Let’s talk about something that may signal the end of civilization. Okay, maybe it’s not quite that serious, but it’s close. Multi-tasking. If you are young, you may be always multi-tasking and consider it so normal that you don’t even know there’s a word for … Read more
Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet “Dance of the Knights” This post is scheduled to appear when I’m somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. If you hang around Professor Carol, as I do on a regular basis, you will find yourself in some interesting places. … Read more
Quite rightly, people say, “It’s incredible what you see and do on your travels.” Especially since beginning to work as a Smithsonian speaker, it has been precisely that: incredible. The panoply of cities and countries I tour, plus the unfathomable experience of gazing upon the … Read more
Bach, Fugue in G Major, BWV 577 (“Gigue”) Since we all celebrated Bach’s birthday this week, I thought we should feature something festive by Bach. What, you missed his birthday? Pity, but it happens. A few years ago I went to Sunday services at the … Read more
A man came up to me at the Greenville, South Carolina, Great Homeschool Convention, asking this dreaded question. Actually, he said it more delicately . . . something like, “You probably won’t remember me.” The fact is, thirty years have passed since I last saw … Read more
Nestico, Songs of Erin and The Boys of Wexford Since St. Patrick’s Day falls on Friday this year, it seems appropriate to hear some Irish music. Of course, Nestico doesn’t sound like an Irish name, but never mind that, it’s a name you should know. … Read more
Parents and tutors who meticulously research their Latin curricula, devise brilliant reading programs, and accumulate terrific materials for math and science may still find themselves floundering when it comes to teaching the Fine Arts. For reasons that include a lack of confidence and gaps in … Read more
Schubert, Arpeggione Sonata What is an arpeggione, you ask? Pictured here, it seems to be a cross between a guitar and a cello. Hence its other name: “guitar violoncello.” It has six strings tuned like a guitar (in fourths rather than fifths). So it was well-suited … Read more
Each week brings its challenges, right? Last week, mine was preparing a pre-concert talk I would give for the March 7 Dallas Wind’s Video Games in Concert. I probably needn’t state that I’m not a “gamer.” Long ago, I dropped a quarter into a Pac-Man … Read more
Sor, Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 9 Fernando Sor (1778-1839) was called “the Beethoven of the Guitar” by French composer François-Joseph Fétis. I’m not sure what Fétis meant by that. Sor was a contemporary of Beethoven who wrote in a Classical style, and he … Read more