The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[Master Jacques]

Yes well you’ve just mentioned 3 of my favourite 19th century poems. Clearly your “poetic soul” is

“Cast in the same poetic mould with mine.”

Now that’s an elegy that leaves most in the Stygian shade.

I think Arnold appeals greatly to the adolescent mentality. It’s a tiny bit borderline feeling sorry for yourself isn’t it ? I think a lot are put off Arnold by the tedathon that is Sohrab and Rustum - encountered at my grammar school at about age 13.

To twist a familiar phrase, if you want to feel sorry for others, you have to feel sorry for yourself first!

Perhaps no poet does sympathy - as opposed to empathy - better than Arnold. Certainly no poet is better at understanding what it is to be truly alone in the world, as ultimately we all are.

I know what you mean about Sohrab and Rustum, though there are more than enough magnificent gold nuggets to justify the leaden parts of the journey. The same's true of Empedocles on Etna, though (sadly) not Merope. Even I draw the line there.

[smittims]

As I don't usually post in the evening I've come late to the 'folk definition' discussion.

I think it's clear we're talking ,at the most, of a loose definition, not the sort of precision the 20th-century taught us to expect. I've always felt that anonymity is a first requirement for a folk song, as is the feeling that it's been crafted and altered bit by bit as it was handed down from one singer to another , and this of course implies an oral rather than a written tradition. I think this is one of the reasons RVW loved folk tunes so much, their quality of being 'ownerless' and rooted in England and innumerable people; it suited his democratic views on life.

Musically, I think modality and a lack of 'classical harmony' modulation is another key feature. Once you have an implied underlying bass or harmony it sounds to me like a song composed by one man, which takes it out of the 'folk ' category in my opinion. Hence, I'm surprised by the use of the term 'folk-song arrangements' by Benjamin Britten and his publishers, who must have known that many of those songs were not true folk songs. 'Sweet Polly Oliver', 'The Foggy , Foggy Dew' and 'The Ploughboy' are clearly theatre songs of the Vauxhall Gardens type, the music of the latter not far from Haydn's English Canzonets.

[Serial_Apologist]

What on earth the introduction to Britten's Peter Grimes storm interlude had to do with the soppy music it was made to segue seamlessly into at the start of this morning's programme, I've no idea. Holding to some notion of decency I hesitated to reach for the off switch as I happened to be putting on my underpants at the time. I'm beginning t think some law should be instituted banning this sort of misinformation.

[LMcD]

What on earth the introduction to Britten's Peter Grimes storm interlude had to do with the soppy music it was made to segue seamlessly into at the start of this morning's programme, I've no idea. Holding to some notion of decency I hesitated to reach for the off switch as I happened to be putting on my underpants at the time. I'm beginning t think some law should be instituted banning this sort of misinformation.

Perhaps it was a trailer for item no. 18 in this morning's 'Essential Classics'.

[smittims]

I'm sure many of the 'thousands of new listeners' (so we're told) actually think these segue-d items are indeed part of the same piece. That is, if they're actually listening rather than just hearing it in the background while chattng,texting, drilling holes, etc.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Perhaps it was a trailer for item no. 18 in this morning's 'Essential Classics'.

In my working life (Investigation) the mantra was "firstly, always follow the money". If I were to find myself listening to R3 playlist programmes - that would be imprisoned in a car with Mrs CS on a journey of some length, it would be "guess the link to some BBC programme, artist on their roster or other corporate objective". ......

[Serial_Apologist]

In my working life (Investigation) the mantra was "firstly, always follow the money". If I were to find myself listening to R3 playlist programmes - that would be imprisoned in a car with Mrs CS on a journey of some length, it would be "guess the link to some BBC programme, artist on their roster or other corporate objective". ......

A legend in graffiti once painted on the nearside of the A40 overpass facing Royal Oak tube reading "Far away, close at hand - images of elsewhere", which may or may not still be visible - more probably multiply overlaid since seen in the later 60s, as has Radio 3 been - comes evocatively to mind.

[vinteuil]

A legend in graffiti once painted on the nearside of the A40 overpass facing Royal Oak tube reading "Far away, close at hand - images of elsewhere", which may or may not still be visible - more probably multiply overlaid since seen in the later 60s, as has Radio 3 been - comes evocatively to mind.

... herewith some articles with background to that graffito -

https://johnryle.com/?article=far-away-is-close-at-hand-in-images-of-elsewhere

.

https://englishbuildings.blogspot.com/2011/01/paddington-london.html

[Serial_Apologist]

... herewith some articles with background to that graffito -

https://johnryle.com/?article=far-away-is-close-at-hand-in-images-of-elsewhere

.

https://englishbuildings.blogspot.com/2011/01/paddington-london.html

Thanks for the above, vints. The comments section there, I see, mentions another graffito on the railway bridge across Peckham's main shopping street: "IRELAND FOR THE IRISH" - underneath which someone has painted "AND PECKHAM FOR THE PECKISH".

[Ein Heldenleben]

Thanks for the above, vints. The comments section there, I see, mentions another graffito on the railway bridge across Peckham's main shopping street: "IRELAND FOR THE IRISH" - underneath which someone has painted "AND PECKHAM FOR THE PECKISH".

I like the three stage Belfast graffito

”Ulster Says No”:

underneath some one wrote

“But the man from Del Monte he say yes .”

A third hand added

“And he’s a real Orangeman,”

[Serial_Apologist]

I like the three stage Belfast graffito

”Ulster Says No”:

underneath some one wrote

“But the man from Del Monte he say yes .”

A third hand added

“And he’s a real Orangeman,”

[kernelbogey]

I like the three stage Belfast graffito....

From German-speaking, wine-producing Südtirol in north Italy:

Original graffito: Besser rot als tot

Amendment: Besser Rotwein als Tot sein.

[Better red than dead

Better red wine than being dead]

[AuntDaisy]

BBC listings are terrible...
Reluctantly switched on R3 while getting breakfasts ready this morning. Heard some dreary choral piece (even worse than last night's turnip) but missed who wrote it... No sign of it on the Breakfast listings and, using rewind on VLC to check, no sign of several other pieces (with the ring ouzel & before the Beethoven piano 5). He did mention technical faults being ironed out... Sam, Sam quick find a CD.
Why does Auntie bother putting up listings if they're not even accurate?

And while I'm moaning, why does TM have to quote the 3 listeners saying how much they've enjoyed the Breakfast selections?

[Pulcinella]

BBC listings are terrible...
Reluctantly switched on R3 while getting breakfasts ready this morning. Heard some dreary choral piece (even worse than last night's turnip) but missed who wrote it... No sign of it on the Breakfast listings and, using rewind on VLC to check, no sign of several other pieces (with the ring ouzel & before the Beethoven piano 5). He did mention technical faults being ironed out... Sam, Sam quick find a CD.
Why does Auntie bother putting up listings if they're not even accurate?

And while I'm moaning, why does TM have to quote the 3 listeners saying how much they've enjoyed the Breakfast selections?

Only 3? I thought the number of listeners enjoying Breakfast was supposedly increasing!

[vinteuil]

And while I'm moaning, why does TM have to quote the 3 listeners saying how much they've enjoyed the Breakfast selections?

... because they couldn't find a fourth

.