“Hail to the Chief” has been the official anthem of the President of the United States for well over 150 years. The song is instantly associated with power, prestige, and position. Ironically, it […]
Hail to the Short Chief
Is it Appropriate to Say, “Break a Leg” Before Performing This Song?
Oswald Melichar composed “The Dog Polka” in 1852. The inspiration for this piano solo was, according to Melichar, “the falling down of a favorite lap dog from a table and thereby breaking […]
“Clumsy, Blundering, Tuneless Bellowing” — A Critic’s View of Wagner
Critic John Ruskin left no doubt of his opinion of Richard Wagner’s opera “Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg” — “Of all the bête, clumsy, blundering, boggling, baboon-blooded stuff I ever saw on a […]
Andrew Lloyd Webber: No Beauty Contestant
“Can you watch Andrew Lloyd Webber? He looks like he’s had his face carved off by a diseased butcher. Put in a piñata. Beaten with hockey sticks for six hours, and […]
The Rising Costs of Partridges in Pear Trees
If you want to bless your true love during the 12 days of Christmas next year, you may want to save up your pennies, starting now. According to the latest study, the […]
Surviving With This Degree May Require “A Little Help From My Friends”
If you are still trying to decide what you want to do when you grow up, and you don’t want to be a “Day Tripper” or a “Paperback Writer”, and if your […]
One of the Oldest Nations Deserves the Longest National Anthem
Greece boasts the longest national anthem on record. “Hymn to Liberty” was written in 1823 and consists of 158 verses. To sing the entire song, it takes about one hour. Listen to […]
God Save the King — and Please Hurry Him Along!
Spectators at the Rathenau railway station in Brandenberg, Germany on February 9, 1909 hoped to get a chance to see United Kingdom’s King Edward VII. They got a bit more than they […]
Have Yourself a Jewish Little Christmas
Many of the most popular Christmas songs were written by Jewish songwriters:
Another First for the American Space Program
On December 16, 1965, astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra were on Gemini 6 when they transmitted the following message: “Gemini VII, this is Gemini VI. We have an object, looks like […]
I’m Dreaming of a Best Seller
“White Christmas”, written by Irving Berlin and sung by Bing Crosby, is the best-selling single song of all time. With estimated sales in excess of 50 million for the original version and […]
All of the Other Reindeer Used to Mock His Nasal Microcirculation
Scientists studying the origin of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s most-distinctive feature believe they have figured out why his nose is so bright. The short story is that it is due to an […]
Creative Eccentricities
They say that genius and eccentricity go together. Perhaps that’s why these creative geniuses required Rudyard Kipling would only write when he had black ink in his pen. Ludwig von Beethoven poured […]
The Little Man from Nuremberg
Matthew Buchinger (1674-1740) was known as “The Little Man of Nuremberg.” Buchinger was born without hands, legs, or thighs and was less than 29 inches tall.
Listen to the Song that Takes 639 Years to Play
UPDATED ON MAY 6, 2021 The longest musical performance in history is currently taking place in the church of St. Burchardi in Halberstadt, Germany. The performance of John Cage’s “Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 