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Liberatopia: Now with hungry bears!

 Years ago I was driving someplace and an odd segment came on the NPR show This American Life, which was about a libertarian guy who was spearheading what seemed to me a pretty Quixotic notion: rallying a whole bunch of … Continue reading

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Your Daily Dose of Christmas

 My most beloved of composers, Hector Berlioz, was born 217 years ago today. While he is often noted (and mocked) for his use of bombast, he was actually very tasteful and strategic in his use of big sounds: Berlioz loved … Continue reading

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Beethoven at 250: The Ruins of Athens

 One reason that film music often struggles to get mainstream acceptance as music worthy of interest on its own is the fact that film music is always dependent on the film for its inspiration and genesis. Film composers don’t tend … Continue reading

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Your Daily Dose of Christmas

 From Mame, which I have never seen and know [Ed: Apparently I can no longer spell] exactly nothing about other than this song, right here. Oh, and the original Broadway: And the Muppets:

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Your Daily Dose of Christmas

 Several settings of my mother’s favorite Christmas carol. Enjoy! I’m never sure why this one isn’t heard more than it is.

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Tone Poem Tuesday

 In honor of the passing of Chuck Yeager (with a typically wonderful memorial by post by Sheila O’Malley), here is a suite of music by Bill Conti from the film The Right Stuff, which adapted the Tom Wolfe book that … Continue reading

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Your Daily Dose of Christmas

 Forty years ago tomorrow, I got up to get ready for school. My mother had Good Morning America or Today or one of those on in the living room, which is when I learned of what happened forty years ago today. John … Continue reading

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Your Daily Dose of Christmas

 One area of classical music I always tell myself I would like to explore, and yet never quite do, is the operas of Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov. NRK was a brilliant orchestrator, a musical colorist who also had a fine gift … Continue reading

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Beethoven and the Outdoors

“Beethoven’s Walk in Nature”, Julius Schmid  One thing that I have in common with Ludwig van Beethoven is that we both find creative rejuvenation in regular walks in the woods near our homes. I don’t know of any canine companionship … Continue reading

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Your Daily Dose of Christmas

 You know how sometimes a song will have a great tune and a great beat, but when you listen to the lyrics you’re kind of repulsed? For me one great example of this is the first of the 1980s pop … Continue reading

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