Practice Makes Perfekt

Excitement in Chamber Music

2012-01-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

Read through Schubert's Quintet in C Major this evening. I'm to do Cello I. We did it at half speed and it wasn't too horrible! By the time we finish working on the first movement, I'll probably be finally able to read tenor clef :) It's such a lovely piece. Will have a lot of work to do to get it ready for a recital.

2012

2012-01-11T21:55:00.002-05:00

Well, its a new year. Time to dust off the cello. Signed up for chamber music class once again. Had taken the last term off due to conflicting travel schedules. Signed up hubby as well, he needs an excuse to play the violin.

Added another FSU online class towards the MLS degree to my schedule (5 of 12 to go) -- Museum Informatics which looks like it might actually be fun -- one of the projects is building a virtual museum exhibit using Second Life.

Language studies continue -- Chinese once a week with a new friend so I don't forget what I used to know. Adding Korean to the mix with an online Rosetta Stone course since hubby and I are going to Jeju, Gyeongju and Seoul for our twentieth anniversary May 1st.

Add accounting work for tax season, stamp club work, and helping out the local magnet school to totally book my dance card until April 27th when I plan to run away, far away -- first Korea, then China and Mongolia.

FSU Summer Course

2011-09-04T16:31:00.000-04:00

This past summer I took a prerequisite course in "Website Development" at FSU. Having played around with websites since the early days of Netscape, the course covered things I was already familiar with -- Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, java script, flash et. al. It did alert me to a few things that are now considered obsolete.

One of the class requirements was that everyone had to give a presentation on a web development tool that was either free or had a free version. So I did get exposed to Xtranormal, Quick Response (QR) codes, and a couple of other things which I can't remember at the moment. As my mother used to say "It must not have been important." I know a few I marked off as being unfriendly to low bandwidth or it wasn't cross platform. I was going to make up a list but the course site has already been taken offline. Weird, because none of the other classes I've taken at FSU had closed out their online areas.

Many of the items that were presented I already knew about -- such as Picasa, Prezi, Google docs, Drupal, Wordpress. Anyway, it was a easy course to take over the summer.

The hardest part of the course was critiquing a library website in 3000 words. That took several days and a little help from my friends. Thanks friends!

Newest Addition

2011-09-04T02:07:00.002-04:00

Hubby dubbed him "Pig". He does like to eat.

3 Months Later

2011-09-04T01:59:00.002-04:00

Uh, where did the summer go? Ended up working for the CPA most of it (he lost an employee). A week trip to Minneapolis for a stamp show. A few projects finished. Did manage to attend a drawing class at the local community college. One assignment was doing cross contours which I would never have suffered to do at home alone.

The calligraphy class I signed up for was cancelled though.

Helping out at the Magnet High school started up mid August and my FSU SLIS Organization class began this week.

I have to schedule some more fun before the end of this year.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

2011-06-07T23:00:00.001-04:00

It's almost summertime. I did get out of Dodge for an extended Memorial Day Weekend. Traveled to Ohio to visit friends and relatives -- some of which I hadn't seen in thirty years. It was a very nice trip especially since I had a frequent flyer reward airline ticket to use up.

My summer 13 week FSU class is on website design, etc. I have some "experience" with websites ;p so it shouldn't be too horrifying. Class is a prereq for the courses I really want to take for my Masters Degree.

Also signed up for 5 weeks of drawing and 5 weeks of Chinese calligraphy at the local community college. I enjoyed the Chinese calligraphy studies I did last summer in China. I already have all the supplies so taking the courses should get me back in the grove.

The stamp clubs that I belong to (proxy for husband really) have meetings in Minneapolis (July) and Baltimore (September). Other than those trips, I plan on staying close to home this summer.

Note on the home front -- we redid our 90 gallon fish tank. Hubby had one wild sunfish from the Eveglades in it. I got tired of having a fish that hid all the time in our main tank. So changed out the sunfish -- moved it to our 55 gallon tank and put zebras, minnows, cherry barbs, etc. in its stead.

Also our corydora catfish laid eggs and I managed to keep a dozen babies alive this time. This is the 3rd generation from catfish donated by a friend 15 years ago.

Got a discounted Wii and WiiFit in the hopes that it will inspire me to exercise. So far so good.

Cello front isn't looking great. I haven't practiced since chamber music class ended. Don't know how to inspire myself into practicing. I'd like to lose my fear of sightreading tenor clef. Does anyone have any ideas?

The only dark cloud on the horizon is work. I may have to do some work this summer. There are threats of projects that might soak up all my spare time. Oh well.

Surviving.

2011-04-19T22:46:00.001-04:00

Been somewhat overwhelmed this past month. Earl's mother died and that sort of put school work on hold for a couple of weeks. She was 95-1/2 so had a good run. We had an excuse for a nice family reunion in Baltimore.

All my delayed assignments came due at the same time as the final paper for FSU. Add some heavy tax season work to the mix and I was an unhappy camper for quite a few days.

Did have an exciting thing happen on the home front. The two remaining burners on our stove blew out the day after Earl's mom passed away. This gave us a good reason to finally go to Sears and replace the stove and the nonfunctioning dishwasher.

Preparing for the new appliances prompted a whole kitchen re-arrangement and a large donation to goodwill.

Also determined that since we can't afford to move, the next best thing would be to get some breathing room. So, rented a storage area -- our new attic is 5 x 10 and only 5 minutes away. It should help us recover some of our apartment. So far I've done about 20 boxes and still don't have any closet space. However, I can now open and close the closet doors without having to stuff things that were falling out back in. Also, there are a few flat surfaces that are seeing the light of day again in our apartment.

Anyway here's a video from tonight's recital. It's sort of blah...not bad enough to be interesting and not good enough to crow about.

It's March Already - Time Marches On...

2011-03-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

Wow, time doesn't march, it flies at jet speed. I've been busy with school, classes, tax season, etc.

Haven't done any drawing.

Cello has been limited to chamber music class pieces.

Learning Chinese has been mostly trying not to forget too much and attending a once a month workshop. Happy Rabbit New Year Everyone.

My first online course at FSU last term was fairly easy. The course this term is more demanding. It has lots of reading and writing assignments. Also have to give two online class presentations. First one is coming up in a week.

Not planning on travelling anywhere exotic this year. Only Minneapolis in June and Baltimore in September for stamp shows with hubby. Probably try to get another couple of FSU classes out of the way this summer.

December Art Trading Cards - Holiday Traditions

2010-12-15T22:24:00.016-05:00

Finally finished. I did Christmas Movies as my subtheme. In the States, these movies are standard staples of the holiday season. Therefore, I'll consider them a Holiday Tradition.
Happy Holidays Everyone!

Miracle on 34th Street, 1947

A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965
Linus gives his blanket for support

Frosty the Snowman, 1969

Elf, 2003

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, 1964

How The Grinch Stole Christmas, 1966

A Christmas Carol, 1951

It's a Wonderful Life, 1946

A Christmas Story, 1983
You'll shoot your eye out

A Friend's New Dog

2010-12-14T18:09:00.002-05:00

Jasper, 5 x 7 Pastel

December Drawing

2010-12-12T12:30:00.004-05:00

Signed up this month for the Drawspace December Art Card Trade - Theme Holiday Traditions. Figured it was something constructive to do while classes are on winter break. When I was a kid, my mom used to make me draw Holiday Cards every year. First thing I did when I moved out of the house was BUY Holiday Cards. Took me years to get over that trauma :)

Here's an attempt at a portrait for this week's Drawspace challenge. Ink and Pastel, approx 3 x 3

Uh oh, Nonet.

2010-11-30T21:19:00.001-05:00

Well, the good thing is you can't hear the cello :)

Cello Thoughts

2010-11-26T14:07:00.002-05:00

A friend asked me the other day about my cello playing. I tried to explain that I had an upcoming recital that was way too hard for me. The friend said "Can't you just practice more?". Truth be said, this is a hobby not a vocation.

I'm probably not willing to put in more than an hour a day. Trying to explain it to my friend helped me understand the process better. If something is too hard -- that is -- I don't have the skill set for it, it is like trying to lift 50 pound weights. If I am used to doing 5 to 8 pound weights for 20 reps at a time, no matter how much I "practice", I'm not going to be lifting 50 pound weights anytime soon.

Another example, I gave was, that practicing the cello is like running a marathon. Playing an instrument not only requires knowledge and musicality, it's also very physical. Playing too much hurts if you're not used to it.

A Friend's Grandson

2010-11-25T20:12:00.002-05:00

I received a cute photo in my email and thought it I'd try to draw it.

5 x 7 pencil.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

2010-11-25T18:03:00.002-05:00

Checking in - It's November Already

2010-11-19T17:58:00.004-05:00

What shall we do for my bday this year? I can't remember what we did last year. Hubby says "Well, there's a stamp show in Bulgaria". Sure, why not? We have friends to visit, cheap dentistry besides great food and historic tourism.

It turned into two weeks off from work and school. I was planning on doing my online class and some work remotely. However, on the first day of the trip (having just punched in the wireless key for the hotel) the netbook crashed and wouldn't get up again. Thus, I had Enforced Vacation.

It was worth it. Friends took us to classical music concert -- Schumann's Manfred Overture, Strauss' last four Leider, and a very crisp Brahms Symphony #4. This orchestra gives a 30 concert season. Hubby was jealous.

Some pics at: https://sites.google.com/site/2010bulgariasofia/home

Chamber Music teacher wasn't amused by my two week absence. I did take the Martinu Nonet seriously enough to actually see a cello teacher for some tips on how to tackle it. The class ran through it this week and I think I will need to memorize one section because it just flies by too fast to sightread.

Gotta Practice

2010-09-22T20:56:00.003-04:00

Chamber Music assignments have finally been settled for this term. The class has more instruments than usual. An extra cellist has arrived in the form of a bassist. There wasn't any parts left for another bass player so she decided to play the cello instead.

I've been assigned the Martinu Nonet, Beethoven String Quartet, op. 18 #6 and Holst Jig, Op.29 #2 (All first movements) -- not too terrible when played slowly -- a terror to play up to tempo. It's metronome practice time!!!

Underdog

2010-09-20T22:29:00.004-04:00

I haven't done much drawing so thought I'd revisit Drawspace and see what's up this week.

Here's my two submissions with an "Underdog" Theme.

Nonet

2010-08-31T22:59:00.003-04:00

First chamber music class of the season. Teacher's trying out a Martinu Nonet. I think the first movement is doable. It was fun. Also sight read a little modern piece which wasn't too hard. I enjoyed playing after being off all summer.

Balkan Camp

2010-08-14T22:26:00.003-04:00

Just spent 3 days in Rock Hill, NY with Earl, his sister and cousins at the Eastern European Folklife Center Balkan Camp Workshop. It was our first time there. We flew up to Baltimore to Earl's sister's home and then drove about 6 hours to the campsite The food was very good. Plenty of salad and many good diet choices (besides the evil stuff). Also provided late night snacks. They served baklava twice and even had a lamb roast party with grilled vegetables, hummus and baba ghanoush on the last day.

The Iroquois Spring camp had excellent facilities. The showers, etc. were actually in the back of each cabin. There were parties all night long. We were very lucky and got some cooler weather. It has been a very warm summer. I did some dancing and tried playing the Bulgarian tambura which is tuned like a guitar and played like a mandolin. Earl participated in several ensembles. He's in the videos below.

July Update

2010-07-27T13:45:00.003-04:00

http://travelgalitz.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/a-touch-of-shanghai-expo/

This is the last post for my China trip.

Summary: This was my third trip to China and I thought I'd try something different from the normal tourist route--a homestay in a modern industrial city of China plus a month of studying Mandarin.

Things Discovered: Doctor/Dentist visits were very easy and cheap.

Things I knew about in advance, but still had difficulty coping with: Smog

Things Enjoyed: Calligraphy studies

Things Missed: Enough time to visit the nearby historical and scenic regions

Chinese Calligraphy - 4th Lesson

2010-07-13T06:51:00.005-04:00

It's been fun living and studying in China this past month.

Monday through Friday - I have 4 hours of private mandarin lessons. Then I have calligraphy class every other day.

Here's a sample - the first character in each row is the teachers. He circles the ones he likes.

A Great Little Wall

2010-06-29T18:07:00.001-04:00

http://travelgalitz.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/a-great-little-wall-and-more/

Hu Hu Shui Mountain

2010-06-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

http://travelgalitz.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/hu-hu-shui-mountain/

Beijing and Beihai

2010-06-20T19:55:00.001-04:00

http://travelgalitz.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/beijing-and-beihai/

Cleaning the Closet

2010-06-05T02:20:00.005-04:00

I was looking for a map of Shanghai in the hallway closet and found unexpected gems. This closet is full of antique mysterious flotsam. I tossed maps and souvenirs of places forgotten with time. Exhumed ancient mementos. Cleansed binders of scholarly pursuits of yore. I was pleased to find my very first Chinese lessons from 1992. Since I wrote everything like it sounded to me back then, I had fun trying to interpret my notes. I discovered a poem that I just re-learned this year. I remembered learning a song but hadn't heard it since and couldn't remember the name. Just considered it a casualty of time. Found the song in my notes and then on the net. I remembered the melody as being pretty and find that my opinion hasn't changed. Here it is. It's a little jazzier than the version I learned but the melody is basically the same.

Summertime

2010-05-26T19:30:00.003-04:00

Once again I have fallen into the no practice mode of summertime. After chamber music class stopped in April, I haven't felt compelled. Did join my husband to play continuo at some early music recorder workshop sessions. The music was pleasant and within my range for sightreading.

Vacation begins in two weeks -- I'll be off to China for 33 days to study Mandarin and plan to spend a couple of days at the Shanghai Expo. Then my sister-in-law invited me to join her at a Eastern European Folk Life Workshop in upstate New York for the second week in August.

August 23rd school starts and I begin working on my Master's Degree.

Neat

2010-04-12T08:22:00.002-04:00

The magnet school I help out has been just listed as one of six finalists in the White House Commencement Challenge. Pretty neat, huh? http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/notifying-commencement-challenge-finalists

One Down One To Go

2010-04-06T23:45:00.004-04:00

We had about 10 minutes to rehearse before the recital with the guest violinist. Last movement went too slow but we'll get another chance to play on Friday. I'm surprised at how well one can hear the cello part even with the mute on :)

Grueling GRE

2010-03-29T16:26:00.005-04:00

I took the GRE this morning. It was NOT easy. My friends had given me conflicting reports. Some said it was a breeze while others said it was the worse thing ever. I did do a little preparatory work. Looked over a couple of practice tests which was a good thing because some of the vocabulary and questions did appear on the test today. I ran out of time on the quantitative section and had to guess the final 15 answers. I'm not used to working without a calculator. Despite this, my unofficial scores should be adequate for my major.

Two Concerts

2010-03-28T20:12:00.002-04:00

Last night a friend gave me tickets to New World Symphony's Baroque Concert. They played a nifty little piece by Jean-Marie LeClair called "Glaucus and Scylla". It was originally an opera but rearranged for orchestra. LeClair also had the honor of being among murdered composers. Being isolated, he was found dead two months later clutching his red Strad violin.

Today, we went to see my chamber music teacher's concert of twentieth century music. Here's an excerpt of one of the more interesting pieces.

Pain Free but Muted.

2010-03-18T20:46:00.004-04:00

I was able to play cello Tuesday night without pain. The middle finger on my left hand isn't bothering me anymore although the right hand still gives me a twinge now and then.

We now have a bass player for the Brandenburg so the sound is a little bottom heavy. I put my mute on. The slow movement doesn't need any extra bass, maybe I'll just air bow. Teacher wants to do all three movements for the recital April 13th. It will be interesting to see if the recorders actually play in tune.

300 Tang Poems

2010-03-12T22:18:00.007-05:00

When I was in China back in 2002, I picked up several children's books. I hope to eventually work my way through them. Here's the first offering.

chán

蝉

cicada

chuí ruí yǐn qīng lù

垂緌饮请露,

dangling caps (to) drink invites (the) dew

liú xiǎng chū shū tóng

流响出疏桐.

flowing frequencies emit thinly (through the) "Chinese wood-oil tree"

jū gāo shēng zì yuǎn

居高声自远,

resides (the) loud noise (of) self (heard) far

fēi shì jiè quī fēng

非是藉秋风.

not is because of autumn wind.

Moral: if you live high (on the social ladder) your voice carries far.

Minor Injuries

2010-03-12T22:12:00.002-05:00

Managed to fall up the stairs the other day and whacked both middle fingers of the left and right hand. It made for interesting cello playing at chamber music class. Happily, C natural and F natural can be played in half position if given enough time.

Besides the Brandenburg 4, I'm working on the first movement of Haydn's String Quartet opus 77 #1. Our first violin was out of town Tuesday night so hubby stepped in and took it "at tempo" which was actually a lot of fun because at that speed one doesn't have time to worry about getting all the right notes.

GREat - To Be a Master.

2010-02-25T22:03:00.004-05:00

I bit the bullet today and decided to try for a Masters Degree in Information Services. A major part of my indecision about graduate school has been deciding what major. Will now have the hoops of the admission process to jump through -- recommendation letters, transcripts, etc. plus the GRE test. Scheduled it for the end of March. It's a good thing that I reviewed algebra and geometry last year for the GKT.

Happy Tiger Year - Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-15T22:46:00.004-05:00

White tiger, Miami Metro Zoo

Spent the holidays repairing desktop computer - two power outages in a row zapped the video card. Yes, I know I should have had a UPS, but when the last one died I didn't bother to replace it.

Went to a huge Chinese New Year's Eve Party Saturday night which had tons of food, backyard fireworks, and "Karaoke". My first time / attempt at this sport. I made a the lowest score of 22 trying to sing "Under the Boardwalk". Seems I only knew the refrain. I made a decent score of 83 with "When I'm 64". "Raindrops keep Fallin' on my Head" was sung with style and was a crowd pleaser, but the machine only gave me a 66. Of course, I couldn't sing any of the Chinese songs. I only know one folk song and it wasn't available on the DVD.

Sunday, we joined ten friends for a dim sum brunch that lasted from 11am to 3pm. We got a big surprise when a guest of one friend decided to pay for the whole table!

Then we went to Walmart to buy some flowering plants to add to our "dead zone" list. Plants don't live long in our house generally, but we figured that flowering plants would live longer than cut flowers.

I rounded out Valentine's Day by going to sleep at 5 pm and not waking until 7 am!

Brandenburg Blues Part II

2010-02-10T08:24:00.005-05:00

GGP, you were right, I should have studied the part more. Cello one decided that getting employment was more important than the class and has skipped out.

Now I have a string quartet, a piano quartet and the Brandenburg to work on. When it rains it pours. Before this tragic event (in my chamber music teacher's eyes) I just had a little baroque piece to play with a recorder.

If I play open strings, the Brandenburg first movement isn't too hard...

Nifty Learning Chinese Sites

2010-02-06T09:10:00.004-05:00

http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/games/games.php

Especially love the Snow White storyboard and the fruit game.

Didn't like the directions game because it was so repetitive, but it finally reinforced the difference of words "right" and "left" in Chinese for me. I was always confusing which word was which direction.

http://www.archchinese.com/

Worksheets and animated stroke characters. Helpful when one is not sure which direction the stroke needs to go.

http://www.nciku.com/

Don't know that character, mouse it into the graph and nciku will find it for you.

http://usa.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=translate

Received an email from your teacher all in chinese characters?

No problem, just copy and paste it into this site and you'll get the drift of the message.

http://www.enterzon.com/

Feel like wandering around in a free virtual game exploring a chinese town. This one's for you.

2010 Why I Am I So Busy?

2010-02-06T08:57:00.005-05:00

Monday evening I have a Language Principles and Acquisition class. One of 3 courses needed for a ESL certification in Florida.

Tuesdays, I have Chamber Music Class

Fridays, I have Chinese Workshops.

Mon, Tues, Thu and Fri I help out the local magnet school either volunteering in the morning or subbing.

Wed and Sat I help out the local CPA with taxes.

In between I'm supposed to squeeze exercise, celloing, Chinese writing practice, and playing Scrabble on FB with my cello friends.

This reminds me of when I was a kid, I had to write letters all the time to relatives.

Dear Aunt Theresa,

How are you, I am fine.

I am very busy.

Oh well, "they say" No Rest for the Wicked.

Pumpernickel

2010-02-06T08:52:00.003-05:00

I was at a wholesaler's a few months back and noted that a 20 pound bag of rye flour was $10.

Rye flour is tough to get in the stores in Miami, Florida and when a store stocks it, it's expensive. I lugged home this huge bag, saved up milk containers from Costco for three months and finally transfered the flour into more manageable portions. Now that I'm inspired from the Julie/Julia project maybe I'll actually use it :)

Succumbed

2010-02-06T08:49:00.003-05:00

Peer pressure? Ease of use? Because I could?

Anyway, I made my first official e-book $9.99 purchase. "Julie/Julia".

Reading about the exploits of a fellow blogger and french cooking did me in.

Brandenburg Blues

2010-01-14T06:29:00.003-05:00

This year's chamber music class is working on the Brandenburg 4 -- the one with the recorders. Hubby heard wind of this and decided to join. He bought a plastic Aulos alto 700 recorder and started practicing in December. He hasn't played since he was a teen but after a few fits over some high notes he was off and running. This week, a real cellist showed up (one who has been playing for many years) and since he was such a strong player, I was moved off . The class also had a guest professional violinist play the first part and the group sounded really good -- without me.

Happy New Year

2009-12-30T01:15:00.006-05:00

I have no resolutions for 2010.

Will continue to do the best I can and not worry.

Hopefully 2010 will be a good year for us all.

Sunrise by my home.

Sounds from San Jose, Costa Rica

2009-12-19T22:42:00.002-05:00

Visiting friends in Costa Rica for ten days. Posts are on my other blog
http://travel.galitz.com

Bed vs. Cello. The Cello Won.

2009-11-24T16:35:00.006-05:00

Ha, I bet you thought this post was about not getting enough sleep due to practicing the cello. Nope, sorry to disappoint you.

Let's start from the beginning. A few months ago, my cello lost the rubber protector on the end pin. The plastic cap just disintegrated away one day.

I have a habit of lying the cello on the bed between practice sessions.
One night my husband was complaining about sharing the bed with the cello. So I picked it up and tossed it back on the bed just to spite (spike?) him.

Not smart. You see, we have an air mattress. Or rather, had an air mattress.

This Week's Recital

2009-10-24T10:28:00.002-04:00

It's a Go...

2009-10-06T20:35:00.003-04:00

Had a slow run through with the Clarinet tonight on the first movement of the Beethoven Trio. Chamber Music Teacher gave it a green light so we will be working on it for the December recital. I had practiced the first minute (up to the F chord) at half speed using "Audacity". The F chord is a real challenge. Almost as bad as when I first learned it on the guitar.

The Guitar trio is sounding pretty good. I forgot my camera this evening or I would have recorded our "dry run". Recital is October 20th and 23rd so we have another week to tweak the dynamics, etc.

Other exciting green lights this week:

Booked 10 day trip to Costa Rica to visit a friend for Winter recess.

Booked 33 day trip to China for intensive Mandarin for June 2010.

Something to Look Forward to - Maybe?

2009-09-29T20:44:00.002-04:00

Chamber music class teacher just assigned me the cello part tonight.

Hopefully, I'll get to play this for the December recital.

Guitar Trio is coming along fine. We will perform it October 20th.

George Harrison and Leonhard von Call

2009-09-13T00:45:00.002-04:00

Thanks to a Facebook friend I've learned about George Harrison via YouTube.

Also, YouTube has a group playing the Leonhard von Call Guitar Trio in C Major which I will probably be doing for chamber music class.

Chinese, Chamber, Classroom Courses

2009-08-29T22:10:00.005-04:00

As August comes to a close and I finish my TESOL certification, more distractions rear their ugly heads. One is the start of the fall school semester. Courses in Classroom Management, Mandarin Chinese, and Chamber Music begin. Substitute Teaching begins. Chamber Music class has guitars this term so it looks like I'll be doing double duty. I do seem to thrive on a little stress. The trick is knowing what's "a little". Found a neat site "Skrittle.com" for practicing Chinese characters. Still hoping to learn 800 by next summer.

Grammar Police

2009-08-04T09:21:00.005-04:00

Part of the fun in taking the TESOL course is relearning English grammar. Yesterday I became reacquainted with the Gerund (verb + ing = noun) and the difference between possessive adjectives and pronouns. This pen is his (possessive pronoun) This is his pen (possessive adjective). Today is examining tenses (thus named because thinking about them makes one tense).

The Present Perfect Tense. Here is a brief review of the form and function of the present perfect tense.

When the time period has not finished: I have seen three movies this week. (This week has not finished yet.)
When the time is not mentioned: Gerry has failed his exam again.
When the time is recent: Ikuko has just arrived in Victoria.
Often used with for and since. Greg has lived here for 20 years. Greg has lived here since 1978.
Formed like this: "have" plus "past participle"

Status Report

2009-07-28T11:41:00.002-04:00

Passed the FTCE Professional Ed Test yesterday. Signed up for TESOL training and then will take ESOL test. This is about 100 hours of study so should keep me busy for the month of August.

Chinese continues to march. Met a young fellow who just came back studying Chinese for4 months in China's Nanjing University. His spoken Chinese is pretty good. Hopefully, he'll do some studies with me. New computer tools for writing in pinyin, chinese characters and looking up meanings are helping to speed me along at a faster clip.

Off to Key West this weekend with my sister-in-law who is in town. Going to camp at Bahia Honda State Park. Should be interesting but probably not too comfortable with the heat and mosquitoes.

Quack Quack

2009-07-19T13:26:00.003-04:00

This week's Drawspace Challenge had ducks. Felt it fit with the birds theme.

Done Done

2009-07-18T01:37:00.013-04:00

Finished the last card tonight.
Here's the rest of the mythological line-up.

Past and Future

2009-07-16T13:07:00.004-04:00

So far so good. Two more FTCE tests finished. Signed up for one more while the going rate is $50. After August, the cost will increase by $25.

Local community orchestra is having a "strings only" summer reading session on Wednesday nights. Signed up for it although they want me to bring the viola. Strange as there are usually plenty of violists. Played last night and was completely worn out afterwards. Not used to holding a viola for 3 hours anymore. Only 2 cellists showed up although they tell me that five said they were coming.

Chinese classes are going well. Thinking about going again to China for the summer of 2010. Perhaps take an intensive immersion course there for $1,300. Price seems reasonable to me for 20 hours a week for four weeks plus room and board. I think I have enough frequent flyer points to get me there.

I think I am grounded for the rest of the summer. I can't justify going anywhere, my friends/family are very busy as well. Besides I have too many projects to do at home.

Enjoy playing the games on FB but have to limit myself to 30 minutes plus self-imposed rules. I'm not allowed to play unless I accomplish 4 things on my daily to do list. Feeling like a kid again. No playing unless you do your homework.

Half Done

2009-07-16T12:58:00.011-04:00

I decided on a subtopic of "Mythological Birds" for my ATC. Nine cards done. Another eight to do by the end of the month.

Two Weeks Later

2009-07-05T09:40:00.003-04:00

It's been two weeks since my last post and I've yet to really study for the ESE test. I've managed to find plenty of things to fill my days with anything other than cello practice as well. Did finish some old projects -- things that have been on my to do list for over a year. Entertained out of town guests and friends. Cooked treats for hubby. Caught up on TV eps that we follow. Played games in real life and FB. Made 80+ flash cards of new Chinese words/phrases to learn. Memorized a Chinese folk song and a poem by Ai Qing. Signed up for the July ATC whose theme is "Birds" at Drawspace.

Guess I must be mostly "externally motivated" on the cello. Without a pressing cello project, other things become more important. Still it sure would be nice to finish Suzuki Book I this summer. On the other hand, Book I is certainly not inspiring me to practice. I need to do some "negotiations" with myself to see if I can get moving again. I used to have a rule in place that I couldn't play on FB if I hadn't practiced the cello that day -- I may have to resort to that again!

Back to Normal?

2009-06-20T18:16:00.006-04:00

The past week has been just getting organized after my 3 week trip in Europe. First, there's the photos and travelogue to post. My friends and family have been vicariously enjoying my adventures since 2002. It's a lot of work but nice to have the logs later. I probably wouldn't do them just for myself. Yesterday, I finished all the homework my chinese teacher assigned while I was out of town.

Today, I visited SMA and reacquainted myself to the cello after a two month hiatus. R ran off the checklist and all systems are go for continued practice.

I had signed up for a class to cover ESE for FTCE and registered for the test July 13th. However, a phone call today states that the class has been cancelled. Oh well, guess I'm going to have to do self-study. SOP for me.

Back in Miami

2009-06-12T23:24:00.001-04:00

I've returned from Europe. Not quite ready to practice anything at the moment. Maybe I'll get back on track next week.

Travelogue from latest trip May 18 - June 10, 2009 Feel free to skip the narrative and just look at the photos. I am hoping to do a specialized guide for Sofia and Smolyan sometime in the near future.

A Post from Sofia

2009-05-22T15:23:00.003-04:00

Went to my friend's daughter's school program today in Sofia. The kids performed a nice bulgarian folk dance along with poetry readings, patriotic songs, choreographed pop tunes, kung fu exhibition, american idol style solos, and a rock band.

Vocal Mimicry and Rhythm.

2009-05-13T22:24:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to teach rhythm to a student. What finally seemed to work was having the student sing the tune with words before attempting to play. I was telling my husband about my success when he showed me an article about Snowball. Seems that vocal mimicry and rhythm are neurally connected. Now if I can somehow apply this to my cello playing :)

Chinese Overdose

2009-05-05T23:45:00.005-04:00

Finished up the refresher Chinese course at the local community college this week. Unfortunately, as a farewell gift, the professor gave me 1,375 basic chinese character flash cards. I pulled out about 300 characters that I recognize and will work on trying to be able to write them before worrying about the other 1075 characters! Another friend took the time to translate my entire blog's "About Me" section into Chinese so now I'll have to copy and learn all the new words to that as well.

关于我
一九五九年圣诞节前夕，我在韩国汉城被家人遗弃，送进一所孤儿院。当时我才是一个刚断了奶还包著尿布的婴儿。所以哪天是我的生日只可猜测了。后来我像邮件一样给寄到美国，被一个多元化的家庭收养；自小就在匈牙利、爱尔兰、犹太人和天主教的影响下成长。我父亲从事热带鱼生意，他往往会消失在秘鲁、哥伦比亚和亚马逊等充满异国情调的偏远地方。我是跟猴子、野猫和其它珍贵宠物，还有传统的狗、猫、仓鼠和鹦鹉一起养大的。虽然我在北卡罗莱纳、维吉尼亚、马里兰州和华盛顿特区住了很久，但大部分时间是住在佛罗里达州的南部。我还没有去过澳大利亚、新西兰、南太平洋或印度，可是我会讲一些西班牙文、汉语、法文以及保加利亚文。由于我计划在今年秋天前往南美的秘鲁旅行，目前正加紧学好西班牙文。我跟我的丈夫厄尔住在迈阿密市中心仅有一个睡房的杂屋里。我的丈夫是一位家庭律师，他几乎从我出生以来就爱玩小提琴。我们家里还有八个鱼缸，两个degus（？）, 两只鹦鹉和一只可爱的小鸟。

The Happy Farmer, Not!

2009-04-25T22:27:00.003-04:00

Back to see R after several months away. Chamber music class had kept me pretty busy working on stupendously hard stuff like Schumann. I still hadn't memorized "The Happy Farmer" in Suzuki Cello Book I.

R reduced me to working on only two measures of the piece. Since I don't have chamber music class until September he thought it would be a good time to work on my technique.

Another Project Completed

2009-04-22T18:03:00.007-04:00

Hubby had volunteered me to do an award for the Bulgarian Stamp Show next month. I finally completed it today. Hubby (the critic) was wowed.

A Chart Decline

2009-04-19T11:12:00.004-04:00

Boring cello stats:

Cello practice weeks 53-60 (35 days)

Total of 24.5 hours. Avg 3/4 hr per day.

Bow, left hand, thumb, trill, vibrato exercises every day

Suzuki pieces 4x

Chamber music pieces 32x

Romantic pieces 1x

A drop from the last stat report in February where I was averaging 1.5 hours a day. Tax Season took its toll. I also switched to a two week planner exercise page which seemed to lose the visual incentives I had when I was using a monthly. I'll switch back. Maybe I can get some good practice in before I run away to Europe May 17th.

A Couple of Musicals

2009-04-18T19:38:00.002-04:00

This month I had the opportunity to see two musicals. One was "I love you, you're perfect, now change" done by the local community college which was cute and well-done. Even hubby liked it.

The second was courtesy of a friend who had a ticket she couldn't use. So today, I traveled the 20+ miles, navigated the closed interstates and dodged through huge crowds to see "Jersey Boys". I had no idea what the musical would be about -- I like to come in "cold" on these things. Okay, I'm told it's about a guy named "Frankie Valli" and the "Four Seasons". I scan through the playbill looking for a song I'd recognize. Sherri sounds familiar. Anyway, lights come on and its blasting "rap-style" music. HUH? Then the story begins, I can now unplug my ears and by the time the climatic "Can't take my eyes off of you" is sung I'm sucked in. Actually, I do recognize that song from those sappy tunes I listened to as a kid. The book was fun for someone who wasn't part of that generation; I understand for the rest of the audience it was like travelling back in time.

Encore?

2009-04-13T20:29:00.002-04:00

Just got an email from my chamber music teacher wanting to know if the pianist and I could play the Breval again tomorrow. OH DEAR! I haven't practiced all week.

Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Again

2009-04-10T23:55:00.008-04:00

I thought I had completed all my ATC (art trading cards) for the Drawspace Music/Musical Instruments. Then someone noticed I sent them an extra card.

Huh? My word doc decided to erase one recipient and double up on another. Neither I nor my husband who mailed the envelopes noticed the dupe. Happily, I saved the doc so I was able to sleuth who was left out. So created yet another card tonight which I'll mail out next week. Here's all fifteen cards in digital format.

Changing My Mind.

2009-04-09T00:49:00.003-04:00

Okay, I re-watched the vid of the Schumann and decided that I'd post it anyway for your amusement or cringing (you have been warned).

Afterall, this blog is all about not being perfekt! More practice!!!

Trying Too Hard

2009-04-08T23:10:00.003-04:00

My 4th pastel work. I think I was trying too hard.

Funny Recital

2009-04-07T23:10:00.005-04:00

Better to laugh than cry, right? The Breval should have been better. As you can tell from the video there's all sorts of rhythm, intonation and other issues. We don't even start together. However, it had its moments. At one point the pianist gets all the attention. The Schumann suffered a different fate, it started out well enough but then the violinist got lost and that threw me off as well. I won't post that video, it's too embarrassing :)

Playing with Pastels

2009-04-05T22:30:00.003-04:00

This week's challenge at Drawspace. 5 x 6, pastel pencils, about an hour. Thought it came out pretty well and it passes the mirror test.

It's April Already?

2009-04-02T23:19:00.003-04:00

Tax Season Accounting Work

Drawspace Art Card Trade (14 cards this time)

Substitute Teaching

Old clients coming out of the woodwork

Chinese Classes

and a chamber music recital in 5 days...

Time sure flies with all this work and fun.

Key Episode

2009-03-19T20:12:00.003-04:00

Let me tell you a story. Today I picked up my hubby from the doctor's office around noon in South Miami. My sister-in-law, Nina, was in town for the week. She was visiting South Beach close to our home. We decided to meet up and do all-u-can eat dim sum for lunch. By the time we drove home from South Miami and Nina drove from South Beach, it would be 12:30 pm. We could all go in one car. We arrived a few minutes before Nina and I cleaned out the car. Hubby drove to lunch. A good time was had by all.

Then the real fun began. I'm ready to run off to my afternoon appointments. Nina's ready to go finish her errands before her plane flight tomorrow. I can't find my car keys. Hubby doesn't have them. Then Nina can't find her rental car keys either.

Huh? Did both car keys run off together? Did they fall down the same hole in the time/space continuum? We could understand one of us losing our keys, but both of us?

After lots of looking and retracing my steps, I finally found my keys. They were in the car's trash bag that I had tossed into the public container by the bay. Happily, the City of Miami hadn't picked up the trash. I was very lucky. Nina never did find her rental car key and had to hire a locksmith to make a new one.

Another Sketch

2009-03-15T23:27:00.005-04:00

Another quickie - 40 minutes with the #2 pencil. It doesn't pass the mirror test but I figured what the heck, I was in a hurry :)

Signed up for this month's Drawspace ATC - the theme of music/musical instruments was too hard to pass up. Besides if busy Maricello can find time to do it, I can jump off the cliff too.

Quick Sketch

2009-03-13T23:08:00.006-04:00

I was confronted today by an acquaintance who is an artist. He asked if I've drawn anything lately. "Umm, no". It's been off my radar. So made a visit to drawspace this evening to see what I could do as a quickie.

Dealing with Death

2009-03-08T20:30:00.003-04:00

Got a phone call today from a friend about a mutual friend who died yesterday. This lady was a mystery writer about Miami and we've known her for years before she was famous. She chose to keep her illness secret so of course, no one gets to say goodbye. Everyone deals with death differently. I had a client who I could tell was dying and he also refused to admit it. Maybe they just can't say goodbye either. What would you do if you were diagnosed with terminal cancer? Would you tell your friends?

A Little Bit of Silliness

2009-03-07T10:23:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Melissa for providing a little bit of light hearted silliness to my day.

Here's my hero. She's a little young so can get away with the skivvies.

Tuttle - Learning Chinese Characters

2009-03-07T09:15:00.003-05:00

A few folks have recommended Tuttle for learning 800 chinese characters. Thought I'd give it a try. I probably know about 150 characters but took the test at MDBG and found that I only scored 85% on 100 characters. Either I forgot the pinyin equivalent or I forgot the meaning. Tuttle supposedly brings it all together. The big thing for me is remembering the tones. Tuttle uses stories and visual hints to remember the characters. High first tone = giant, Rising second tone = fairy, Third up and down tone = teddy bear, Fourth falling abrupt tone = dwarf, Neutral tone = robot. For example, the character for Gate/Door is easy to remember because it sort of looks like a [ ]. However, remembering the tone is another story. Well, Tuttle writes it up with a story about a FAIRY collecting MONey at the GATE. The MONey tells the approximate pronounciation, the fairy the tone and the gate the meaning. 门

Another good example of the Tuttle system is the character for "cup". It's a combination that uses the tree character and the "not" character. This does not bring to mind a cup. Tuttle's story is about a lumberman that's about to cut down a tree and someone shouts NOT that TREE with the CUP on it, it belongs to the GIANT who uses it to collect the syrup for his BAcon. So TREE and KNOT tells me the characters, GIANT tells me high 1st tone and BAY is the prounciation. 杯

There's a few more mnemonic tricks and some of the stories seem overly elaborate but that's because they are for future building blocks. I'm up Chapter 5. So far so good. Most of the characters I know already but now I'm finally remembering the tone.

First Cello Lesson

2009-03-04T19:31:00.007-05:00

I was blessed today with a visit from Emily Wright. She graciously showed me a few things and suggested that I move away from the violinistic right hand position. She showed me an exercise to help with the switch. R would disagree but I think I shall make the attempt. She thought my bow hand looked pretty good. We also covered thumb position and breathing. She suggested humming or speaking the notes to help with breathing out while playing. Thus went my very first cello lesson. Who knows, maybe I'll see her again when she does her Northeastern tour.

Emily's overview on thumb position. Note: Play close to the bridge. First finger can actually stop the string from the right side of the string rather than just pressing down. She showed me all this is in slow motion. This video was taken afterwards just as a memory aid.

Lakme

2009-02-28T00:15:00.004-05:00

Just came back from a 3 hour stint at the opera. A friend gave me her season ticket for Delibes' Lakme. Hubby wasn't interested so I invited another friend to accompany me in the nosebleed section. Leah Partridge was the ill-fated coloratura soprano for this production and was spectacular in the bell song. I was startled to hear a familiar tune during "The flower duet". Classical music can creep into pop consciousness when one least expects it.

Helping the Economy

2009-02-25T11:47:00.004-05:00

I seem to run against society's trends. Now that folks are busy saving their money in anticipation of doomsday, I've been spending like water the past two days. Sunday was a shopping trip via Amazon to buy a pair of folding scissors and some other stuff I've had on my wish list for months. Yesterday I splurged on a pair of shoes. I'm a one-shoe trick pony. I have a certain style I like and I tend to wear one pair of shoes to death. I threw out my last pair when I tripped in them a couple of weeks ago. You see, the soles were starting to come undone. Guess I shouldn't complain those shoes probably lasted over 4 years.

On the cello frontier, I had a chance to play the first movement of the Breval for the chamber music teacher last night. He thought I should perform it this term and assigned the piano part to another one of his students.

On the Mend

2009-02-22T23:51:00.003-05:00

Other than a little cough, I'm finally well again. Wrist/hand also back to normal. Today I actually got to practice the cello. To celebrate I went to Amazon and bought stuff.

Tonight was the last night of a Charles Ives Festival by New World Symphony here in Miami.

Hubby was so excited when we went Friday night. There was a lecture before the concert which featured Ives' various experimental works - The Unanswered Question, Central Park in the Dark, Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, From the Steeples and Mountains, Scherzo: Over the Pavements, and the famous "Three Places in New England" set. Hubby hasn't been this enthused over a concert for a long time.

Saturday featured Ives' Holidays Symphony. The first half of the concert had the choir sing the hymns, popular, war, and college songs that Ives quoted in his Holidays Symphony. Intermission seemed to take forever and then the Holiday Symphony which started interesting enough just seemed to drag. It became a long evening.

Tonight was Ives' Sonata #2 for Piano "Concord, MA" followed by another long intermission and then an orchestration version of the sonata. By the end of the evening, we were Ives' out and I had a headache. There's not a whole lot of form to the pieces and as far as I was concerned the Emerson and Thoreau sections could have been struck from the program (or at least shortened in half). At least Hawthorne had some musical humor and there were some lyrical sections to Alcott. All in all we were glad that the festival was over. I don't think we could have stood another evening of Ives.

Sniffle

2009-02-16T22:04:00.003-05:00

I've managed to fight colds so far this year. Several times, I've woken up with a scratchy throat, downed a bunch of Vitamin C and Airborne and the symptoms went away. Sad to say, today I lost the battle. I started sneezing around 10am while I was out at a client's. Canceled the rest of today's and tomorrow's appointments. Came home and passed out for four hours. Too late for Zicom. Had some chicken soup and theraflu.

Passed

2009-02-05T13:19:00.002-05:00

"Passed" that's all my unofficial test score report states. The joys of taking a computerized test is that one gets the results instantly. Good enough. Test didn't have any questions on poetry, jazz or dance. However it had more philosophy than I would have liked to have seen. Plenty of art, history, music, film, and literature along with questions re: creating lesson plans.

Time out for a breather and for my left hand to heal.

Countdown 1 and Taking a Fall

2009-02-04T21:17:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow's the big test. I've been taking sample tests all week, so hopefully, I'll be prepared.

This morning, I tripped and fell on some concrete. Scrapped my knees and hurt my left hand. Probably going to have to lay off cello practice for a couple of days. The hand is not swollen and I can close my hand and type, but certain motions seem to hurt it. I landed fairly hard so all in all I guess I'm lucky.

Computer Crash and Boring Stats

2009-02-02T10:08:00.002-05:00

I really should have known better than hit "update" on my desktop computer. Windows Service Pack 3 tried to install and the computer refused to boot up afterwards. Had to do an HP system restore. At least I didn't lose any data.

Boring cello stats:
Cello practice weeks 49-52 (25 days)
Total of 40 hours. Avg 1.5 hrs per day.
Bow, left hand, thumb, trill, vibrato exercises every day
Suzuki pieces 18x
Chamber music pieces 10x
Romantic pieces 6x

Schubert, Schumann, Breval, and No Shows

2009-01-27T21:27:00.004-05:00

Our violinist canceled at the last minute for chamber music this evening. Normally, if I know a violinist will be out, I can tap hubby to fill in. But this happened too late. So we had a pianist play the violin part for the Schubert Trout and we limped through it. I had marked up a score without measure numbers and that proved to be a hindrance as well.

Since we didn't have the violinist, we skipped rehearsing the Schumann for the second week in a row. At least this time, I hadn't been practicing it all week.

At the end of class, the violist was working up a Bruch piece, so I grabbed a pianist to try out the Breval in super slow mode. The run through wasn't too bad. Only missed a few notes and the mordents. I knew the piece well enough that when we got off track, it was fixable. Who knows, maybe I'll get to play it for this term's recital.

Progress Report on memorizing Suzuki Book I. I'm having my usual issue with remembering which notes are slurred.

Studying Chinese Again

2009-01-27T08:30:00.004-05:00

When I received an email last month with a 25% discount off the local community college's Intensive Mandarin Chinese evening course, I sprung for it. I haven't reviewed my putonghua since 2004 and thought it might be a good refresher. The course teacher is male and has a different spin than the female teachers I have had in the past. This course also covers the character writing which is very useful.

Distracted by cello and humanities I haven't focused much on Chinese studies yet but it's starting to get exciting. Just browsing through the internet last night and found tons of resources. Especially on YouTube. There's karoake with pinyin. So much more to study than there was 5 years ago.

Caught Cheating

2009-01-25T02:37:00.003-05:00

R had me play thru etude on Book I today with one of the students. Unfortunately, I did forget a few phrases on a couple of pieces and had to look them up. R came in and closed the book on me. Also insisted that I leave 1 down while playing ext. 4 for the last piece in the book. That's gonna hurt!

Short Term Goal

2009-01-23T12:33:00.003-05:00

Now that I've overwhelmed my senses reviewing 500 years of art history in two days. I'll try to focus on a short-term cello goal.

January 31st will mark a year of cello practice for me. Yeah, yeah, I know I started the cello and this blog April of 2007 but after discounting time off travelling, I'm just now coming to the 52 week mark.

Anyway, my goal is to be able to play the Suzuki book I with the CD from memory by the end of the month. I have about two more songs to memorize. Wish me luck!

Countdown 13.3

2009-01-22T23:11:00.000-05:00

Survey of Art History - 20th Century

FAUVISM AND ESPRESSIONISM

Henri Matisse
The Red Room (Harmony in Red)
1908-1909

Georges Rouault
The Old King
1916-1936

Oskar Kokoschka
Bride of the Wind
Austrian
1914

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Street Scene, Berlin
1913

Kathe Kollwitz
Memorial to Karl Liebnecht
1919

Max Beckmann
Departure
1932-1933

CUBISM

Pablo Picasso

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
1907

193. Pablo Picasso
Still Life with Chair Caning
collage
1912

194. Pablo Picasso
Three Musicians
1921

Georges Braque
The Portuguese
1911

196. Fernand Leger
The City
1919

Robert Delaunay
Eiffel Tower
1911

Marcel Duchamp
Nude Descending a Staircase
1912

FUTURISM

Gino Severini
Dynamic Hieroglyph of the Bal Tabarin
1912

Giacomo Balla
Dog on a Leash
1912

Umberto Boccioni
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space

1913

SUPREMATISM AND CONSTRUCTIVISM (Russia)

Kasimir Malevich
Suprematist Composition: Airplane Flying
1915

203. Vladimir Tatlin
Monument to the Third International
1920

Naum Gabo
Column
1923, rebuilt 1938

DE STIJL (Holland)

Piet Mondrian
Composition in Blue, Yellow, and Black
1936, Dutch

206. Hans Arp
Human Concretion
Alsatian
1935

207. Constantin Brancusi
Brid in Space
metal ? brass
Rumanian
1928

DADA

Marcel Duchamp
The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors
French
Glass
1936

Marcel Duchamp
Bicylce Wheel
French
Ready Made
1913

.Joan Miro
Painting
1933

SURREALISM
Salvador Dali
The Persistence of Memory
Spanish
1931

Rene Magritte
The Rape
1934

1930's ART & IDEOLOGY

Jose Clemente Orozco
Epoch of American Civilization: Hispano-America
Mexican
1932-34

Dorothy Lange
Migrant Mother
American
1936

Ben Shahn
The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti
American
1931-32

Jacob Lawrence
No. 36 During the Truce Toussait is Deceived...
American
1937-38

220. Edward Hopper
Nighthawks
American
1942

POSTMODERN

Jackson Pollock
Autumn Rhythms (1950)
American
1947

Mark Rothko
Four Darks on Red
American
1958

Willem de Kooning
Woman I/IV
American
1952

Helen Frankenthaler
Bay

1967

226. Donald Judd
Untitled
Stainless Steel Boxes
American
1968

Robert Smithson
Spiral Jetty
American
Earthwork
1970

FIGURATIVE ART - POST WWII

Jasper Johns
Target with Four Faces
American
1955

Andy Warhol
Marilyn Monroe Diptych
American
1962

Roy Lichtenstein
Blam
American
1962

Duane Hanson

Supermarket Shopper
American
1970

Judy Chicago
The Dinner Party
American
1979

20th CENTURY ARCHITECTURE

Frank Lloyd Wright
Robie House
Chicago
American
1909

Frank Lloyd Wright
Kaufmann House (Falling Water)
Bear Run, Pennsylvania
American
1936-40

Gerrit Rietveld
Schroeder House
Utrecht
Dutch, de Stijl
1924

Walter Gropius
The Bauhaus
Dessau, Germany
German
1925-26

Le Corbusier (Charles Edouard Jeanneret)
Villa Savoye
Poissy, France
French
1929-30

Mies van der Rohe
Seagram's Building
New York with Philip Johnson
1958

Frank Lloyd Wright
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
New York
American
1946-59

245. Le Corbusier
Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp (exterior)
Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp (interior)
Ronchamp, France
French
1950-55

Michael Graves
Public Service Building
Portland
American
1981-83

Renzo Piano
Centre Georges Pompidou (The Beaubourg)
Paris, with Richard Rogers
1977

Philip Johnson
AT&T Building
New York
1978

Countdown 13.2

2009-01-22T22:23:00.001-05:00

Survey of Art History - 19th Century

ROMANTICISM

William Blake
The Ancient of Days
frontpiece for Europe: A Prophecy
1794

Francisco Goya
3rd of May, 1808
1814

Francisco Goya
Saturn Devouring One of his Children
1819-1823

Gros
Napoleon at the Pest House of Jaffa
1804

Gericault
The Raft of the Medusa
1819

Delacroix
Liberty on the Barricades
1830

Runge
Morning

Turner

Slave Ship
1840

Constable
The Haywain
1821

Caspar David Friedrich
Cloister Graveyard in the Snow
1808-1810

Caspar David Friedrich
Abbey in an Oak Forest
1808-1810

REALISM AND NATURALISM

Courbet
The Burial at Ornans
1848-1849

Millet
The Gleaners
1857

Daumier
The 3rd Class Carriage
c. 1862

Eduoard Manet
Dejeuner Sur L'herbe (The Picnic)
1863

PRE-RAPHAELITES AND THE AESTHETIC MOVEMENT

Millais
Ophelia
1851-1852

160. Whistler
Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Old Battersea Bridge
1877

IMPRESSIONISM

Caillebotte
Paris: A Rainy Day
1877

Degas
Ballet Rehearsal: Adagio
1876

Renoir
Le Moulin de la Galette
1876

Edouard Manet
Bar at the Folies-Bergere
1882

Monet
Luncheon (Decorative Panel)
1874

Monet
Rouen Cathedral: The Portal
1893

Mary Cassatt
The Bath
1892

POST IMPRESSIONALISM

Seurat
La Grande Jatte
1884-1886

Cezanne
Mont Sainte-Victoire with Viaduct
1885-1887

Cezanne
Still Life with Peppermint Bottle
ca 1894

Gauguin
The Vision after the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel)
1888

Gauguin
Spirit of the Dead, Watching
1892

Vincent Van Gogh
Starry Night
1889

LATE 19TH CENTURY

Auguste Rodin
Walking Man
bronze
1877/1905

Barry and Pugin
Houses of Parliament
1840s

Richard Morris Hunt
The Breakers
Newport, Rhode Island
1892-1895

Joseph Paxton
Crystal Palace
1889

Gustave Eiffel
Eiffel Tower
Paris
1887-1889

Louis Sullivan
Guaranty Building
Buffalo, US
1894-1895

Louis Sullivan
Carson, Pirie, Scott Department Store
Chicago
1899-1904

Victor Horta
Van Eetvelde House
Brussels
1895

Antoni Gaudi
Casa Mila
Barcelona, Spain
1905-1910

Countdown 13.1

2009-01-22T22:16:00.002-05:00

Survey of Art History - Baroque and 18th Century Art

ITALIAN BAROQUE

Caravaggio
The Conversion of Saint Paul
Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome
1601

Caravaggio

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter

Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome,

1601

Caravaggio
Calling of Saint Matthew
San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome
1600

Caravaggio
Death of the Virgin
Louvre, Paris
1606

Artemisia Gentileschi
Judith and Maidservant
Institute of the Arts, Detroit
1625

Francesco Borromini
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
Rome
1665-1676

Gianlorenzo Bernini
David
Galleria Borghese, Rome
1623

Gianlorenzo Bernini
The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa
Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
1645-1652

Gianlorenzo Bernini
Piazza and Colonnade
Sculpture and architecture at saint Peter's, Rome

Gianlorenzo Bernini
Baldacchino
at the crossing of the church over the tomb of Saint Peter
Saint Peter's, Rome

Gianlorenzo Bernini
Cathedra Petri
The throne of Saint Peter
Saint Peter's, Rome

SPANISH BAROQUE

. El Greco
The Burial of Count Orgaz
Santo Tome, Toledo
1586

El Greco
Portrait of Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
1609

Jose (Jusepe) de Ribera
The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew
Prado, Madrid
1639

Diego Velazquez
Los Borrachos ("The Drinkers")
Prado, Madrid
1628

Diego Velazquez
Portrait of Juan Pareja
Metropolitan Museum, New York
1650

Diego Velazquez
Las Meninas ("The Maids in Waiting")
Prado, Madrid
1656

BAROQUE IN THE LOW COUNTRIES

Peter Paul Rubens
The Elevation of the Cross
Antwerp Cathedral
1610

Peter Paul Rubens
The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
1617

Peter Paul Rubens
The Arrival of Marie de' Medici at Marseilles
Louvre, Paris
1622-1625

Gerrit van Honthorst
Supper Party
Uffizi, Florence
1620

Jacob van Ruisdael
View of Haarlem
Royal Picture Gallery, The Hague
1670

Willem Claesz Heda
Still Life
Boymans-van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam
1634

Rembrandt van Rijn
Supper at Emmaus
Louvre, Paris
1648

Rembrandt van Rijn
Return of the Prodigal Son
Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (Leningrad)
1665

106. Rembrandt van Rijn
The Three Crosses
etching, 4th state
1653

Rembrandt van Rijn
The Conspiracy of Julius Civilis
National Museum, Stockholm
1661

FRENCH BAROQUE

Georges de la Tour
Adoration of the Shepherds
Louvre, Paris
1645-1650

Nicolas Poussin
The Burial of Phocion
Louvre, Paris
1648

Nicolas Poussin
Et in Arcadia Ego
Louvre, Paris
1655

Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellee)
Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba
National Gallery, London
1648

Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellee)
Pastoral Landscape
Private collection
1640s

Louis le Vau, Claude Perrault, Charles le Brun
East Facade of the Louvre
Paris
1667-1670

Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart
Garden Facade of Versailles
Versailles
1669-1685

Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Charles Le Brun
Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors)
Versailles
1680

Francois Girardon
Apollo Attended by the Nymphs
Gardens of Versailles
1666-1672

Francois de Cuvillies
Amalienburg (Hunting Lodge)
palace grounds of Nymphenburg, near Munich
1734-1739

ROCCOCO
Antoine Watteau
Return from Cythera
Louvre, Paris
1716

123. Jean-Honore Fragonard
The Swing
Wallace Collection, London
1766

Clodion (Claude Michel)
Nymph and Satyr
terracotta
Metropolitan Museum, New York
1775

NATURALISM AND THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin
Grace at Table
Louvre, Paris
1740

John Singelton Copley

Paul Revere
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
1768-1770

Greuze

The Village Bride
1761

Hogarth
Breakfast Scene from Marriage a la Mode
1745

Benjamin West
The Death of General Wolfe
1771

NEOCLASSICISM

Inigo Jones
Whitehall Banqueting House
London
1619-1622

Lord Burlington (Richard Boyle) and William Kent
Chiswick House
near London
1725+

131. Thomas Jefferson
Monticello
Charlottesville
1770-1806

Flaxman
Jupiter and Thetis
engraving
1790s

Kauffman
Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi
1785

Jacques Louis David
Oath of the Horatii
1784

Jacques Louis David
Death of the Marat
1793

Soufflot
Ste. Genevieve (Pantheon)
1755-1792

Canova
Pauline Borghese as Venus
1808

Ingres
Grand Odalisque
1814

Ingres
Princesse de Broglie
1853

Countdown 13

2009-01-22T17:06:00.003-05:00

Survey of Art History - Pre Baroque

BYZANTINE
Bonaventura Berlinghieri
Saint Francis Altarpiece

Pescia, San Francesco (Italy)
1235

BYZANTINE
Cimabue
Madonna Enthroned

Florence (Italy)
1280-1290

PROTO-RENAISSANCE
Giotto di Bondone
Madonna Enthroned

Florence (Italy)
1310

Giotto di Bondone
Lamentation over Christ

Arena Chapel Frescoes
Padua (Italy)
1305-1308

Giotto di Bondone
Meeting of Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate

Arena Chapel Frescoes
Padua (Italy)
1305-1308

LATE GOTHIC
Simone Martini
Annunciation

Sienese (Italy)
1333

The Limbourg Brothers
Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (The Book of Hours): May

France
1413-1416

Gentile Da Fabriano
The Adoration of the Magi

Florence (Italy)
1423

EARLY RENAISSANCE
Masaccio
Expulsion

Brancacci Chapel, Florence
1425

Masaccio
Tribute Money

Brancacci Chapel, Florence
1427

Masaccio
Holy Trinity

Florence
1428

Donatello
St. Mark

Orsanmichele, Florence
1411-1413

Donatello
Feast of Herod

bronze relief
Siena
1425

Donatello
The Penitent Magdalen

wood
Florence
1454-1455

Donatello
David

Bronze
Florence
1428-32

Filippo Brunelleschi

Hospital of the Innocents (Ospedale degli Innocenti)

Florence
1419-24

Filippo Brunelleschi
Church of Santo Spirito

Florence
c. 1436

MIDDLE RENAISSANCE
Leon Battista Alberti
Palazzo Rucellai, Facade

Florence
1452-70

Leon Battista Alberti
Santa Maria Novella, facade

Florence
1458-1470

Leon Battista Alberti
Sant'Andrea

Mantua
c. 1470

Bernardo Rossellino
Tomb of Leonardo Bruni

Santa Croce, Florence
1445-50

Antonio Pollaiuolo
Hercules and Antaeus

Bronze
Florence
1475

Antonio Pollaiuolo
Battle of the Ten Nudes

Engraving
1465

Andrea Mantegna
Saint James Led To Martyrdom

Ovetari Chapel, Church of the Eremetani, Padua
1455 (destroyed)

Andrea Mantegna
Camera degli Sposi (Camera Picta)

Fresco
Mantua
1465-1474

Andrea Mantegna
Dead Christ

Milan
1501

Andrea del Castagno
The Last Supper

Sant'Apollonia, Florence
1445-1450

58. Andrea del Verrocchio
David

Florence
1465

Domenico Ghirlandaio
Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni

1488

HIGH RENAISSANCE

27. Leonardo da Vinci
Drawing of an Embryo in the Womb

1510

28. Leonardo da Vinci
The Virgin of the Rocks

Oil
1485

29. Leonardo da Vinci
The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the Infant St. John

cartoon
1498

Michelangelo Buonarroti
Piazza and architecture on the Capitoline Hill

Rome
begun 1537

Michelangelo Buonarroti
Laurentian Library

Florence
begun 1524

Michelangelo Buonarroti
The Last Judgement

Sistine Chapel Altar, Vatican
Fresco
1533-1541

Michelangelo Buonarroti
Rebellious Slave

meant for the tomb of Pope Julius II
1513-1516

Michelangelo Buonarroti
Dying Slave

meant for the tomb of Pope Julius II
1513-1516

Raphael
Galatea

Villa Farnesina, Rome
1513

Raphael
The School of Athens

Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican
1509-1511

Donato Bramante
Palazzo Caprini

Rome
c. 1510 (now destroyed)

Donato Bramante
Tempietto of San Pietro in Montorio

Rome
1504

VENETIAN ART DURING THE RENAISSANCE

Giovanni Bellini
Madonna and Child with Saints

also known as the San Zaccaria Altarpiece
San Zaccaria, Venice
Oils
1505

Giovanni Bellini
The Feast of the Gods

oils
1514

Titian
Sacred and Profane Love

oils
1515

Titian
Madonna of the Pesaro Family

Oils
Venice
1519-1526

Titian
Venus of Urbino

Oils
1538

Titian
Christ Crowned with Thorns

Oils
1573

NORTH RENAISSANCE

Robert Campin (The Master of Flemalle)
The Annunciation, with Saint Joseph and Donors

The Merode Altarpiece
Cloisters, New York
1425-1428

Jan van Eyck
Man in a Red Turban

National Gallery, London
1433

Jan van Eyck
Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride

The Arnolfini Wedding
National Gallery, London
1434

Jan van Eyck
The Virgin with the Canon George van der Paele

Communal Museum, Bruges
1436

Rogier van der Weyden
The Escorial Deposition

Prado, Madrid
1435

Rogier van der Weyden
Portrait of a Lady

National Gallery of Art, Washington
1460

Hieronymus Bosch
The Garden of Earthly Delights triptych (Central Panel)
Creation of Eve
Hell

Prado, Madrid
1505-1510

Jan Gossaert (Mabuse)
Neptune and Amphitrite

Gemaldegalerie, Berlin
1516

Pieter Bruegel the Elder
The Peasant Dance

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
1567

Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Hunters in the Snow

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
1565

Martin Schongauer
St. Anthony Tormented by the Demons

engraving
1480-1490

Albrecht Durer
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

woodcut
1498

Albrecht Durer
Adam and Eve

engraving
1504

74. Albrecht Durer
The Four Apostles (Left Side)
The Four Apostles (Right Side)

Alte Pinakothek, Munich
1526

Albrecht Durer
Hieronymus Holzshuher

Gemaldegalerie, Berlin
1526

Albrecht Durer
The Great Piece of Turf

watercolor
Albertina, Vienna
1503

Matthias Grunewald
Crucifixion

Grunewald - Resurrection

from the Isenheim Altarpiece
Musee d'Unterlinden, Colmar
1510-1515

Albrecht Altdorfer
The Battle of Issus

Alexander vs Darius
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
1529

Lucas Cranach
The Judgemnent of Paris

Metropolitan Museum, New York
1528

Agnolo Bronzino
Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time

Oils
1546

Jacopo Pontormo
The Descent from the Cross

Oils
1525-1528

Parmigianino
Madonna of the Long Neck

Oils
1535

Giovanni da Bologna
Abduction of the Sabine Women

1579-1583

Guilio Romano
Palazzo del Te

Mantua
1525-1535

Guilio Romano
Hall of the Giants

Palazzo del Te, Mantua
1525-1535

Andrea Palladio
Church of San Giorgio Maggiore

Venice
1565

Andrea Palladio
Villa Rotonda or Villa Capra

Vicenza
1566-1570

Countdown 16

2009-01-19T23:35:00.002-05:00

Just posting some poems. Didn't have a very productive weekend for humanities studies.

Although chamber music class inspired me to do some heavy cello practice :)

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up early

And put his clothes on in the blueback cold,

then with cracked hands that ached

from labor in the weekday weather made

banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he'd call,

and slowly I would rise and dress,

fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold

and polished my good shoes as well.

What did I know, what did I know

of love's austere and lonely offices?

Morning Song by Sylvia Plath

Love set you going like a fat gold watch.

The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry

Took its place among the elements.

Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue.

In a drafty museum, your nakedness

Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.

I'm no more your mother

Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow

Effacement at the wind's hand.

All night your moth-breath

Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen:

A far sea moves in my ear.

One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral

In my Victorian nightgown.

Your mouth opens clean as a cat's. The window square

Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try

Your handful of notes;

The clear vowels rise like balloons.

“Marks” by Linda Pastan

My husband gives me an A

for last night's supper,

an incomplete for my ironing,

a B plus in bed.

My son says I am average,

an average mother, but if

I put my mind to it

I could improve.

My daughter believes

in Pass/Fail and tells me

I pass. Wait 'til they learn

I'm dropping out.

Emily Dickinson - After great pain, a formal feeling comes

After great pain, a formal feeling comes --

The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs --

The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,

And Yesterday, or Centuries before?

The Feet, mechanical, go round --

Of Ground, or Air, or Ought --

A Wooden way

Regardless grown,

A Quartz contentment, like a stone --

This is the Hour of Lead --

Remembered, if outlived,

As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow --

First -- Chill -- then Stupor -- then the letting go --

A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Do not go gentle into that good night

by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Rabindra Nath Tagore (1861 - 1941), the celebrated poet, story writer and dramatist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 (in the words of the Nobel Prize Committee) “because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West".

His most famous poem ‘Gitanjali’ was originally written in Bengali language. Tagore was born in Bengal in 1861. He writings tasted initial success as a writer in his native Bengal.

‘Gitanjali’ (‘song offerings’), is a collection of 103 poems. Originally written in Bengali, they were translated in English by Tagore himself. The characteristic feature of the collection is that the Introduction to Gitanjali was written by W.B.Yeats. Tagore had translated these songs from Bengali into English before his visit to England in 1912. His poems were well received in England.
‘Gitanjali’ begins with: “Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh life.”
In one of the songs ‘Where mind is without fear’ Tagore has dreamed of a utopian land, a land of his dreams, a perfect place to live in.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

A New First

2009-01-17T08:45:00.002-05:00

Last month I started timing my cello practice sessions. When I first started playing cello I could only play about 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Last night I managed 3 hours! Whee.

Countdown 20

2009-01-16T23:10:00.001-05:00

Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which evolved into the Gothic style beginning in the 12th century. The term "Romanesque", meaning "descended from Roman", was used to describe the style from the early 19th century.^[1] Although there is no consensus for the beginning date of the style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th centuries, examples can be found across the continent, making Romanesque architecture the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman Architecture. The Romanesque style in England is more traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.

Combining features of contemporary Western Roman and Byzantine buildings, Romanesque architecture is known by its massive quality, its thick walls, round arches, sturdy piers, groin vaults, large towers and decorative arcading. Each building has clearly defined forms and they are frequently of very regular, symmetrical plan so that the overall appearance is one of simplicity when compared with the Gothic buildings that were to follow. The style can be identified right across Europe, despite regional characteristics and different materials.

Bamberg Cathedral presents the distinctive outline of many of the large Romanesque churches of the Germanic tradition.

The plan of the Abbey of St Gall, Switzerland.

Gothic Architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.

Originating in 12th-century France and lasting into the 16th century, Gothic architecture was known during the period as "the French Style" (Opus Francigenum), with the term Gothic first appearing during the latter part of the Renaissance as a stylistic insult. Its characteristic features include the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress.

Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and parishchurches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, universities, and to a less prominent extent, private dwellings.

nterior of San Zanipolo, Venice, Italy.

Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, in which there was a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture.

The Renaissance style places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of classical antiquity and in particular ancient Roman architecture, of which many examples remained. Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels, as well as the use of semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches and aedicules replaced the more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings.

Developed first in Florence, with Filippo Brunelleschi as one of its innovators, the Renaissance style quickly spread to other Italian cities and then to France, Germany, England, Russia and elsewhere.

St. Peters Basilica (also has Baroque elements)

St. Michael's Munich

Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. New architectural concerns for color, light and shade, sculptural values and intensity characterize the Baroque. But whereas the Renaissance drew on the wealth and power of the Italian courts, and was a blend of secular and religious forces, the Baroque was, initially at least, directly linked to the Counter-Reformation, a movement within the Catholic Church to reform itself in response to the Protestant Reformation. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) is usually given as the beginning of the Counter-Reformation.

The Baroque played into the demand for an architecture that was on the one hand more accessible to the emotions and, on the other hand, a visible statement of the wealth and power of the Church. The new style manifested itself in particular in the context of new religious orders, like the Theatines and the Jesuits, which aimed to improve popular piety. By the middle of the 17th century, the Baroque style had found its secular expression in the form of grand palaces, first in France—as in the Château de Maisons (1642) near Paris by François Mansart—and then throughout Europe.

St. Paul's Cathedral, London

Fountain of Trevi

Beyond the Comfort Zone

2009-01-13T21:27:00.004-05:00

Trust my chamber music teacher to come up with another piece to throw me out of my comfort zone on the cello this year. This time he wants me to tackle the "Andante Cantabile" from Schumann's quartet in E flat, opus 47. Not only does it have cello solos but it has a section with six flats!!! He had us read through it tonight and thought it was within my range. Ha!

Countdown 22

2009-01-13T14:23:00.004-05:00

Humanities Countdown to Test - 3 weeks. Better get crackin'

THEATER

Dumb Show: A part of a play, especially in medieval and Renaissance drama, that is enacted without speaking.Communication or acting by means of expressive gestures; pantomime.

Greek "Rule of five acts"

1. Only 3 actors

2 Economy

3 Time, place and action must have unity

4 No mingling of the tragic and comic "kinds";

5 No artificial dénouement (conclusions to the plot)

DANCE

Martha Graham used Isamm Noguchi's ballet sets

Ballet positions

Susan Jaffe demonstrating first arabesque.

Arabesque
[a-ra-BESK]
One of the basic poses in ballet, arabesque takes its name from a form of Moorish ornament. In ballet it is a position of the body, in profile, supported on one leg, which can be straight or demi-plié, with the other leg extended behind and at right angles to it, and the arms held in various harmoniouspositions creating the longest possible line from the fingertips to the toes. The shoulders must be held square to the line of direction. The forms of arabesque are varied to infinity. The Cecchetti method uses five principal arabesques; the Russian School (Vaganova), four; and the French School, two. Arabesques are generally used to conclude a phrase of steps, both in the slow movements of adagio and the brisk, gay movements ofallégro.

PHILOSOPHY

The great chain of being or scala naturae is a classical and western medieval conception of the order of the universe, whose chief characteristic is a strict hierarchical system.

Utilized in Shakespeare's writings

Thales - 6c - The world began with water. Before Thales things were explain as products of the gods.

Thales - First father of western philosophy

Leucippus and Democritus - atomism - matter consists of atoms.

Zeno 4c - Paradoxes, Plurality and motion does not exist.

Parmenides 5c-4c - Metaphysics and there's no time, no motion

Heraclitus - 4c - everything is always changing and in a continuous state of flux

Socrates didn't write anything. Plato wrote the Dialogues about universal truths and forms.

Aristotle 3c - systems and logic

Hamartia (Ancient Greek: ἁμαρτία) is a term developed by Aristotle in his work Poetics. The term can simply be seen as a character’s flaw or error.

LITERATURE

John Donne (pronounced like done; 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English Jacobean poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to those of his contemporaries.

Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters wait for someone named Godot, who never arrives. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's premiere. Voted "the most significant English language play of the 20th century", Waiting for Godot is Beckett's translation of his own original French version, En attendant Godot, and is subtitled (in English only) "a tragicomedy in two acts". The original French text was composed between1948-10-09 and 1949-01-29. The premiere was on 5 January 1953 in the Théâtre de Babylone with Roger Blin as the director who also played Pozzo.

SHAKESPEARE'S "Dark Lady"

Sonnets 127-152 are addressed to a woman commonly known as the 'Dark Lady' because her hair is said to be black and her skin dun. These sonnets are explicitly sexual in character, in contrast to those written to the "Fair Youth". It is implied that the speaker of the sonnets and the Lady had a passionate affair, but that she was unfaithful, perhaps with the "Fair Youth". The poet self-deprecatingly describes himself as balding and middle-aged at the time of writing.

POETRY

Villanelle - 5 three line stanzas, followed by a 4 line stanza

Slant Rhyme - approximate rhyme

Masculine Rhyme - one syllable words

Feminine Rhyme - two or more syllables

Iambic pentameter - 10 syllables of rising and falling stresses - utilized by Shakespeare and Milton

Assonance - eyes like sapphires shining bright ( "I" sound)

Consonance - repetition of consonant sounds - counter, original, spare, strange ("R" sound)

ARCHITECTURE

Louis Sullivan - Skyscrapers - Form follows function.

Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – April 15, 1446) was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. All of his principal works are in Florence, Italy

Had to build a dome bigger than Rome's Pantheon for the Florence cathedral without buttresses which were forbidden by the church.

Brunelleschi's dome of Santa Maria del Fiore.

trumeau : Medieval architecture term

Vertical architectural member between the leaves of a doorway. Trumeaus were often highly decorated with human and animal forms.

See also: jamb,trumeau figure.

Click here for pronounciation

St. Pierre, Moissac, France
Early twelfth century

There are also two other types of classical orders, the Tuscan and the Composite. The Tuscan order is very plain, with a plain shaft, a simple capital and base, and a plain frieze. The Composite order is a combination of the Ionic and Corinthian orders.

Jazz

Charlie Parker - "The Bird" saxophonist

John Coltrane - "Giant Steps" saxophonist