Monday, January 11, 2010

Cultural Interlude

Sure, you know me as a zoot-suited alligator, togged to the bricks and boots all laced up, a hep cat who can cut a rug , a righteous gate who’s a solid sender each and every set of seven brights (you do dig my jive, dontcha, buddy ghee? Or are you one of those ickies straight off the cob?)

Anyhow, I love the Swing era, which comes as no surprise to readers who check in every Friday for the Happy Feet video. But I like classical music, too, and Professor Carol, over at Music After 50, is planning a series of posts on the subject, focusing on how we can preserve this valuable part of our Western cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations (H/T: Arts & Ammo).

So get in the groove, hep cats and kittens…er, that is to say, check out Professor Carol’s thoughts on the subject in what promises to be a very interesting series.

10 comments:

  1. "Togged to the bricks"? Does that hurt? Some Asian ritual?I never heard that one.

    Thanks for the interesting site, I've bookmarked it. In point of fact I'm listening to our local classical music station right now.

    One thing you can do is support the few classical music stations that are still up and running. You will usually find that they are collaborations between the local PBS station and a university. In Los Angeles it was KUSC, in Tucson it's KUAT. Scan your FM dial and see if you strike gold!

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  2. Yes 'sadhus' in India sometimes tie their tog to a brick, best not to think about it.

    I picked up a nice recorded amateur performance of Handels Messiah by locals in Chennai. 'Comfort ye my people' has a more urgent resonance here I think.

    I get my here listening to my collection of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Brahms, Mozart etc all on easily portable mp3.

    Who are your favourite composers Paco?

    I'm really a Wagnerian at heart and balance his bombast with solid doses of nostalgic Mahler. Elgar civilises Wagner's barbarism too.

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  3. There's also: http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/index.html

    Cheers

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  4. For the uninitiated, "togged to the bricks" means well-dressed.

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  5. Oh. Because in Queensland "togs" means bathing suit, swimmers, or whatever else the rest of you call them.

    Sorry. Can't help with any classical music. Dminor certainly could, though.

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  6. Sounds like something we should be doing to the Democrats in November.

    (attempting his best Errol Flynn)

    "Right lads, after you tar and feather them don't forget to togg them to the bricks! Make sure they never forget this day!"

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  7. I love music of all kinds, but have a special fondness for classical music. It dates back to when I took art lessons at the age of fourteen in the kitchen of a widow lady who was a retired art teacher on Saturday afternoons. She made me listen to the Dallas Metropolitan Opera on the radio. It wasn't my first experience with loving music (that happened when I was five and heard "Deep Purple" for the first time), but it was my first experience with opera, and I have loved Puccini ever since.

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  8. Unfortunately, it didn't teach me to write coherently.

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  9. I saw Deep Purple doing the 'In Rock' tour live in 1970 (sweet child in time etc). Blackmore would throw his black strat way up the air and catch it while playing, with out missing a lick.

    But yeah, rebeccah, I enjoy Puccini very much too.

    Ever listened to Verdi's Requiem? It'll knock your socks right off.

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  10. Thanks for the tip on that site, Paco.

    Wagner, chased with Bach, for me. And, if I'm in an absurd mood, its PDQ Bach.

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