For Terry Teachout

I was deeply saddened to hear of the death, at the age of sixty-five, of the critic, biographer, and playwright Terry Teachout. Terry was, as Ethan Iverson comments, an uncommonly generous soul who seemed incapable of holding a grudge and steadfastly resisted the general deterioration of digital-era discourse. His inexhaustible attention to theater across the country was a model for me; no New York-based critic was less New York-centric. He had a great deal to do with the fact that I started this blog back in 2004. I saw him seldom in person, but he was a constant presence in my life nonetheless, through his writing and through social media. A couple of weeks ago, I posted something enthusiastic about Frank Martin, and Terry posted something enthusiastic in return. It's the kind of exchange that makes one think one isn't alone in the world. I offer Martin's great Mass for double choir in Terry's honor.