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Red Spin

October 15, 2013 - 11:30am

In 1927 Joseph Schillinger organized and directed the first jazz orchestra in Russia. Schillinger was an academician and a scientist, and so it’s not surprising that the Russian debut of symphonic jazz took place not in a theater or a dance hall, but in the State Academic Choir Hall in...

Lexicographer Shares Slang That Needs To Make A Comeback

October 14, 2013 - 5:52pm

As the co-host of radio program “A Way with Words,” Grant Barrett knows a thing or two about slang. And while Barrett loves learning about new words, old words can be just as fun and in some cases, even more entertaining.

“One of the things I like to do to keep up with language is actually see how much it’s changed,” Barrett said.

In his research, he recently found an article from a 1901 St. Louis newspaper. The headline read “A Dictionary of Everyday 20th Century Slang,” and contained all sorts of interesting words.

“A lot of it has to...

The Americanization

October 14, 2013 - 11:30am

The Guns of Navarone, The Thing from Another World, Friendly Persuasion, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, High Noon– those classics and more than a hundred other Hollywood movies bear the stamp of composer Dimitri Tiomkin, a Russian émigré who developed a flair for writing American music. He was thirty-one years...

Song Share with NPR's Stephen Thompson

October 16, 2013 - 5:41pm

NPR Music's Stephen Thompson checks in to share some of the best music he's come across in fall's crop of new releases.

Collision Course

October 13, 2013 - 11:30am

In the early days of radio someone decided that it would be a good idea to time orchestral performances. The results were surprising to most conductors, and put two of the greatest on a collision course. In 1949 Leonard Bernstein was a young up-and-coming conductor and an avid listener to...

The New World

October 12, 2013 - 11:30am

On October 12, 1892, newly arrived in the New World, Czech composer Antonín DvoÍák wrote from New York to a friend in Moravia about his first impressions of America: After being in quarantine for just a little while we arrived safely in the promised land. The view from Sandy Hook,...

LGBT Activist Says Coming Out Is Still Important

October 11, 2013 - 4:06pm

Friday is the 25th anniversary of National Coming Out Day. Every year on Oct. 11, the LGBT community and straight allies talking about sexuality and equality with their friends and families to educate people about gay rights.

While many believe things are getting better for LGBT people in the United States, "coming out of the closet" is still a risk. Candace Gingrich, associate director of youth and campus engagement at the Human Rights Campaign, said that coming out could still be the thing that gets people fired from a job or causes a judge to give custody of children to someone else...

I Quit!

October 11, 2013 - 11:30am

The job was good, the pay quite nice, and the employer friendly, so in 1717 Johann Sebastian Bach accepted the position of conductor of the music staff for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. The only catch: Bach already had a job and he needed to get out of it. For nine...

Tips For Enjoying 'Slow' Reading In A Busy World

October 16, 2013 - 4:06pm

In today's busy word, it can be hard to sit down and enjoy a good book. An English professor makes the case for slowing down, and has tips for acheiving a more meaningful and satisfying reading experience.