Rakoto Frah (1923–2001) was a flutist and composer of traditional
music of the central highlands of Madagascar. Born to a poor rural
family, he became the most acclaimed 20th-century performer of the
sodina flute, one of the island's oldest traditional instruments. In
1958, he was selected to perform for the visiting French president
Charles de Gaulle, launching his career as a professional musician, and
from 1967 he increasingly participated in international music
competitions and festivals. Following a decline in popularity in the
1970s, Frah's career revived in the mid-1980s and remained strong until
his death. During this period Rakoto Frah recorded ten albums, toured
extensively in Madagascar and overseas, and collaborated with a variety
of artists, placing him among the most famous Malagasy artists within
Madagascar and on the world music scene. Rakoto Frah and his sodina were
printed on the 200 ariary Malagasy banknote in honor of his key role in
revitalizing and internationally popularizing Malagasy music. Despite
the artist's worldwide acclaim, he lived simply and earned little. His
death was widely mourned and marked by a state funeral.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakoto_Frah>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1721:
Johann Sebastian Bach presented Margrave Christian Ludwig of
Brandenburg-Schwedt with six concertos, now commonly called the
Brandenburg concertos.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_concertos>
1869:
The last of Māori leader Titokowaru's forces surrendered to
the New Zealand government, ending his uprising.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titokowaru%27s_War>
1882:
German physician Robert Koch announced the discovery of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis>
1927:
Following the capture of Nanjing by an alliance of Nationalist
and Communist forces, British and American warships bombarded the city
in defence of foreign citizens there.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Incident>
1989:
The tanker Exxon Valdez spilled more than 10 million
US gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the
most devastating man-made environmental disasters at sea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
siesta:
An afternoon nap, especially the one taken after lunch in some cultures.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/siesta>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Freedom is a mystical truth — Its expressed best in The Brothers
Karamazov, the chapter when the Grand Inquisitor confronted the returned
Christ. The freedom that Christ gave the world was the freedom of being
an individual, in a collectivity, of basing ones life on love, as
distinct from power, of seeking the good of others rather than
nourishing ones own ego. That was liberation. And the Chief Inquisitor,
who speaks for every dictator, every millionaire, every ideologue that's
ever been, says we can't have it. Go away. Stay away.
--Malcolm Muggeridge
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Malcolm_Muggeridge>