Violinists in a German orchestra want to get extra compensation for playing extra notes. Howard Reich likes the idea and proposes a compensation system that would be fair to every player in a symphony orchestra. It starts with one cent for every 64th note and two pennies for every quarter note. Rests, of course, count towards vacation time. “Musicians are responsible for counting the notes they play. This is an honor system, so remember, mistakes do not count. Follow the score as directed and we won’t have to levy fines for playing sharp or flat.”
Tag: 03.26.04
Top Victorians
What are the top ten Victorian novels? Philip Davis has made a list…
New Music For Amateurs (As A Lifestyle)
So much high-end contemporary music of the past century is so difficult, you need to be highly skilled to perform it. But shouldn’t there be more new music for amateurs? “We need to look at new ways of keeping musical culture going, and composers need to think more broadly about how their music is performed, and who is performing it.”
Eddie Palmieri, Salsa King
“Born in Manhattan of Puerto Rican parents in 1936, Eddie Palmieri is salsa’s maverick genius and the winner of seven Grammy awards. With the passing of the great band leader Tito Puente, this one-time enfant terrible has become salsa’s elder statesman. Yet, while Afro-Cuban music’s overwhelming impact on 20th-century music is now universally acknowledged, for most of us salsa is simply great party music – sexy, stylish, but not much more than that. Palmieri represents Latin music at its most intellectual, but isn’t the whole idea of “deep salsa” a contradiction in terms?”