It was invented by three scholarly brothers named Banū Mūsā, and it has been reconstructed according to their treatise by a museum in Germany. (The brothers also invented an automatic hydraulic organ that could play with punch cards similar to player piano rolls.)
Tag: 04.12.16
Boring Architecture Is Literally Unhealthy For Us
“A growing body of research in cognitive science illuminates the physical and mental toll bland cityscapes exact on residents. Generally, these researchers argue that humans are healthier when they live among variety – a cacophony of bars, bodegas, and independent shops – or work in well-designed, unique spaces, rather than unattractive, generic ones.”
Fabian Barnes, 56, Founder/Director Of Dance Institute Of Washington
“The Dance Institute of Washington is reeling from the unexpected death Friday of [Barnes], the hard-driving and big-hearted former Dance Theatre of Harlem soloist who devoted his life to training underprivileged children in classical ballet.”
Yannick’s Montreal Orchestra Gives Homeless Man New Violin To Replace Stolen One
Mark Landry plays for passing commuters most mornings at the Joliette Métro station. But he awoke Tuesday morning to find that his instrument had been taken, and he sat in his usual spot with a cup asking for change to help buy a new one. Enter the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand-Montréal. (includes video)
Claim: Demise Of Repertory Companies Is Hurting Theatre
“[The rep system] is not really functioning much these days. Directors are less willing to run a company – an ongoing company – because the temptation, if you do have a big enough budget, is always to spot cast, but what you don’t get is a sense of continuity,” Alan Ayckbourn said.
British Playwright And Author Arnold Wesker Dead At 83
“After first gaining prominence in the 1950s, critics grouped him with other working class writers sometimes referred to as the ‘angry young men’ generation, although Wesker rejected the label. He was later characterised as a leading voice of 1960s ‘kitchen sink’ British drama.”
North Carolina: Do Musician Boycotts Do Any Good?
“Although performers have been using their power to appear—or not—to send political messages for decades, the efficacy of the gesture in fights over North Carolina and Mississippi’s laws remains unclear. But musicians played a very public role in fighting segregation in the U.S. and apartheid in South Africa.”
For Its Next Principal Conductor, Santa Fe Symphony Chooses An Old Friend And Neighbor
Guillermo Figueroa, who begins his term this fall, was music director of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra in Albuquerque from 2000 to the orchestra’s closure in 2011.
Would You Be Willing To Pay $50 For A Movie In Your Home?
“Access to the service would cost something like $150; then, home viewers could pay $50 to watch a new film instead of going to their local theater. Film distributors would supposedly get a huge chunk of that revenue, as an incentive for partnership—Variety reports that several major studios, like Universal, Fox, and Sony, are interested. But after years of intransigence, studios might understandably be reluctant to allow such a drastic change to be put in the hands of a self-branded industry disruptor.”
Doug Banks, Chicago Radio Legend, Dead At 57
“From his humble beginnings to the devoted following he found in Chicago to national syndication, he was a man – a black man – whose four-decade career shaped radio as we know it. And … in a medium often dominated by loud, white, obnoxious shock jocks with particular politics, he was something else: nice.”