Henning's Headquarters

[Cato]

Sincere condolences, Karl!  A good number of people in my life have died already, some at a shockingly young age.


Concerning rejection and audiences, I periodically remind myself of the idea of The Remnant as described by American philosopher Albert Jay Nock, whose writings I discovered 60 years ago in high school.


The title of the essay is Isaiah's Job: the author begins by looking at the life of the Old Testament prophet and emphasizing that Isaiah did not cater or pander to the masses.

"...

If the modern spirit, whatever that may be, is disinclined towards taking the Lord's word at its face value (as I hear is the case), we may observe that Isaiah's testimony to the character of the masses has strong collateral support from respectable Gentile authority.

Plato lived into the administration of Eubulus, when Athens was at the peak of its jazz-and-paper era, and he speaks of the Athenian masses with all Isaiah's fervency, even comparing them to a herd of ravenous wild beasts.

Curiously, too, he applies Isaiah's own word remnant to the worthier portion of Athenian society; "there is but a very small remnant," he says, of those who possess a saving force of intellect and force of character — too small, preciously as to Judea, to be of any avail against the ignorant and vicious preponderance of the masses....

And then, what of The Remnant?

"...


"...Taking care of the Remnant, on the contrary, holds little promise of any such rewards. A prophet of the Remnant will not grow purse proud on the financial returns from his work, nor is it likely that he will get any great renown out of it. ...

It may be thought, then, that while taking care of the Remnant is no doubt a good job, it is not an especially interesting job because it is as a rule so poorly paid. I have my doubts about this. There are other compensations to be got out of a job besides money and notoriety, and some of them seem substantial enough to be attractive. Many jobs which do not pay well are yet profoundly interesting, as, for instance, the job of research student in the sciences is said to be; and the job of looking after the Remnant seems to me, as I have surveyed it for many years from my seat in the grandstand, to be as interesting as any that can be found in the world.


What chiefly makes it so, I think, is that in any given society the Remnant are always so largely an unknown quantity. You do not know, and will never know, more than two things about them. You can be sure of those — dead sure, as our phrase is — but you will never be able to make even a respectable guess at anything else. You do not know, and will never know, who the Remnant are, nor what they are doing or will do. Two things you do know, and no more: First, that they exist; second, that they will find you.


Except for these two certainties, working for the Remnant means working in impenetrable darkness; and this, I should say, is just the condition calculated most effectively to pique the interest of any prophet who is properly gifted with the imagination, insight and intellectual curiosity necessary to a successful pursuit of his trade....


...The other certainty which the prophet of the Remnant may always have is that the Remnant will find him. He may rely on that with absolute assurance. They will find him without his doing anything about it; in fact, if he tries to do anything about it, he is pretty sure to put them off.

He does not need to advertise for them nor resort to any schemes of publicity to get their attention. If he is a preacher or a public speaker, for example, he may be quite indifferent to going on show at receptions, getting his picture printed in the newspapers, or furnishing autobiographical material for publication on the side of "human interest." If a writer, he need not make a point of attending any pink teas, autographing books at wholesale, nor entering into any specious freemasonry with reviewers. ...

... He may be quite sure that the Remnant will make their own way to him without any (such) aids; and not only so, but if they find him employing any such aids, as I said, it is ten to one that they will smell a rat in them and will sheer off..."

....

The essay is from the mid-1930's and remains, I believe, salient for all eras.


I recommend reading the entire work:


https://mises.org/mises-daily/isaiahs-job

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

What kinds of things do you like to write about Manibu?

And sorry about the rejection today!

PD

I teach and research political parties, presidential elections, public finance, white supremacy, statistics, etc.

I even don't know if the rejection is a good or bad thing.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

A dear old schoolmate passed away recently

I am very sorry to hear that, Karl.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I teach and research political parties, presidential elections, public finance, white supremacy, statistics, etc.

I even don't know if the rejection is a good or bad thing.

Oh, interesting!  I heard a fascinating interview of Steve Inskeep about Abraham Lincoln not too long ago [It might have been a rebroadcast.]  He wrote a book called:  Differ We Must:  How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America which was very apropos to what's been going on in America--particularly these days (yet again).

PD

[Karl Henning]

I heard this (in my inner ear) last Sunday.

[Karl Henning]

https://www.thewatergatehotel.com/cherry-blossom-season

[Karl Henning]

Good rehearsal of the Henning Ensemble today. And we've agreed on a date for the Fall (26 Nov)

[Florestan]

A few nights ago I dreamed that Karl was publicly awarded first prize in a composition contest and it was I who read aloud the jury's motivation which was quite laudatory. 

[Karl Henning]

A few nights ago I dreamed that Karl was publicly awarded first prize in a composition contest and it was I who read aloud the jury's motivation which was quite laudatory. 

No less than your conscious self, your sub-conscious is most kind! For my part, I dreamt last night both of meeting an organist who would champion both my Op. 108 Sonata and the Op. 169 Hymn Fantasias. Also that a friend (another organist, who has just been earning a degree in conducting) led the reading of a fictitious short orchestral piece of mine, and shared with me a video of it captured on her mobile phone.

[Karl Henning]

Great news! My teacher from UVa days, Judith Shatin, will be in Boston for a performance of her Canta La Sal (cello, horn, piano) at the Boston Conservatory on 5 April. I shall be there!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Great news! My teacher from UVa days, Judith Shatin, will be in Boston for a performance of her Canta La Sal (cello, horn, piano) at the Boston Conservatory on 5 April. I shall be there!

I found out a bit about it here.  I like the premise behind it.

https://www.judithshatin.com/canta-la-sal/

PD

[Karl Henning]

I found out a bit about it here.  I like the premise behind it.

https://www.judithshatin.com/canta-la-sal/

PD

There's a ticket with my name on it.

[Cato]

No less than your conscious self, your sub-conscious is most kind! For my part, I dreamt last night both of meeting an organist who would champion both my Op. 108 Sonata and the Op. 169 Hymn Fantasias. Also that a friend (another organist, who has just been earning a degree in conducting) led the reading of a fictitious short orchestral piece of mine, and shared with me a video of it captured on her mobile phone.

Aha!  You see?  Perhaps that "fictitious short orchestral piece" should become a reality!    😇

[Florestan]

Aha!  You see?  Perhaps that "fictitious short orchestral piece" should become a reality!    😇

And perhaps my dream might come true one day, at least partially --- namely in the most important part.   

[Karl Henning]

Had a good catch-up chat via Whatsapp with Pam Marshall. She'll write a piece for our November program.

[Karl Henning]

not much news. Good rehearsal of the Henning Enesemble this Tuesday past, , for which I had furnished fresh parts for Fuchsia Minor. When I was out with laryngitis, there was a rehearsal without me, and in a "post mortem," Peter spoke of how helpful cues in the parts would be, but I didn't have a bead on that until our rehearsal of last week. I haven't felt much motivation to compose this year, but somehow I'm thinking now of sketching rather a free-form organ piece, just for fun. Part of my free-ranging dreaming last night was writing some of this, though scarcely anything notewise from Dreamland is any use. Will report.

[Karl Henning]

Attending a Tenebrae service at First Parish in Bedford, Mass. Kind of a funny all-voice arrangement of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. It is a pleasure to find that Steve Sussman (of Ensemble Aubade) is part of the "pit."

[Karl Henning]

Attending a Tenebrae service at First Parish in Bedford, Mass. Kind of a funny all-voice arrangement of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. It is a pleasure to find that Steve Sussman (of Ensemble Aubade) is part of the "pit."

Overall, very gratifying. I have missed the ritual of a Tenebrae service. At the church where I serve, it wouldn't work, partly because the congregation are no longer accustomed to such a thing, partly because such a long (not that it's terribly long) service in the evening would not attract our elderly parishioners. 

[Karl Henning]

Great news! My teacher from UVa days, Judith Shatin, will be in Boston for a performance of her Canta La Sal (cello, horn, piano) at the Boston Conservatory on 5 April. I shall be there!

This is Friday, so I am reminding myself that I need to book my trip thither.

[Cato]

This is Friday, so I am reminding myself that I need to book my trip thither.

Be there, or be...a trapezoid!