User talk:Gerda Arendt: Difference between revisions

my story today

We moved from 2025 to 2026, with new calendar pictures and new music. The topic is to prepare peace, in small steps. You can follow my daily stories, {{User Gerda Arendt/Top}}, often with an image and something to listen to: let’s stay inspired and connected.

Ongoing efforts regard improving articles of people who recently died, music heard and sung, and their makers. Watch my user page for articles any given day, done in collaboration. Compare 2025 for the amazing number of users who began and expanded articles. Thanks also to reviewers, and I do plan to review more and write less, and in writing, focus more on quality than the little daily article.

2026 calender pics and musical events begin here, and the 2026 diary of my own pictures of places, songs, food, flowers began here, – just watch those lists if you are interested.

My talk goes like this: on top there’s the “story” related to the day. Below are three or more boxes, often one for people remembered and others for musical experiences, performing or listening. In these boxes, topics related to the top story and topics featured on the Main page appear bold. Right here you see the image of the month with songs of the month, typically related to friends who gave them to me, listed on their birthdays or when meeting them. I archive this talk from time to time. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:42, 5 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Isues where I need help, such as reviews:

2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · 2026

good articles · recent deaths · did you know? · blushing

Thank you, I like to hear that! It helped that I was fascinated by the subject. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:56, 8 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

more in the archive

Thank you for all your kind messages on my talk page throughout the year and for helping me enhance my knowledge of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach (to some extent). Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Keep contributing as you do. Cheers. MSincccc (talk) 19:02, 17 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, for your thoughtful message and your constructive reviewing! Unser Mund sei voll Lachens 😉 – My little DYK Christmas gift still needs an approval, a song that a beloved family member liked. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:11, 17 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the reminder. I’ll give it an anchor, to quote in discussions 😉 – I should perhaps make a list of DYK sentences I made which refer to peace, and perhaps make it the topic for 2026 … (so far I thought about dedication and interesting stories). – Peaceful Holidays to you and yours! My song this year is funny, – look above. We’ll sing the song of the angels (thank you for the illustration, and I’ll add mine) on Christmas Eve, this year from Bach’s Magnificat, one of three works by Bach for five voices, and “et in terra pax” (peace on earth) is especially expressive, listen. I should expand the section. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:06, 18 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The 2015 DYK said: … that in his Christmas cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, Bach embedded voices in the overture of his fourth orchestral suite and achieved a “marvellous rendition of laughter-in-music”? —Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:02, 25 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Comments in the FAC are welcome! —Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:02, 25 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Congratulations Gerda on the successful FAC of Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110! Your dedication and artistry truly shine through—well done!

el.ziade (talkallam) 20:19, 30 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, Elias! It would not have happened without you! —Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:34, 30 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I go for peace this year, and will collect steps towards more peace, open for discussion:

As a big classical music person, I know that if I ever need to know something about one of Bach’s cantatas, there’s a good chance it’s a Gerda Arendt GA. Thanks for the work you do with content and at GAN (including, recently, your first review!—unsurprisingly, you did terrifically) and for honouring those we have lost at RD. And of course, thank you for your daily stories, wonderful music, and lovely pictures that you leave on my and others’ talk pages. Have an incredible holiday season and see you in 2026!

GoldRomean (talk) 19:05, 26 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much for such an uplifting personal message! The season has been good so far, see singing above, – pictures to follow, but I’m too celebrating 😉 —Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:03, 26 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

—Rosiestep (talk) 23:31, 26 December 2025 (UTC) via MassMessaging[reply]

Thank you, Bishs! Look what happened, below and below! —Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:32, 30 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, Spencer, just in time. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:38, 30 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Begin with a thankful Bach cantata, including prayer for peace, and other great music. To collaboration and peace, —Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:13, 1 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

		The Special Barnstar
		Happy New Year, Gerda Arendt! I have lost count of how many years now it has been that I have written this message on your user talk page, but here I am again in 2025. In the past year, other editors thanked you 1538 times using the thanks tool on the English Wikipedia. This made you the #2 most thanked Wikipedian in 2025. As you once told me, giving is better than receiving, and in 2025, you were also the #1 most thankful Wikipedian with 3132 uses of the thanks tool. As I said last year: congratulations and, well, thank you for all that you do for Wikipedia. Here’s to 2026! Mz7 (talk) 05:13, 31 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you so much, Mz7, – in words (which I still believe is the better way to thank)! I was curious and I found 2020. No. 1 is new, and that being in “thankful” is wanted! I’ll move this into next year 😉 —Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:03, 31 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Do feel free to reuse. This picture is as tenacious as you (see it tomorrow) and it mirrors the happiness you share with so many. Thank you. – Roger aka Victuallers (talk) 10:23, 31 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, Roger! I share my story which also changes each day, and in 2026 will share music, changing often. Today, look at music. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:30, 31 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, that’s a great idea. Listen! —Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:16, 1 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, and also to you! —Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:49, 1 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Congrats dear Gerda–Symposiarch (talk) 11:07, 2 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Congratulation. Grimes2 17:09, 2 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

1. Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110 – Ian Rose – 2 Jan

♠PMC♠ (talk) 00:02, 3 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

The credit said: “Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to nominate it“. Do you find interesting that two presidents praised her without being told for what? —Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:13, 3 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

1. Stanislaus Kennedy – 3 Jan
2. Armand Avril – 4 Jan
3. … zwei Gefühle … – 11 Jan
4. Carmen Moreno – 21 Jan

♠PMC♠ (talk) 00:03, 4 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

1. Gary Graffman – Schwede66 – 2 Jan (from 2025)
2. Rudi Spring – Stephen – 5 Jan
3. Ruth Wagner – Stephen – 5 Jan
4. Andrew Carter – PFHLai – 9 Jan
5. Rolf Riehm – Spencer – 9 Jan
6. Jonathan Powell (musician) – Spencer – 10 Jan
7. John Wallace – Bagumba – 16 Jan
8. Isaiah Jackson – Spencer – 18 Jan
9. Miroslava Pešíková – Schwede66 – 18 Jan

As you have familiarity with opera, I thought the article on Hero Palli might interest you, which I came across during WP:NPP. — Rosiestep (talk) 14:35, 7 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, – I looked a bit, and will look further tomorrow. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:15, 7 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

An automated process has detected that when you recently edited Jonathan Powell (musician), you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page Alexander Goldenweiser.

(Opt-out instructions.) —DPL bot (talk) 07:54, 9 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

—Ganesha811 (talk) 00:04, 10 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

 — Chris Woodrich (talk) 00:02, 11 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

After seeing this, I went ahead and made some small elbow macaroni, which I was surprised to find is an American invention and has no Italian name. Viriditas (talk) 00:33, 11 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

List of pasta says it is called gomiti or chifferi, but there is no indication it arose in Italy. Should I assume that it did? Viriditas (talk) 00:37, 11 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

St. Martin, Idstein has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 02:51, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I looked and found the paragraphs about the music performed in church services not cited. What can we do? Same problem as at Bach’s time: there was no press coverage of his cantatas except the one that he performed when he assumed the post (and it only said it was good, without details). There has been no press coverage for musical groups doing church work in Idstein, not even for the choir jubilee. It still happened, there are images. What do you think about splitting the details of church music in a separate article, like splitting the recordings off BWV 1? – Happy Wikipedia jubilee! —Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:25, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Spinning out information is fine if the spun-out article is notable on its own per GNG. In addition to news sources, articles can use books and academic journals from reputable (ie not self-published) publishers. If no secondary sources covered particular information, I do not think it needs to be in the article as it might be too much detail: if its important to mention, then a source should mention it that can be cited. Z1720 (talk) 17:13, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

My story today remembers a DYK 10 years ago, which remembers a great conductor, also director of a conservatory with a long tradition. – I was part of the event the DYK mentioned. We sang Bach’s cantata Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56, and Mozart’s Requiem at the Lutherkirche Wiesbaden (and in three other concerts in the region). When the conservatory was founded, Clara Schumann was a piano teacher. Let’s keep expanding free knowledge. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:12, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

It may be have been an oversight on your part, but to avoid further messages from User:DPL bot, just click Preferences → Gadgets → Display links to disambiguation pages in orange. If you follow the orange link, and copy/paste the exact intended article title into the WL brackets you just created, the bot will never bother you again.

I’m afraid I am not a huge fan of Mozart’s Requiem, so much of it is not Wolfie’s work, especially the embarrassing trombone solo. His Symphony No. 34 on the other hand, is absolutely scintillating. Best, MinorProphet (talk) 20:54, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the “preferences” but I find the bot helpful 😉 – further down on memory lane. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:06, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

 — Chris Woodrich (talk) 00:02, 21 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Gerda, as it is coming round to my annual self-indulgence-Fest over being Awesome, I thought I’d save you the trouble of mentioning it, and at the same time take the opportunity to reply to your New Year greeting with one of my own. Sorry it’s so late, I am in a deluge of dental appointments for which I have to make a 50-mile round trip in my “characterful” old Astra. But you may imagine me as a severe old would-be Quaker who has decided not to be an observer of times and seasons, or at least who uses that as an excuse for his laziness. I have just recovered my old CDs of Borciani and Pegreffi reinventing Die Kunst der Fuge into something that sounds like late Beethoven, which has been locked away in storage since 2018, and am much enjoying it. That work, and the two Ricercars from the Musical Offering, contain a special sort of Peace if one doesn’t bang them out too horribly! It’s all in the light touch, dear, as Noel Coward possibly remarked. “Nur wo Recht und Weisheit halten / können Ruh’ und Friede walten, / und was Länder glücklich macht.” Somebody tell the leaders of the “free” and un-free world, if you can tell which is which, please… Prayers and good wishes to you for 2026 – Eebahgum (talk) 13:32, 21 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you and never too late for some wisdom! —Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:36, 21 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

In February, Women in Red is hosting an event on Works by women in opera, theatre and music. Perhaps you could suggest a number of compositions which deserve to be covered or point to other sources.–Ipigott (talk) 14:49, 25 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the pointer, but nothing particularly coming to my mind. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:34, 25 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

No rush on this. But it would be good to have suggestions on one or two important classical works by women composers. Take your time.–Ipigott (talk) 16:32, 25 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

The first coming to mind would be Sofia Gubaidulina. I’ll check her list of works. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:38, 25 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Gerda, returning after a three-day break from the internet, I just saw your kind posting on my 20th WikiBirthday. I am most grateful for your words and I thank you with all my heart. —Roman Spinner (talk • contribs) 23:48, 25 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Roman, it’s lovely to wake up to a message from your great heart! —

St John Passion structure has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 04:28, 28 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Z1720, as I told you I’m on vacation and will work on it – or St. John Passion – during Lent, adding: after Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen, BWV 43. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:09, 28 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

You may want to post in the GAR so that other editors know that you plan to work on it. Z1720 (talk) 15:23, 28 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Which other editor would be interested in an article I created for the sole reason of having an article about the piece with an infobox, and without OR? Perhaps the editor who added long unsourced tables for the versions besides the first? – I’ll check if the primary article can be improved now, that the OR is gone. —Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:28, 28 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]