h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Avenging Washcloth, the program we will be performing is based around Antonin Dvorak and his influence on American music. We'll be singing a Dvorak mass, and a choral setting of a section from his "New World Symphony," which in turn was supposed to to have been based on American folk themes.

Dvorak traveled in the U.S. quite a bit. One of the students he taught in New York later taught George Gershwin. He inspired Americans to celebrate their own musical roots. We will also sing pieces by Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein, and a couple of fun Czech folk songs. There will also be some late-19th-century revival-meeting hymns, and some old standards such as "Amazing Grace" and "What wondrous love is this." There is almost too much music, but it does manage to hit just about every mood.

Dvorak is one of my very favorites. I'm half Czechoslovakian, so maybe that's because he speaks to *my* roots ... which are *not* dyed a different color, by the way.

Aaron Copeland's "Our Town" score has been on my *must have* list for a long, long while. I can't seem to find it on any of the albums that feature his works.

My brother was bragging that he had all the Aaron Copland recordings, so I asked if he had "Dance Panels" (which I had just bought). Turned out he didn;t have that one.

Are you looking for the actual motion picture score, or the orchestral suite that Copland made from it? I've heard the orchestral suite on the radiio several times.

When you say "album," are you talking vinyl or compact disc?

Compact Disc of course! I traded in my vinyl years ago. I expect you still have yours, Paul, don't you?

I think I'd like to find the orchestral suite primarily. I've heard it many times also ... those lovely strains induce the most intense state of mind every time I have the pleasure to hear it.

The trouble with phonograph records is that I have so many of them.

Not to mention that they can become scratched.

And warped.

I'm warped.

*moves AW away from the heat, lays her on a flat surface and covers her with a very heavy book*


There, that should help flattern you out.

mmph mmm phhh.

Quit squirming!

We never will get that nasty warp out of you if you keep moving around under there!

Captain's Log: Star date whatever (who cares about details like that)

THE ANDROID: Commander AW, we are traveling through space at warp 10.

AVENGING WASHCLOTH: Good! Just don't go any faster than that, as I'm busy washing my precious dishes that cost me a fortune and have to last till Doomsday....

THE ANDROID: Permission to speak?

AVENGING WASHCLOTH: You've been doing plenty of speaking up til now, you might as well continue. Permission granted, but only if you say lots of nice things about me. I've had a rough day....that asteroid belt we just collided with made one of my favorite dishes break.

THE ANDROID: Yes, but galactic_ebay.com lists some in that pattern, and there are no other bidders so far.

AVENGING WASHCLOTH: Really? Actually, I would have to pick it up on the planet where the seller lives, wouldn't I

THE ANDROID: No, UPS (Universal Planetary Sender) will deliver it right to you, unless you are a captive of the Klingons.



AVENGING WASHCLOTH: Okay, scratch that.

ANNOUNCER: Tune in next time to find out what cleverly diabolic methods AW uses to turn the Klingons into toasters. Watch the Android play a ukulele and sing "Tiptoe through the tulips"

*sits on the edge of her seat*


I hate these cliffhangers!


When's the next episode?

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There are no cliffs in open space.

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When I get around to it. There are also no round tuits in space, either.

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I always wanted to be a starship commander!

Job openings were pretty scarce, though.

Ah, but you didn't *need* a job opening, AW.

You designed the ship, you supervised a team of 1,000,000 slaves who built it in a day (then had to take it apart and reassemble it at least six times to remove obvious errors like doorless bathrooms and no latte machines in the airlocks).

It's *your* ship. You can darn well be the commnander if you choose.

I just had my vacation - now I want another. Thats just the way it affects you.. I can't wait to return to oz. Its a wonderful place.