Somehow I am only just learning that Fux and Mattheson got into a huge fight in the 1710s over hexachordal solmization, and Mattheson commissioned a woodcut for a publication depicting a LITERAL GRAVE for Guido of Arezzo, the hexachords, and the modes. Pettiness level: advanced.

I just registered for a conference that offers free registration to undergrad students, but they still have to register through the PayPal-supported conference interface and therefore pay a 51-cent fee to PayPal 🤔

"We all need to think about what she did, to really imagine ourselves in the same moment — the danger she stood up to, and the principles she stood up for — if we hope to do the same if a similar moment comes to us."

Hence my theory — cockamamie, of course, except that is it really? — that there was once a concert in which MTT conducted a piece by Feldman. And told the story. And in the audience was a member of the SNL writing staff, about to make history.

New track with impeccable vibes from Jack & co. Also if I had just 10% less self-control I would go on ebay and buy a wurli. Looks like I could have one delivered by middle of next week.

A friend once suggested that if there was a prestige TV Moby Dick series, "Cetology" be handled by hiring David Attenborough to recite incorrect whale facts over a bunch of stock footage for an entire episode.

I am being honest when I tell you this isn’t even all the people who came in second replying to this

Like 12 years ago my friend sent me this picture from his work and it immediately, permanently changed the name of this utensil in my head. The bytes were fully overwritten. I don’t remember the former name of this item and frankly I don’t care

A kindle sale!! Get it now! It’s ebook is annoyingly expensive so this is great!!!

Imagine being this guy and thinking you were some kind of patriot

who knew the death of the author was for their own good

“You can’t kill us all, Nazis” is particularly remarkable and moving because ICE agents could of course kill everyone literally there

Flashing back to 2021–22 since I'm making videos of my classes this week for a bunch of students who are away on a trip, and recalling that I spent like 25% of my work time that year on the nearly insurmountable challenge of getting the videos off my phone and onto Blackboard

Happy first day of school to all who celebrate. Boom! Boom boom boom.

@rebeccakopriva.bsky.social uploaded an audio file of piano music for our students to use in a musicianship assignment and the LMS autocaptioned it throughout. I am crying actual tears.

Would I be right in thinking that the reason why nonfiction audiobooks are now almost exclusively recorded by their authors is that they don't have to pay the authors and would have to pay a professional audiobook reader?

Two things about this series to convince you to watch it: (1) I am now actively considering reading multiple books about the development of the telegraph; and (2) I tried and *completely* failed to describe these videos to my spouse

Two things about this series to convince you to watch it: (1) I am now actively considering reading multiple books about the development of the telegraph; and (2) I tried and *completely* failed to describe these videos to my spouse

I do not even slightly regret to inform you that I have acquired yet another coffee brewer

Problematic fave Bobby S. did in fact have some bangers (Missing like 3 seconds at end b/c tyrannical bsky video limits)

Exciting news in Florence Price Land: Samantha Ege’s edition of Price’s 4 Fantasies is now available for pre-order, thus saving all future pianists from the nightmare hell that I went through global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Maybe a good time to say again that in my presence here I mostly try to be one of these people, despite the low-level worry that some of you will think "Chris must not care about the horrors" I assure you I care about the horrors but why would you want to read what I of all people think about them

In 5th grade or so I had a role in the (kid-authored) class play where I was a guy who got disemboweled. My big line was to turn to the audience and say “Hark, my guts!” and I’m telling you that shit slayed every single time, absolute comedy gold

This can’t be real (associated website seems legit???)

Huge failure mode in teaching esp. 20th-century music theory is picking topics to cover that teach really cleanly instead of topics that are widely applicable or important

I was lucky enough to hear Browning perform Ravel Left Hand at my undergrad school (maybe with the then-called Symphony II? p. sure not with our school orchestra) while I was working as an usher at the concert hall. It would have been in about 2001 and he died in 2003. Of course it was magnificent.

While I scroll the horrific news I am engaging in the (plausibly-class-planning-related?) activity of figuring out whose recording of the finale of the Barber Piano Concerto is the most face-melting. It is an objectively face-melting piece but this is rarely reflected on disc.

Do my wife and I ever accidentally call either of our two children "Vladimir," which was the name of our cat who died more than 5 years ago? Well, let's say this: we do it less and less often

"i've got eight slugs in me, one's lead and the rest are bourbon" is one of the all-time greatest noir lines in history

Current mood: wondering what psychological benefit people are deriving from insisting on saying “proteins” when they just mean “meat”

This could be fun (or maybe that’s the wrong word for a climate/pandemic apocalypse novel?), and a more gently-paced group read than the biannual January Moby-Dick reread. Standard Ebooks has a copy: standardebooks.org/ebooks/mary-...

anyway, I found a few issues of Down Beat on archive dot org, in case you're wondering what i do with my vacation time siri remind me tomorrow morning to check on the progress of the bass flute revolution

To the guy in the airport with a “Gary Conservatory” shirt: I am jealous of your shirt

When I’m traveling with both of my kids and it’s someone else’s kid who’s being kind of a pill

I always tell students if you ask a good question the article will write itself

I had to go check if this was even real

Yeah well my buddy already lost his job to artificial intelligence. He was an art thief.

Coffee sicko thought: taking a bath vs. taking a shower is the same as immersion vs. percolation brewing

You and your takes are wanted down at the

Moderately cursed arrangement of a major scale

One of my favorite things in choral music videos is when the camera/director features a long, lingering shot of the one chorus member who is taking a LITTLE BREAK from singing at the moment

Imagine you’ve been waiting for years and it’s finally your turn to carve the roast beast and then they let the fucking psycho who’s been terrorizing your village do it instead.

Merry Christmas! We are in the Pacific time zone and last night at what I guess was about 3:30 AM Eastern I got so tired that I spoonerized my own children’s names.

There are two basic types of Santa Clauses: (1) those who try to interpret "ho-ho-ho" as some kind of plausible form of natural human laughing, (2) those who interpret it as words: ho-ho-ho as catchphrase. The former strategy has a certain allure to some but in practice it's a tightrope act at best.

What do you mean old school?? It has CDs! I remember when those came out! They are a Digital Technology

I’ve been offline all day so have we already made all the Robert Schumann jokes about this nightmare contraption

Just the hugest possible no thank you to the “Proof Me Wrong Bourbon Bar” in the airport terminal

One of the most “you must be new at this” moments I had when I started my side gig playing piano at a church 5 years ago was when I played “Joy to the World” with the authentic 7-measure first phrase instead of adding a measure so that everyone would sing it without getting lost

An all-timer indeed—for me I think it's just this one and Snake Fight (although I certainly respect those of you who are on team Decorative Gourd Season)