Late August Miscellany

1. I've been listening to that Sufjan EP some more. It is baroque stuff, and by "baroque" I use the definition Borges gave us in his second preface to the Historia universal de la infamia:

Yo diría que barroco es aquel estilo que deliberadamente agota (o quiere agotar) sus posibilidades y que linda con su propia caricatura. ... [Y]o diría que es barroca la etapa final de todo arte, cuando éste exhibe y dilapida sus medios.

This overreach—and yes, I do consider it overreaching—cannot last forever. Once given resources are exhausted and the artist finally realizes it he must make drastic reductions or cease creating altogether. Either Sufjan will follow this EP (and the recently-announced new album, which sounds like similar stuff) with a pared-down release, or he will burn out by making increasingly busy and opaque music.

2. File under coincidences, ecclesiastic: just this evening I received an invitation to play a noontime concert at the Episcopal Cathedral in Indianapolis (following the Friday noon Eucharist, sometime in the next few months), where I attended this past July when I was in that city. They have two fine instruments (I can't speak for the third, the little one), but I'm leaning towards the Taylor & Boody, as I believe I'd like to do an all-Buxtehude concert...

3. Cantoring at Mass tomorrow; you may watch it on the internets, if you insist. I get to wear me a surplice! Will inform if it has lace.