Look at this list:

Antigone
Aphrodite
Chloe
Hermione
Irene
Kalliope
Nike
Penelope
Phoebe
Zoe

All these are originally Greek names of supernatural beings (except Antigone?). The e is a feminine ending. Most of them are used now as women’s names. When Americans pronounce these names, with one exception they usually pronounce the final e.

The exception is “Irene”. I have heard British people say “I-reenie” but never an American. Is this because of “Good Night Irene”?

At one point when I was maybe eleven years old I bought a 45 of the Weavers singing Good Night Irene. It was my favorite song. The record had Tsena Tsena on the other side. I fell in love with Tsena Tsena which I had never heard before, but I still liked GNI too. For some time after that I looked for other records by the Weavers but I never saw one. Perhaps that was about the time the McCarthyites blacklisted them?

I was also attracted by the harmonies of some pieces by Bach. Now I think that the thing TT and Bach (and others of my favorite music, like some Procol Harum) have in common is the existence of both major and minor chords in the same piece. But when I asked my music teacher what was so wonderful about Bach she said she had never understood Bach.

Oh well.

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