That was the week that was

On Tuesday, the Head of Physics laid on wine at lunch for the staff as it was to be the last before those particles got whizzing in Geneva. He then started to explain what they were up to, but I had a date with 'Dance of the Tumblers' and Orchestra, so didn't hear all of it.

My attempts last year to make the final note of a piece exciting by putting a crescendo on to it has obviously been adopted by the trombone section as something to be done in every piece, which was fun, if unexpected. We need baffles for the poor violas. We managed to get from one end of the piece to the other without stopping and without too much of me singing missing parts, giving indications of what's important where and calling out Rehearsal letters as we went by, so we should make a good job of it by the concert. They are still on a high after the concert last Summer, so will have to make sure that I keep supplying good music for them to play.

After school, over tea in the Common Room, (that's for any Anglophile readers dropping by,) one of the History teachers said that he wouldn't be doing any marking that night as the world was going to end, to which the reply was, 'No change there then, X.'

We have new software to play with and so are spending free lessons, testing out squillions of samples and loops. Sequencing has never been so much fun.

On Friday I did my favourite rehearsal of the week, which is a little String Orchestra of some dazzlingly good musicians. Like they listen, jump when they get out and can cope with playing in 6/8 and 3/4 simultaneously. A great pleasure and a great start to the day.

Ended the week doing Bach Chorales and working through the only worked example in the book, which does have that Maths Textbook moment. You know, hence.... Meanwhile, the pupil was having a 4-3 suspension week, which was funny, so we can tick those off. He's as geeky as I am and enjoyed a quick look at the Grove article on Inessential harmony notes. Genius.

The department has been given a copy of the 1941 edition of The Oxford Companion to Music, which has some interesting entries on Mass Settings and Catholic Music in England. Methinks the lady doth protest too much on Puritan Music - no evidence that they didn't approve of music, apparently. Very down on the Mass settings of Mozart, Haydn, Schubert loves the Beethoven Missa Solemnis and Bach Mass in Bm. Oh yes, a funny definition of the Folk Mass, that I'll put up here.