Month: June 2013

Some of the more interesting papers I came across while researching my book were by Mary L. Cohen, an assistant professor at the University of Iowa who has been researching prison choirs. The prisoners she quotes sound exactly like the singers in my own choir.

“The most wonderful time I had in about 8 years … it touched my heart so much that I almost cried three times.” “This is how I felt about the concert: ecstatic, elated, excited, joyful, grateful.”

Here’s one I didn’t find at the time that looks like a must read, Mother Theresa, how can I help you? The story of Elvera Voth, Robert Shaw, and the Bethel College Benefit Sing-Along for Arts in Prison, Inc. “This event, organized by his longtime friend and collaborator, Elvera Voth, was Shaw’s final out of town engagement prior to his death. It was as well a remarkable public testimony to a passionate belief, shared by Voth and Shaw, that choral singing could be an instrument of social justice, healing and empowering the disenfranchised.”

I’d come across a prison choir while working on the Hart Island chapter of my book, Waiting For My Cats to Die. Hart Island is the site of New York’s Potters Field and it’s maintained by the Department of Correction. While looking through the Department of Correction archives, I came across a crude but endearing inmate-produced magazine called The Hart Islander (inmates were housed on the island for a time). The December 25, 1959 issue begins, “Our first issue—our baby—our sweetheart,” and there’s a description of their Christmas show.

“From it’s [sic] spirit-lifting choral beginning to it’s [sic] shoulder shakin’, moving end, the X-mas show was completely enjoyable … The future for Three Notes would be assured with proper management and polish … their delivery of Walking by the River and I Laughed at Love were quite good, perhaps better, than vocal groups on the scene today … Mr. Parrish does very good work with Caravan and All the Way with a most interesting vibrato that could sell records.”

While looking around for an appropriate picture for this post I came across a 1950s prison doo-wop group from Tennessee called The Prisonaires who actually did sell records. They had a radio hit called Just Walkin’ in the Rain. It’s quite beautiful and worth listening to all the way to the end.

The picture is from a 1953 Life Magazine article titled, Stars Behind Bars: Life with the Prisonaires. More about the Prisonaires here.

I haven’t put up A Dress I Can’t Possess post in a long time. For those who are new to my blog, I live in New York City, in a part of town with a lot of clothing stores. Every day I pass by windows with beautiful dresses (and other pieces) that I cannot afford. I love the collar on this one.

I need to put together a new outfit or two to wear promoting my new book, though. The quest for affordable clothes begins!

The other day, while getting ready to face the most impossible-to-please critics in New York City (people on the street) I realized, I need a haircut. But haircuts are so expensive and five minutes into thinking about how to get an affordable but great haircut my brain just shutdown. Screw it. It’s an unsolvable problem. I quit. Go write another book. That’s more do-able.

So last night, at the benefit for my choir, the Choral Society of Grace Church, I just went with “hair up.” It works. Here are some of us on the roof of the lovely Tribeca penthouse where the party was held. (It sounds like I live such a fabulous life, doesn’t it? In truth, I watch a lot of tv.)

After taking that shot I walked around to the other side of the table, pointed my camera up and took this. Can you believe this? This is someone’s view. They can take their coffee up to the roof, sit down, and gaze upon this.

Later, the mind-blowing pianist Jeremy Denk performed for us—and just how did we luck out and get the not-quite-human Jeremy Denk to play for our benefit? (Not-quite-human because really, what human can play this well?) Thank you Jeremy Denk for agreeing to do it, and thank you for visiting our planet.

I have a short video of some of his playing, but before I get to that, we had a raffle. I won something! Guess what I won. Come on. GUESS. The answer after the photo.

A haircut!! Seriously. I won a haircut at the salon of the amazingly talented fellow choir member Lisa Fiorentino. Thank you, universe! Thank you Lisa for donating this raffle prize!

And now, for the other-worldly beauty of Jeremy Denk and Robert Schumann (thank you to whoever approached Denk and made this happen).

I made a list!! (I always credit Hart Hanson, the creator and producer of one of my favorite shows, Bones, for the phrase “I made a list!” I first saw it in his tweets.)

But my book Imperfect Harmony made the July 2013 Indie Next List!!

“Listening to choral music has always been moving for me, but I never realized the profound emotions felt by the chorus members. In this delightful, charmingly self-effacing memoir, Horn explains how singing with the Choral Society of New York’s Grace Church has been life-affirming, and even life-saving. Drawing on the reflections of other singers, composers of choral music, and scientific evidence, as well as her own experience, Horn beautifully puts into words the joy of singing in harmony with others. Any lover of choral music will love this book!” —Samantha Flynn, Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, NC

Thank you Samanta Flynn and the Indie Next List selectors!! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the vote of confidence. Thank you.

One of the tables at the recent street fair on Perry Street. Sad or scary dolls. You decide.

A friend pointed me to Every Noise at Once. Someone created this so anyone can explore a kazillion genres of music [I counted, it’s exactly a kazillion], and from all time it looks like. Someone is Glenn McDonald, I see. I started with Renaissance, and it played something by Purcell, but then if you click on the arrow, it explodes into this packed page of more choices of composers from this period. Oh, and contemporary performers of music from this period.

That’s just what I hit first. If you look at the main page there are so many genres to choose from—if you’re like me there are tons you’ve never even heard of. It’s an insane amount of work for what, the sheer love of it? Ah, I see McDonald works for The Echo Nest, “The Echo Nest is the world’s leading music intelligence company.” Jesus. The world is getting so much better. Some things are getting better more quickly than others obviously. And sadly.

But the fact that things like this are someone’s job though, is definitely in the world-is-getting-better category. Thank you Glenn McDonald, this is GREAT.

I passed by a couple of shoots in the Meatpacking District the other day.

At least, I think this one below was for a shoot. The platform this car was on was so wobbly I practically had an anxiety attack watching them. You could see it sway back and forth. I just got out of there.