Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892–1988) was an English composer, music critic, pianist and writer whose music, written over a period of seventy years, ranges from sets of miniatures to works lasting several hours. One of the most prolific 20th-century composers, he is best known for his piano pieces, notably nocturnes such as Gulistān, and large-scale, technically intricate works like Sequentia cyclica. He had a lifelong tendency to seclusion and felt alienated from English society by reason of his homosexuality and ancestry; his mother was English and his father a Parsi businessman and industrialist from India. After playing his music publicly between 1920 and 1936, Sorabji imposed restrictions on its performance, which he lifted in 1976. He has been likened to the composer-pianists he admired, including Franz Liszt and Charles-Valentin Alkan, and his harmonic language and complex rhythms anticipated works from the mid-20th century onwards.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaikhosru_Shapurji_Sorabji

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1888:

George Lusk, the chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee in London, received a letter allegedly from Jack the Ripper. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Hell_letter

1917:

Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari was executed by a firing squad for spying for Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Hari

1954:

Hurricane Hazel made landfall in the Carolinas in the United States before moving north to Toronto in Canada later the same day, killing a total of 176 people in both countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hazel

2011:

Global demonstrations against economic inequality, corporate influence on government, and other issues, were held in more than 950 cities in 82 countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15_October_2011_global_protests

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

beg to differ: 1. (idiomatic) To offer an opposing opinion humbly. 2. (idiomatic) To differ (strongly) in interpretation or opinion. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beg_to_differ

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt.   --Abdul Kalam https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abdul_Kalam