User talk:Antandrus
Greetings, welcome to my talk page. Please leave me new messages at the bottom of the page; click here to start a new section at the bottom. I usually notice messages soon. I like to keep threads all in one place, so if you left a message here I will respond to it here; if I left you a message on your talk page I likely am watching it and will respond there.
If you are editing anonymously (using just an IP address) and you cannot edit this page -- for sometimes I have it semi-protected -- you can leave a message for me HERE. I have that page watchlisted and will see edits as quickly as though they were on my regular talk page.
Haec dies quam fecit Dominus. Exultemus et laetemur in ea.
Talk page archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
Welcome
[edit]Hi there. Welcome to Wikipedia. Thanks for your note at Wikipedia:New user log.
I'm sure there are plenty of things you can contribute to here. You might want to check out List of classical music composers, List of musical topics, and Wikipedia:Requested articles/music. The last one, especially, has a lot of suggestions for articles that don't exist yet, but that someone would like to see.
Here are some links you might find useful:
- Welcome is a good place to start.
- Wikipedia:How does one edit a page gives editing help.
- Wikipedia:Manual of Style gives formatting info.
- Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines tell about the principles we operate on. It's important, but don't try to read it all now.
- Wikipedia:Help covers a broad range of useful topics.
- Wikipedia:Village pump is a place to ask questions.
- Wikipedia:Show preview explains how to double-check your edits before saving.
You should also feel free to drop me a question on my talk page. I'll answer if I'm here.
Happy editing, Isomorphic 18:23, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)
April music
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My story today is about an opera singer born OTD in 1870. -Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:42, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
Tout est lumière. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:19, 7 April 2025 (UTC)
today: a woman in red --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:34, 10 April 2025 (UTC)
Check out my talk: for a great woman's Johannes-Passion (listen!), our music in detail, and three people who recently died and are on the main page (where she isn't). My call for collaboration has the first "no", and the second - for the Easter Oratorio - seems inevitable. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:15, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
My story is about music that Bach and Picander gave the world 300 years (and 19 days) ago, - listen (on the conductor's birthday) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:25, 20 April 2025 (UTC)
I wrote my story today and then found it's the person's funeral day. - I hated to see DYK for Johannes-Passion (Gubaidulina) today instead of Good Friday, but it seems also right in the context. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:22, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
I finally managed to upload the pics I meant for Easter, see places. - Also finally, I managed a FAC, Easter Oratorio. I wanted that on the main page for Easter Sunday, but no, twice. You are invited to join a discussion about what "On this day" means, day or date. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:25, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
My music features Bach Bach Bach today ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:26, 29 April 2025 (UTC)
May music
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Bach's cantata was performed 300 years ago, by occasion. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:30, 4 May 2025 (UTC)
Today's main page has again memories of three people who died, for two just the name and for the third an image (great!) coupled with a little bit from her life which seems too little for my taste. What do you think? - A friend of mine sang in Verdi's Requiem at Trinity Church, - you can watch the lifestream (Verdi about 30 minutes into it). --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:47, 5 May 2025 (UTC)
Recommended reading today: Christfried Schmidt, a story about patience. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:13, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
check my talk today for two pics of Margot Friedländer --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:40, 12 May 2025 (UTC)
one was replaced by a pic of May Abrahamse (with uncertain licensing), and Vakhtang Machavariani is nominated --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:42, 13 May 2025 (UTC)
- Mendelssohn's Italian symphony was premiered on 13 May, I know this so well because on this day my local classical station did not communicate well enough internally, and so the afternoon show ended by noting this fact and playing the complete Italian symphony, and after the NPR news, the evening show began by noting this fact and playing the complete Italian symphony. I haven't done the whole "listen to a long piece and then listen to it immediately again" since studying for general exams in grad school! -- Michael Scott Asato Cuthbert (talk) 21:07, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
- Ha ha! I'm going to guess they did not know the premiere date of Satie's Vexations. (One would hope.) Antandrus (talk) 21:40, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
listen to Machavariani's Mariupol --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:36, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
musings on 15 May --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:14, 15 May 2025 (UTC)
birthday of Erik Satie --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:50, 17 May 2025 (UTC)
all Verdi today: tenor Luigi Alva and the premiere OTD of his Requiem, see my talk - remember that early in the thread there was a link to a performance? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:33, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
A first: two stories about two people who worked together and died the same day --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:09, 27 May 2025 (UTC)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, born 100 years ago, described by Alan Blyth --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:50, 28 May 2025 (UTC)
- There is so much music - lieder by Schubert, songs by Samuel Barber, and on and on - which, when I listen in my head, comes up in the voice of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He seemed to own the repertory in a way no one else ever did, at least in modern times. Antandrus (talk) 21:23, 28 May 2025 (UTC)
- I agree! - Reasons to look at Bach today (and listen): it's a recent GA (not by me), he assumed the position of Thomaskantor OTD in 1723, he's up for PR, and several of his cantatas for GA, and his Easter Oratorio for FAC --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:32, 30 May 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – May 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2025).

Rusalkii
NaomiAmethyst (overlooked last month)
Interface administrator changes
- Following an RfC, administrator elections were permanently authorized on a five-month schedule. The next election will be scheduled soon; see Wikipedia talk:Administrator elections for more information. This is an alternate process to the RfA process and does not replace the latter.
- An RfC was closed with consensus to allow editors to opt-out of seeing "sticky decorative elements". Such elements should now be wrapped in {{sticky decoration wrapper}}. Editors who wish to opt out can follow the instructions at WP:STICKYDECO.
- An RfC has resulted in a broad prohibition on the use of AI-generated images in articles. A few common-sense exceptions are recognized.
- A New Pages Patrol backlog drive is happening in May 2025 to reduce the backlog of articles in the new pages feed. Sign up here to participate!
Good article reassessment for Presidio of Santa Barbara
[edit]Presidio of Santa Barbara 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) 14:46, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
OWB
[edit]Musing that User:Antandrus/observations on Wikipedia behavior could perhaps use something like "An editor who is losing a dispute will often start accusing their opponents of bullying, because clearly if everyone else disagrees with them, it's because they enjoy picking on poor, innocent editors like them". The Bushranger One ping only 21:27, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
- That's a good idea. Indeed "bullying" is one of those words which, when used on Wikipedia, often applies best to the one using the word. We could probably compile a list of these. (Somehow I managed to miss this when you posted it.) Antandrus (talk) 21:43, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
Nachum Shternheim
[edit]Hi, good to stumble upon a long time not seen oldtimer :-) I am writing up a bio of Nachum Shternheim and while combing Wikipedia for the name, I run into an archive Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2007 March 19 where you mentioned Shternheim. I am a lazy writer and usually I am content with AfD-survivable bio stubs, so I am wondering whether you know something to add. --Altenmann >talk 22:39, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
- Hi Altenmann - wonderful to see you here, seems like a lifetime ago. I looked through my library but did not come up with much for Shternheim. The book by Issachar Fater: Yidishe muzik in polyn tsvishn bayde velt-milkhomes [Jewish music in Poland between the two World Wars] (Tel-Aviv, 1970) might be a useful source, if you read Yiddish or Polish (I think he wrote it in Yiddish first, later translating to Polish) - oh heck, Google translate works wonders in these strange times. The current New Grove does not have a dedicated article but mentions him in a necrology of musicians lost in the Holocaust. All the best, and good luck! Antandrus (talk) 01:20, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
June music
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The places: a day full of great discoveries, culminating in Oliwa Cathedral which was called a must-see by Graham Waterhouse who played the organ once. Dinner right next to the Abbot's Palace, where Penderecki had also been a guest.
The story: Bazon Brock spoke at an exhibition at Kolumba to honour Anna and Bernhard Blume on her 80th birthday. [1] Did you know "An Anna Blume"? -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:27, 2 June 2025 (UTC)
I have Easter Oratorio on the main page, but of course told the story, which is admittedly complex, on Easter Sunday for the music's 300th anniversary. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:33, 7 June 2025 (UTC)
sang today --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:56, 9 June 2025 (UTC)
Stravinsky pictured on his birthday + Vienna pics - but too many who died + I have a "defiant" cantata up for GA --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:33, 17 June 2025 (UTC)
too many died, see my story and listen to Comfort ye (sung in German) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:01, 18 June 2025 (UTC)
... and today look at the autograph of Beethoven's last piano sonata and listen to a pianist who wanted to serve the compositions most of all --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:57, 19 June 2025 (UTC)
- I love that piece (who doesn't, right?) - for two hundred years composers have been trying to imitate late Beethoven and failing, but finding other things - this was one of so many works in those years that opened a door others never knew was even there. Antandrus (talk) 22:11, 19 June 2025 (UTC)
- I love that piece. Heard last year with Igor Levit (see music). --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:51, 19 June 2025 (UTC)
- At the same place, I'll hear today's topic, - you can listen before I do because it was streamed yesterday and I go today (because I like Ravel's piano piano concerto) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:39, 22 June 2025 (UTC)
- While you are of course invited to check out my recommendations any day, today offers unusually a great writer of novels, music with light and a place with exquisite food. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:08, 28 June 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – June 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2025).
- An RfC is open to determine whether the English Wikipedia community should adopt a position on AI development by the WMF and its affiliates.
- A new feature called Multiblocks will be deployed on English Wikipedia on the week of June 2. See the relevant announcement on the administrators' noticeboard.
- History merges performed using the mergehistory special page are now logged at both the source and destination, rather than just the source as previously, after this RFC and the resolution of T118132.
- An arbitration case named Indian military history has been opened. Evidence submissions for this case close on 8 June.
- Voting for the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) election is open until 17 June 2025. Read the voting page on Meta-Wiki and cast your vote here!
- An Articles for Creation backlog drive is happening in June 2025, with over 1,600 drafts awaiting review from the past two months. In addition to AfC participants, all administrators and new page patrollers can help review using the Yet Another AFC Helper Script, which can be enabled in the Gadgets settings. Sign up here to participate!
- The Unreferenced articles backlog drive is happening in June 2025 to reduce the backlog of articles tagged with {{Unreferenced}}. You can help reduce the backlog by adding citations to these articles. Sign up to participate!
Hi, you would note that this is not the first time this has been discussed. None of the previous discussions were open as long or received as much participation. The key issue falls to WP:THE and the second of the conditions given. While both sides invoke and argue their position based on that guidance, this does not ipso facto mean that there is strength to those arguments. Both WP:P&G and WP:5P tell us that it is the spirit of P&G which is paramount. There are certainly arguments made that go to identifying the spirit of this guidance and, if cogently made would carry substantially more weight than those that don't. This RM has in essence become an RfC in pretty much all but name on determining the spirit of the second condition in the context of a particular and very pertinent example. Identifying how the spirit applies to this particular example would go a long way to resolving how the spirit applies in other cases. It would become a counter-point to The Crown/Crown where disambiguation is reasonably an issue.
Assessing the arguments made in respect to the spirit (what is the spirit) and where the spirit lies is certainly within the remit of the closer. To be clear, this is not asking the closer to apply their own interpretation of this. It would go deeper than both sides invoke WP:THE and make arguments that [overtly appear] to be reasonable. We could have a community discussion to address the guidance but I would have no doubt that it would closely mirror this discussion - using the same examples and making the same arguments. Even if a more focused examination of this discussion was unable to extract a consensus on the spirit of the guidance, a more focused closing comment would be useful in identifying the issues relating to the guidance. That in itself would be a benefit to the community. As a long-term editor and administrator, I would think you eminently qualified for this. Without addressing the broader issue, this is unlikely to be the last time this is bought up. If there is ambiguity as to where the spirit of the guidance lies, this is arguably worese than having no guidance at all. Cinderella157 (talk) 04:26, 21 June 2025 (UTC)
- It was a no-consensus close - and as they go, rather a canonical case, as I see it. I thought about writing more in the closing comment but decided against it, because that gets into interpretation - the spirit - of a guideline that I see as ambiguous, and this case, "Holocaust" versus "The Holocaust", seems to me to be in the gray area of interpretation. You may see it differently. Both "sides" did in fact make cogent and persuasive arguments. I couldn't close it as anything but "no consensus" in good conscience. I think the right place for further discussion is on the talk page of the guideline itself, WP:THE. - Not that it matters, but I'd been following the discussion from the beginning, and my own opinion shifted from one position to the other during the debate, but I still don't feel particularly strongly either way. And yes I'm aware of previous discussions: the article has been on my watchlist for at least twenty years now. Antandrus (talk) 23:00, 21 June 2025 (UTC)
- I also disagree with this reading of consensus. The "oppose" side did not cite a single PAG that not merely allows, but recommends, the use of "the", and irrelevant arguments should have been discarded. I am making this formal request to amend your close before I send this to WP:MR per its prerequisites. InfiniteNexus (talk) 11:36, 22 June 2025 (UTC)
- @Antandrus: Requesting a response so we can proceed accordingly. InfiniteNexus (talk) 12:35, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
- Hi there. It was a no-consensus close. The "oppose" side also cited WP:THE. "The Holocaust" has a different meaning from "holocaust". I can not, in good conscience, call this anything other than a no-consensus close. People were starting to dig in, and no one was changing their mind, i.e. no one on either side was persuaded by the arguments of the other. That is unfortunate, but it does happen. After going through the entire discussion I decided I agreed with User:Jpgordon's final comment. Antandrus (talk) 14:34, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
- @Antandrus: Thanks for the response. However, it was a logically fallacious interpretation of WP:THE because the guideline does not recommend the use of "the" in this case, only permits its usage (assuming that you found the opposers' argument that "Holocaust" has a different meaning than "The Holocaust" to be convincing). Thus, they had no policy-based argument that expressly prohibits omitting "the" nor expressly recommends including "the". I understand that there were many "oppose" !votes, but many people making the same invalid argument does not make it any stronger (or more true), or consensus any less clear. I strongly urge you to reconsider, but if not, I will proceed with MR. InfiniteNexus (talk) 14:58, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
- Hi there. It was a no-consensus close. The "oppose" side also cited WP:THE. "The Holocaust" has a different meaning from "holocaust". I can not, in good conscience, call this anything other than a no-consensus close. People were starting to dig in, and no one was changing their mind, i.e. no one on either side was persuaded by the arguments of the other. That is unfortunate, but it does happen. After going through the entire discussion I decided I agreed with User:Jpgordon's final comment. Antandrus (talk) 14:34, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
- @Antandrus: Requesting a response so we can proceed accordingly. InfiniteNexus (talk) 12:35, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
Move review for The Holocaust
[edit]An editor has asked for a Move review of The Holocaust. Because you closed the move discussion for this page, or otherwise were interested in the page, you might want to participate in the move review. InfiniteNexus (talk) 14:50, 27 June 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you for the time and effort you put in to this seemingly endless matter.--agr (talk) 16:08, 7 July 2025 (UTC)
July music
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Kafka's birthday again, 12 years after the one with the Google doodle. I admire the flowers for blooming although it looks dry. It took a week to get the composer of Mission: Impossible to the main page. The concert I listened to was remarkable, pic added to the performer. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:44, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
- I played some of his "serious" music a while back - when I was still an undergraduate. It was quite good, and if I remember correctly some of it was even in 5/4. The mission we were assigned, getting everyone to play it in tune, turned out to be impossible. Antandrus (talk) 19:19, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
- Interesting! - Check out my talk, - if you have little time, listen to Gilda Cruz-Romo in the final scene of Aida, If you have more read her article, and if you have still more check out my music, some sung with me in choir, some played by friends, all heard with friends. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:43, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
- Nicolai Gedda would have been 100 today. If you have little time, just listen to his flower song. If you have more read about Helena Tattermuschová, the cunning little vixen. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:26, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- Today you can listen to what the DYK says. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:08, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
- Perhaps you can listen to yesterday's concert of all Brahms. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:01, 13 July 2025 (UTC)
- Today is Bastille Day, commemorated by a DYK as my "story" and a visit to the Bastille Opera in "music". I like the interview coming with the story, on the day before the big event, but for pomp and circumstance, the affair with 600 singing children and orchestra, and the singer dressed in the national flag, was also captured on videos, much slower. (forgot to sign then)
- I remember a 2016 TFA in today's story, in memory of 16 July 1916. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:30, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
- Ah thank you - enjoying that now. I didn't know that piece (Reger wrote a lot of music!) And just a couple weeks later George Butterworth was killed at the First Battle of the Somme. - I had family there, on both sides. Antandrus (talk) 20:44, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you for sharing. - I remember that it was hard to keep the voice in control when the quote of the chorale came. We did the first performance of the organ arrangement. I found a piano version on youtube today. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:42, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
- Check out places for a great smile, - he had just stepped in to play Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, successfully! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:57, 18 July 2025 (UTC)
- Three Ukrainian topics were on the main page today, at least at the beginning, RD and DYK, - see my talk. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:42, 20 July 2025 (UTC)
- Three of "my" recent deaths bios are on the main page right now, one my story today, Gary Karr, and I loved to find his breakthrough concert in 1962 as a video. In my music today I match it with 9 other double bassists, 7 conducted by a person who's birthday is today - coincidence ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:44, 23 July 2025 (UTC)
- Béatrice Uria-Monzon and her story, Julia Hagen and her no story --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:55, 26 July 2025 (UTC)
- On Bach's day of death, I decorated my user pages in memory of his music, and my story ends on "peace". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:55, 28 July 2025 (UTC)
- Jahrhundertring remembered, with the picture of a woman who can't believe what she has to see --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:01, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
- Ah thank you - enjoying that now. I didn't know that piece (Reger wrote a lot of music!) And just a couple weeks later George Butterworth was killed at the First Battle of the Somme. - I had family there, on both sides. Antandrus (talk) 20:44, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – July 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2025).

Interface administrator changes
- Following a talk page discussion, speedy deletion criterion G13 has been amended to remove "Userspace with no content except the article wizard placeholder text."
- WP:Manual of Style/Superscripts and subscripts was upgraded to a guideline following a RfC discussion.
- The 2025 Developing Countries WikiContest will run from 1 July to 30 September. Sign up now!
- Administrator elections will take place this month. Administrator elections are an alternative to RFA that is a gentler process for candidates due to secret voting and multiple people running together. The call for candidates is July 9–15, the discussion phase is July 18–22, and the voting phase is July 23–29. Get ready to submit your candidacy, or (with their consent) to nominate a talented candidate!
Wikipedia Language Questions
[edit]Hi Antandrus,
I appreciate all your contributions to the getting started page. I'm a new Wikipedia contributor and I'm joining the Developing Countries WikiContest.
I would like to write most of my profile page in my native language, and I was wondering if there's a way to write two About Me pages, both in English and my language, without having to rely on automated translation tools, and if there's a toggle button that I can add to switch between both.
Again, thank you for welcoming everyone to write in Wikipedia. Dejazzhands (talk) 03:55, 20 July 2025 (UTC)
- Hi, welcome! - I can think of a couple easy ways. You could put both versions on the same page, for example the version in your native language above, and in English below - or have the version in your language with a like to a subpage like this: My profile in English - with the link prominent and right at the top. Happy editing, Antandrus (talk) 04:17, 20 July 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you very much for your response! Dejazzhands (talk) 04:29, 20 July 2025 (UTC)
August music
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Can I interest you in the art of Herbert Brandl? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:18, 4 August 2025 (UTC)
The last three stories were Bach's Mass in B minor (because I heard it), and two women. - What do you think about this nom? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:04, 9 August 2025 (UTC)
- Very nice! Need to listen to it. You can use this as a reference for the "detention center" line perhaps (from the article on Estadio_Nacional_Julio_Martínez_Prádanos). Antandrus (talk) 21:00, 9 August 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you. I just fund a different one, but feel free to add this as well. Bedtime for me ;) More detail about Greek performances etc another day. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:23, 9 August 2025 (UTC)
- today would be Harry Kupfer's 90th birthday. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:13, 12 August 2025 (UTC)
- pics of the feast of the Mass in B minor --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:58, 15 August 2025 (UTC)
- Today's story mentions four singers which I all heard, soprano (whose birthday would have been today) and tenor were soloists with my choir in Hannover, and alto and tenor (married, singers of NDR Chor) were the soloists in the Verdi Requiem of my choir in Idstein, in 2010. Enjoy listening to soprano in a Telemann aria, and also pics of a hike on a hot day above Lorch. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:39, 16 August 2025 (UTC)
- Today's story - short version: ten years ago we had a DYK about a soprano who sang in concerts with me in the choir, - longer: I found today a youtube of an aria she sang with us then, recorded the same year, - if you still have time: our performances were the weekend before the Iraq war ultimatum, and we sang Dona nobis pacem (and the drummer drummed!) as if they could hear us in Washington. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:00, 18 August 2025 (UTC)
- Check out my talk for an Independence day, or: the pic of Oksana Lyniv was taken on 24 August. There's listening and reading in today's story, and I like both. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:39, 24 August 2025 (UTC)
- On top of my talk: birthday of a great violinist and Requiem for a great friend. We sang Paradisi gloria from the Stabat Mater in the end. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:42, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – August 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (July 2025).
- Following a request for comment, a new speedy deletion criterion, G15, has been enacted. It applies to pages generated by a large language model (LLM) without human review.
- Following a request for comment, there is a new policy outlining the granting of permissions to view the IP addresses of temporary accounts. Temporary account deployment on the English Wikipedia is currently scheduled for September 2025, and editors can request access to the permission ahead of time. Admins are encouraged to keep an eye on the request page; there will likely be a flood of editors requesting the permission when they realize they can no longer see IP addresses.
- Administrators can now restrict the "Add a Link" feature to newcomers. The "Add a Link" Structured Task helps new account holders get started with editing. Administrators can configure this setting in the Community Configuration page.
- The arbitration case Indian military history has been closed.
- South Asia (WP:CT/SA) is designated a contentious topic. The topic area is specifically defined as
All pages related to the region of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal), broadly construed, including but not limited to history, politics, ethnicity, and social groups.
- The contentious topic designations for Sri Lanka (SL) and India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (IPA) are folded into this new contentious topic.
- The community-authorized general sanctions regarding South Asian social groups (GS/CASTE) are rescinded and folded into this new contentious topic.
- South Asia (WP:CT/SA) is designated a contentious topic. The topic area is specifically defined as
- The arbitration case Article titles and capitalisation 2 has been opened. Evidence submissions in this case closed on 31 July.
- The arbitration case Transgender healthcare and people has been opened. Evidence submissions in this case will close on 11 August.
- Wikimania 2025 is happening in Nairobi, Kenya, and online from August 6 to August 9. This year marks 20 years of Wikimania. Interested users can join the online event. Registration for the virtual event is free and will remain open throughout Wikimania. You can register here now.
September music
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My story today, pictured on the main page, is about the best concert I sang (on 1 September 2019), and references for the article were collected by Brian Boulton. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:52, 1 September 2025 (UTC)
My story today is about a composer and his ballerina wife, pictured as I saw them in 2009. Improvements to his article welcome! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:41, 2 September 2025 (UTC)
Today another giant's music: Canto General. Listen if you like it really big and emotional, with the composer as the conductor, in Chile, after years of suppression. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:55, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
A soprano pictured on DYK, a soprano and a composer and a bassoonist on RD, and a composer with the pic of the day: a good day for classical music! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:19, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
I enjoy a DYK that pictures a person together with achievements in art. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:55, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
As you will know, Arvo Pärt is 90 today. Did you know that it tool me some trouble to get him to the main page? Listen! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:39, 11 September 2025 (UTC)
Today is the birthday of the 16th Thomaskantor after Bach, remembered. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:40, 20 September 2025 (UTC)
Can I interest you in my 100th biography to the Main page in 2025, Siegmund Nimsgern? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:21, 22 September 2025 (UTC)
John Rutter 80 today! I sang his major choral works with four choirs, and many of his uplifting anthems, DYK? I watched him explain his Magnificat in person in 1998, and now see it on Youtube: he wore the same outfit. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:21, 24 September 2025 (UTC)
My story today is about the principal violin of the Concentus Musicus; she would have been 95 OTD. I felt connected when the second oboist of our recent concert, of Haydn's Stabat Mater, said that he built an English horn for his performance of the work with the Concentus Musicus. - Concert weekend pictured in "places". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:43, 26 September 2025 (UTC)
Today I could have told many stories, - St. Michael's Day (The Company of Heaven) and the anniversary of our performance of the Mass in B minor in 2013. I picked the composition and its author that was on DYK in the morning, and you can listen. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:01, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – September 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (August 2025).
- An RfC is open on whether use of emojis with no encyclopedic value in mainspace and draftspace (e.g., at the start of paragraphs or in place of bullet points) should be added as a criterion under G15.
- Administrators can now access the Special:BlockedExternalDomains page from the Special:CommunityConfiguration list page. This makes it easier to find. T393240
- The arbitration case Article titles and capitalisation 2 has been closed.
- An RfC is in progress to amend the structure, rules, and procedures of the Arbitration Committee election and resolve any issues not covered by existing rules.
October music
[edit]| story · music · places |
|---|
My story today is about a woman and her husband who played Bach's Sonatina for us (Rheingau Musik Festival, long ago) on an upright piano, and it made me cry, and I still remember. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:32, 1 October 2025 (UTC)
Carl Nielsen (FA by four colleagues, not me) is remembered on the main page! My story on the Germany National holiday is a song calling to trust the new ways, written shortly before the events leading to reunification. I saw a lovely Mozart opera production yesterday, in case of interest. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:55, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
A good story for a Sunday: Martin Neary conducting Purcell. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:11, 5 October 2025 (UTC)
... and one for Monday, about an opera singer as a thinking person, DYK? - see also video. The nomination wasn't by me, which probably helped. I didn't see her, but the Carmen production at the Bastille Opéra that she was in last. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:21, 6 October 2025 (UTC)
Happy birthday, Margaret Medlyn! (I found the article - not by me - when searching for someone whose birthday is today.) - I took a cat pic, presented by Rosiestep today. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:39, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
Happy 50th birthday, Alain Altinoglu!) - I let the video begin with a closeup of the octobass ;) Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:14, 9 October 2025 (UTC)
I am proud to have brought two performing women to the main page. Sadly, death kept both from performing more, one sooner the other much later. If you have little time just listen to the one who died young and see if it touches you (in today's story, - I don't want to sprinkle youtube links outside my user pages). I worked on an interesting bio yesterday, and while today's video is serious, I found one for children for him, - well, serious also. Keep watching. - Latest pics from a day to the opera in Frankfurt, and afterwards (because train service is only once an hour) a lovely stroll along the Main river with illumination and the moon reflected. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:45, 12 October 2025 (UTC)
I am sad that I had to bring two more people there. At least the video in my story is cute, made for children. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:28, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
marked to be sung "Happily" --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:08, 15 October 2025 (UTC)
Can I interest you in the Double Concerto by Brahms, a piece I heard twice this year - see music. - Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:30, 18 October 2025 (UTC)
My latest: Roberta Alexander, - listen. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:22, 20 October 2025 (UTC)
Can't believe that Toshio Hosokawa is 70 already. Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:58, 23 October 2025 (UTC)
Today Sequenza III on Luciano Berio's centenary. You can listen with the score or to the first performer, Cathy Berberian (link in the work's article), - I couldn't decide ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:53, 24 October 2025 (UTC)
299 years ago, a Bach cantata was first performed --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:02, 27 October 2025 (UTC)
300 years ago: another one, Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79, on the occasion for which it was written, Reformation Day - it's not only Halloween today. You are invited to the peer reviews for another candidate. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:57, 31 October 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – October 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (September 2025).

- After a motion, arbitration enforcement page protections no longer need to be logged in the AELOG. A bot now automatically posts protections at WP:AELOG/P. To facilitate this bot, protection summaries must include a link to the relevant CT page (e.g.
[[WP:CT/BLP]]), and you will receive talk page reminders if you forget to specify the contentious topic but otherwise indicate it is an AE action.
Guide to temporary accounts
[edit]Hello, Antandrus. This message is being sent to remind you of significant upcoming changes regarding logged-out editing.
Starting 4 November, logged-out editors will no longer have their IP address publicly displayed. Instead, they will have a temporary account (TA) associated with their edits. Users with some extended rights like administrators and CheckUsers, as well as users with the temporary account IP viewer (TAIV) user right will still be able to reveal temporary users' IP addresses and all contributions made by temporary accounts from a specific IP address or range.
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Temporary account IP viewer user right
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Impact for administrators
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Rules about IP information disclosure
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- Publicly linking a TA to another TA is allowed if "reasonably believed to be necessary". (e.g.
~2025-12345-67 and ~2025-12345-68 are likely the same person, so I am counting their reverts together toward 3RR
, but not Hey ~2025-12345-68, you did some good editing as ~2025-12345-67) - See Wikipedia:Temporary account IP viewer § What can and can't be said for more detailed guidelines.
Useful tools for patrollers
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Enable the user info card
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Videos
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How to use Special:IPContributions
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How automatic IP reveal works
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Further information and discussion
- For more information and discussion regarding this change, please see the announcement from the Wikimedia Foundation at Wikipedia:Village pump (WMF) § Temporary accounts rollout.
Most of this message was written by Mz7 (source). Thanks, 🎃 SGrabarczuk (WMF) (talk) 02:48, 31 October 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – November 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (October 2025).

- The speedy deletion criteria U5 has been repealed, with U6 and U7 replacing it. See the FAQ for more clarifications.
- Community-designated contentious topics may now be enforced and appealed at the arbitration enforcement noticeboard (AE) as a result of an RfC.
- You can enable a handy user info card next to usernames, which when clicked displays edit count, blocks, thanks, and other information. To enable this feature, visit Preferences → Appearance → Advanced options →
Enable the user info card
- The arbitration case Transgender healthcare and people has been closed
- Uninvolved administrators may impose an AE participation restriction on any thread at the Arbitration Enforcement noticeboard.
- An unreferenced articles backlog drive is happening in November 2025 to reduce the backlog of articles tagged with {{Unreferenced}}. You can help reduce the backlog by adding citations to these articles. Sign up to participate!
November music
[edit]| story · music · places |
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Today I remember a singer who impressed me on stage. - Repeating: you are invited to a peer review after FAC, - in a poll, you could simply mark yes or no for the four open questions. It's an experiment. The piece has its 300th anniversary on Christmas Day, and should be as good as possible by then. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:57, 6 November 2025 (UTC)
today in memory of a friend who would have been 110, singing Brahms conducted by his son. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:13, 7 November 2025 (UTC)
I have three biographies on the main page today, miss a fourth one, nominated a fifth, that means little time for other matters. If you have ten minutes, you might take a look at the four questions open from my last FAC (see above), and if you have only five minutes, question 3 about a book source would interest me most. My places now include La Scala, - see music, Verdi three times, and twice in my story! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:21, 18 November 2025 (UTC)
On St. Cecilia's Day - patron saint of music - I remember a composition by Benjamin Britten, and have a woman on the main page who illustrated songs, with a sense of humour. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:27, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
Look, today's image, - she "portrayed" herself with her husband at the end of the table, - would have been good for Thanksgiving ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:47, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
My story today is a Bach cantata, mentioned with the Christmas cantata which is up for FAC again, and the conductor of the video is mentioned by name in movement 1 of the Christmas cantata. Today's ecumenical service was dominated by brass sound, - I placed a pic on top of the church's article. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:43, 30 November 2025 (UTC)
ArbCom 2025 Elections voter message
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December music
[edit]| story · music · places |
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Organists: I went to see the church in Paris where Guy Morançon worked, quite a place, and wish Happy birthday to Gabriel Dessauer, - enjoy music he played, Dance Toccata, by another Paris organist. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:34, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
If you liked Morançon's music and playing, listen to his Mendelssohn on a great instrument, illustrated with historic images. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:51, 5 December 2025 (UTC)
I woke up to a Bach cantata, GA by an editor's first review, and it was the first time that I was involved (a bit) in a pictured ITN blurb. More pics of buildings by him on my talk. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:35, 8 December 2025 (UTC)
I brought Wozzeck to the main page, not by me but I noticed the quality and the centenary. Enjoy plenty of music, three events in about 24 hours including 4 Bach cantatas and his Magnificat with the Christmas interpolations. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:26, 14 December 2025 (UTC)
Today's 1715 Advent Bach cantata translates to "Prepare the ways", - listen ;) - "places" have new pics from Copenhagen". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:21, 21 December 2025 (UTC)
Laughter for Christmas - enjoy the season! Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:03, 25 December 2025 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – December 2025
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (November 2025).

- Starting on November 4, the IP addresses of logged-out editors are no longer being publicly displayed. Instead, they will have a temporary account associated with their edits.
- Administrators will now find that Special:MergeHistory is now significantly more flexible about what it can merge. It can now merge sections taken from the middle of the history of the source (rather than only the start) and insert revisions anywhere in the history of the destination page (rather than only the start). T382958
- The December 2025 administrator elections are scheduled from Nov 25 – Dec 15.
- An Articles for Creation backlog drive is happening in December 2025, with over 1,000 drafts awaiting review from the past two months. In addition to AfC participants, all administrators and new page patrollers can help review using the Yet Another AFC Helper Script, which can be enabled in the Gadgets settings. Sign up here to participate!
Seasons Greetings
[edit]4meter4 (talk) 16:35, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you, and a merry Christmas to you as well! Antandrus (talk) 17:13, 24 December 2025 (UTC)
January music
[edit]| story · music · places |
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300 years ago, a Bach cantata was born: happy new year! -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:28, 1 January 2026 (UTC)
- Hi Gerda, and happy new year to you too! Let's hope it's a good one, and do our parts to make it so. :) I appreciate all the work you have done on Wikipedia all these years. Antandrus (talk) 19:07, 1 January 2026 (UTC)
- Thank you, and let's hope. Sadly, besides Bach, I have right now five articles to improve of people who recently died, two of them far too soon, and one of them I knew (met once after a concert, not more, but then enough to begin his article). Bach music can be a consolation. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:13, 1 January 2026 (UTC)
- ... inviting you to check out "my" story (fun listen today, full of surprises), music (and memory), and places (pictured by me: the latest uploads) any day! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:01, 10 January 2026 (UTC)
- Today you can watch the 2010 premiere of a violin sonata with the composer also the pianist. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:17, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
- Mozart music for today! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:44, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
- 20 January is the 100th birthday of David Tudor (see my story) and the 300th birthday of Bach's cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen, BWV 13, if we go by date instead of occasion as he would have thought, so see my story for last Sunday, and celebrate ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:50, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
- Look for Wind of Change in music, and for vacation in places. The story is about a unique Bach cantata that relates to a current DYK nom. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:27, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – January 2026
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (December 2025).
- All general sanctions imposed by the community may now be enforced at the Arbitration Enforcement noticeboard (WP:AE) as a result of a recent RfC.
- Due to the result of a recent RFC, the administrator recall process is amended to extend the deadline for a re-request for adminship to 30 days or the next administrator election, whichever is later.
- Changes to the Access to Temporary Account IP Addresses Policy's disclosure rules include broadening the consecutive-blocks exception to cover all admin actions and removing the requirement to revision-delete permissible disclosures once they become unnecessary (instead requiring only their removal). See WP:TAIVDISCLOSE for more information.
- Following the 2025 Arbitration Committee elections, the following editors have been elected to the Arbitration Committee: Aoidh, Asilvering, Girth Summit, Guerillero, HJ Mitchell, HouseBlaster, Izno, Sdrqaz, SilverLocust.
- The arbitration case Pbsouthwood has been suspended.
Mozart
[edit]Thanks for watching over my Mozart edits, Antandrus. Don't hesitate to point something out if it needs fixing. Opus33 (talk) 03:27, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – February 2026
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (January 2026).
- Due to the result of a recent motion, a rough consensus of administrators at the arbitration enforcement noticeboard may impose an expanded topic ban on Israel, Israelis, Jews, Judaism, Palestine, Palestinians, Islam, and/or Arabs, if an editor's Arab-Israeli conflict topic ban is determined to be insufficient to prevent disruption. At least one diff per area expanded into should be cited.
- Voting in the 2026 Steward elections started on 06 February 2026 at 14:00 (UTC) and will end on 27 February 2026 at 14:00 (UTC). The confirmation process for current stewards is being held in parallel. You can automatically check your eligibility to vote.
February music
[edit]| story · music · places |
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Tamás Vásáry today, who began his career with a Mozart concerto at age 8. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:10, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
Giants today, RD Helmuth Rilling and OTD Friedrich Cerha 100 --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:49, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
Today something new: a 100th birthday of someone alive, György Kurtág! In 2004 I was there when he and his wife played for the Rheingau Musik Festival where he was the featured composer. They played as the 2019 DYK said, on an upright piano, - listen, the last piece was the same. - More pics uploaded, enjoy. And Rosiestep shows the latest cat! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:20, 19 February 2026 (UTC)
Today's main page features four biographies I helped to bring there, two women and two men, three opera singers (one pictured) and an actor, - a record for me, I believe ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:42, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – March 2026
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (February 2026).

- Following an RfC, the web archival service archive.today has been deprecated; links to the site should be removed.
- A request for comment is open to discuss retiring CSD criterion R3 in favour of handling such redirects through RfD.
- Following a motion, remedy 9.1 of the Conduct in deletion-related editing case has been amended to limit TenPoundHammer to one XfD nomination or PROD per 24-hour period.
- Following a motion, the Iskandar323 further POV pushing motion has been rescinded.
- The Arbitration Committee has passed a housekeeping motion rescinding a number of outdated remedies and enforcement provisions across multiple legacy cases. In most instances, existing sanctions remain in force and continue to be appealable through the usual processes, while some case-specific remedies were amended or clarified.
- Following the 2026 Steward Elections, the following editors have been appointed as stewards: A09, AmandaNP, Barras, Count Count, M7, SHB2000, Teles and VIGNERON.
- An Unreferenced articles backlog drive is taking place in March 2026 to reduce the backlog of articles tagged with {{Unreferenced}}. You can help reduce the backlog by adding citations to these articles. Sign up to participate!
March music
[edit]| story · music · places |
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Aribert Reimann's 90th birthday, with a hook mentioning his 80ths, the opera played by Oper Frankfurt after he died, see video, and I was there. - Ruta de los Volcanes is among the latest places. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:03, 4 March 2026 (UTC)
Of the four topics I helped to bring to the main page, I'm most proud of a woman's work, so made it my story. As it happens, last year's story OTD was about the woman. - Places are now from Cyprus, from back home. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:04, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
on Bach's birthday, a story about my joy --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:44, 21 March 2026 (UTC)
more Bach in story and music on Palm Sunday, imagine: four Easter cantatas in today's concert, and more places in Cyprus! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:21, 29 March 2026 (UTC)
Your Tchaikovsky edits
[edit]Hi Antandrus; You appear to be listed as a top editor at the FA for Tchaikovsky. During the last year I've been modeling the upgrade of the Bach article based in part on the FA for Tchaikovsky which managed to get Bach to GA. Then a nomination was made for FAC, however, 2 of the editors made challenges to the Bach article based upon their poor assessment of the FA for Tchaikovsky. That is they said that the FA for him was outdated and therefore making it an inadequate and poor choice for developing other FA pages such as my efforts for Bach. I'm wondering if you might have an opinion on their matter of making poor assessments of the FA for Tchaikovsky; are these reliable assessments or not reliable assessments by Aza and UptheOctave made here: [2]. ErnestKrause (talk) 00:33, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
- Ernest, I wondered what you wanted to add regarding my thread above. Please use "Add topic" when you begin something new. As for Bach, in this silent corner: I don't think it's even a GA, but it's not because something is wrong with the model, but because better, more recent scholarly sources are not used, and because there's undue weight on side issues (such as Paulinerkirche mentioned a couple of times, and misspelled most of those). I said so on Wehwalt's page, and would have said so in the FAC if I had not been on vacation. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:22, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
- Hi Ernest, hi Gerda - sorry for my tardy reply as I have not been around much, i.e. have a lot of other things going on. I haven't been following the Bach FA process closely at all - I'm happy that you all are taking it on though. Any upgrades to the major composer articles are welcome! (also quick aside - thank you Opus for your work on Mozart, for the same reason). The Tchaikovsky FA was a long time ago, and standards change over time. Long ago we focused more on the biography than the music, I think, and I think the current trend to improve our coverage of the music itself is a healthy one. With a composer like Bach there is simply too much music to go into detail on everything, but that's kind of obvious. I grew up on the "New Grove" style of composer biography - a section for keyboard works, section for passions and oratorios, section for cantatas, and so forth but going that way would mean a totally different layout (I'm just now glancing at our Bach article for the first time in a long time). Not sure, but my general impression is we need more detail on individual works and maybe a different layout. I can look in more detail later (but it might be a while). Antandrus (talk) 21:53, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
- That's quite helpful; there is currently a discussion on Wehwalt's Talk page about the best choice for where to place the 30-paragraph Music section which Aza is presently preparing in his sandbox for possible use/addition on the Bach biography page. Your distinction between articles for composer's biographies and composer's musical composition articles makes this interesting. Would a 30-paragraph Music section be better placed in the one type of article or the other? ErnestKrause (talk) 02:49, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- Ernest, I hope you don't mind me butting in, but I think the suggestion has always been to have a different layout for the music section, never to create a whole new article. It would be a task of replacing the current section with the new one: if that wasn't the case, any objections to the FAC on that ground would be nonsensical, since it would be concerning a different article. Thanks, UpTheOctave! • 8va? 03:20, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- Have you read the sandbox version? It would be nice to see Antandrus speak to the valid point he raises above along with Gerda. ErnestKrause (talk) 03:33, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- I have read the sandbox version, and I thought at the time that it was a better way to structure the music section. Of course, I'm not trying to put words into others' mouths, just saying that I don't think I'm reading the comments the same way as you seem to be. Also, I don't know where you've got this 30-paragraph estimate from, as Aza's mockup clocks in at 3,800 words on the highest possible estimate, which is roughly comparable to the length of the current section. In any case, we should naturally wait for their response for full confirmation. Thanks, UpTheOctave! • 8va? 03:35, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- Hi everyone and once again sorry for the delay. Bach's birthday seems like an auspicious day, no? - Looking at both the article (the music section only) and Aza's sandbox draft, I was originally going to suggest Aza's method as a replacement, but - both ways have merit. Rather leaning towards using some of both. I'm thinking - a reader may come to the article wanting to answer a few basic questions, including - why is this Bach guy so renowned when contemporaries have fallen in esteem? What are the essential differences in style and approach between Bach and the others? For others equally famous, why does Bach sound like Bach, and Handel like Handel? Those stylistic differences can be covered in an opening section that is more detailed than just a paragraph or two. Another thing often taught to undergraduates (at least when I was in school) was that Bach, maybe without intending, created more-or-less a summation of Baroque practice in a way no other composer did, and also had an almost unprecedented influence on music of later composers.
- And we might be too conservative in our length guidelines. Bach needs some space. Sections on categories of output - cantatas, organ music, passions, etc. can blossom into as much detail as necessary. I used to think a biography section should be about equal in size to a music section, but - which is more important to understanding a figure as gigantic as this? The music section can be longer as it is. - Since I'm not engaged in the actual editing (now anyway) I'm just looking at it from a high-level view. What is developing though is encouraging. Nice work. Antandrus (talk) 22:44, 21 March 2026 (UTC)
- That's quite useful. There is much discussion in the literature that Bach stayed with baroque compositional approaches well past most other composers, including his own sons. Perhaps Bach's originality and creativity could somehow be further linked to his history of staying with baroque compositional techniques for such a long period of time when others had moved to newer alternatives in compositional technique. It seems that after the 1730s, that fewer and fewer composers were still using the same compositional approaches which prevailed earlier in the century. Bach stayed strongly attached to those earlier compositional approaches according to his historians and biographers. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:06, 23 March 2026 (UTC)
- I have read the sandbox version, and I thought at the time that it was a better way to structure the music section. Of course, I'm not trying to put words into others' mouths, just saying that I don't think I'm reading the comments the same way as you seem to be. Also, I don't know where you've got this 30-paragraph estimate from, as Aza's mockup clocks in at 3,800 words on the highest possible estimate, which is roughly comparable to the length of the current section. In any case, we should naturally wait for their response for full confirmation. Thanks, UpTheOctave! • 8va? 03:35, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- Have you read the sandbox version? It would be nice to see Antandrus speak to the valid point he raises above along with Gerda. ErnestKrause (talk) 03:33, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- Ernest, I hope you don't mind me butting in, but I think the suggestion has always been to have a different layout for the music section, never to create a whole new article. It would be a task of replacing the current section with the new one: if that wasn't the case, any objections to the FAC on that ground would be nonsensical, since it would be concerning a different article. Thanks, UpTheOctave! • 8va? 03:20, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- That's quite helpful; there is currently a discussion on Wehwalt's Talk page about the best choice for where to place the 30-paragraph Music section which Aza is presently preparing in his sandbox for possible use/addition on the Bach biography page. Your distinction between articles for composer's biographies and composer's musical composition articles makes this interesting. Would a 30-paragraph Music section be better placed in the one type of article or the other? ErnestKrause (talk) 02:49, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
Happy First Edit Day!
[edit]| Happy First Edit Day, Antandrus, from the Wikipedia Birthday Committee! Have a great day! ☘︎☘︎☘︎ALEXHammeke (talk | guestbook | sandbox) 02:02, 4 April 2026 (UTC) |
Happy First Edit Day!
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April music
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Happy Easter! -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:47, 5 April 2026 (UTC)
- Thank you Gerda and happy Easter to you too! That looks very much like a flower native to where I live - slightly different flower shape. Beautiful! In these dark times we could use a little more of the Prince of Peace rather than the princes of other things. All the best - Antandrus (talk) 17:27, 5 April 2026 (UTC)
- yes, amen -- the Latin name for the flower is in the category on the commons, just saw it blooming today on a hike with sunset and birdcalls -- in the name of peace, can you provide evidence in the latest arb case, from your decades of watching the scene? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:37, 5 April 2026 (UTC)
- Did you know that Easter Oratorio became FA because I was sooo frustrated that neither DYK nor OTD accepted it for Easter last year, the 300th anniversary? I have a FAC open, in case of interest, 300 on 14 May. There's little hope for a TFA that day (something else pending that is ready and has a 75th anniversary), but I would like it in best shape by then. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:48, 8 April 2026 (UTC)
- Today's FA is Bridge, - a broad topic by many. My father loved bridges, and I wrote a few articles with that in mind (Empress Elisabeth Bridge, adding to Chain bridge and Müngsten Bridge, the latter for childhood memory), and also thinking of bridges between people. - I brought two bios to the same page, Christian Schwarz-Schilling and Bill Ramsey whose regular Swingtime I used to hear in the car driving to choir rehearsals ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:50, 17 April 2026 (UTC)
- Today's story is about one of three bios I brought to today's main page: look and listen, an extraordinary woman in many respects. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:53, 30 April 2026 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – April 2026
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (March 2026).

- The content of Wikipedia:Writing articles with large language models has been updated following a request for comment. It now prohibits using LLMs to generate content, with exceptions for translation and copy-editing.
- Following a motion, the GSCASTE extended-confirmed restriction in the Indian military history case has been narrowed. It now applies to caste-related topics in South Asia, and the preemptive protection remedy has been amended accordingly.
- The arbitration case Pbsouthwood has been closed.
- The arbitration case Maghreb has been opened. Evidence submissions in this case will close on 7 April.
Happy Adminship Anniversary!
[edit]| Happy adminship anniversary! Hi Antandrus! On behalf of the Birthday Committee, I'd like to wish you a very happy anniversary of your successful request for adminship. Enjoy this special day! DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 08:50, 8 April 2026 (UTC) |
Happy Adminship Anniversary!
[edit]| Wishing Antandrus a very happy adminship anniversary on behalf of the Wikipedia Birthday Committee! ☘︎☘︎☘︎ALEXHammeke (talk | guestbook | sandbox) 19:37, 8 April 2026 (UTC) |
You are invited to participate in the Destubathon of the Americas, a contest/editathon which will run from May 1 to May 31. The goal is to destub as many of our 475,000+ stubs for the Americas (from Alaska down to Chile) as possible. A good chance to have fun in expanding many of our old stale stubs and win up to £2000 ($2680) in Amazon vouchers for expanding stub articles. Sign up in the Contestants/participants section on the contest page if interested. Even if not interested in prizes you are still warmly welcome to participate in it as an editathon! Hopefully we can achieve something significant in the month of May together! ♦ Dr. Blofeld 16:40, 15 April 2026 (UTC)
Permission to use a photo of yours
[edit]Hi, I wrote an essay and it looks like it will be published, however, the publisher needs written permission to use your photo, the contemporary (2009) photo of the Summerland beach, as part of the work. They have a specific form I could send you if you are hopefully willing. I could also send you my essay if you would like. Louis Hock ~2026-23340-17 (talk) 23:47, 15 April 2026 (UTC)
- Hello, a bit confused about the process for communicating with you. Did you get my text? ~2026-23340-17 (talk) 23:50, 15 April 2026 (UTC)
- Hi Louis - yes, absolutely. Feel free to use it. Antandrus (talk) 01:22, 16 April 2026 (UTC)
- Antandrus, Thanks. This publishing process is new to me. I am an artist. I know it goes against the WIKI ethos, however, the publisher has a form that they have asked me to give to you to sign so I could use the image with my essay. Is there an email I could send it to you?
- Louis ~2026-23340-17 (talk) 17:47, 16 April 2026 (UTC)
- Wow - that seems like an onerous requirement for a free-use image. What if you wanted to use one that was public domain, and a hundred years old? CC-by-SA is close; it's copyleft, not copyright, and free to use any way you want. I think the main difference is you are supposed to credit the originator, i.e. "Antandrus at Wikipedia" in this case. - I can't put my email here (privacy reasons) but if you register an account, you will find an "email this user" link on my page. Or if you can persuade the publisher that I'm okay with using the image, have them visit this page. Antandrus (talk) 01:09, 17 April 2026 (UTC)
- Hello Antandrus, I very much appreciate your willingness to let me use your photo, however, I will not me able to use it without an "official" permission (a signature). Please do not ghost me. This piece of writing on the environment and the future is very important to me and a critical component is your image. Please help. Louis ~2026-23340-17 (talk) 20:12, 20 April 2026 (UTC)
- Hi Louis - okay, if you don't want to make an account, try this (I just set up a Proton mail account and it should be secure). "Antandrus4231 at proton.me". It should accept attachments. I will sign with my pseudonym, which is how the photo is licensed. All the best, Antandrus (talk) 22:34, 20 April 2026 (UTC)
- Will try it, thank you. ~2026-23340-17 (talk) 22:56, 20 April 2026 (UTC)
- Hi Louis - okay, if you don't want to make an account, try this (I just set up a Proton mail account and it should be secure). "Antandrus4231 at proton.me". It should accept attachments. I will sign with my pseudonym, which is how the photo is licensed. All the best, Antandrus (talk) 22:34, 20 April 2026 (UTC)
- Hi Louis - yes, absolutely. Feel free to use it. Antandrus (talk) 01:22, 16 April 2026 (UTC)
Invitation to attend a salon/edit-a-thon in North San Diego County
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Who: All members of the public
What: A Edit a thon in San Marcos, California.
When: Sunday 10 May 2026, 12:00PM PDT / 1200 until 4:00PM PDT / 1600
Where: a Library in San Marcos, California
Sponsor:
San Diego Wikimedians User Group ( US-SAN )
Your host: RightCowLeftCoast (talk · contribs)
Please add your username to our attendees list so we know how many will be attending, due to limited space available.
The County of San Diego Library does not advocate or endorse the views or positions expressed by the users of its facilities. — County of San Diego County Library Community Room Policy
(Delivered: 02:27, 19 April 2026 (UTC) You can unsubscribe from future invitations to San Diego Wikimedians User Group events by removing your name from the WikiProject San Diego mass mailing list and/or Los Angeles area task force mass mailing list.)
Administrators' newsletter – May 2026
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2026).

Interface administrator changes
- Changes to user permissions made from Meta are now included in the local user permissions log (T6055).
- The autoconfirmed user group will soon be modified such that the four-day account age requirement begins when an account makes its first edit (T418484).
- The arbitration case SchroCat has been opened. Evidence submissions in this case closed on 15 April.
- Per a recent motion, appeals of blocks from the conflict-of-interest VRT queue are, by default, appealed on-wiki through the normal unblock process. However, they may be heard by the Committee if COIVRTers disagree on the interpretation of the evidence or believe ArbCom would be better suited to hear the appeal. Administrators are also advised that loosening or lifting such blocks without the consent of someone with access to the queue or ArbCom can be grounds for desysopping.
- Per a recent motion, restrictions issued directly by the Committee may now be enforced with blocks which work exactly like contentious topic blocks.
- The arbitration case Maghreb has been closed.
- The May 2026 administrator elections are scheduled to run from April 29 to May 19. The call for candidates ends May 5.
- The 2026 Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) election is scheduled to run from April 25 to June 1. Candidacy submissions close on May 10.
- A new noticeboard for non-urgent, batch page protection requests has been created, primarily for the enforcement of contentious topic restrictions.
Wiknic & edit-a-thon/salon in Southern California
[edit]San Diego Wiknic Potluck 2026
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Who: All members of the public, especially active Wikimedians. What: Mission Bay Wiknic & Bonfire. When: Saturday 1 August, 4:00PM/1600 PDT until 10:00PM/2200 PDT Where: Vacation Isle, Mission Bay

The next day: Chula Vista edit-a-thon/salon When: Sunday 2 August, 1:15PM/1315 PDT until 4:15PM/1615 PDT Where: Chula Vista Public Library Civic Center Branch
The City of Chula Vista Public Library does not advocate nor endorse the views or positions expressed by the users of its facilities. — Chula Vista Public Library Meeting Room Policy
Sponsor: San Diego Wikimedians User Group ( US-SAN ) Your host: RightCowLeftCoast (talk · contribs) Please add your username to our attendees list so we know how many will be attending. Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of Wikipedia:WikiProject San Diego at 22:21, 15 May 2026 (UTC). You can unsubscribe from future invitations to San Diego Wikimedians User Group events by removing your name from the WikiProject San Diego mass mailing list, from the Southern California meet-up group by removing your name from the LA meet-ups mailing list, and from future San Diego Wiknic invitations by removing your name from the San Diego Wiknic mail list.
May music
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Today: Felicity Lott. If you have little time, just give me a click ;) - If you have more, see her story. If you have more, listen to her singing Friendly Vision. If you have more, listen until she sings the word "peace" (Frieden), floating up high, serenely. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:29, 20 May 2026 (UTC)
- Oh that's divine!! What treasures she has left to us. (Also loved her in Der Rosenkavalier.) Antandrus (talk) 15:55, 20 May 2026 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – June 2026
[edit]News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2026).

- Following an RfC, the "persistent usage of large language models" has been included as a common reason for a block.
- Mandatory 2FA for bureaucrats: Bureaucrats without two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled have already lost access to their advanced rights on 26 May. Those who do not enable 2FA may be automatically removed from the groups in mid-June 2026, and from that point onward, new members must have 2FA enabled before they can be added. (T423119, T423120)
- The arbitration case SchroCat has been closed.
- The arbitration case Michael Jackson has opened. Evidence submissions in this case closes on 1 June.
- Voting for the 2026 Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) election closes on 1 June.