scarlatti and uncommon sense



I have been playing my way through Domenico Scarlatti’s 555 Essercizi (Keyboard Sonatas).

This is a page from a hand copied manuscript in a library in Barcelona. They have an excellent web site which allows you to view their manuscripts online.

I am on volume 6 of 11 volumes I purchased from my teacher, Craig Cramer. This means I’ve carefully played through close to half of them. I find the music consistently beautiful and surprising.

This edition is actually completely online, but I preferred to purchase a used copy from my old teacher. I found it more convenient than printing up 10 volumes page by page off the internet and cheaper than a more modern and accurate edition.

I have heard this editor (Kenneth Gilbert) lecture and play. He is quite good. He is that wonderful modern combination of scholar and musician.

Since I am on such a Scarlatti kick, I decided to go back and thoroughly revisit Ralph Kirkpatrick’s seminal bio of him.

I am interested in finding out more about how influenced he was by Spanish folk music and rhythms. His music is very unusual for the time.

I know that the Kirkpatrick scholarship, though important,  has been updated and will probably pursue the updated conversation as well.

This morning my eye fell once again on the Zingerman article about Servant Leadership mentioned in a previous post.

I continue to be amazed at how people run their lives. The Servant Leadership principles are basically life principles of honesty and fairness. It does turn out that common sense is pretty uncommon. Business principles like “treat the staff with dignity at all times,”  “show that you care about them as individuals,” and “be an active learner and teacher” are translations of how I think people ought to live.

Of course not only our social lives but our public lives are saturated with dishonesty and manipulation.

It’s hard to be real, I guess.

But what the hell. I have a good life in my little corner of the universe.

If you don’t know the Zingerman article or the book it’s based on, Servant Leadership by Robert Greenleaf, you might want to check them out. I think they’re pretty good.

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Glitter – a Kinder, Gentler Prank – NYTimes.com

I find the glitter guerrillas charming.  A good response to hate.

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What Is Pacifism Good For? – NYTimes.com

I applied and received conscientious objector status when I was eligible for the draft for Vietnam. I have struggled with this idea because I’m sure that I would defend my loved ones with any kind of violence necessary. But organized killing seems deadly and inhuman to me. I guess sometimes it’s the only alternative. But I don’t see human’s seeking out the alternative as much as I would hope for.

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Dr. King’s Dreams – NYTimes.com

I love this quote in this article:

“I still have a dream that one day the idle industries of Appalachia will be revitalized, and the empty stomachs of Mississippi will be filled, and brotherhood will be more than a few words at the end of a prayer, but rather the first order of business on every legislative agenda.” M.L. King

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Did We Drop the Ball on Unemployment? – NYTimes.com

Kristoff knocks it out of the park once again with his “uncommon sense” (see above).

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UAW Divided As Workers Seek Payback In Contract Negotiations

As usual the people on the ground suffer. Some good quotes from actual people in this article.

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“Murdoch and American Politicians, UAW, Labor’s Bulletin Board Win”
The Audit : CJR

Sooprise. Sooprise. News media people manipulate the news for the rich and powerful.

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Financial News for the Rest of Us – NYTimes.com

The NYT Public Editor runs down some recent financial reporting.

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The Ethicist – Secret History – NYTimes.com

Secrets, secrets, secrets. In  this case, potentially destructive secrets. I read the Ethicist every week.

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