Our son is the fourth generation to play a violin made in the early 20th century by Prague luthier Janek (John) Juzek. When researching Juzek’s history, I found it interesting to read that he backdated the labels in his instruments. They included his own name but a completion date about five years earlier than the actual date the instrument was completed. Backdating violin labels was not uncommon, and it was not illegal. However, backdating legal documents is another matter. Backdating legal documents is frequently permissible. However, under other circumstances, it can be fraudulent or illegal.
Read MoreDrone is a musical term which refers to a single note (or notes) which is played continuously throughout a piece of music. A drone note also can be used as a music education tool to help with intonation. Another type of drone, which does not involve music, has also been in the news. From package delivery, to search and rescue operations , to real estate inspections , unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, also called drones, have become mainstream.
Read MoreJohann Sebastian Bach served in the courts of the nobility and for the church in Leipzig. He wrote his music to meet the needs of those who hired him. Little of his music was published during his lifetime, and he likely had little expectation that his music would survive him. Unlike Bach, most business owners expect that their businesses will survive them. Careful business succession planning can make the difference between a business becoming multi-generational family operation and failing after becoming mired in in-fighting or disputes among heirs.
Read MoreLike many violinists, I have a weakness for accessories. Not fashion accessories like scarves and handbags, but violin accessories like mutes, shoulder rests , rosin , humidifiers, metronomes , and chinrests. Real estate can have “accessories” too. A homeowner may construct a gazebo or storage shed to “accessorize” their home. Owners of an apartment complex might construct carports or a swimming pool, or a restaurant may construct an outside covered pavilion for summer outdoor dining.
Read MoreAs he moved the bridge (a task that always makes me nervous), we both heard what sounded like a pencil falling to a wood floor. He moved the violin back and forth, and sure enough, there was the telltale rattling sound that occurs when the sound post has fallen. Despite the importance of the sound post and the skill involved in crafting it, many violinists do not think much about their sound post. Because it is inside of the violin, many violinists do not think much about their sound posts–until there is a problem. he same is true of many “boilerplate” contract clauses.
Read MoreConveying a composer’s original intention is more difficult than it might appear. Original manuscripts from Bach’s era were handwritten, often hastily with ink on parchment. Where the original manuscript is available, it may have been sloppily written or be damaged or incomplete, leaving the musicologist to reconstruct the composer’s intentions from later versions. Unlike with a music manuscript, we usually have a complete copy of the contract. Still, delving into the parties’ intentions can require an examination of the context in which the contract was written and how the parties acted after they signed it.
Read MoreOn June 21, 1893, at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, more than 2,000 people gathered for the opening of the world’s largest Ferris Wheel. After George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., designer of the wheel, and other dignitaries gave speeches, and the fifty-piece Iowa State Band played patriotic tunes, the wheel was started for the first time, belying the background story.
Read MoreAcquiring commercial real estate is a lot like an orchestra in that purchasing real estate consists of purchasing many more assets than meets the eye. When you buy commercial real estate, you know you are getting the land and buildings. Yet, as with an orchestra, there are leases, contracts, personal property and intellectual property, which also may be part of a real estate acquisition.
Read MoreRecently, a Canadian Court awarded aspiring professional clarinetist Eric Abramovitz a six-figure judgment in an identity theft lawsuit he brought against his ex-girlfriend, after she accessed his e-mail and turned down a coveted scholarship on his behalf. While much of the recent news has been dominated by tales of sophisticated cyber attacks, this anecdote shows that low-tech approaches can be just as damaging. A good data protection plan will evaluate risks specific to the business and establish protocols designed to minimize data compromise and loss, including loss from human error and environmental factors.
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