Rob Rankin
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robrankin.bsky.social
Rob Rankin
@robrankin.bsky.social
composer | music theory/comp professor U of Utah | husband (@maxecoleman.bsky.social) | record collector | chicago cubs fan | occasional writer of words (http://robrankin.substack.com)

robertrankinmusic.com
I'm giving a talk on how musical structure can function as a kind of metaphor. Come out and hear me blab about Beethoven, Berg, and, humbly, me!

music.utah.edu/events/?trum...
November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Grateful that six people bought by the Heritage Foundation decided that I get to remain married for at least the next few years.
Breaking News: The Supreme Court denied a request to consider overturning its landmark decision to legalize same-sex marriage a decade ago. nyti.ms/3Ju2Ayd
November 10, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. apnews.com/article/supr...
Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
apnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
A sneak peek at the cover of next week’s issue, which celebrates Zohran Mamdani’s historic win. #NewYorkerCovers
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
November 5, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
Breaking news: Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is elected as the next mayor of New York City, defeating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and becoming the first Muslim and first of Indian descent to hold the office. https://wapo.st/47rlrDf
November 5, 2025 at 2:39 AM
I feel like the fundamental misunderstanding in this country is that the annoying things your twenty year old niece posts online are not official Democratic talking points.
I don't think it helps the debate about what Democrats should do to pick an obscure thing that some Democrat somewhere may have said -- like on teaching eighth grade algebra -- and then attribute it to Democrats generally.
November 4, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
Pete Gold-Armstrong. 😌
November 3, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Happy Halloween!
We learned that most fresh blood stains vanish with cold water and inexpensive household cleaning products, and that acting fast is a crucial part of the process. Here's what to do: nyti.ms/4hAYz7O
October 31, 2025 at 7:24 PM
“Take Care of This House” from the Bernstein/Lerner musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, has been referenced, metaphorically, over the past ten years.

Tonight, with the former East Wing of the White House now a pile of debris, the song becomes something painfully literal.

youtu.be/ns0bW-VonK4
Take Care of This House (From "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue")
YouTube video by Leonard Bernstein - Topic
youtu.be
October 24, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
Use code “indictment” for $5 of free bets on DraftKings
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has been arrested by the FBI for alleged illegal gambling, sources tell ESPN.
October 23, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Picked up this hefty boy from the Hollywood Amoeba Music (for a bargain) and have been gradually making my way through the 106 discs. I'm a little over halfway there. Two takeaways:

1. These Mozart Pno. Concerto/Symphony recordings are unparalleled
2. The La Mer recording is shockingly terrible!
October 20, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
Canvas has been down alllll day. Maybe monopolies ARE bad!
October 20, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I wrote about Arnold Schoenberg, the wonders of modernism, and the prevailing myth that a single man can ruin an entire art form. open.substack.com/pub/robranki...
WHAT DO WE MAKE OF SCHOENBERG?
Arnold Schoenberg and the Myth of Modern Music
open.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:29 AM
October 17, 2025 at 8:31 PM
You would think after decades of making this claim, they would have found at least one (1) single “Thanks For Protesting” check
Sean Duffy: "The No Kings protest, Maria, really frustrating. This is part of antifa, paid protesters. It begs the question who's funding it."
October 13, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Now that fall has finally arrived, at least here in Utah, here is an essay from last year about the mysterious but undeniably satisfying connection between the music of Brahms and autumn. Give it a read, whip up your favorite autumnal drink, and listen to a symphony or piano concerto!
BRAHMS AND AUTUMN
A Seasonal Connection with Johannes
open.substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
They seem nice…
The Padres UNLOADED on the Umps As They Tried to Leave the Field

www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2025/10...
October 3, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
OMG I am so happy!!
October 3, 2025 at 12:10 AM
This past week, I’ve been preparing a lecture on Webern’s astonishing Symphony Op. 21. What I cannot get over in this piece is how the static and immobile set of canons which open the piece gradually expand and loosen up into something flexible and almost weightless.
youtu.be/rzIW-Sums08?...
Webern: Symphony, Op. 21: I. Ruhig schreitend
YouTube video by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - Topic
youtu.be
October 1, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Hegseth called Eddie Gallagher “a war hero.”

Gallagher stabbed Khaled Jamal Abdullah, an Iraqi teenager, in the neck and, in separate incidents, shot civilians including an old man and a young girl. In photos, Gallagher is seen posing with Abdullah’s corpse.
Hegseth: "You should not pay for an earnest mistake for your entire career. That's why today, at my direction, we're making changes to the retention of adverse information on personnel records."
September 30, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
Yeah, everyone hates the AI subway ads as much as you do nygroove.nyc/ai-subway-ads/
September 29, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
Not ideal but here we go #Cubs fans
September 28, 2025 at 5:45 PM
This is possibly the most important thing to read as a voting member of a society! www.loa.org/books/452-se...
it may feel a little like homework, but i genuinely think people should read the lincoln-douglas debates to see what the practical politics of anti-slavery looked like in an environment where the public was neutral to hostile to the question of emancipation
September 28, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Rob Rankin
HOME FIELD FOR THE WILD CARD SERIES BELONGS TO THE CUBS!
www.bleachernation.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM
This is, and I cannot stress this enough, really really bad
Today's roster moves presented by @NuveenInv:
September 27, 2025 at 6:06 PM