Blogging

I have reason to believe people are actually reading this. Hmmm. I frequently write things because they are the opposite of what you learn in school. Without knowing the standard wisdom you might think I was giving it. This is a blog. What would be the fun in just repeating what's in books?

This has reminded me of my classes at IU with Dr. Hans Tischler, the eminent musicologist. He would stand and lecture from small cards. He would give facts with some accompanying narrative which we would all carefully write down. We were going to be tested on this. The problem was that his facts frequently didn't agree with the facts in standard sources. Most often his dates were different. So is one to believe that the eminent doctor knows this? Or not? When examined, which date should one cite? Or would both be best with a footnote? Tis a puzzlement.

Gluck was actually influential in France where operas were always structurally looser and not rigidly tied to happy endings. He was of minimal influence in Vienna and of absolutely no influence in Italy. I was just having fun.