Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
Blog
Copybook
Think & Speak
Games
KJV Bible
By Johann Wilhelm Preyer (1803–1889), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
When violinist Joseph Joachim proposed a toast to the world’s greatest composer, he was cut off in mid flow.
Read
© Hiroki Ogawa, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Composer Johannes Brahms disliked the adulation sometimes heaped on him by fans, and found quite imaginative ways to avoid it.
By Lluïsa Vidal (1876–1918), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford recalls the very different receptions given by British and German audiences to a little bit of Brahms.
By Hispalois, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
As soon the Roman Emperor Constantine declared religious liberty in his Empire, the Christian Church gave him cause for regret.
Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Douglas Jardine came up with a plan to deprive the watching public of one of the finest sights in all sport.
By John White Alexander (1856-1915), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Sir Hubert Parry advised students at the Royal College of Music to respect their teachers, but to think for themselves too.