The Republic of Cyprus recently went through an extensive period of revisionist history, the latest revision being the national anthem. For the last so many years,1 Cyprus has shared the national anthem of Greece, Hymn to Liberty. But lately, Cypriots voted to switch to Happy Birthday as their new national anthem. Hymn to Liberty is […]
Music
How to Cope with Holiday Cheer
This time of year, you hear many people saying things like “Happy holidays!” and “Merry Christmas!”, usually with big grins and sometimes wearing floppy red hats with pom-poms on top. You also hear lots of happy, wintry, Christmas-y music playing over PA systems in stores, and you might even find yourself surrounded by carollers who […]
Toledo Resident Celebrates Christmas 2021 in 2019
Catherine Sullivan, resident of Toledo, Ohio, has decided to celebrate Christmas 2021 in 2019. At The Flying News, we don’t usually get around to celebrating until December 24th, so we sent our roving reporter, Ryan Rocifero, to investigate this peculiar phenomenon. Catherine Sullivan: Around here, if you haven’t started celebrating Christmas by mid-November, you’re a […]
How to Make Your Child Like Classical Music
If, like most people, you want your child to grow up cultured, or at least, somewhat fermented, one of the best ways is to make sure he likes classical music. Countless surveys1 show that children who like classical music grow up to become adults who like classical music, which means they are automatically smarter than […]
How 1 Song Cost Me £Thousands$
Random Word Replacement Keeps Music Lovers Interested
“Music is boring!” This was the conclusion that Gene Walton came to after a summer spent as a lifeguard. Instead of giving up and spending the rest of his free time studying geometry, Walton decided to take action: he invented the Waltonizer, a small device that randomly replaces words in music of any genre. His […]
The Python
How Do Opera Singers Hold Their Notes So Long?
Have you ever wondered how opera singers hold their notes for such a long time? If you ask a voice teacher, you are liable to receive answers such as “lung capacity,” “breath support,” or “resonance.” If you perform an internet search, you might get a response like “they squeeze a quarter between their buttocks,” and […]