Music History Monday

The original Sony Walkman, model TPS-L2 We mark the introduction on July 1, 1979 – 45 years ago today – of the Sony Walkman. The Walkman was the first entirely portable, high-fidelity (or at least...

1 Jul 202417min

One sort of Boogie Fever: Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989) cuttin’ the rug at New York’s Studio 54, circa 1978 On June 24, 1374 – 650 years ago today – the men, women, and children of the Rhineland ci...

24 Jun 202411min

John Taylor McClure (1929-2014; bottom left) with Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971; bottom right”) in the recording studio on July 20, 1964 We mark the death on June 17, 2014 – an even 10 years ago today...

17 Jun 20240s

The real-life married couple Ludwig and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld as Tristan and Isolde at the first performance of Tristan und Isolde on June 10, 1865 On June 10, 1865 – 159 years ago today –...

10 Jun 20240s

Ludwig Alois Friedrich Ritter (“Ritter” meaning “Knight”) von Köchel” (18900-1877) We mark the death on June 3, 1877 – 147 years ago today – of the Austrian lawyer, botanist, geologist, teacher, wr...

3 Jun 20240s

There Must Be Something in the Air Have any of you done – or anticipate doing – anything particularly foolish today, anything particularly inappropriate? If you do, know that you will be in good...

27 Mai 20240s

Gaston Leroux’s Paris Opera House (today the Palais Leroux) in 1875, the year of its inauguration Before we get to the principal topic of today’s post, we must note an operatic disaster that had no...

20 Mai 202420min

World Cocktail Day! Whoever wrote the copy for this notice was clearly well into their third, perhaps fourth cocktail We recognize May 13th as being, among other “days” here in the United States, N...

13 Mai 202420min