Category Archives: Music

Muscles of facial expression

You are to understand that the next quotation is from our tiny, constantly smiling, soft-spoken anatomy prof with the white hair and the gentle very English voice. “Now these muscles are the dilator muscles of the mouth, and they have very strange names. My … Continue reading

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A Joyful Noise unto the Lord

Ecumenism is a Hasidic Jew singing reggae in praise of Hashem and reigniting your zeal to say the Rosary in public. Enjoy. Jerusalem – Matisyahu And if this doesn’t work, tell me. I want you to hear this guy.  

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Patience

The liturgy is the primary way by which we come to know God. God is three Persons. So go ahead and adjust the language, music and symbolism of the Mass to make them totally understandable on the first go. But only if you have previous experience of coming to … Continue reading

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He said it

To all my Californian friends: here, in the words of Stan Rogers, is why I don’t move down there to be with all of you. “In a few more years I won’t remember what it was to play, The music … Continue reading

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The show at the Met is postponed

I was just starting to think that I was having a pretty successful violin practise when I took a break and noticed that the kids playing on the grass outside had started howling like dogs.

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Pythagoras

The ancients thought of music as a branch of mathematics, which makes most of us say: “What a boring, stilted way to look at music.” But why not: “What a sublime way to look at math!”

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Heartbreak knows no borders

Romantic country song: She was the picture of grace and beauty, but she left me. Romantic pop song: She was the picture of grace and beauty, but I cheated on her. The Book of Proverbs: For the lips of a … Continue reading

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Hostel Kitchen

The hostel’s heating system had broken during the day, so we sat in our coats in the second floor kitchen, watching a bitterly cold Edmonton wind tear down the dark street below. A greying Newfoundlander, eyes droopy with sixty years and one very hard night, weakly swayed … Continue reading

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Frozen Music

As everyone knows, if you break the ice off the top of a puddle and kick it across the parking lot, it makes a noise like a rather musical ceramic tile sliding across the same surface. This works best if … Continue reading

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Silence

To Dz, BL and SF: If you’re ever stuck with almost no Catholic friends in a community entirely devoid of music, you will understand what a kindness it would be to get just one recording from the old days. That’s all.

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