Original sources indicate that J.S. planned to have 164 chorale preludes in his Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book), but he only wrote out 46 of them. Organist William Whitehead decided to commission preludes on the remaining 118 chorale melodies — in each composer's own style, not in Bach's. - The New York Times
I am learning to accept that our mainstream media will not adapt to the needs of this moment in our public life. Having talked and written about institutional bias of this sort for many decades, I am beginning now to accept that the central institutions are not going to change. - James Fallows
"A cache of 2,700-year-old marble relief carvings have been unearthed by archaeologists beneath the dilapidated Mashki Gate, just east of Mosul in Iraq. The incredibly well-preserved relics demonstrate how artists working under Assyrian King Sennacherib, who ruled between 705 and 681 B.C.E., developed their own unique style of art." - Artnet
Afton Battle, one of the few Black women to ever run a U.S. opera company, is resigning from the Fort Worth Opera. She will be Fort Worth Opera’s second consecutive general director to resign after three seasons or less. She held titles of both general and artistic director. - KERA
"The Paper Chase became a sort of pre-law school bible that students read before embarking on a career in law. One of them was Mr. Osborn’s daughter, who enrolled at Harvard Law School in 2003." - MSN (The Washington Post)
This word substitution – and thousands like it – suggests that our mental dictionaries link words with related meanings. In other words, semantic connections can influence speech errors. - The Conversation
He's the world's most admired classical ballet choreographer, and he was artistic director at the Bolshoi. But, because he opposes Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the companies have removed his name from their materials (though they're happy to keep using his work without his name on it). - MSN (The Washington Post)
My initial impressions, after three performances, were mixed. The sound is bright and clean, with excellent separation of instrumental voices. When the entire ensemble kicks in, though, the sonic picture seems to flatten out and lose lustre. - The New Yorker
"In honor of the 100th anniversary of the publication of 'The Waste Land,' we invited four writers and academics — Beci Carver, Jahan Ramazani, Robert Crawford, and David Barnes — to discuss the importance, context, artistry, and legacy of the poem." - Literary Hub
Alok A. Khorana: "When I first read the poem, I was puzzled by the structure ... because it felt strangely familiar. ... The entire poem seemed to me structured like an Upanishad." This, it turns out, is not happenstance: Eliot knew those Sanskrit texts well. - Literary Hub
"In recent months, however, Hollywood's business culture has started to regress in subtle ways. New problems — widespread cost-cutting as the box office continues to struggle, coming union contract negotiations that producers worry will result in a filming shutdown — have become a higher priority." - The New York Times
"On the official 5-4 website, there is a one-liner that pretty much tells you everything you need to know: 'A podcast where we dissect and analyze the Supreme Court cases that have caused America's lofty promise to fall like a dying satellite slowly crashing back to earth.'" - Vulture
"The Dallas Morning News and KERA announced Monday the formal launch of their new shared endeavor Arts Access, 'a first-of-its-kind journalism partnership' designed to expand 'arts, music and culture coverage in North Texas, through the lens of equity and access.'" - KERA (Dallas)
Two members of the board of competitive Irish step dancing's chief governing body have stepped down in the wake of revelations that some coaches and judges have colluded in fixing the results of competitions. There has been no indication so far that either of the resigners was directly involved. - Irish Independent
"After a late start in his performing career, (he) became a recognizable face from roles on numerous television shows, most notably Will & Grace, then achieved even more fame during the pandemic when his quirky homemade videos attracted millions of Instagram followers." - The New York Times
