Carol’s essay a few days ago on night music prompts this week’s performance pick. Why not follow up on her post by featuring the movement she discusses from Bartók’s Out of Doors? Coincidentally, just two weeks ago I … Read more
It took me back nearly 40 years, this wash of chirps, clicks, and hoots surrounding my sister-in-law’s screened porch outside of Chapel Hill. A nighttime symphony cascading through the Carolina pines brought me back to a rickety trailer not far away and the cinderblock stoop … Read more
Ockeghem, Missa Mi Mi, Agnus Dei If you begin reading about the Franco-Flemish composer Johannes Ockeghem (1410/25 – 1497), you may notice how much we don’t know about him. His birth date has been narrowed to a 15-year range. Historians have suggested several cities as … Read more
Did you grow up with people telling you to “practice what you preach”? Even in childhood I figured it must be difficult, considering the way adults said it. For the past two conference seasons I’ve delivered a talk called The Digital Dulling of our Children. … Read more