Summary: The 1987 pop song “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega, considered the “mother of the MP3,” was the test track used by German scientists to perfect this new file format that would revolutionize the music industry. Ryan Maguire (University of Virginia) has been experimenting with the sounds that got stripped out of that first MP3. And: From early morning garbage trucks to the non-stop chatter of an endless array of languages, there is a rich sonic landscape that defines New York City. As an expert in the field of “soundscape architecture,” Karen Van Lengen (University of Virginia) has spent time collecting and documenting such sounds and has collaborated with a visual artist on an exhibition featuring recordings and animation. Later in the show: This year marks the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Andrew Kaufman’s (University of Virginia) book Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times says that Tolstoy’s masterpiece is more relevant to readers now than ever. Plus: Gone With the Wind, The Patriot, Born on the Fourth of July—some of America’s most important historical moments have been shown through film. Historian Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) says while these movies often get the facts wrong, there’s history to be learned from the way the stories are told.
