You know, I kind of understand the fascination with Mozart - quite wonderful music written from the age of 3 months or whatever - but good grief! OK, 250 years is impressive, but he lived for less than forty of them. I've never been that big a fan (I much prefer Haydn in that school, and Bach or Beethoven are very clearly far superior to Mozart), but the CBC is driving me crazy. I want my Vinyl Café, my I Hear Music, my Sound Advice. Oh well, I guess the consolation is that this won't happen for another fifty years.
Nonetheless: grr.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Mozart
Thursday, January 26, 2006
B-minor Reflections
Well, it's been a few days since we performed the Bach B-minor Mass, but it's still going through my head.
On the way out of the dress rehearsal, one of the other singers mentioned that she was looking forward to the next piece (the Mozart Requiem, in case you're interested), as there would finally be different melodies stuck in her head. I don't know - we haven't started in on the Mozart yet, but the Bach seems awfully well lodged in my head.
Anyway -
This was simply the best music I've ever performed. It's trite to say that Bach was a genius, but it's still true. This man was gifted beyond comprehension, and still signed all his compositions SDG - to God alone be the glory. Now, I'm at least as humble as the next guy, probably more so, but that's a level of humility that demands respect.
Singing those glorious lines with a pretty darned good orchestra (the flautist was spectacular, and the 1st violin and the trumpets shone as well) was a highlight of my musical life, and one that won't soon leave me.
If you have the opportunity to stretch beyond your normal levels of activity, whether it's music, athletics, writing, cooking, whatever, go for it - no one ever got better at something by standing still.
On the way out of the dress rehearsal, one of the other singers mentioned that she was looking forward to the next piece (the Mozart Requiem, in case you're interested), as there would finally be different melodies stuck in her head. I don't know - we haven't started in on the Mozart yet, but the Bach seems awfully well lodged in my head.
Anyway -
This was simply the best music I've ever performed. It's trite to say that Bach was a genius, but it's still true. This man was gifted beyond comprehension, and still signed all his compositions SDG - to God alone be the glory. Now, I'm at least as humble as the next guy, probably more so, but that's a level of humility that demands respect.
Singing those glorious lines with a pretty darned good orchestra (the flautist was spectacular, and the 1st violin and the trumpets shone as well) was a highlight of my musical life, and one that won't soon leave me.
If you have the opportunity to stretch beyond your normal levels of activity, whether it's music, athletics, writing, cooking, whatever, go for it - no one ever got better at something by standing still.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Bach Bminor
Well, it's just a few days (and a few rehearsals) until we get to present the Bach Bminor Mass. This is the most amazing music I've ever sung. Not only is it perfectly suited to the text, but it's singable, in an extremely difficult, yet rewarding kind of way.
It's interesting to realize that much of the best church music ever written for the Catholic church was written by a Lutheran!
ah well, SDG
Amen
It's interesting to realize that much of the best church music ever written for the Catholic church was written by a Lutheran!
ah well, SDG
Amen
Thursday, December 15, 2005
What movie did they see?
I just read a review of the Chronicles of Narnia in Time, and I can't figure out what the guy's talking about. Maybe it all comes down to having movie reviewers who are illiterate. If they can't read, then they certainly haven't read the books on which the movies they review are based. This would at least give a reason for their thinking that Narnia is a rip-off of Harry Potter.
I mean, good grief, these books were written in the 1950s - unless C.S. Lewis had some amazing psychic powers, I'm pretty sure he never read any of the Potter books which weren't written until decades after his death.
As to the similarities (?) to Tolkein, they were friends who read their books to one another as they were writing them. These guys knew each other's work, and also knew the original backgrounds of the mythic elements they were using.
OK, now you're (perhaps) wondering what I thought of the movie. I found it spectacular. Unlike the Time critic, I found the child actors to be quite excellent. Perhaps he's never experienced emotions beyond fear of explosions and the joy of destruction in a film, but Lucy actually portrayed a very wide range of emotions very well. The special effects were quite special, and the changes made to the story line from the book were quite acceptable to me. By that I mean that I understood that they had only a 2hr period to give us all the background that the expository text of the book would normally convey, so they added a scene or line here and there to give us a quicker glimpse into the relationships among the siblings.
About the only thing I missed (and they almost gave it to me) was the part where the children ask the beavers if it's safe to be around Aslan. The response is that of course he isn't safe - he's not a tame lion, after all - but he's good. They came to it at the very end when Lucy and Tumnus are watching Aslan leave, and I felt it worked well there, but it was still missed at its original spot.
All in all, I loved the movie, and would happily go see it again. I certainly hope they've had enough box office success to assure us at least the next installment in the Chronicles!
I mean, good grief, these books were written in the 1950s - unless C.S. Lewis had some amazing psychic powers, I'm pretty sure he never read any of the Potter books which weren't written until decades after his death.
As to the similarities (?) to Tolkein, they were friends who read their books to one another as they were writing them. These guys knew each other's work, and also knew the original backgrounds of the mythic elements they were using.
OK, now you're (perhaps) wondering what I thought of the movie. I found it spectacular. Unlike the Time critic, I found the child actors to be quite excellent. Perhaps he's never experienced emotions beyond fear of explosions and the joy of destruction in a film, but Lucy actually portrayed a very wide range of emotions very well. The special effects were quite special, and the changes made to the story line from the book were quite acceptable to me. By that I mean that I understood that they had only a 2hr period to give us all the background that the expository text of the book would normally convey, so they added a scene or line here and there to give us a quicker glimpse into the relationships among the siblings.
About the only thing I missed (and they almost gave it to me) was the part where the children ask the beavers if it's safe to be around Aslan. The response is that of course he isn't safe - he's not a tame lion, after all - but he's good. They came to it at the very end when Lucy and Tumnus are watching Aslan leave, and I felt it worked well there, but it was still missed at its original spot.
All in all, I loved the movie, and would happily go see it again. I certainly hope they've had enough box office success to assure us at least the next installment in the Chronicles!
Friday, December 09, 2005
Narnia
At last! The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is opening today, and I'm there! Got my tickets bought, now it's just a matter of waiting and eating popcorn.
I have heard only one even slightly disappointing review so far, and from what the guy said, I don't think he knows the books, so I'm still going in figuring this is going to be spectacular.
Aslan Rocks!
I have heard only one even slightly disappointing review so far, and from what the guy said, I don't think he knows the books, so I'm still going in figuring this is going to be spectacular.
Aslan Rocks!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Report on NaNoWriMo
I'm sure you're all dying to know the outcome of National Novel Writing Month. As you probably remember, the goal was to come up with a draft novel of at least 50,000 words. As you probably don't know, I simply don't write rough (nor hardly even first) drafts; I write a finished work, pretty much right as I go along.
Given that, I figure I don't have to get as many mere words placed one after another in order to count myself as successful. (Yes, this is, in fact, a big batch of rationalizing after the fact, but bear with me nonetheless.) As I finished more than 10% of the stated goal of 50,000 words (in fact, I have the first 6,992 words of a novel ready for publication as I write this), I figure I'm way ahead of those who now have to slog through 50,000 words of drek, mining those five or six thousand words worth keeping.
I may post an excerpt at some point, but only if you beg.
Given that, I figure I don't have to get as many mere words placed one after another in order to count myself as successful. (Yes, this is, in fact, a big batch of rationalizing after the fact, but bear with me nonetheless.) As I finished more than 10% of the stated goal of 50,000 words (in fact, I have the first 6,992 words of a novel ready for publication as I write this), I figure I'm way ahead of those who now have to slog through 50,000 words of drek, mining those five or six thousand words worth keeping.
I may post an excerpt at some point, but only if you beg.
Have we all quit Phonics cold turkey?
Grrr.
OK, now that I've gotten that out of my system:
What is it with people who can't pronounce familiar? It's not spelled furmiliar, so why is it constantly pronounced as though it were?
It's not just random stupid folks either - it's supposedly educated television news personalities - oh, sorry, I "meant" journalists.
Good grief, people, look at the word, think about its origin, this isn't rocket surgery (I loved that line in the Eggo syrup commercial). This is coming from the same root as family - you don't go back to your furmily home for Christmas, do you? I didn't think so. Right then, everyone stop it; just pronounce this word correctly so I don't have to get phonetic on you.
OK, now that I've gotten that out of my system:
What is it with people who can't pronounce familiar? It's not spelled furmiliar, so why is it constantly pronounced as though it were?
It's not just random stupid folks either - it's supposedly educated television news personalities - oh, sorry, I "meant" journalists.
Good grief, people, look at the word, think about its origin, this isn't rocket surgery (I loved that line in the Eggo syrup commercial). This is coming from the same root as family - you don't go back to your furmily home for Christmas, do you? I didn't think so. Right then, everyone stop it; just pronounce this word correctly so I don't have to get phonetic on you.
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