August 22, 2022 If this is your first Ludwig Van issue since emerging from a 12-day silent meditation retreat...you have a lot to catch up on. In this week’s email:
THE BIG IDEA The Canadian Connection to the Violin Shoulder RestAn Ottawa company is celebrating 50 years of success, and a violin shoulder rest model that is used by millions of musicians worldwide. Joseph Kun applied for a patent for his original "violin support" in 1969, and it was granted in 1972. He founded the company that bears his name the same year. Since Kun's passing in 1996, his widow Marina continues to run the company. “It struck me as a brilliant idea,” she says in an interview with The Ottawa Citizen. “It’s important to know that this didn’t exist before. Joseph created the market for shoulder rests — the demand was growing and we just had to clue in.” The history of the shoulder restModern violin players take the comfort of the chin and shoulder rests for granted, but early players of the instrument were told to hold the violin with their chin. It fell largely on the left hand to control the angle and grip on the instrument. That naturally inhibits movement to a certain extent, making some passages more difficult. That changed as more demanding music required a different approach. The chin rest was the first innovation to appear in the concert world, first mentioned by composer and violinist Louis Spohr (the Geigenhalter, or "violin holder") in 1833, although its use was often frowned upon until the latter part of the 20th century. The shoulder rest is first mentioned in 1913, but it’s not clear if the item in question was a dedicated device, or simply a cushion. A company known as RDM Enterprises applied for a US patent for something they called “shoulder pads” or “shoulder rests” for the instrument. From the description, it appears to be a combination of the so-called Poehland cushion, first patented in 1903, with a shoulder rest. Another model developed by Mirko Medakovic screwed onto the instrument itself. The first modern model of the shoulder rest was invented in 1936 by Vlado Kolitsch (1899-1979). It used a system of rubber hooks to attach to the instrument. There were several others that looked to improve on past construction models for violin shoulder pads. Joseph Kun’s 1972 patent, however, and subsequent improvements, established the now widely accepted model that incorporates rubber mounting brackets, and a plastic mould, with a polyurethane foam cushion. The companyBorn in Czechoslovakia, Kun was a music teacher and instrument maker who left Prague when the Soviets invaded in 1968. He came to Ottawa for the then-new National Arts Centre, and quickly found a place in the city's musical community as a bow maker and instrument repair specialist. He met Marina, who had a business sense. She saw the potential for his shoulder rest design, one that he had made by hand and sold on a very small scale even before coming to Canada. As the company's success grew, the Kuns became supporters of the arts, and founded a scholarship at the University of Ottawa, among other philanthropic efforts. Today, Marina Kun is still a staunch supporter of Ottawa Chamberfest, where she sponsors the Marina Kun series, and a concert on July 30 will commemorate the company's 50-year anniversary. Chamberfest artistic director Carissa Klopoushak is one of the device's fans, along with classical world luminaries like James Ehnes, Lara St. John, and Braimah Kanneh-Mason. CHART OF THE WEEK For fun, we wondered how much historic music composers would be paid today for their steams. Using the $0.0037 Spotify per stream payout as well as Spotify’s reported listener stats by artist, the three top legacy composer earners would be:
PerspectiveIt’s no secret that the business of music-making remains a challenge for regular artists. According to a 2020 report by Maple Syrup, 184,500 artists made over $1K on Spotify. Only 42,100 made over $10K. Further down, 13,400 people made over $50K and over 7,000 people made over $100K. Only 870 artists worldwide made over $1M. Lonely at the topSpotify's top three artists in 2021:
THE LATEST The old Switcheroo: BBC Proms made a last-minute change to one of Canada’s best-kept secrets Cleveland Orchestra is getting sued by a transgender musician for refusing to pay for surgery Metropolitan Opera Board President allegedly kept Stolen Relics BBC Presenter calls for classical music diversity quotas CLASSICAL WAVES Plácido Domingo performing in Chili (Photo: Luis Hidalgo/Flickr) Tenor Plácido Domingo Linked To Criminal Sex Trafficking CaseA shocking report has surfaced that ties disgraced tenor Placido Domingo to a suspected criminal sex trafficking ring in Buenos Aires. The Argentina-based criminal organisation was run from a yoga studio and is alleged to have been involved in the sex trafficking of minors, extortion, and money laundering. The connection was made after Placido Domingo’s voice was identified in a wiretap conversation with Susana Mendelievich, an alleged group member. Discussions included making plans to meet and how they could avoid being seen together while he was in town to perform in a series of concerts. According to NPR, Mendelievich is a former pianist and composer who once worked with composer Astor Piazolla and cello superstar Mstislav Rostropovich. The investigation has led to the arrest of 19 people in Argentina, with an additional seven who remain at large. A judicial official was quoted in a story published by AP, “Plácido didn’t commit a crime [prostitution is not a crime in Argentina], nor is he part of the organization, but rather he was a consumer of prostitution.” The official also noted that the organisation has links to other well-known public figures and said their names may be revealed once indictments are filed. Recap
So what does all this mean for Domingo’s career?
It is too early to know if the new allegations will affect the 81-years singer’s career, but some are suggesting even his most die-hard fans can’t ignore this. HEADS UP The Baby Grand Piano ScamWe’re hearing there’s been an increase in the volume of free piano scams circulating, especially by email. What to look for You’ll get an email from a stranger ‚ usually someone with a common name, like “Sarah” or “Mary”.
Hi, The catch… …You pay the shipping cost. Sounds almost too good to be true, right? The thing is, you will never receive a piano. The goal is to get you to send the scammers a payment using non-refundable money orders, or gift cards. After that, you will never hear from them again.
CONVERSATION STARTERS The much-anticipated prequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon premiered last night, and everyone wants to know how it compares. Early reviews say it’s “a magical miracle”. AROUND THE WEB 👾 Sounds: NASA released the beautiful sounds of the Butterfly Nebula 🤖 Cool: Google has released a new experimental tool that allows you to compose like Beethoven right in your web browser. 🎧 Podcast: The always affable Jess Gillam hangs out with folk artist Sam Amidon on the latest episode “Jess Gillam with... Sam Amidon”, of This Classical Life. 🎼 Neat: An online jukebox of “bleep-bloop” music. 📍 Mongols: Someone made a map that traces the source of dumplings to the Mongol Empire. 🕷️ Research: Spiders like to take naps MEME OF THE WEEK Source: Reddit How did you like today's email? |