No one escapes high school band or orchestra without slogging through his Cancan (the actual title is "Galop" from his operetta "Orpehus on the Underworld"). I think I learned the meaning of the derogation 'oomp-pah' from playing the cello part to this piece, which has appeared in myriad good, bad, and indifferent arrangements for young musicians. But this composer wrote many operettas which merit a listen. Played with sparkle and verve, his best work is like champagne, and his melodies are tender and charming. He was also a cello virtusoso and jammed with Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Anton Rubinstein.
***
Saw this tweet from goth-chick violinist Rachel Barton Pine yesterday:
Geeking out on "How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and Why You Should Care)" by Ross W. Duffin.
via txt
For a review of the aforementioned book and a decent crash course in what this all means, read "The Wolf at Our Heels: The Centuries-old struggle to play in tune" by Jan Swafford (and the 90-plus comments that follow):
