"Classical"

This started as a response to a blog of Soho the dog. Apparently a "consultant"
advised that the Oregon Symphony should not play so much "Classical" music.
Nothing but Baroque, Romantic, "Modern", Minimalist?

He shouldn't joke like that; these are a people who can't even pump their own gas!
there's an off chance they might take him seriously!!

Actually, he suggested Christian pop music, because it sells better.

Take a few deep breaths. Put your head between your knees for awhile.

Feeling better?

O.K.

Well, "classical" music WAS born in church, a very autocratic church. Unlike todays "Christian" music, it was the antithesis of "popular" that is to say, peasant, music.
By the time it got to the "classical" "classical" period, it had become merely royal.
It wasn't 'till the 50's that Les Paul gave Elvis the tools to show the world what working "class" children could do.
Now, of course we arrive at a new period of music in which "classical" music is percieved (to people with I.Q's in the low hundreds)(or even of presidential timbre) as anything played by an orchestra.
Although, in thinking about the problem of popularising the "classics" (See Pete Schikele's magnificant work "New Horizons for "Classical music"") (how many different meanings for the word "classical" can you kiddies find?) (hint see previous blog "my cars")(none of which are true "classics")(but, in many ways, are "classic" in their own right)
Ahem.

I have noticed that the musical groups that actually turn enough profit to keep themselves well supplied with the staples (cocaine, heroin, little yellow pills, little pills of many other colors, Jack Daniels, marijuana, Coca Cola, et. cetera)

Where was I?

Oh yah, they all write their own music!
Something to think about.
We 21st century composers will be heard!
If you have been reading me regularly, you may have perceived that I am involved in a lover's quarrel with the Seattle Symphony. This Is partly because they play other music by 20 and 21st century composers and not any of mine! The Bitch! Hmmmph!
I came in one day to find all my stuff tossed out on the lawn, right on top of some dog waste. (O.K. That's from a Frank Zappa song, sorry, Moon, Dweeze.)
What they do play, however, is pretty good, nay, excellent. Sam Jones' Tuba concerto is one of them. Gabriella Frank, Cindy McTee of the suprizingly firm grip, David Diamond, and one guy I havn't actually heard yet, Eddy Emerald.
Basta!


The major problem faced by composers of today's music is the question "What kind of music do you write?"
One must say "classical" even though the classical "classical" period is older than Keith Richard looks, and I'm not.
America was born right about then.
Don't even try to call it "Art music" I tried that once at a fiddle show in Monarch Montana. Being run out town on a rail is not that bad, the tar and feathers were annoying.
All kidding aside and no disrespect to Monarch, it was a terrific show.

There are several books of musical humor that expand on the "bean counter approach" theme. I am going to look for them now. Wait here a sec.

O.K., I'm back.
"A working musician's joke book" by Daniel Theaker. Sound and vision, Toronto.
"The Musician"s ultimate Joke book by Kevin M. Mitchell. Symphony Publishing. LLC
this one opens with a wonderful quote from Lili Tomlin "I'm worried that the person who thought up Muzak may be thinking up something else"
"Maestro, Please" cartoons by Ed Fisher. Applause books, New York.

It's in one of them, and many other places as well.

One suggestion is to get rid of all the violins and just amplify one of them.

You would think that people who worked for music organizations would know or at least care about the subject.
Naah!, I guess not.

My five minutes is up, bye!

Seattle Symphony rant goes on

Out searching for more things to post to try, in my pathetic way, to embarrass the Seattle Symphony, I found a blog from a founder's room patron. These people pay an extra $3K or so just so they can have a special place to wait out intermissions. The Symphony, however doesn't seem to feel that it needs to provide the amenities that they advertise for this service.
He had to treat his guests to drinks after the show.
Tacky.
I can understand them dumping me, I was only worth @ $1K per annum to them (not counting the accounting value of my free volunteer work)
They are in financial crisis, audiences are down, and they persist in deliberately antagonising and alienating their friends. In spite of my complaints, I am still a friend of the orchestra itself.
It's just a few incompetents I'd like to see move on.
Maybe into science, go see if there is any life on the moon, perhaps.
I just read that the San Francisco Opera is in the black.
I just read that the Detroit Symphony is in the black.
Seattle is a very arts oriented place.
O.K. ......grunge....sorry about that.
We have Speight Jenkins here.
Someone as competent as he is should take over the SSO.
Someone, who, like Mr. Jenkins, actually loves the art form and uses his position for more than personal aggrandisement.
The Seattle Opera is a world class outfit (that's my story and I'm stickin' to it)
The SSO, In spite of it's world class musicians, is, as Paul Meecham once referred to it in my presence, a "second tier orchestra".
Working on becoming third.

We gave you jet air travel.
You are reading this because of a Seattle poker player named Gates.

We have the talent to become first rate, just get rid of the saboteurs in charge

I wonder if Speight has a brother.

If there is a spill checcker for this syte, I havunt found it.

More SeaSymph dirt

It was about a year ago that I was tossed from Seattle Symphony's premises.
Actually, it was Feb, eleven twelfs, near enough.
At that time, a volunteer friend was writing letters to the HR person asking if they could have Doug back, seeing as how the complainant was leaving.
He got no more response than I did.

At the same time, HR decided to have a meeting of staff on the subject of harassment.
I recieved a rather poignant letter from him, wherein he listed his fears in this regard.My friend, naturally, wanted to attend. He wanted to know just what the rules were. There was certainly no way of knowing based on their treatment of me.
He was told that it was just for staff, volunteers not welcome.
Which action brings up two interesting interpretations.

One the SSO wanted volunteers to be in the dark in order to maximise the possibilities of confusion and misunderstanding. Perhaps these silly people get a feeling of power and moral superiority from deliberatly created problems like these and wanted to create as much trouble as they could so they could play Lone Ranger and rescue fair maidens from the ravages of their own imaginations.

That's one way of looking at it

Another way could be a justified guilt about their aiding and abetting of their employee's harassment of me. That said employee obviously kept up a constant string of complaint about me long after I had ceased any contact with (the employee)
Inasmuch as the alleged offence happened three years ago and HR refused to do anything at all about it untill there was no point to doing so, I consider their response suspicious. This is first degree incompetance.

Sweeping things under the rug like this is a way to grow strange weeds.

So, I have been set up in order to be knocked down. But, as there is no money involved, I just have to take the humiliation, the psychological injury, and the embarassment. Like a man (O.K, a neurotic old fart of a man).

Christmas miracle?

It was a nice weekend; asolsitce party on saturday (Beethovens birthday) and a family party (wife's side) on sunday
At the solstice shindig, we wine drinking, cheese eating, Volvo driving liberals were discussing politics, when we suddenly discovered that we were praising Richard Nixon!
The theme was intelligence (guess why) and Nixon's was noted, along with some of the accomplishments of his term.

Golly!

And the possible solution to the Iraq question was offered.
Spring Hussein, put the statue back up, then look the other way for a few years.
Actually, I think we need to go back to WWl's Treaty of Versailles and restore the original political divisions separating the Sunni and the Shiite, separating the Kurds and...Whey?
Whatever, It aint gonna happen anyway.
I also found out that a friend of mine grew up with Michael Tilson Thomas. I now know his childhood nickname. Hah!
At the family gathering, I learned that there is a Psychiatrist or Therapist in the family. Boy the things I might have learned if only he hadn't honored patient-client
confidentiality.
Anyway, a good time was had by all.
It's nice to have family, even though my poopy brother-in-law refuses to get a computer, let alone go on line and face me like a man.
I don't believe that the Seattle Symphony Orchestra is being funded by the slaughter of sweet-faced baby seals. Although with what I hear about some financing scheme with an outfit from Las Vegas, I do worry about their kneecaps.

Bloody knuckle division

My Cars:


FIAT 500 @1960 500cc 2 cyl motor. Strangely, for something I own, it is all Fiat parts. Except for a catalytic converter, don't ask.





1951 Bristol 401. Mildly modified Ford 6 (144cu in Falcon) 5 spd Toyota Celica tranny. Stainless liners in the wheel cyls, alternator.
Bristol began building cars after WW2 was over and they had to stop making bombers.
The base for the line was a pre war BMW. The first Bristol cars were copies of a BMW 328 and were called 400's
The 401 is essentially the same except for a body based on an Italian by superleggera
modified a bit by Bristol in their wind tunnel.
The original engine was a BMW 2liter 6 with a rather wonky valve arrangement. the head had hemispherical combustion chambers but the cam was in the block, operating tha valves through a whole bunch of extra rockers and pushrods. Renault, Borgward, Chrysler, and others did something like this, but with less complication.





ALFA Romeo Guiletta spyder. 1300 cc dohc motor, 5 spd trans.
Series 101 hull, series 750 engine, series 105 transmission. dual path brakes using a Renault 18 master cylinder. Stainless liners in the wheel cylinders, Alternator.

In the background, amongst the weeds and trash, you can see the GOKWiiS, the amphibian. Read about it in an earlier blog under "amphibians'

I'm still trying to find the picture of my '67 VW Van with the '49 Ferrari formula one painted on the side. The picture that Road and Track published shows it all faded and devoid of its original splendor.

Despair not, I'll be back trashing the Seattle Symphony Orchestra's generals soon.

Solstice

All right, the P.O.S put the trees back. The point is being made that the holiday, as celebrated here, is actually a secular one, related to harvest festivals and the accumulation of fat and warmth for hibernation.
There are very few horse drawn sleighs in Israel. Being a country located on an inland seashore only about that far from the equator, there is probably little snow. I want to say something about evergreen trees, but the phrase Cedars of Lebanon comes to mind.
Maybe there used to be large conifers there; before they were all sacrificed as burnt offerings in religious rituals.
Couldn't have been anywhere near as cool as ours, though.
Somehow, the concept of a burning yule fig dosn't do it for me, especially doing it while sitting in the middle of the desert
Anyway, I've got a solstice party saturday the 16th and it's causing a bit of a dilemma because it's Beethovens birthday and I usually stay home with the blinds drawn, light some insense, burn an ox, and pray.

Actually, it's nonsense I light, that should be obvious.

I was trying to be ridiculous in my last post when I hinted at anti-semitism at the SSO, but I wonder if it could be more a territorial thing. You know, "I'm the Jew around here, pal, buzz off".

More Christmas infantilism

Just the other day;
A local Rabbi politely asked Sea-Tac airport (Port of Seattle) to put up a Menorah along with all the Christmas trees.
In order to avoid any controversy, the port responded in a mature, understanding, spirit-of-Christmas by pulling down all the trees!
Blame it all the Jews!
What a sensitive reaction!
Now the Rabbi is getting hate mail from all around the world.
Way to support diversity, P.O.S.
I know the feeling. I guess that's what being "chosen" means
Thanks for our Savior, Schlomo, now scram!
Feel free to laugh
You know, my grandmothers name was Rosen, maybe that's what the Seattle Symphony Orchestra has against me.
I guess that's what being "chosen" means
In the meantime Eric Elnes, a preacher from Barry "Nuke 'em 'till they glow" Goldwater's home state is attacking a video game that has "true believers" murdering off the dross left behind after the "Rapture". I feel the crosshairs on my neck allready.
Eric Elnes is trying to change the way the world sees Christianity. Lots a luck, Eric
As you all know, I play "Duke Nukem". (no applause, please). Anyway, in the pursuit of staring into the flashing lights of my computer screen and trying to imagine that I am sombody who can carry, oh, say about 300 pounds of weaponry while still being able to leap 15 feet straight up, I have often downloaded .maps built by "Christians" every one of them consisted of lots and lots of weaponry and absolutely
no other challenges. No puzzle solving, no treasure hunt, no mazes, no clever graphic tricks,
Just mindless slaughter.
John Wayne.
With a 50 caliber machine gun.
Wading through the enemy.

Of course the enemy, in this case is those of up too stupid to see the obvious fallacy in this "dinosaur" business.
I feel more crosshairs on the back of my neck.
Creepy-eepy.
Where was I?
Of course, I already have one Christian bullet in my back. Still, I offer my hand in friendship and love to all, even her. (Except certain ones still working at Seattle Symphony Orchestra, ..........you know who you are).

You know, I just proofread this blog and noticed the title.
Infantilism,
For Christmas,
How appropriate.

Feel free to cry.

P.S.
People argue about who killed Christ. Sarah Silverman claims it was "The Blacks"
They are all wrong. Mel Gibson did it, and he took pictures!!

Rainier Symphony

Last night we went to renton's IKEA performance center at Renton High School.
Listened to Duo Patterson: Roxanna Patterson (Viola) and Ronald Patterson (Violin)
play Mozart's Symphonia Concertante in Eb. I don't have the musical sophistication to be a critic or even a reviewer, but I thouroughly enjoyed the performance and my spirits have been lifted. Maybe S.A.D. is not due to a lack of light but a lack of music.
The orchestra also played some Strauss and some Leroy Anderson
Also, they played The Radetsky (I don't know how you spell that)March.
What's with that?
I know it is a holiday favorite and all I see (hear) it on the telly broadcast from Wein every year. Why?
Any way, the last half of the program made me want to dance. Even thinking about that embarasses me. Fortunately, there was no dancing.
The Rainier Symphony has a show coming up early next year that my wife wants to go to.
Unfortunately, they're doing it at Benaroya.
I am afraid that if I let her go by herself, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra will try to murder her. There are some truly irrational people there
She has suggested that I shave and sneak in.
We'll see.
Well, that's all in the future, for now, have happy holidays and support the arts.
P.S
There are lots of other wonderful groups here in the Great Pacific Northwest
Auburn Symphony
Federal Way Symphony
Orchestra Seattle
Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra
Bellvue Philharmonic (Well; Bellevue is,.......you know )
Lake Union Civic Orchestra
Northwest Symphony Orchestra
I got all these names from my composition teacher, who seems to think I should be submitting scores. Maybe, but my tolerance for rejection has been used up for this year. Also, maybe it's just paranoia, but I fear that What's her name isn't finished with me yet.
As Lane Savant once said, we'll see.

Chutzpa

I just recieved in the mail a letter from the Seattle Symphony asking me to donate my estate to them.
If you've been reading my posts, especially "The Story" "Genesis, Talvi agoniste", you will understand that I am seething with anger right at the moment.
Although the humor of it all IS starting to seep through.
Feel free to laugh!

Origns Issue

In my 35 years as an auto mechanic, I was considered an artist. now that I am an artist, I don't know what I'm to be considered
Wanting to see what my hands looked like clean, I decided to take up a hobby that was at least clean and unlike building strange and useless hot rods, wouldn't need expensive storage and maintenance.
Music!
As it says on my profile, can't, can't, can't etc.
So why not
I found a composition teacher and began studying
AND
I volunteered to work for the Seattle Symphony at their newly founded "Soundbridge, Seattle Symphony's music discovery center"
This was fun, but, of course I felt a little shy and vulnerable due to the aforementioned lack of skills and education. What the heck, they weren't paying me, in fact I was as generous as I could be (I am not poor nor am I rich)
One of my goals, besides education, was to meet people and make friends of a musical persuasion.
This seemed to be happening.
One girl (she's 44, I'm 64, "girl" is relative) seemed to be a very nice person and quite talented. I asked her if she would play flute for one of my compositions that were hosted by Soundbridge and the Washington composers forum (an organisation
I belonged to)
She did, and she did a good job. After the performance she came up to me and said "thank you for letting me play your music" Non plussed I was, I felt lucky just to be able to present my junky music. Didn't expect it to be any good or that I conferred any sort of honor.
Later, she came up to me at the opera to make small talk and introduced me to her mother, where I found out that I had known her father in a very small way many years ago.
Later,\at a luncheon given for staff and volunteers, I bought raffle tickets for some of the people I worked with one of whom was her. She said "If I win these concert tickets, will you go with me?
I don't remember what I replied, but it did seem a bit forward, but still harmless.
SO
I invited her to lunch, we went to lunch had a good conversation, shared some mutual history.etc.
I invited her to lunch again, she told me to buzz off, I apologized for whatever offence I might have given and gave up on that relationship.
A little while later as I approached the building, I saw that she was inside and considered coming back later but decided to go in anyway. I was greeted effusively and cheerfully by herself. Confusing. I decided that the first rejection might be an anomaly. Asked her to lunch again. She came to me and told me to leave her alone, she
had a "bad relationship" with some guy. A bit of a leap to conclusions here.
Later, I took the chance to ask her if she would play flute for another piece I wanted to present. She grabbed her calender and agreed enthusiastically.
Later, I asked her if I could do a job that she was in charge of.
Later I asked her if she would listen and comment on a flute concerto I had written.
Later, She filed an harassment complaint because of these three things.
Really pissed me off!
The Symphony didn't seem to care about this. I was told "Oh that's just the way she is"
I answered her complaint explaining my hurt and my anger, promised to comply, and speculated as to why she felt a need to do this sort of thing and began to ignore her as much as possible.
A few months later, at a wake for a long time volunteer, I spoke to her, hoping to find some way of relieving the tension between us.
This just elicited another complaint, so I withdrew from doing any work for the Symphony and spent a few months working on a rental property I own
That was around Christmas time 2004. January 2005, I was called and asked if I could come down and work a day at Soundbridge. Assuming something had been straightened out , I came in and worked the morning, only to be told that I was not welcome. I bought a subscription so that I could continue to visit the friends I had made.
For the next year, I had a regular lunch appointment with one of those friends.
February 2006 I went in to attend an event ,and I was escorted off the premises by security.
Later, At a concert (My wife and I were season ticket holders) I found out, talking to a friend that the "girl" was leaving. Fine with me.
One of my friends sent a letter to the Symphony asking that, inasmuch as "She" was leaving perhaps yours truly could be welcomed back.
No answer to that, so phooey. I put a hundred dollar bill in the donation bucket and suggested that they could use it for a going away party for the deranged child
Later, as I was eating a sandwich at one of the snack bars in the hall, I was tossed out of the building again. A letter from their lawyer informed me that I was no longer allowed in the building and that my subscription was cancelled and my money returned.
Did I say I was pissed off before?
Any way that was march and now it's September and I thought I had dealt with it, but I still seem to be angry.
I found out that Ms "bad relationship" has been touring the country promoting "Christian" ideals of neighborly love.

This absurdity is apparently my profit in that relationship.