Category Archives: Personal ruminations & essays

Omens and portents

Posted on August 10, 2013 by barczablog

I am no soothsayer. A little over a week ago Ontario had five by-elections. Here’s what I expected to hear on August 2nd (the day after the election): If the Liberals got massacred, that they were clinging to power, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | 2 Comments

Perpetual motion and minimalism

Posted on August 1, 2013 by barczablog

It’s time. Recently I wrote about minimalist music in anticipation of Katia et Marielle Labèque playing Toronto Summer Music’s August 1st concert: The Minimalist Dream House project.  While I titled that piece The Geneology (sic) of Minimalism I was not … Continue reading →

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Diva distress

Posted on July 27, 2013 by barczablog

Nothing is quite so delicious as a delicacy imperilled.  We love our rare wines, cheeses, hard to find films & DVDs.  Part of the enjoyment is in boasting of your exclusive enjoyment. It’s summertime, when some go to see operas … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Cat music

Posted on July 23, 2013 by barczablog

I’ve written about cats before in this space.  At one time there were two cats in my house, Tara & Scarlett.  They had been born feral but rescued, fixed and raised for years in our home. Then one day Tara … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Geneology of Minimalism

Posted on July 21, 2013 by barczablog

A one word headline might be more minimalistic than this pretentious sounding title.  A friend cited Nietzsche’s Geneology of Morals, and it stayed in my head like a verbal ear-worm I suppose.  Or I could have emulated Darwin, to call … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Under the radar

Posted on July 20, 2013 by barczablog

At Luella Massey’s funeral service today, Professor Domenico Pietropaolo spoke of a dream near & dear to both of their hearts. Pietropaolo is a former Director of the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, and is now Principal of St … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Personal ruminations & essays, University life | 2 Comments

The French Answer–Toronto Summer Music

Posted on July 17, 2013 by barczablog

What’s the question, you may ask. But it’s not that there is an answer (a noun). It’s a verb in that headline.  Swimmers swim, runners run, and for a period of time, I believe the French answered. It’s how I … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | 1 Comment

Parlour trick

Posted on July 14, 2013 by barczablog

A few days ago I wrote about ear-worms, as an example of photographic (or “eidetic”) memory, and said there’s another kind as well.  I don’t mean to limit things by saying there’s one other kind, when there may be more … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | 1 Comment

You say “tomato”

Posted on July 11, 2013 by barczablog

I love analogies.  Sometimes I push them too far –beyond the point where they’re helpful illustrations—simply because I enjoy the game so much, of making one thing represent another. Today I was thinking about tomatoes & voices.  Tomatoes don’t usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged | Leave a comment

Harnass The Worm

Posted on June 28, 2013 by barczablog

I remember taking Psych 100 long ago as an undergrad.  Many of our lessons required us to read articles from publications such as Scientific  American.   I recall one such article concerning eidetic memory, a phenomenon popularly known as “photographic memory”.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment