User talk:MerlinVtwelve

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Holst

I noticed your frustration trying to add to Gustav Holst. When you see a composer's article without an infobox, you know that you deal with editors who cherish older formats. You can accept that or discuss on the talk which will need time as the 2016 discussion there will tell you. Compare his daughter, also a FA but by another editor. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:37, 13 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hi @Gerda Arendt thanks very much for the heads up. I have been thinking of posting some thoughts on the article's talk page. Much has changed since that discussion in 2016 – both on WP and how people are accessing it in the real world. Cheers merlinVtwelve (talk) 23:04, 13 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hey @Gerda Arendt as you can see, I've given it a shot on the Holst talk page. However, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of interest from most of the editors. Maybe they are worn out from the whole infobox topic!

Which is a bit odd, because it's not really a controversial matter on any of the other pages that I work on.

I guess I'll keep the powder dry for now, and see if any other editors join in... merlinVtwelve (talk) 01:44, 22 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I saw your posts, and I said above all I wanted to say. A bit more, reluctantly: infoboxes - despite the claim that they are, supported by arbcom - are not a controversial matter, - just look around on Wikipedia. But there are about 6 editors ... see above. 2016 was the last time I invested time talking to them, and many others feel the same frustration. Did you see the Mozart discussion? All arguments were exchanged back then, my favourite was by Voceditenore, but the opposers seem still not impressed, not ready to learn. (Three of the 6 banned me from their talk pages, they take it that serious, while the others remained my friends from before I even knew that infoboxes were considered contentious which I learned when I made suggestions for for Bach and Wagner.)

You could begin an RfC if you think the exchange that some have described as a war should be repeated. (The last was for Erik Satie.) I am happy that Imogen Holst, by Brianboulton, one of my models here (see my talk), has an infobox. I spend my time now on upgrading the articles of people who just died, and of course they all have an infobox, hundreds of articles. It's simply the normal thing for a 2025 article. I have never - which means since 2012 - understood the reluctance to serve readers who have different needs or interest also. - Perhaps you could begin a discussion if the matter is still controversial. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:36, 22 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Three of "my" recent deaths bios are on the main page right now, one my story today, Gary Karr, and I loved to find his breakthrough concert in 1962 as a video. In my music today I match it with 9 other double bassists, 7 conducted by a person who's birthday is today - coincidence ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:16, 23 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the flowers!

I've had a chance to look at the Mozart discussion about the infobox, and yes @Voceditenore makes some good points. The first thing that strikes me is that the discussion is reasonably civil and the editors are generally treating each other with respect.

This is quite a contrast to the Holst discussion back in 2016, where some of the editors were being very sarcastic and even quite rude to each other. Ironic, since Holst was by all accounts such a polite chap!

What isn't being covered at length in either of these discussions, is that on a mobile, it saves the user from scrolling back and forth to find the required information.

And the majority of users are now accessing Holst on a mobile device. Last month 23,455 users accessed the page. Of those, only 9,113 were viewing the article on a computer screen, and the rest were mobile users. merlinVtwelve (talk) 20:02, 25 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The big difference between Mozart and Holst is that Mozart is a normal article by many authors, while Holst is a featured article, sort of untouchable, - that's what the author(s) would like. I don't know if you saw that there's a thread on ANI pointing at a sentence that nails it. I didn't have much mobile experience until a trip last year when I found it unsafe to take a PC along: I learned to edit on the mobile but found it hard. - After the Mozart discussion, I really hoped we could close that sad chapter. Always learning. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:47, 25 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I am a little bit similar in that I prefer using a computer. I've never tried editing on a mobile phone, as it would require a lot of squinting and I suspect I would make many typing errors! However, when I am out and about, I find myself being an end-user, and just looking things up on WP.

I've only started analysing the mobile experience a little more closely. There are actually now at least three different ways of viewing an infobox:

1) The 'traditional' way on a computer, where it's a box in the top right hand corner of the screen, and the text flows around it in response to the size of the browser window.

2) In a mobile browser – now the most common way – where it is presented as a box which is in line with the body text, and requires the user to scroll past it.

3) In the dedicated Wikipedia mobile app, where it appears as a 'Dropdown Menu', and is not even really a 'box'.

I don't know whether it is worth getting into a huge fight with the other editors about this. I've got better things to do. And it seems that there are a few other composers that don't have infoboxes either, which would mean multiple fights. merlinVtwelve (talk) 21:23, 25 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Any fight is not desirable. If I was one of them, I had listened to Voceditenore's arguments in the Mozart discussion and given up the resistance. If they won't listen to those, they will not listen to mine or yours, I'm afraid. The ANI discussion was closed saying that the community is tired of the bickering, - so true. Mobile or not, an infobox supplies a little service of accessibility and I feel that's desirable. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:23, 26 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Back to music: Béatrice Uria-Monzon and her story, Julia Hagen and her no story --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:19, 26 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

On Bach's day of death, I decorated my user pages in memory of his music, and my story ends on "peace". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:14, 28 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Highly appropriate! merlinVtwelve (talk) 08:20, 29 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Jahrhundertring remembered, with the picture of a woman who can't believe what she has to see --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:10, 31 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

And of course, I will make sure every new Holst page has the wicked and sinful infobox! merlinVtwelve (talk) 10:45, 1 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

For some reason I don't know, infoboxes for musical compositions have been accepted. We flooded the compositions by Sibelius with them in 2018, without much opposition, and in the end the composer also got one, against opposition. Looking forward to one of the piece articles on the main page! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:56, 29 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That's a great picture of Sibelius! He looks quite serious. And the signature is a nice touch also. (Hmm, I wonder if Holst's signature is available anywhere...)

I'm also finding the Opera infobox is quite adaptable to other forms, e.g. choral music. merlinVtwelve (talk) 22:32, 29 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you! - For choral works (symphonies, psalms, hymns ...), we have {{infobox musical composition}}, much more versatile. {{infobox opera}} was intentionally kept simple, knowing about the opposition. Did you look at the examples? - On top of my talk: birthday of a great violinist and Requiem for a great friend. We sang Paradisi gloria from the Stabat Mater in the end. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:13, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oops! I think I'm using the wrong one. Thanks, I'll fix that at some stage. I might be a day behind on your Talk Page. But I really like Rodion Schedrin's version of Carmen. I think he re-scored it for Ballet? It's on a Russian LP. merlinVtwelve (talk) 07:54, 1 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

His ballet is based on Bizet, but more than re-scoring, I understand. - Day behind doesn't matter, - I gave you the link to the violinist, and music and memory is mostly the same (which is unusual) ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:56, 1 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, definitely more than a re-scoring actually...have a listen to it if you get a chance! merlinVtwelve (talk) 20:11, 1 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

September music

My story today is about a composer and his ballerina wife, pictured as I saw them in 2009. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:54, 2 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The guy definitely had a sense of humour! You've got me thinking about his Carmen Suite now. I looked it up on Apple Classical and there are more than 15 versions available. However the version I am familiar with is with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky. It doesn't seem to be there, so I might have to get out the Soviet version I have on a Melodiya LP. It's a great recording with very good sound quality. merlinVtwelve (talk) 20:48, 5 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

A soprano pictured on DYK, a soprano and a composer and a bassoonist on RD, and a composer with the pic of the day: a good day for classical music! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:28, 5 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Good to see! merlinVtwelve (talk) 20:48, 5 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you! - I enjoy a DYK that pictures a person together with achievements in art. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:46, 7 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

And today Holst is in DYK! See below... merlinVtwelve (talk) 06:41, 8 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, lovely! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:42, 8 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

... and Arvo Pärt OTD, 90! Did you know that it took me some trouble to get him to the main page? Listen! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:59, 11 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Today is the birthday of the 16th Thomaskantor after Bach, remembered. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:05, 20 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I will listen to some Bach today – something choral perhaps. merlinVtwelve (talk) 20:38, 20 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Most stories come with something to watch, this one has Fürchte dich nicht, BWV 228. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:10, 20 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

My 100th biography to the Main page in 2025 is Siegmund Nimsgern. To listen: a full opera of about 4 hours ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:18, 22 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

John Rutter 80 today! I sang his major choral works with four choirs, and many of his uplifting anthems, 13 DYK? I watched him explain his Magnificat in person in 1998, and now see it on Youtube: he wore the same outfit. - There's a discussion for Joseph Haydn. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:48, 24 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

My story today is about the principal violin of the Concentus Musicus; she would have been 95 OTD. I felt connected when the second oboist of our recent concert, of Haydn's Stabat Mater, said that he built an English horn for his performance of the work with the Concentus Musicus. - Concert weekend pictured in "places". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:42, 26 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You've reminded me that I need to get to know Haydn better – I'll give the Stabat Mater a try. As a light diversion, I have been listening to Nahre Sol on YouTube. She'll take a well-known modern tune, such as Fly Me to the Moon and play it in the style of Bach, Mozart and other composers – even Arvo Pärt! merlinVtwelve (talk) 23:14, 27 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, - listened to Pärt's Tabula rasa yesterday, fascinated! - Haydn: you could with little effort just say if places of death should be part of Haydn's infobox, link above. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:24, 28 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the Haydn comment, but I wasn't clear: some infobox is back, only which parameters to fill need discussion. I collapsed the confusing part, which includes your comment. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:27, 28 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oops, my apologies! OK, let me ponder this one for a while... merlinVtwelve (talk) 08:28, 28 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No problem. I like what you said there! - Today I could have told many stories, - St. Michael's Day (The Company of Heaven) and the anniversary of our performance of the Mass in B minor in 2013. I picked the composition (and its author) that was on DYK in the morning, and you can listen. I also show a collection of DYK around people called Michael on my user page ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:07, 29 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

DYK for Hymns from the Rig Veda

On 8 September 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Hymns from the Rig Veda, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that the English composer Gustav Holst published a collection of Hindu hymns based on his own translations of Sanskrit literature? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Hymns from the Rig Veda. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Hymns from the Rig Veda), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

—Kusma (talk) 00:02, 8 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hey @Kusma thanks, that's very exciting! Cheers merlinVtwelve (talk) 08:09, 8 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

October music

Thank you for improving article quality in October! Today Sequenza III on Luciano Berio's centenary. You can listen with the score or to the first performer, Cathy Berberian (link in the work's article), - I couldn't decide ;) -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:03, 24 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

300 years ago: Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79, on the occasion for which it was written, Reformation Day - it's not only Halloween today. You are invited to the peer reviews for another candidate. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:14, 31 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

story · music · places

Look, today's image, - she "portrayed" herself with her husband at the end of the table, - would have been good for Thanksgiving ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:01, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]