Historian Timothy Messer-Kruse found a serious error of fact in a Wikipedia article on his particular locus of research. He corrected the error, with citations to the primary sources he’d studied, and his changes were undone within minutes. That was just the beginning …
Tag: 02.12.12
What Makes Germans Laugh? (Yes, There Is Something)
There’s an old English music hall sketch, “Dinner for One”, that was ubiquitous there in the 1920s and ’30s, was recorded for German television in 1962, and somehow caught on in the ’70s, airing every New Year’s Eve and becoming the most popular program in German history. Philip Oltermann explores what the sketch’s popularity explains about the German sense of humor.
Computer To Recreate Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue With Live Orchestra
“George Gershwin’s part will be played by a Yamaha Disklavier PRO – a kind of super-computer player piano mechanism inside a classic, nine-foot concert grand. It’s essentially a “playback” instrument; what’s truly special here is what will guide the Disklavier: the Zenph Sound Innovations software that meticulously replicates a musician’s performance as computer data.”
Joffrey Ballet Returns To Cutting-Edge Choreography
Says artistic director Ashley Wheater, “The Joffrey has a phenomenal history, and in my time” – he danced with the company in the 1980s – “there was an incredibly eclectic repertoire. We did Ashton and Fokine but also Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, William Forsythe. But in the last 20 years the company did very little new work.” Wheater has just changed that.
Spotting The Anachronisms In Downton Abbey‘s Dialogue
“The post-Edwardian period décor, costumes, and sumptuous scenery all seem just right. But with drama that is so dependent on dialogue, one aspect of the show has come in for particular attention from sharp-eared fans: the accuracy of its language.”
Flying, And Living, Solo, Within The Constant Chattering Stream
“In prosperous societies, where social media is common, social lives are affordable and accessible, and families are no longer a financial necessity, is the era of communal living over and done? If so, are we losing our ability to be intimate, or are we simply evolving into creatures with different needs?”
A Worthy Biographer For A Worthy Dancer
How Brenda Dixon Gottschild came to write the biography of Philadelphia’s Joan Myers Brown, legend of African-American dance.
With Police Escort And Rock Star Status, Dudamel And The LA Phil Move Mahler To Caracas
“The day was warm and humid. The air was soft and thick. The very diverse audience included students and parents, rich and poor, children as young as 5. Attire could be anything: jeans and T-shirts, suits and mini-skirts. Kids carried musical instruments. Teenagers danced and necked on the plaza. Vendors sold delicious local chocolate wrapped with portraits of Gustav Mahler.”
New Director Works On Funding – And Inspiration – At The California Arts Council
Craig Watson: “In all of my early discussions around the state, it is clear the role the Arts Council played historically as a convener has been missed. We are getting back in that business where it makes sense.”
Artists Say Independence For Scotland Would Mean Death For The Arts
As Scotland prepares for a vote on independence, some in the arts think a yes vote would be disastrous. Mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill: “For the arts in Scotland, funding is difficult. There is an audience for classical music, but it’s very small, and we can’t deny that people travel from south of the border to attend. I think we’re stronger together.”