877
Composer Johannes Brahms disliked the adulation sometimes heaped on him by fans, and found quite imaginative ways to avoid it.
Composer Johannes Brahms liked his music to be appreciated, but if the eulogies became cloying his manner would undergo a marked change. His friend Charles Villiers Stanford tells us about one occasion when Brahms used all his ingenuity to escape a too-flattering fan.
Posted May 21 2018
878
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford recalls the very different receptions given by British and German audiences to a little bit of Brahms.
Britain’s position outside the European Continent, politically and physically, has in no way lessened her appetite for European culture. Indeed at the very height of Empire, so Sir Charles Stanford tells us, a little critical distance gave the British an appreciation (and a common courtesy, one might add) that the Continentals lacked.
Posted May 21 2018
879
As soon the Roman Emperor Constantine declared religious liberty in his Empire, the Christian Church gave him cause for regret.
In 312, Constantine confirmed his election as Roman Emperor in battle, fighting under the banner of the Cross. Among his first acts as Emperor was to declare religious liberty across the Roman world, but almost immediately a learned priest from Alexandria in Egypt named Arius threw everything into chaos.
Posted May 20 2018
880
Douglas Jardine came up with a plan to deprive the watching public of one of the finest sights in all sport.
The ‘Bodyline’ Test series between Australia and England in 1932-33 remains one of the most controversial moments in cricketing history. It all stemmed from the almost freakish genius of Don Bradman, who to this day remains far and away the best batsman the game has ever seen, but England captain Douglas Jardine was determined to see as little of him as possible.
Posted May 12 2018
881
Sir Hubert Parry advised students at the Royal College of Music to respect their teachers, but to think for themselves too.
In 1918, Sir Hubert Parry reminded students at the Royal College of Music that their teachers were not there to tell them how to play music, but to tell them how other people play music. Putting that knowledge to good artistic use must be, even for students, a very personal affair.
Posted May 10 2018
882
In the year that Napoleon’s quest for European Empire faltered at Moscow, President Madison of the USA came to his aid.
In 1783, the American War of Independence ended with the creation of a new sovereign nation, the United States of America. Peace was short-lived, however, as zealous statesmen in Washington were itching to see revolution sweep on through Europe’s monarchies and across Britain’s Empire – especially Canada.
Posted May 8 2018