LSJ

garderobes

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/turrets-toilets-partial-history-throne-room-180951788/ “Garderrobe” is both a euphemism for a closet as well as a quite literal appellation, as historian Dan … [Read more...] about garderobes

one yeir begins

(from Music of Scotland 1500-1700) One yeir begins ane other ends, Our tyme doth pass and go. All thus to our instruction tends, Gif we culd tak it so; The sommer's heat, the winter's cold Whois … [Read more...] about one yeir begins

feri

There are times when drafting flows, and there are times when I cannot even get going because I cannot find a way in. I haven't been good about recording these issues in the past but I'm noting it now … [Read more...] about feri

habits

From Acta Sanctorum (a modern perspective, but still quite useful): "All Dominicans wear the same habit—friars, brothers, cooperator brothers, novices, and even the Master of the Order … The … [Read more...] about habits

how far to run

How did we write before the internet? I honestly can't remember. But here, for the record, is the length of the dash to the Arno in Seeds of Truer Natures. I knew that my first draft of the run was … [Read more...] about how far to run

put in all

I heard this song in a BBC documentary called Rude Britannia, but I recognized it from my own reading - it’s one of the songs in Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy by Thomas d'Urfey, an … [Read more...] about put in all

fragments 2

“Is there no context for our lives? No song, no literature, no poem full of vitamins, no history connected to experience that you can pass along to help us start strong? You are an adult. The old one, … [Read more...] about fragments 2

ombra mai fu

This is the aria Mary sings as they walk to the lake that night, also known as Handel’s Largo: a simple, exquisite ode to a plane tree. It’s from Serse, an utter flop of an opera that premiered in … [Read more...] about ombra mai fu

music-making

“In [the 16th century], the notaries of Venice recorded the presence of an instrument even in modest households, while for the aristocracy and the merchant class, 90 per cent of inventories included … [Read more...] about music-making