Ralph Vaughan Williams
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Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of England’s greatest composers. Breaking with the German tradition, which nineteenth-century English composers sought to emulate, Vaughan Williams forged a distinctly English style that drew upon England’s musical heritage. He is also remembered as one of the twentieth century’s great symphonists.
Self-described Nazi Thomas Leech, who was recently convicted in the UK on terrorism charges, shows that today’s Nazis don’t really live up to their more fashionable predecessors.
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A rose by any other name
When I was growing up, or at least getting bigger, my parents were fairly liberal about swearing in the house. “Cussing” is, I believe, an American equivalent. This was not an injunction for or against swearing an oath on the Bible. But rules are rules, and there was always one word banned in our house: the dread C-word. How nice to be reminded of this childhood memory by Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), still wasting money after all these years. They have indeed banned the C-word. (more…)
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If they embark on this course, the difference between the old and the new education will be an important one. Where the old initiated, the new merely “conditions.” The old dealt with its pupils as grown birds deal with young birds when they teach them to fly; the new deals with them more as the poultry-keeper deals with young birds — making them thus or thus for purposes of which the birds know nothing. (more…)
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One of the most satisfying aspects of Morrissey’s recent drift into the populist nativist Right is the absolute butthurt from his shitlib fans. It’s glorious. They feel so betrayed. (more…)
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I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
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‘I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
But now you’re here
Brighten my northern sky’
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Penda’s Fen was first broadcast in 1974 as part of the BBC’s long-running Play for Today series. Since then it has only been broadcast on TV once, in 1990 on Channel 4. It has never been released on video, DVD or BluRay but it has cropped up at various film festivals through the years. (more…)
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Editor’s Note:
This is the transcript by V. S. of Jonathan Bowden’s 2009 lecture on Professor Maurice Cowling. Unfortunately, the sound quality of the source is absolutely terrible, and there are many unintelligible passages. Both V. S. and I have racked our brains over this transcript long enough. Now we are crowdsourcing it to people who have a better ear for Bowden’s accent and the background knowledge necessary to pull words that elude us out of the buzz. (more…)
Edward Elgar, 1857–1934
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Transcript here
Bowden’s talk on Edward Elgar was turned into a brief audio documentary. If anyone has information on when this talk was given, and how it was turned into the present piece, please contact us at: [email protected] or post a comment below.
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Much of the analysis and commentary concerning the recent English riots has been concerned with whether or not race is a relevant, or even a determining, factor. (more…)
