Or is it all just a beautiful coincidence?

(5/5)

The white-throated sparrow has been seen as a rare wind-driven ”vagrant” species in Europe. Did a migrating male get blown off course during a storm and sing his fruitless search for a mate in Saxony sometime while Rachmaninoff was living there (1906-1909)?

(4/5)

I want to think that Rachmaninoff was familiar with this North American bird's song and carried it with him until it found a place in his music. But he composed the concerto in Dresden in 1909, months before beginning his first tour of the United States.

(3/5)

Now listen to the oboe introduce the theme in the Intermezzo from the Third Concerto:

youtu.be/eEW8O5JSkdw?...

This theme is repeated with variations throughout the movement.

(2/5)

I can be intentionally wordy in my FB posts. The BlueSky character limit gives me pause, plus the apparent inability to set an "audience" for one's posts (I'm pretty much friends-only on FB), plus the fact that few of my friends are here yet. Maybe I'll get over it.

I enjoyed listening to the Putumayo World Music Hour on NPR.

Joined BlueSky just to catch up on your status as you've evidently given up on ZuckWorld. Sorry about your latest bout with COVID, but glad you seen to be bouncing back!