Category Archives: category-defying

second-hand sheet music

Posted on September 24, 2007 by vhk10

I was in Oxford at the weekend and, since I needed to get hold of a vocal score of the Mikado, thought I might look for a second-hand one. But second-hand sheet music is now hard to find on sale … Continue reading →

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a Wagnerian pizza

Posted on August 19, 2007 by vhk10

Earlier this month in Sicily I consumed a ‘Parsifal’ pizza at a restaurant which for some reason had an Arthurian theme. Among the ingredients were rocket, prosciutto and mushroom, but it wasn’t a great success, being on the soggy side. … Continue reading →

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Bruckner did not write heavy metal

Posted on April 27, 2007 by vhk10

But this didn’t stop the Grauniad from putting a spurious umlaut over the u in his surname today. I recommend the Wikipedia article on this topic. I expect that I won’t be mentioning heavy metal again here in a hurry … Continue reading →

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the golden age of compound time

Posted on April 4, 2007 by vhk10

As I was singing the opening chorus of the St. Matthew Passion a thought occurred to me: why did it go wrong for compound time after the baroque period? Why did later composers use it less, apart from niche markets … Continue reading →

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at the school jumble sale

Posted on March 27, 2007 by vhk10

This year I helped to run the bookstall at the school jumble sale. Among all the chick-lit, thrillers, airport reading and the like there was just one book relating to music: the Cambridge Opera Guide to Wozzeck. As I withdrew … Continue reading →

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MIDI manœuvres

Posted on April 12, 2006 by vhk10

I bought a new mobile phone and wanted to write my own MIDI file to use as a ringtone. (My old phone would allow you to compose ringtones on it, but you were restricted to a single melody, in a … Continue reading →

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a calendrical plea

Posted on January 9, 2006 by vhk10

This isn’t really related to music, but someone reading it may be able to help. Every year I buy a calendar with photographs of British Cathedrals. The format has varied – perhaps they haven’t all been produced by the same … Continue reading →

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a move

Posted on July 29, 2005 by vhk10

So here we are on devbox, as the old server had to be shut down. I’ve upgraded to a new version of the software so the look and feel is slightly different. I may adjust it a bit over the … Continue reading →

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Cheltenham’s secret

Posted on July 2, 2005 by vhk10

Last year I realised that the Cheltenham Music Festival was within striking distance, and put myself on the mailing list. But as a way of finding out about the 2005 Music Festival this was a failure. I never a received … Continue reading →

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scoring music on a PDA

Posted on May 25, 2005 by vhk10

I recently posted this request to an email list and may as well make it here too. Meanwhile, I think I’ve been invited to sing in two concerts in the first week of July (Chandos Singers/Exultate Singers) but am trying … Continue reading →

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Which Russian composer are you?

Posted on May 18, 2005 by vhk10

For a bit of fun I recommend the Dead Russian Composer Personality Test. I took it and came out as a Stravinsky, while my husband was a Shostakovich, which seemed right somehow. A few friends sat the test, producing more … Continue reading →

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where do you put flyers?

Posted on October 8, 2004 by vhk10

I’ve been discovering again where to distribute flyers and posters for concerts in Bristol. By keeping my eyes open for opportunities I’ve found various shops and other places near where I work which can take them and display them prominently. … Continue reading →

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