100 PHOTOS THAT CHANGED CANADA

My niece's husband, Mark Reid, is editor of The Beaver - the magazine of Canada's National History Society.
Following the great success of a feature in the magazine '10 Photos that changed Canada' he has put together a book '100 Photos that changed Canada'.
It is a beautiful production - not only fascinating photographs, but also great accompanying text written by some of Canada's best historians, journalists and writers. The book is further enhanced with excellent design and production.
A great Christmas present for anyone with Canadian connections.
Mark and Marianne are currently on a travelling book launch tour. Unfortunately London is not on their schedule (yet!).

November composer anniversaries

3/11/1801 Bellini born
4/11/1924 Fauré died
4/11/1847 Mendelssohn died
6/11/1893 Tchaikovsky died
12/11/1833 Borodin died
13/11/1868 Rossini died
14/11/1900 Copland born
19/11/1828 Schubert died
21/11/1695 Purcell died
22/11/1913 Britten born
29/11/1797 Donizetti born
29/11/1643 Monteverdi died
29/11/1924 Puccini died

Henry Purcell - new postage stamp

The Royal Mail issued a new set of stamps on 8 October. 'Eminent Britons'. Ten 1st class stamps.

Henry Purcell is one of the ten so I have added it to my Purcell webpage at 52composers.com

I was sorry to see that none of the portrait artists or photographers were credited by name. Only the picture agencies holding the copyright were mentioned.

October anniversaries of classical composers

5/10/1880 Offenbach died 9/10/1835 Saint Sens born 9/10/1813 Verdi born 11/10/1896 Bruckner died 12/10/1872 Vaughan-Williams born 14/10/1990 Bernstein died 17/10/1849 Chopin died 18/10/1893 Gounod died 22/10/1811 Liszt born 25/10/1838 Bizet born 25/10/1825 Johann Strauss born

Underwater photography - 1895

I came across this item in an 1895 version of the Golden Penny magazine.
How extraordinary. I wonder if any of his images still exist and where to find them?

2010 Calendar - 12 Piano Composers

We're half way through September already - soon be Christmas!
I have started working on my 2010 calendars.
I am trying Redbubble for the first time and have just published one of Piano composers including:
Liszt – Scriabin – Rachmaninov – Bach – Brahms – Debussy – Schumann – Satie – Chopin – Beethoven – Mozart

See it at Redbubble

Freedom of the (Italian) Press 1928

Freedom of the (Italian) Press 1928
Originally uploaded by Paul Helm UK

Looking through my old copies of Punch magazine I came across this cartoon of Mussolini which uncannily reflects Berlusconi's attempts to muzzle the press today.

The caption reads:
THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS
Signor Mussolini: "You see, Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't muzzle him, the sagacious animal puts on his own muzzle himself, the freeest dog in the world!"
[The Italian journalist, according to Signor Mussolini in his address to the Editors of the Fascist Press (there is no other Press in Italy), "does not wait to take his orders daily because he already has them in his consciousness."]