Artist: UnknownTitle: ViolinDate: 1950s?Culture: AmericanProvenance: Handed down to EAH via her mother and grandfather. At the back of my closet, hidden behind a curtain of long-unworn dresses, is a brown-canvas violin case with a worn leather handle. The violin has schlepped with me to each of the thirteen residences I've had since college, not finding … Continue reading No. 20: My Violin
Artist: Max BruchTitle: Scottish FantasyDate: 1880Culture: GermanProvenance: Album gifted to EAH by her mother in 2003 I had no idea that my last trip to my family home in Vermont would be my last. Had I known, my sentimentality would surely have ruined it. I would have had that terrible painful lump in my throat … Continue reading No. 16: Scottish Fantasy
Artist: Steinway & Sons Title: Piano Bench Date: 1950s Culture: American Provenance: Gifted (along with piano) to EAH's mother in the 1950s by her father and then gifted to EAH by her father in 2017, after her mother's death. When my mother was a child—I'm fuzzy on exactly when—my grandfather bought her a baby grand … Continue reading No. 7: Piano Bench
Artist: Anne Alavi Title: Mix Tape Collection Date: 1990s Culture: American Provenance: Gifted to EAH by the artist Before we had digital playlists and Spotify and Apple Music, we had the mix tape. I recall making mix tapes for myself for special road trips or parties and also making them for other people as … Continue reading No. 3: Mix Tape Collection
Here's the thing. I am not, nor have I ever been, particularly cool. If you've read any of my blog posts, you have no doubt picked up on the fact that I am sentimental. I appreciate life's simple beauties. Without sarcasm or cynicism. Though I am a bit of a pessimist, I'm not jaded; my … Continue reading Sunny Days & Lonely Times
Today I stumbled upon a link to an article that discusses "the oldest song in the world," from Sumeria dating to around 1400 BCE. If you found last week's discussion of music from ancient Babylon interesting, you should definitely check this out. The music is embedded in the site. (By the way, the article is … Continue reading Sumerian Hymn
Last week an interesting article popped up in one of my social media feeds: “What Did Ancient Babylonian Songs Sound Like?” I couldn’t resist. The article discusses the work of a composer who teamed up with an expert on ancient instruments. Using lyrics that have been preserved in cuneiform, they sought to recreate the music … Continue reading Resurrecting Babylon
Ellen A. Hurst 