Plucked Bureaucracy

The Benevolent Bureaucracy

Ben | Flyover Takes | 5th May 2025

Philanthropy shifted from personal aid to professionalised intervention during the American Gilded Age. Carnegie argued that the rich should act as “trustees for the poor” by funding libraries, universities, hospitals — a form of aristocratic stewardship. Foundations today echo his vision: interventions at scale rather than direct handouts. Is this generosity, or is it the rich usurping the role of government? (2,200 words)

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Plucked To Perfection

Nicole Garrison | Serenade | 6th May 2025

Potted history of the harpsichord. Unlike the piano, which strikes strings with hammers, the harpsichord plucks its strings with quills or plectra. Its main role in early music was as a continuo instrument — “far from simply filling in chords”, harpsichordists would “shape the harmonic texture” of the piece. It was eventually eclipsed by the piano, until a historically informed revival in the 20C (1,400 words)