"Clair de Lune": Claude Debussy

"Clair de Lune": Claude Debussy

I've played Debussy's Arabesque No. 1:



Here's the equally enchanting Arabesque No. 2:

Lakeshore Waves

[Photo By: KPA]

We were listening to this piece of music as we arrived at our daily drive to the Port Credit lakeshore.


Agustin Pio Barrios Mangore - Vals N 3
Guitar: David Russell

Swan on the Lake (Ontario)

[Photo By: KPA]

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The Swan
By: Camille Saint-Saëns
Cellist Audun Sandvik and pianist Helge Kjekshus

Heavy Metal at the Skating Rink

Celebration Square Skating Rink
Photo By KPA
January 13. 2019

The skating rink at the Celebration Square in Mississauga blasts music which can be heard a distance away.

And now that the Christmas Season is officially over, the music that the skaters can move to has turned to heavy metal rock music. Even during the holiday season, there were no Christmas songs (how about Jingle Bells) or other less sacred music, but which still have the holiday spirit? We had contemporary pop music of endless "love songs" with sexual and even pornographc conotations, which is now the norm for such music.

But this heavy metal is sinister and evil, where little children innocently move along the ice while the Devil's voice is blasted through the speakers.

Beauty and the Musician

Below is a tweet by Kevin Michael Grace on Liszt's musical education and the legacy of tutorship and instruction he left his students. In this world where money rules, Liszt left an immeasurable amount of wealth in beauty and art to our world, giving us a superior legacy of Western Civilization's riches .

The boy Liszt was taught by the great virtuoso Carl Czerny without charge. This was a particular gift, as he otherwise earned a fortune teaching, but Liszt took it as a commandment. He never charged his hundreds of students & introduced them to all that culture had to offer, free

— Kevin Michael Grace🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪⚜🇳🇴 (@KMGVictoria) December 6, 2018

"Put on the whole armour of God"

Canadian Men's Chorus
In Flanders Fields
Composed by Stephen Chatman
Text by John McCrae

---

Ephesians Chapter 6, Verses 10-24

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. (To the Ephesians written from Rome, by Tychicus.)

Charles Aznavour: Emmenez-Moi

Charles Aznavour
Emmenez-Moi
2004

Emmenez-Moi

Vers les docks où le poids et l'ennui
Me courbent le dos
Ils arrivent le ventre alourdi
De fruits les bateaux

Ils viennent du bout du monde
Apportant avec eux
Des idées vagabondes
Aux reflets de ciels bleus
De mirages

Traînant un parfum poivré
De pays inconnus
Et d'éternels étés
Où l'on vit presque nus
Sur les plages

Moi qui n'ai connu toute ma vie
Que le ciel du nord
J'aimerais débarbouiller ce gris
En virant de bord

Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre
Emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles
Il me semble que la misère
Serait moins pénible au soleil

Dans les bars à la tombée du jour
Avec les marins
Quand on parle de filles et d'amour
Un verre à la main

Je perds la notion des choses
Et soudain ma pensée
M'enlève et me dépose
Un merveilleux été
Sur la grève

Où je vois tendant les bras
L'amour qui comme un fou
Court au devant de moi
Et je me pends au cou
De mon rêve

Quand les bars ferment, que les marins
Rejoignent leur bord
Moi je rêve encore jusqu'au matin
Debout sur le port

Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre
Emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles
Il me semble que la misère
Serait moins pénible au soleil

Un beau jour sur un rafiot craquant
De la coque au pont
Pour partir je travaillerais dans
La soute à charbon

Prenant la route qui mène
À mes rêves d'enfant
Sur des îles lointaines
Où rien n'est important
Que de vivre

Où les filles alanguies
Vous ravissent le cœur
En tressant m'a t'on dit
De ces colliers de fleurs
Qui enivrent

Je fuirais laissant là mon passé
Sans aucun remords
Sans bagage et le cœur libéré
En chantant très fort

Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre
Emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles
Il me semble que la misère
Serait moins pénible au soleil

Bus Stop Roots and Demons

The caution against, protection from, which we should all practice relates to the insidiously over infiltration of the Devil. Many people are writing about this now. Here is an interveiw with by E. Michael Jones who talks about "the velocity of events...picking up" and especially regarding the Catholic Church.

I focus mostly on images around us: on posters announcements, magazine covers, store widows. Of course art, which is still "elitist," despite the liberal leftists' attempts to make it "ordinary," is the prime place where I have recorded this.

In any case, above is a poster I took of the Roots' clothing brand, and their poster/publicity on a bus stop shelter.

There is a palpable glow, especially around the howling face of the singer, almost like a halo, but more a sickly green than a redemptive gold.

The glass from the poster screen reflects the surroundings and you can see cars as they justle through the busy intersection as well as a historic building which is part of Mississauga's cityscape.

I thought the artist was a white female in cornrows. Multiculturalism and multiracialism is another way that the Devil gets into our culture and lives and makes it easier for us to accept its ways.

I looked up the singer's background. It was easy. Look at the name - KILLY. Yes that's his name, his rapper name from Khalil Tatem (and yes it is a male), a Filipino and Bermudan, now Canadian.


Album cover for Surrender Your Soul

The first two lines of his song Surrender from his debut album Surrender Your Soul are:

Runnin' with the wolves, split a pack of the 'Woods down
Wizard with my words and my lifestyle understood now

And

She no angel, she a scapegoat

he sings, with clear allusions to the goat of evil, in his track Doomsday. And continues:

I come alive
On dooms, doomsday

Image from Spotify single Doomsday
like the vampire with fangs

And in Killamonjaro (from Killy?)

I got a lot on my conscience
These demons, they callin', they teasin', they weighin' on me
(weighin', weighin' on me)

Image from single (on Spotify) of Killamongaro

He warns in Pray For Me:

I said pray for me or you prey to me

His Spotify (a digital music, podcast, and video streaming service) image has him with the Devil's horns, fangs, and a wizard's robe.

Sunday Post: Smoking Out the Heavy Sinners

1 Corinthians 6:9

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind

OK, it is Sunday and I try to refrain from blogging on matters not related to Sunday.

But who said that humor (or laughter) was not allowed on a Sunday?

Here is Alt Right Duke Richard Spencer in an existential mood, according to MAGA DOG (which of course Spencer promptly "retweeted.")

Maybe it has to do with him moving in with his mother after his fame and wealth whittled away.

Or that his Russian spy "wife" (who COULD be a man given Spencer's history) is not around to console him (either way...). See here for more (Part Dvah).

Or that he owes a lot of money and cannot even come up with the payment for a lawyer to get him out of some situation which could just be a scam for cash.

Here is some moral support on twitter for his Morrissey pose:

BringBalanceNow ⚖️
‏Replying to @MAGA_DOG_2020 @RichardBSpencer
Morrissey.

@SexyCentrist
Replying to @MAGA_DOG_2020 @RichardBSpencer
fat?

Yes, Morrissey is a pretty good resemblance, LOL. He's the homosexual "New Wave" pop star who sang "Girlfriend in a Coma" in the 1980s with his band The Smiths. A comatose girlfriend is perfect for The Gays. That was before I was fine tuned to smoking out homosexuals, and liked his music (I had the cassette).

Mousy Models Fulfilling An Ideological Mandate

Holt Renfrew's Official Video for Spring 2018 (now on display on the store's mega-screen at the
Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga)

"See Carolyn Murphy and Liya Kebede don the season’s most forward-thinking flourishes for the Holt Renfrew Spring 2018 Magazine."

Spring Awakening/L’éveil du printemps: Video
Soundtrack: Tribal -
"Custom track made specifically for Holts.
The title of the song is Yup, Okay"

Spring Awakening/L’éveil du printemps: Editorial

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is an unpublished article from August 2011.

[2018 Update: Kebede is now gracing the big screen at Holt Renfrew's Mississauga store.]

Of course now it is no longer enough to have female models prancing around. We need some kind of interaction between them after all! And almost always that has some lesbian connotations. These women are not just besties!

Liya Kebede, the American model of Ethiopian origin, is on the May 2009 cover of Vogue magazine, and that's supposed to be a good thing. After Michelle Obama in March and Beyonce in April, Vogue is apparently on a roll adding her to the roster of "black" faces.
I don't know how Kebede got into the modeling business. By Ethiopian standards, she is not even that good looking. She is too dark, and her features are too mousy. She looks more Somali than Ethiopian. In a normal setting in her homeland, she would be called “cute” (especially if she also had personality), but not a beauty.

But, in America, what they seem to want in their "ethnic" models is that they either go all the way to the extreme end of the spectrum, like the Sudanese model Alek Wek, or have just enough Caucasian features (small lips, straight nose, high cheekbones without being too strong) and dark skin to figure as an acceptable "black" model. All this without looking too Negroid. This is actually the look of the super model, and mother of them all, the Somali Iman. It is not surprising that Halle Berry, a mousy-featured favorite film star, is so popular. Another mousy but popular model is the Indian Padma Lakshmi. Liya, Halle, Iman and Padma could actually be sisters.

It is frustrating to look at these women as models of beauty, when all they're really doing is fulfilling some ideological need of putting nonwhite models, whose looks are not too threatening, on main stream fashion magazines.

Heart and Soul

This young singer brought up in Miami since the age of five sings the most authentic Cuban salsa music.

Of course the pornographc lesbian Ellen Degenerate has her claws on her and invited her on her show. Nonetheless the Havana Girl shows herself to be thoroughly heterosexual despite the Ellen Charm™.

I know. I had a flair for salsa dancing. During my Mexico years, I befriended a group of people who liked to frequent a small salsa joint, Bar Leon, in the city's Centro Historico (actually not a very safe district).

A dorm mate at the University of Connecticut from Puerto Rico taught me some basic steps and I practiced them in my cramped room with latino music from a cassette I had borrowed playing on my compact player. Even she was impressed by my results.

At Bar Leon, I would drag whatever partner I could find in my group who was naive enough, or curious enough, to go to the dance floor with me and I would dance as the GUIDE, something unheard of in Latino culture - the woman never GUIDES for the love of God!

Some young man either from the audience or from the floor would ask my clumsy partner to step aside and he would gently nudge me in the directions he would like me to go. He was the guide.

People thought I was some gringo Cuban (or from Vera Cruz). Never the African I was. Although in the my later encounters with deeply religious Catholic rural Mexicans, they thought Ethiopia was not "African" but rather the land by the Red Sea with Mosesian associations. "Vengo del pais por el Mar Rojo" I would dramatize my origins. One time, when a farmer knew I was coming back in the area (word gets around in those hilly villages), he came along to see who this person was. I don't think he was disappointed. But I brought things back to earth by asking him if any senora in his village could make me one of the embroidered tops typical of the region. He told me to come back in a couple of weeks. By then, I had left the region and was renegotiating my future - to stay on with my program or to start new frontiers. Of course I chose the latter.

Lyrcs to:
Havana, Oh na-na
Havana, ooh na-na
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na
He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na
Oh, but my heart is in Havana (ay)
There's somethin' 'bout his manners
Havana, ooh na-na

He didn't walk up with that "how you doin'?"
(When he came in the room)
He said there's a lot of girls I can do with
(But I can't without you)
I knew him forever in a minute
(That summer night in June)
And papa says he got malo in him
He got me feelin' like

I knew it when I met him
I loved him when I left him
Got me feelin' like
Ooh-ooh-ooh, and then I had to tell him
I had to go, oh na-na-na-na-na

Havana, ooh na-na
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na
He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na
Oh, but my heart is in Havana
My heart is in Havana
Havana, ooh na-na

Havana, ooh na-na
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na
He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na
Oh, but my heart is in Havana
My heart is in Havana
Havana, ooh na-na

Take me back to my Havana

For Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne
Sang by: Ronnie Browne
Poem by: Robert Burns
Melody: Sixteenth Century Schotland, attributed to David Rizzio,
an Italian courtier who became the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots.

English translation here

------------------------------------------------------------------

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

And surely you'll be your pint stoup,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

Chorus

We twa hae ran about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun til dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine,
And we'll tak a right gude willie waught
For auld lang syne!

Chorus

Welcome to Indigenous-Minded Canada!

Jeff Thomas (formally known as Jeffrey A. Thomas)
Postcards for Indians
“Buffalo Robe: Happy Canada Day”
IKEA parking lot, Ottawa, Ontario, 2013

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Jeff Thomas | A Necessary Fiction: My Conversation with George Hunter and Edward S. Curtis
Exhibition JUN 29 2017 - AUG 27 2017
Canadian Art

A Necessary Fiction extends Jeff Thomas’s engagement with image-makers who have used Indigenous people as the subjects of their work, interrogating the relevance of such work in light of today’s self-determination movement. Employing the work of both George Hunter and Edward S. Curtis as a catalyst, Thomas presents an alternative to the hegemonic and static narratives they both construct and reinforce.

Now why would an indigenous, and proud to be, photographer accept these awards:
In 1998, [Jeff Thomas] was awarded the Canada Council’s prestigious Duke and Duchess of York Award in Photography and was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Art. In 2008, he received The Karsh Award in photography, and in 2017, Thomas received a REVAL Indigenous Art Award.

The source of the above excerpt is Canadian Art Magazine.

I looked up "REVAL Indigenous Art Award" (without quotes) and was given the options by google:

REVEAL Indigenous Art Award
Search only for REVAL Indigenous Art Award

And under REVAL Indigenous Art Award, the Art Gallery of Mississauga came up.

And sure enough the lazy editors at Canadian Art Magazine had quoted directly from the AGM's official announcement where:

in 2017, Thomas received a REVAL Indigenous Art Award.

So much for:

The Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) would like to acknowledge and give thanks to the land on which we work. The AGM has the privilege of operating in the territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and traditional homeland of the Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee nations. We are thankful to the many First Nations, Inuit, Métis and global Indigenous peoples who call this region home.

The AGM is committed to recognizing and incorporating diverse Indigenous perspectives within exhibitions and programming, and highlighting the numerous Indigenous artists who have contributed to this gallery. The AGM is dedicated to providing a platform for contemporary Indigenous art and curatorial practices, and hosts events and programs that reflect various cultural topics and identities. (see statement at the bottom of the AGM's website under "Land Acknowledgement")

For an art gallery "committed to recognizing and incorporating diverse Indigenous perspectives," this is pretty much an inexcusable mistake.

And its even worse for a national art magazine not to fact check the brochure announcements of a local art gallery.

Or not to know about (oh the art crime) a national indigenous art award.

But on a subliminal level, who wants to support those which constantly berate you?!

What sane person (or group or ethnicity or country) will endlessly listen to such continuous derision?

But that is what "indigenous" peoples and artists do! All the time!

The AGM has this plaque on its website where it is announcing Thomas' exhibition. But it is illegible. Yet another gaffe! (Or is the subliminal, ever recurring, message: "We don't know any (about) Indians. We don't really care about Indians. We get a lot of money because of Indians. Therefore. We will put up all the shows and programs for Indians (as long as we get paid)).



Here is what Jeff Thomas writes on his fancy website ("urban" = code word for "poor"):

My study of Indian-ness seeks to create an image bank of my urban-Iroquois experience, as well as re-contextualize historical images of First Nations people for a contemporary audience.

.e.: All these white people told you lies. Now I tell you our truth.

In the Indian world there is only Indian truth. Everything else is lies or up for Indian Inquiry.

Grants given to Thomas by white people

2017;
REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards: $10,000 (private and public - e.g. Canada Council for the Arts - monies)

2016:
Aboriginal Arts Projects: $12,000
Ontario Arts Council

5 years and beyond:
Ontario Arts Council: Project Grants: 1984, 1986, 1995, 1997, “A” Grants: 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015

Ontario Arts Council: Chalmers Fellowship 2005, 2009

Ontario Arts Council: Exhibition Assistance 1985, 1996, 2004

Ontario Arts Council: Aboriginal Arts Projects, 2008

Canada Council for the Arts: Project Grants: “B” Grant: 1989, 1992, 1998 “A” Grant: 2002, 2007

Canada Council for the Arts: Critics & Curators grant: 2004, 2007

Canada Council for the Arts: Long-Term Grant, 2011-2012

Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton Project Grants: “B” 1997, “A” Grant: 2001, 2005, 2007

Manitoba Arts Council Project Grants: 1990, 1991

Grants given to Thomas over the last 5 years:

GRANTS

Ontario Arts Council: Project Grants: 1984, 1986, 1995, 1997, “A” Grants: 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015

Ontario Arts Council: Chalmers Fellowship 2005, 2009

Ontario Arts Council: Exhibition Assistance 1985, 1996, 2004

Ontario Arts Council: Aboriginal Arts Projects, 2008

Canada Council for the Arts: Project Grants: “B” Grant: 1989, 1992, 1998 “A” Grant: 2002, 2007

Canada Council for the Arts: Critics & Curators grant: 2004, 2007

Canada Council for the Arts: Long-Term Grant, 2011-2012

Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton Project Grants: “B” 1997, “A” Grant: 2001, 2005, 2007

Manitoba Arts Council Project Grants: 1990, 1991
Results Announcement

Deadline Date: February 17,
http://www.arts.on.ca/grants/general-granting-information/grant-results/2016/february/aboriginal-arts-projects

Thomas isn't even a "Canadian" native.

Thomas was born in Buffalo, New York in 1956 and is a member of the Onondaga tribe of Six Nations, Ontario. [Source]

And

Jeffrey M. Thomas is an Iroquois/Onondaga photographer, curator, and cultural analyst, born in Buffalo, New York and now living in Ottawa

In the fluid world of Indians, where they disregard borders (really for opportunistic reasons getting the best of both native worlds), they will pass fluidly from one country to another, belligerently defining"territory" boundaries, and defying national ones. And they are permitted to do so. They are neither Canadian nor American, after all. They are natives.

Welcome to indigenous-minded Canada!


Jeff Thomas' Son Bear
Presumably a Canadian Native


A Tribe Called Red, music band in which Bear performs
"Stadium Pow Wow," 2016

"Preserving This West" with Mozart

Lawrence Auster: Social and Cultural Commentator and Writer
View From the Right

Here is an email I sent to Larry Auster, while he was ill:

From Reclaiming Beauty
October 06, 2014
"Preserving this West"

Larry,

As someone who grew up in the West, yet who comes from a non-Western background, you have helped me so much in remaining calm and confident when all those around me were ready and happy to knock down this wonderful and beautiful civilization.

I now continue in preserving this West from these alien, destructive forces.

Here is a Mozart piano sonata, which I hope you will enjoy listening to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4RZiaBlkodE#at=375

(If this doesn't open, you can listen to it here.)

K

[Note: the youtube page has been discontinued, but the Sonatas can be listened to here]

You could say that I am a Mozartphile

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Below is my February 2013 blog post somewhat explaining my coinage of the word Mozartphile (which probably should be Mozartophile):

I can never have enough praise for Mozart. You could say that I am a Mozartphile. I am forever surprised, astounded, delighted and intrigued by his music. Recently, I have been listening to Dvorak and Sibelius, and they surprise and astound, but they never really delight like Mozart.

The incredible thing about Mozart is how accessible he is, without losing any of his musical complexity. I think he does this by keeping his essential melody (often enchantingly beautiful) always within the listener's reach.

He bends and rotates the melody, without ever putting the fear into the listener that the melody would get lost in a myriad of incomprehensible notes. Each note, however distant and distinct from the original, makes perfect sense, and is as natural a progression as the air we breathe.

In other composers, I sometimes wonder why they went in the direction they went, or at some point, I get a little bored or distracted with their melodious experiments. But never with Mozart.

In fact, I get irritated when other (worldly) things distract me from Mozart's intricate meanders. But, he never leads us far from the origin, and never teases us too much, although he loves to tease. His music may have some jest and playfulness in it, but it is, down to the simple piano sonatas, very serious. Each note was chosen with a certain aim, and is as precious as the next.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is my modest take on Mozart on his birthday in 2013, which somewhat explains my Mozartophilia:

I can never have enough praise for Mozart. You could say that I am a Mozartphile. I am forever surprised, astounded, delighted and intrigued by his music. Recently, I have been listening to Dvorak and Sibelius, and they surprise and astound, but they never really delight like Mozart.

The incredible thing about Mozart is how accessible he is, without losing any of his musical complexity. I think he does this by keeping his essential melody (often enchantingly beautiful) always within the listener's reach (more at the post).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several short posts on Mozart I've made over my years of blogging :

Mozart at 254 (2010)

Two Hundred and Fifty Years: January 27th, Mozart's Birthday (2006)

Mozart's Birthday (2013)

Vladimir Horowitz Plays Mozart; Who Does Bach Justice? /(2013)

Kenneth Clark's Civilization: Mozart's Symmetry (2013)

An Idiot Playing at Genius (2013)

Preserving this West (2014)

Mozart: Genius in Three Notes (2016)

Chasing the Equinox

The Exterior of the Hayden Planetarium
American Museum of Natural History, New York
[Photo By: KPA]

Below is John Coltrane's saxophone piece Chasing the Equinox.

From my Camera Musica blog.

The Avett Brothers: The Return of American Music

Just know the kingdom of God is within you
Even though the battle is bound to continue

True Sadness

You were a friend to me when my wheels were off the track
I know you say there is no need, but I intend to pay you back
When my mind was turning loose and all my thoughts were turning black
You shined a light on me and I intend to pay you back

When I was a child, I depended on a bottle
Full-grown I've been known to lean on a bottle
But you're the real deal in a world of imposters
And I've seen the program make men out of monsters

'Cause I still wake up shaken by dreams
And I hate to say it but the way it seems
Is that no one is fine
Take the time to peel a few layers and you will find
True sadness

Adam and Eve must have really done a number
On that garden when the apple was finished
Leaving behind them a den made of sadness
A damage that can't or won't be replenished

'Cause I still wake up shaken by dreams
And I hate to say it but the way it seems
Is that no one is fine
Take the time to peel a few layers and you will find
True sadness

Angela became a target
As soon as her beauty was seen
By young men who try to reduce her down
To a scene on an X rated screen

Is she not more than the curve of her hips?
Is she not more than the shine on her lips?
Does she not dream to sing and to live and to dance down her own path
Without being torn apart?
Does she not have a heart?

I cannot go on with this evil inside me
I step out my front door and I feel it surround me
Just know the kingdom of God is within you
Even though the battle is bound to continue

'Cause I still wake up shaken by dreams
And I hate to say it but the way it seems
Is that no one is fine
Take the time to peel a few layers and you will find
True sadness
True sadness
True true sadness

Mozart: Genius in Three Notes

How Mozart Summed Up the Universe in Three Notes

The link above is to a discussion on Mozart's genius by classical musician, composer, conductor, and music commentator Robert Kapilow.

Here are my modest takes on Mozart:

I will start with a quote from my 2013 post on his birthday:

I can never have enough praise for Mozart. You could say that I am a Mozartphile. I am forever surprised, astounded, delighted and intrigued by his music. Recently, I have been listening to Dvorak and Sibelius, and they surprise and astound, but they never really delight like Mozart.

The incredible thing about Mozart is how accessible he is, without losing any of his musical complexity. I think he does this by keeping his essential melody (often enchantingly beautiful) always within the listener's reach (more at the post).

Several short posts I've made over the years of blogging:

Preserving this West

Two Hundred and Fifty Years: January 27th, Mozart's Birthday (2006)

Mozart's Birthday (2013)

Vladimir Horowitz Plays Mozart; Who Does Bach Justice?

Kenneth Clark's Civilization: Mozart's Symmetry

An Idiot Playing at Genius

Divertissement Grec

Philippe Gaubert (1871-1941)
Divertissement Grec (1908)
Music for Two Flutes and Harp or Piano

I don't who the flautists in the above piece are (nor the accompanist), but I like this slower version better (here's a faster version). I think it gives "breathing space" for the faster trills.

Brief biography:

Gaubert Philippe (1879-1941) was born in Cahors (Lorraine, France) on the 5th of July, 1879. His father, a shoe maker and amateur clarinettist, gave him his first music lessons. When Philippe was seven the family moved to Paris, where Jules Taffanel, and a few years later Taffanel`s son Paul, became his flute teachers. At first he received private lessons, but since 1893 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire, receiving a First Prize the following year. His teachers for harmony and composition were Raoul Pugno, Xavier Leroux and Charles Lenepveu. In 1905 he received the 2nd Prix de Rome. In the meanwhile he had become the assistant conductor of the `Société des Concerts`, and after serving in the French army he was appointed principal conductor of the Opéra, as well as flute professor at the Conservatoire. After the Great War he built up a splendid career, particularly as a conductor specializing in contemporary music. Gaubert conducted many important premières, such as Albert Roussel`s opera `Padmâvati` (1923) and the ballet `Bacchus et Ariane` (1931), Gabriel Fauré`s `Masques et Bergamasques` (1919), and Henri Sauguet`s `La Chartreuse de Parme` (1939). Besides, many first performances of works by Pierné and Ibert were conducted by Gaubert. He also brought much Wagner and Berlioz, and presented a new interpretation of Monteverdi`s opera `Orfeo`. Gaubert toured all over Europe. The `Wagnervereeniging` invited him to Amsterdam, where in 1935 he conducted the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Paul Dukas` `Ariane et Barbebleu` at the Stadsschouwburg. [Source]

Here is the original sheet music, showing the option for piano or harp accompaniment (I've posted images below).





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Photograph of Philippe Gaubert, from his early years

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

"My Funny Valentine" for Valentine's Day

Frank Sinatra singing "My Funny Valentine"

I posted this on June 14, 2011 at Camera Lucida. It was because I heard the song somewhere that day.

Well, let me do it the honor of posting it on the real Valentine's day.

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My Funny Valentine, for Valentine's Day!

I recently heard "My Funny Valentine" on one of those store muzak without the words, remembered some of the words, and searched for the song on-line.

Here's what I found about its origins:

"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. After being recorded by Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis, the song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists.

Babes in Arms opened at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway, in New York City on April 14, 1937 and ran for 289 performances.[1] In the original play, a character named Billie Smith (played by Mitzi Green) sings the song to Valentine "Val" LaMar (played by Ray Heatherton).[2] In the song, Billie pokes fun at some of Valentine's characteristics, but ultimately affirms that he makes her smile and that she doesn't want him to change.

The song was performed by male and female vocalists over the years. Looking at the lyrics, I think it could be sung by either a male or a female. But, I think a female rendition has just a little more authenticity. I somehow don't think romantic men would list these (minor) faults in the object of their desire. They are usually all gushy about her beauty and other wonderful attributes. Women might be a little more realistic about physical attributes (and even "smartness, perhaps preferring kindness).

Here are the lyrics. There is a longer version at the beginning which I've left out, since most of the interpretations use the shorter version. I've posted the beginning lyrics at the end of this post. Here are the commonly sang lyrics:

My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart

You looks are laughable, unphotographable
Yet you're my favorite work of art

Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little bit weak?
When you open it to speak, are you smart?

Don't change your hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine stay.
Each day is valentine's day

Above, I've posted the video of my favorite version by Frank Sinatra, who sings it straight (and not too slow) in his inimitable, confident style.

The black jazz singers, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, and both male and female, sing it with too much scatting (which I've complained about here about Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday singing "Am I Blue," although a young Ella Fitzgerald performs "My Funny Valentine" with restrained charm). The energetic Welshman Tom Jones, with the modernized instrumentals, gives it a rock vibe. A surprising actress-turned-singer is Michelle Pfeiffer (I've always liked her as an actress) sings it in her movie The Fabulous Baker Boys. Contemporary black singers perform it with too many riffs and improvisations (known as melisma [pdf article]), which overloads the melody. Linda Ronstadt, whom I never used to like, sings it with a pure voice. Melinda Doolittle, who was a highly placed contestant at American Idol a few years ago, imitates Anita Baker, who I think performs it much better. Melinda overdoes the improvisational melisma and overloads the melody with too many notes, to the detriment of the song. This is common among black singers today.

There are a couple of non-vocal versions, including Miles Davis on his haunting trumpet (whom Sting- formerly of the band the Police - does a great job of channeling). Chet Baker also performs it on his trumpet, although I haven't listed his version, since he drags his melodies so much that it is hard to sit patiently through them.

Here are the beginning lyrics, which many singers leave out:

Behold the way our fine feathered friend
His virtue doth parade
Thou knowest not my dim witted friend
The picture Thou hast made
Thy vacant brow and Thy tousled hair
Conceal Thy good intent
Thou noble upright, truthful, sincere
And slightly dopey gent

Here is a sweet rendition of the complete song by Kristine Chenoweth is more known for her television programs, but is a veteran Broadway performer.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

Beck's Grammy, and the Black Artists Who Want it for Themselves

This is the song Heart is a Drum from Beck's new album Morning Phase.

There was drama at the Grammys, which I no longer watch because of the coarse behavior, the ugly outfits, the juvenile performers, and the unmusical music. And sure enough, the untalented, aggressive, entitlement-fed black rap performer Kanye West hijacked Beck as he was receiving Best Artist award.

Everyone thought it was a joke, including his pathetic wife, Kim Kardashian, who is part of the Kardashian enterprise which puts on a "reality" show on television. Her mother was also married to Bruce Jenner, the now freaky creature who decided to become "female."

Such is the level of our artists these days.

I've posted above the song which Beck sang at the Grammys, Heart is a Drum, from his deserved win, Album of the Year, Morning Phase.

It is a textured, layered piece, which reminds me a little of the Simon and Garfunkel rendition of the English folk song Are You Going to Scarborough Fair.


Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park,
Singing Are You Going to Scarborough Fair in 1981

Below is Beck performing Heart is a Drum with Chris Martin, of the group Coldplay, at the Grammys. Perhaps they are the next Simon and Garfunckel?


Beck and Chris Martin, of Coldplay, performing together at the Grammys

And here is Beck startled as West moves on stage, interrupting his Grammy acceptance.


"This is NOT a Joke!!!!!!!"

And here is West declaring he was very serious about jumping on the stage to interrupt Beck. BEYONCE WAS THE TRUE WINNER! West did the same thing in 2009 when Taylor Swift won Best Female Video at the Video Music Awards. That true winner, Beyonce, was robbed of her prize!

Such is the aggression of anti-white blacks, who declare their own standards and we better agree, or else.

Kim Kardashian, who was next to West, is realizing what she's in for with her life with West, whom she married in 2014. Below is her startled expression at West's tirade.


"That was NOT a Joke!!!!!!!"
[Source: Screen capture from Youtube]

Below is how Beyonce ended her performance at the Grammys with the now much referenced but false narrative "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" of the Ferguson shooting. Several other black performers also did the same "hands up" motion at the end of their performances. Pharrell Williams went one step further and added "hoodies" on his multicultral/multiethnic/multigendre background performers. We are ALL Michael Brown, and Trayvon Martin.


Beyonce on stage at the Grammys singing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord"

Here (youtube) is Beyonce's rendition.


Pharrell: Hands Up Don't Shoot in Hoodies as I Wear My Monkey Suit

There is a message Pharrell is trying to convey, I guess:

- He's an organ monkey
- He's NOT a monkey
- This is a joke
- This is NOT a joke
- White people think we're monkeys
- Let's play at monkeys

Another idiot on stage.

The song Take My Hand, Precious Lord is from the 2014 movie Selma, which is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches. It was performed in the film by another singer.

Selma is a gospel song written by Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey in 1956 (a black man), but performed with genuine spirituality by a white performer, Tennessee Ernie Ford, who sang in the "country and Western, pop and gospel musical genres."

Below is Tennessee Ernie Ford's rendition, with a full, white, choir which he sang in 1965, right in the middle of the civil rights era.


Tennessee Ernie Ford singing Take My Hand Precious Lord in 1965

So what do Beyonce, Pharrell, Kanye and all those spoilt, contemporary blacks think about this? I assume Beyonce has seen it, given the close resemblance of her big Grammys choir to Ford's original. She is, then, a great hypocrite.

Beyonce is no doubt a talented singer and songwriter, but her insistence on the riffs and improvisations (known as melisma [pdf article]), overloads and drowns the melody. The Grammy judges made the right call, if only for her and other blacks to listen to Beck's album, in some moment of curiosity and humility, and learn from it.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat