Some links to keep you reading and listening over the weekend.
If You Wouldn’t Do Your Job For Free, Then Quit (Lifehacker) The problem, of course, is that some people think that if you would do your job for free, you should do your job for free. But I wake up every day happy that I made the decision to do what I do.
Love is the Opposite of Underwear (Jonah Lehrer) Great thoughts on finding something in life that continues to inspire you. I’ll let him explain the underwear connection. Read his book, How We Decide.
Bossa Nova, Bossa Lamento (Alex Ross) I loved his piece on descending bass lines in Listen To This, and this post delves into their frequent use in Jobim and other Brazilian composers. Side note: I had never realized the connection between Jobim’s “Insensatez” and the Chopin E minor Prelude.
Congratulate Yourself, Beethoven (Jeremy Denk) If you give him the time, Jeremy Denk’s writing will blow you away again and again…he’s such an excellent thinker about music. I loved this piece because it has to do with one of my avowed passions: musical humor.
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem (Seraphic Fire) We have several friends singing in this fabulous ensemble; Mandy actually sang with them when we lived in Miami. Their performance of the Brahms is superb.
That Eternal Day (Cantus) I just got this lovely CD and am looking forward to hearing Cantus in late-October at the ACDA Michigan Fall Convention. The NY Times even reviewed the CD in the Sunday Arts & Leisure.