Postscript - Mozart 2013 Holiday Special

Mozart; Man, Myth and Music (Parts 1 and 2)

Presented by CBC Radio-Canada

Apologies as this went through the cracks over the recent holiday rush of year 2013.  Still, for Mozarteans and Mozart enthusiasts, anything about the master is welcome. This Holiday Special on Mozart was kindly provided by Connie Woloschuk, a writer-friend, who apparently enjoyed the program.  We are pleased to share the links.

Mozart: Man, Myth and Music (Part 1) 
From boyhood triumphs to burial in a common grave; a Mozart “grand tour” with historians, archivists, musicians, musicologists, even a Freudian analyst, recorded in Paris, London, Prague, Vienna and Salzburg. PLUS excerpts from Mozart’s letters.


Mozart: Man, Myth and Music (Part 2)
Which of Mozart’s arias were composed in return for sexual favours? Do we see in Don Giovanni a coded quest to kill his father? Why did Mozart gamble so recklessly? Was the mysterious “grey messenger” who commissioned the Requiem the harbinger of his death?


Resource Credit:

"Holiday Special: Mozart; Man, Myth and Music". Living Out Loud. CBC Radio-Canada.  (Thanks, Connie, and have a wonderful New Year!)  Part 1  and Part 2.  Accessed January 27, 2014 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 228th birthday).

Note:  Thanks for this info Connie. Have a wonderful New Year. 

John Stanley

Classical Music Datebook: January 17

Composer and Organist John Stanley

Blind English organist and composer John Stanley, was born on January 17, 1713, in London.

John Stanley was blind from an early age. He studied music with Maurice Greene and held a number of organist appointments in London. He was a friend of George Frideric Handel. Following Handel's death, Stanley joined first with John Christopher Smith and later with Thomas Linley to continue the series of oratorio concerts Handel had established.

In 1779, Stanley succeeded William Boyce as Master of the King's Musick.

First Things I Learned in Writing School

First Lessons in Writing

What were the first things they taught you in writing schools, or better yet, what did you learn?

I'm not talking about a piece of writing where you need to do a research on, but something you simply want to put to pen what's on your mind - perhaps an idea - or anything begging to be put into words.  Here are some important tips that immediately comes to mind:

1. Don't procrastinate.

Write now!


2. Don't talk away your story.

Write your story or ideas instead of talking and talking about it. Possibly, the other person might have gotten your idea and run away with your story.  It's probable.


3. Don't try to write the "best" story.

Focus on writing your story. The message is: don't be afraid to fail.

4. Don't wear blinders.

See Things through the eyes of a child... in other words, see life through the eyes of a writer. Which brings us to the next lesson...

5. Don't edit while you write.

Don't even bother to admire or criticize your work.  Just keep writing yet. There is a time for editing, and more of that. This is usually a trait of beginning writers.

I'll try to add more next time.  I have five articles waiting in the pipeline. And my target, self-imposed deadline, was last month.  Something more important and urgent came up. Until then.