Two rival record labels raced to replace the fragile 78 in 1948, and neither backed down. The result is still spinning on turntables today.

The rule against clapping between symphony movements is younger than it sounds, born from claques, Mahler's objections and the arrival of recording equipment — and some top conductors think it should go.

Before every concert, the oboe plays a single note and the whole orchestra tunes to it. The reasons involve three centuries of tradition and real disagreement about the instrument's physics.