Wagner Siegfried Idyll

Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, a Symphonic Poem for Chamber Orchestra

German composer Richard Wagner conducts his Siegfried Idyll in his Swiss villa on Christmas morning, December 25, 1870, as a 33rd birthday surprise for his wife, Cosima (daughter of Franz Liszt). It is also a tribute to the birth of their son, Siegfried.  The music lasts approximately twenty minutes.

Mozart in Literature

Mozart in Thomas Hardy's poem and a novel by Chinese author Dai Sijie (trans. by Ina Rilka) Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Literature

The information was sent to me by Terry McIntee, a friend from one of my early Mozart groups way back 2006.  I originally posted his email in my first classical music website CM Lounge. I'm republishing the content to share with Mozarteans and other Mozart enthusiasts. (Thanks a lot, Terry.)

Terry found a couple of things that connects Mozart to literature. He knows that I've always been most interested with any trivia relating to Mozart, including this musical genius's mention in books, movies, to about anything worth knowing.


The first is a poem by Thomas Hardy called: LINES to a movement in Mozart's e-flat symphony

It begins with : Show me again the time

Tchaikovsky Ballet The Nutcracker

Classical Music Milestone: Dec 17

The Nutcracker ballet is in two acts and three scenes to a scenario by Marius Petipa and choreographed by Lev Ivanov after Alexandre Dumas Père’s version of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Tchaikovsky arranged an orchestral suite, op. 71a.

The ballet debuted on December 17, 1892, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, with a double bill show: Tchaikovsky’s grim opera Iolanta (Iolanthe), followed by the light-hearted ballet The Nutcracker. It was a terrible blow to the composer since The Nutcracker wasn’t warmly received, and the critics, merciless. The composer died less than a year after the ballet’s flop. Interestingly, the ballet was in Mariinsky’s active repertoire for 37 years. It was even performed by other Russian composers, although not that popular.



The complete Nutcracker has enjoyed enormous popularity since the late 1960s and is now performed by countless ballet companies, primarily during the Christmas season, especially in North America. The ballet's score has been used in several film adaptations of Hoffmann's story.
Tchaikovsky's score has become one of his most famous compositions. Among other things, the score is noted for its use of the celesta, an instrument that the composer had already employed in his much lesser known symphonic ballad The Voyevoda.

Suggested Listening:

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker without ballet, rather focus is on the orchestra's musicians playing beautifully their parts. Artists: Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest. Conductor - Yannick Nézet-Séguin.


Image Credit:

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Ballet  (BalletTheatre)  Kirov Ballet. St Petersburg. Accessed December 17, 2012.


Resource:

Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org



(c) December 2012. Updated September 29, 2019. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 4

Classical Music Milestone:  December 6, 1841.

Robert's Schumann's Symphony No.4 premiered. It was conducted by Ferdinand David at Leipzig's Gewandhaus.   

Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, op. 120, was composed by Robert Schumann.  Although a version of this work was completed in 1841, Schumann heavily revised it in 1851, the version that reached publication.

The 1851 (published) version of the work is in five movements which follow each other without pause:

1. Ziemlich langsam - Lebhaft
2. Romanza: Ziemlich langsam
3. Scherzo: Lebhaft
4. Etwas zurückhaltend - Langsam
5. Lebhaft    

The 1841 version used Italian rather than German tempo indications and had four movements, as follows:

1. Andante con moto - Allegro di molto
2. Romanza: Andante
3. Scherzo: Presto
4. Largo - Finale: Allegro vivace

Schumann's biographer Peter Ostwald comments that this earlier version is "lighter and more transparent in texture" than the revision, but that Clara "always insisted that the later, heavier, and more stately version of 1851 was the better one." Both versions are included on the recent recording of Schumann's complete symphonies by John Eliot Gardiner.


Video Credit:   

 

Schumann: 4. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Marek Janowski, Conductor. Youtube, uploaded by Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Accessed February 12, 2020. [(Auftritt) 00:00 ∙ I. Ziemlich langsam – Lebhaft 00:26 ∙ II. Romanze. Ziemlich langsam 11:07 ∙ III. Scherzo. Lebhaft 15:04 ∙ IV. Langsam – Lebhaft – Presto 20:33 ∙]

 

Resource:

Robert Schumann Symphony No.4.  en.wikipedia.org. Accessed  Dec 6, 2006.



(c) June 2012. Updated June 12, 2020. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Mozart's Death Anniversary 5 December 2012

A candlelight vigil for Wolfgang Mozart, 2012 Dec 5

Candles up for Mozart! If his music has brought you joy, please consider lighting a candle in his memory.

Light your candle at 12:20am (local time) and extinguish it at 12:55am. This 35 minute duration represents Mozart's 35 years of life and 12:55am represents the time his light left our world on December 5, 1791. This vigil is intended to be a unique and personalized shared experience for Mozart admirers worldwide.

Mozart: Andantino from Concerto in C for Flute and Harp

Mozart's Requiem: The last composition of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the Requiem, K 626, Mass in D minor, one of his masterpieces and most popular works. While ailing and confined to bed, he tirelessly worked on it. He left the Requiem unfinished as he died almost an hour after midnight of December 5, 1791.

In form, the work is in eight parts and contains fourteen musical numbers, as completed by Franz Xaver Süssmayr, Mozart’s pupil.   Check out my related articles:

• Mozart Requiem History (Part 1)

• Mozart Requiem Completed (Part 2)

Mozart - Requiem in D minor (Complete/Full) [HD]


Video Credit from YouTube:

Mozart Andantino from Concerto in C for Flute and Harp. Uploaded by MusicalConcepts.  Renee Siebert, flute; Catherine Michel, harp; Wuttemberg Chamber Orchestra , Jorg Faerber. Mozart set to mesmerizing candles.  Accessed Dec 5, 2012.

Mozart - Requiem in D minor (Complete/Full) [HD]. Uploaded by The Myth of Culturalism. Accessed, Dec 5, 2012.

Something special about Mozart

 Mozart!

(c) By Agnes Selby, Guest Writer-Friend

I can't remember a time when I was not "acquainted" with Mozart. What with the wonderful Mozart biscuits my grandmother baked and the special Viennese chicken coated in breadcrumbs and fried in butter, Mozart came to me first through my stomach. My grandmother's Mozart recipe book is now mine and although we do not fry in butter in a cardiologist's household, the pleasant memories still persist.

As time went on it was his music that engaged my heart. His piano concertos were my staple diet throughout both of my pregnancies for his music was the food I craved.

Later still, when "Amadeus" played in all the theatres around the world, I became alarmed that my Mozart had chosen a silly girl like Constanze for a wife. We lived in Philadelphia at the time and I read all about Constanze in the Curtis Institute's Library. I bought all the books I could find. Then I left for Salzburg where, through the courtesy of the Mozarteum, I spent a month locked up in the Mozarteum archives reading Constanze's letters and her diaries and all I could find about her in that vast library.

Mozart in Novels

Novels that mention Mozart

1. Da Vinci Code

For anyone familiar with Dan Brown’s controversial bestseller The Da Vinci Code, we come across a reference in page 134, well, in some of our own copies. Robert Langdon the Professor is talking to his students about PHI, which he calls the Divine Proportion or 1.618. He says it occurs in nature, in art, in architecture, and “appeared in the organizational structure of Mozart’s sonatas.”  Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (p.134)

(Contributed by Terry McIntee) 

2. An Angel at my Table

"One evening however, when Karl and Kay brought two records, 'A Little Night Music' and Beethoven's Violin Concerto played by David Oistrach, Frank said, 'We can play them on Janet's radiogram.' Accepting it. I can see that room with the bare wallboard and the wooden floor which Frank oiled each Saturday morning with a mop soaked in linseed oil ('it keeps down the dust'), with the canvas chairs ('the most comfortable type') with their wooden arms, the room that already held all the characters from War and Peace, Anna Karenina, the stories of Tolstoy and Chekhov, from Proust, Flaubert, Olive Schreiner, Doris Lessing, receiving now the music of Mozart and Beethoven while we listen."  An Angel at my Table by Janet Frame (p.152, Vintage Edition)

(Contributed by Terry McIntee)

3.   Snow Falling on Cedars

This is another of those books we read along the way with a mention of Mozart.  Isn't it great when Mozart pops up in literature and other media? I read Snow Falling on Cedars recently and loved the part where Ishmail Chambers sees a recording of the Jupiter on the record player beside his mother's bed, and he imagines her lying there listening to Mozart.  Snow Falling on Cedars is a novel written by David Guterson published by Vintage Books. It's supposed to be inspired by an all-time bestseller, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

(Contributed by Liz Ringrose.)



Note: One of my Mozart groups way back July 2006 planned on listing novels where Mozart is quoted. This list has been revived today, Nov 18, 2012,  intended to be an ongoing post, with latest contribution/s added.

Cousin Marianne: Guardian of Mozart Sacred Works

Mozart's cousin Marianne and his sacred works or How so many Mozart masses came to Augsburg

© by Susanne M. Scholze, Guest Writer-Friend

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart wrote the most wonderful music I can think of. Nowadays, his music can be heard either performed life in concert, or from a CD, privately or through the radio, internet, DVD – however, wherever. Thanks to modern technology it is available at practically any time. I do not know whether all of his known 626 works are currently available on CD, but in this very year 2006, his 250^th anniversary, this might very well be possible. Operas, concertos, divertimenti, arias, chamber music, Lieder, Tänze. And church music. Whatever you wish. This hasn’t been always so. 

During his lifetime, the places where lucky people got to hear, for example, his church music performed were – only churches, of course. At that time, the two churches worldwide that performed his divine music regularly were the Salzburg Cathedral, and the Heilig Kreuz Monastery in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. Augsburg? How come? 

Leopold Mozart

Mozart's Father: Leopold Mozart 

German Violinist, Teacher, Composer and Theorist, Wolfgang Mozart's father

While Leopold Mozart (1719-1787), is best known as the devoted father of musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he was a distinguished violinist, a violin teacher, composer and theorist.  Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was born on November 14, 1719 in Augsburg, Germany, to a respectable family of tradesmen. Today he is best known as the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.

Bragg's Law a Cornerstone of Crystallography

Bragg's Law: a cornerstone of the science of crystallography

In physics parlance, Bragg's Law gives the angles for coherent and incoherent scattering from a crystal lattice. The law was derived by physicist Sir William Lawrence Bragg in 1912 and first presented on 11 November of the same year to the Cambridge Philosophical Society. In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystalline liquid or solid.

The Bragg's Law Equation:

Where n is an integer, λ is the wavelength of incident wave, d is the spacing between the planes in the atomic lattice, and θ is the angle between the incident ray and the scattering planes. Note that moving particles, including electrons, protons and neutrons, have an associated De Broglie wavelength.

Verdi Opera La forza del destino

Classical Music Dateline: November 10


November 10, 1862. The opera of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, La Forza del destino, which had been commissioned by the Russian Imperial Opera, premiered in Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre of St. Petersburg. The libretto of La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny) was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, Don Alvaro o La Fuerza de Sino (1835), by Angel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas, with a scene adapted from Friedrich Schiller's Wallensteins Lager.



After some revisions, performances were held in Rome and Madrid. Subsequently, the opera travelled to New York, Vienna, Buenos Aires and London. Verdi made other revisions, with additions by Antonio Ghislanzoni, which premiered at La Scala, Milan in 1869. This has become the "standard" performance version. La forza del destino is part of the standard operatic repertoire. There are a number of recordings of it regularly performed.


Video Credit:

Montserrat Caballe "Pace, pace mio Dio" La forza del destino, with Vienna State Opera. Youtube, uploaded by Oneguin65. Accessed October 10, 2017.

Latest update: October 10, 2017. 

Resources:

Verdi La Forza del Destino (English Libretto).

Verdi La Forza del Destino (Italian Libretto). 


(c) 2012-2017. Tel Asiado. Written for Inspired Pen. All rights reserved. 

Marie Skłodowska Curie

Science / Scientist's Datebook: November 7

 

Polish-French Chemist and Physicist, famous for pioneering work on Radioactivity

Marie Skłodowska Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), was born in Warsaw, Poland. She was a chemist and physicist famous for her pioneering work on radioactivity. Although her work brought about her death, it led to the discovery of cancer treatments, saving countless lives.

Marie Curie was married to a fellow scientist, Pierre Curie, and mother of Irène Joliot-Curie and Ève Curie. Despite being barred from higher education due to her sex, Curie pursued her studies at the clandestine "Flying University," where she laid the foundation for her revolutionary discoveries of radium, polonium, and the concept of radioactivity.

Irene followed in her parents' footsteps also becoming a Nobel laureate in Chemistry (1935) with her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie. Eve (Ève Denise Curie Labouisse) was a writer, journalist and pianist. Ève was the only member of her family who did not choose a career as a scientist, however, her husband Henry Richardson Labouisse, Jr., American diplomat and statesman, collected the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965 on behalf of UNICEF.

Niccolo Paganini

Classical Music / Composer's Datebook

 

Italian virtuoso and composer Niccolo Paganini

Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini, (October 27, 1782 - May 27, 1840), was born in Genoa, Italy. He was a violinist, violist, guitarist and composer. He is one of the most famous violin virtuosi, considered one of the greatest violinists of all-time, with perfect intonation and innovative techniques.

Although eighteenth century Europe had seen several extraordinary violinists, Paganini was the preeminent violin virtuoso of the nineteenth century.

Strong and Enduring Tulips in the Snow

On endurance and strength, inspired by tulips in the snow.

The photo "Tulips in the Snow" is a compliment of my Dutch friend Wim Vingerhoed, a Mozart enthusiast from Eindhoven, Holland. Wim has given me numerous wonderful images of Mozart, flowers and nature, but this one, tulips in the snow" has always been a favourite. A lovely sight of yellow-coloured tulips in snow. Ik wens je een prettige dag.

It's spring here in Sydney, although at times we experience the four seasons without snow. On the other side of the hemisphere where other friends live, it is autumn, and perhaps might make more encore after the actual start of winter. Beholding the photo taken by my friend Wim, I wish I'm over where he took it, go out and get snowed on. My mind wanders. In my musings, the cold air seeps through my being while I delightfully witness how the snow clings to the tulips and almost cover some new buds on the trees around.

Tulips, most popular in the Netherlands, don't bend over or resign to the cold. They stand tall against the gusts of winter air, with their bloom, yellow in this photo dusted with snow. Look at the lovely image: they're brave and strong, unresigning to the cold. I love tulips alongside roses and orchids. Spring is the season expected to recover from winter's extreme cold. But winter is not necessarily harsh.

I so admire the fortitude of tulips in the snow, almost in rebellious defiance to the cold winter winds. What endurance and strength amid life's challenges if we let go and let God.



Image credit:

"Tulips in the Snow" by Wim Vingerhoed.

Otto Heinrich Warburg

Science / Scientist Datebook: October 8

 

Biochemist, Medical Doctor, and Nobel Laureate

Otto Heinrich Warburg (October 8, 1883 – August 1, 1970), a German physiologist, medical doctor and Nobel laureate, was the son of physicist Emil Warburg.  One of the 20th century's leading biochemists, his combined work in plant physiology, cell metabolism and oncology made him an integral figure in the later development of systems biology. He also worked with Dean Burk in photosynthesis to discover the I-quantum reaction that splits the carbon dioxide (CO2), activated by the respiration.

He won the Nobel Prize of 1931. An officer in the elite Ulan (cavalry regiment) during the First World War, he won the Iron Cross (1st Class) for bravery.

George Westinghouse

Science / Inventors Datebook: October 6

American engineer, inventor, and pioneer of the electrical company.

George Westinghouse, Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American engineer and entrepreneur who invented the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. He was also one of Thomas Alva Edison's rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system. Westinghouse's system, which used alternating current based on the extensive research by Nikola Tesla, eventually prevailed over Edison's insistence on direct Current.

In 1911, Westinghouse received the AIEE's Edison Medal "For meritorious achievement in connection with the development of the alternating current system."

David Buick

Science / Inventor Datebook: September 17

American Motor Inventor

David Dunbar Buick (September 17, 1854 – March 5, 1929) was an American inventor born in Scotland. He is best known for founding the Buick Motor Company.

He was born in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. The family moved to Detroit, Michigan, USA, as emigrants when he was only two years old.  He left school in 1869 and worked for a company which made plumbing products.  The company ran into trouble in 1882 that led Buick and a partner to take it over. During this time, Buick began to show his leanings as an inventor. He produced many innovations including a lawn sprinkler, and a method for permanently coating cast iron and vitreous enamel. With the combination of Buick's innovation and his partner's sound business management the company became quite successful.

Ne Me Quitte Pas (Song)

Chansons / Songs

The French song "Ne me quitte pas" ("Don't leave me"), is a 1959 song written by Jacques Brel, a Belgian singer-songwriter. It has been included in the original French by many singers/artists and has been translated into English and many other languages. It is one of his most popular songs; another is "Quand on n'a que l'amour".



 

Below is a popular adaptation, with English lyrics by poet, singer-songwriter Rod McKuen, "If You Go Away." Other recordings of the song include: Shirley Bassey (1967), Frank Sinatra (1969), and Neil Diamond (1971). Rod McKuen sang it beautifully in his later years, here - "If you go away".



Video Credit:  

 

Ne me quitte pas (Jacques Brel) - [English subtitles].  YouTube, uploaded by RandomLectures. Accessed September 11, 2012.

Rod McKuen - If You Go Away. Youtube, uploaded by Scout4Me1. Accessed September 11, 2012. 

Resource:

Ne me quitte pas (Song). en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed September 11, 2012.


(c) 2012.  Updated November 7, 2021. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Jean S. Stas

Scientist Datebook:  August 21

Belgian Analytical Chemist

Jean Servais Stas was born August 21, 1813. He is known for his accurate determination of atomic weights, a most skillful chemical analyst of the 19th century.

Stas was born in Leuven. Initially, he trained as a physician but later changed to chemistry and worked at the Polytechnic School in Paris under Jean-Baptiste Dumas. The two of them setup the atomic weight of carbon by weighing a sample of the pure material, burned it in pure oxygen, then weighed the carbon dioxide produced.

Eastman Kodak in Camera

The Invention: Eastman Kodak in Cameras  

Although cameras have been in use since the 17th century, the Kodak came about in 1888,  invented by George Eastman. Kodak  is a dry, transparent, and flexible, photographic film or rolled photography film made of celluloid.  It was the first rolled-film for camera used in Kodak cameras that we know, and most likely, have used a lot prior the proliferation of the latest digital cameras.

Eastman's roll-film was made by the Eastman Dry Plate Company in Rochester, New York, USA.  The Kodak became the most popular camera that time.  Eastman invented the famous phrase, "You press the button, we do the rest."  What this meant was:  all that owners of Kodak camera had to do was shoot all the negatives and mail the camera back to Eastman factories, and technicians were ever ready to develop the pictures.  At the height of Kodak's popularity, practically everyone tried to afford one.

List of Famous Left-handers

The lefties  

The list is not exhaustive and will be updated as information becomes available.

Lefty Actors

• Don Adams
• Dan Akroyd
• Eddie Albert
• Tim Allen
• Harry Anderson
• Jason Bateman
• Mark Bateman
• Peter Berg
• Matthew Broderick
• George Burns
• Sid Caesar
• Keith Carradine
• Charlie Chaplin
• Michael Crawford
• James Cromwell
• Tom Cruise
• Bruce Davison
• Robert De Niro
• Matt Dillon
• Richard Dreyfuss
• W.C. Fields
• Peter Fonda
• Paul Michael Glaser
• Cary Grant
• Peter Graves
• Mark Hamill
• Rex Harrison
• Rock Hudson
• Gabe Kaplan
• Danny Kaye
• Michael Landon
• Peter Lawford
• Joey Lawrence
• Robert Sean Leonard
• Hal Linden
• Cleavon Little
• Howie Mandel
• Harpo Marx
• Andrew McCarthy
• Steve McQueen
• Robert Morse
• Ryan O'Neal
• Anthony Perkins
• Luke Perry
• Bronson Pinchot
• Joe Piscopo
• Brad Pitt
• Robert Preston
• Richard Pryor
• Robert Redford
• Keanu Reeves
• Michael Richards
• Mickey Rourke
• Albert Salmi
• Telly Savalas
• Jerry Seinfeld
• Peter Sellers
• Christian Slater
• Dick Smothers
• Brent Spiner
• Rod Steiger
• Ben Stiller
• Alan Thicke
• Dick Van Dyke
• Jack Warden

Lefty Actresses

• June Allyson
• Kim Basinger
• Fran Drescher
• Greta Garbo
• Terri Garr
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Betty Grable
• Goldie Hawn
• Tippi Hedren
• Kate Jackson
• Diane Keaton
• Nicole Kidman
• Lisa Kudrow
• Hope Lange
• Louise Lasser
• Cloris Leachman
• Shirley MacLaine
• Marsha Mason
• Mary Stuart Masterson
• Francis McDormand
• Kristy McNichol
• Sasha Mitchell
• Marilyn Monroe
• Demi Moore
• Julianne Moore
• Kim Novak
• Sarah Jessica Parker
• Lisa Rinna
• Julia Roberts
• Mercedes Ruehl
• Winona Ryder
• Eva Marie Saint
• Jean Seberg
• Emma Thompson
• Brenda Vacarro
• Joanne Woodward
• Stephanie Zimbalist

Lefty Artists

• Albrecht Dürer
• M.C. Escher
• Hans Holbein
• Paul Klee
• Michelangelo
• LeRoy Neiman
• Raphael
• Leonardo da Vinci  

Lefty Authors/Writers

• Douglas Adams 
• Hans Christian Andersen
• James Baldwin
• Germaine Greer
• Franz Kafka
• Marshall McLuhan
• Mark Twain
• H.G. Wells

Lefty Bowlers

• Andy Varipapa
• Bill Allen
• Dave Davis
• Earl Anthony
• Johnny Petraglia
• Mike Aulby
• Patty Costello
• Steve Cook
• Tiosh Johnson

Lefty Cartoonist

• Milt Caniff
• Pat Oliphant

Lefty Comedians

• Drew Carey
• Charlie Chaplin
• George Gobel
• Howie Mandel
• Harpo Marx
• Joe Piscopo
• Don Rickles
• Dick Smothers

Lefty Directors

• James Cameron
• Joel Coen
• Spike Lee
• Ridley Scott

Lefty Fencers

• Adeline Wuilleme
• Anne-Lise Touya
• Cécile Argiolas
• Fabrice Gazin
• Fabrice Jeannet
• Giuseppe Mangiarotti
• Hugues Obry
• Laura Flessel-Colovic
• Matthieu Gourdain

Lefty Golfers

• Ben Hogan
• Bob Charles
• Bonny Bryant
• Connie Decker
• Russ Cochran

Lefty Leaders

• Simon Bolivar

Lefty Musicians

• Greg Allman
• David Bowie
• David Byrne
• Kurt Cobain
• Phil Collins
• Billy Corgan
• Bob Dylan
• Glenn Frey
• Noel Gallagher
• Bob Geldof
• Taylor Hanson
• Zac Hanson
• Jimi Hendrix
• Tony Iommi
• Annie Lennox
• John Lydon
• Chuck Mangione
• Paul McCartney
• George Michael
• Ian Paice
• Robert Plant
• Paul Simon
• Ringo Starr
• Sting
• Michael Stipe
• Roger Taylor

Lefty Prime Ministers

• Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain

Lefty Olympic Sports Athletes

• Francis X. Gorman (diving)
• Greg Louganis (diving)
• Mark Spitz (swimming)
• Bruce Jenner (decathlon)
• Nikita Kohloff (wrestling)
• Dorothy Hamill (skating)

Lefty Racers

• Johnny Herbert (Formula 1)
• Ayrton Senna (Formula 1)
• Karl Wendlinger (Formula 1)
• Valentino Rossi (Motorcycle)
• Terry Labonte (NASCAR)

Lefty Royals:

• Charles, Prince of Wales
• Edward III, King of England
• Elizabeth II, Queen of England
• Elizabeth, Queen Mother of England
• George II, King of England
• George IV, King of England
• George VI, King of England
• Louis XVI, King of France
• Victoria, Queen of England
• Willem-Alexander, Prince of the Netherlands
• Prince William of England

Lefty Scientist

• Linus Pauling

Lefty Singers

• David Bowie
• Vikki Carr
• Phil Collins
• Celine Dion
• Phil Everly
• Lauryn Hill
• Lou Rawls
• Carly Simon
• Sting

Lefty Soccer Players

• Diego Maradona
• Herman Medford
• Hugo Sanchez
• Jans van Breukelen
• Johan Cruyff
• Pelé
• Romario
• Willem van Hanegem
• Richard Witschge 

Lefty Tennis Players (Men)

• Jimmy Connors
• Rod Laver
• Henri Leconte
• John McEnroe
• Renee Richards
• Jan Siemerink
• Roscoe Tanner
• Guillermo Vilas
• Todd Woodbridge
• Mark Woodforde

Lefty Tennis Players (Women)

• Martina Navratilova
• Monica Seles

Lefty U.S. Presidents

• Barack Obama, 44th
• Bill Clinton, 42nd
• George H.W. Bush, 41st
• Ronald Reagan, 40th
• Gerald Ford, 38th
• Harry S. Truman, 334d
• Herbert Hoover, 31st
• James A Garfield, 20th 

Related Article/s:


Although Truman and Reagan are included as left-handed, some sources say that both former presidents were ambidextrous. This is not surprising. Unlike the present generation, in the past centuries, left-handedness was considered a disability, and both parents and teachers made efforts to suppress this. Result is that, either the child ultimately wrote with the right-hand but remained left-handed in all other activities, or the child became ambidextrous.
Continue reading ... Left-handed Presidents of the U.S.A.

Note:  List of famous left-handers created 8 July 2012. The list was originally included in website lefties.biz, discontinued for population, 8 May 2012.  

 

 

(c)  July 8, 2012. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

History of the iPod

And who haven't heard of iPod iPhone, touchscreen iPod Touch and Apple's iTunes? Since the start of the millennium, the young generation of users have made it their in-thing. The iPod is Apple's. The company designed, marketed and launched it sometime end of year 2001.

History of the iPod

Here's a brief biography of the iPod and its product-lines. Designed by Apple, Inc., iPod is a portable media player (PMP) for storing and playing audio files encoded by MP3 or AAC compression algorithms. It can hold anywhere from a few hundred to ten thousand of songs, perhaps more. Selling by millions, it has surpassed mere popularity worldwide.

History of the Supermarket

Super Markets and chain food stores

The early super market beginnings has gone a long way since the early 20th century.  My timeline knowledge of it is brief but I hope is informative.

1912 - Self-service Stores

It begins in 1912, and in the US.  Although assistants served their customers in all the shops, in this particular year it was told that two self-service stores were opened in California, US.  This was followed by a chain of self-service grocery store.

1916 - American Piggly Wiggly Stores

In 1916, the first stores to have a check-out counters was the Piggly Wiggly Stores located in Memphis, Tennessee This was owned by Clarence Saunders. Apparently, this shop was fairly small by today's standard.


1930 - Supermarket Food Store

From the perspective of size, the first store regarded as the real supermarket was in 1930, one located in Long Island, US, owned by Michael Cullen. It was called King Kullen Food Store.



Resource:

Kenneth Ireland's Who Invented, Discovered, Made the First..?, Ravette Books, 1988, UK

Sibelius Oceanides, Op. 73

Classical Music / Tone Poem 


The Oceanides (Finnish title: Aallottaret, translated to English as Nymphs of the Waves or Spirits of the Waves; original working title Rondeauder Wellen; in English, Rondo of the Waves), Op. 73, is written in 1913-14 by Finnish composer Jean J.C. Sibelius. This work, which refers to the nymphs in Greek mythology who inhabited the Mediterranean Sea, premiered on 4 June 1914 at the Norfolk Music Festival in Connecticut with the composer himself conducting. The performance was praised on its premiere as "the finest evocation of the sea ... ever ... produced in music", the tone poem, in D major consisting of two subjects, is said to represent the playful activity of the nymphs and the majesty of the ocean, respectively.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957):  Oceanides, Opus 73 (1913),  London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult (1889-1983), Recorded in 1956.

Sibelius gradually develops his material over three informal stages: first, a placid ocean; second, a gathering storm; and third, a thunderous wave-crash climax. As the tempest subsides, a final chord sounds, symbolizing the mighty power and limitless expanse of the sea.


Video Credit:

Sibelius' Oceanides (London PO/Boult). YouTube, uploaded by pianopera. Accessed June 4, 2012. 

Resource:

Jean Sibelius' The Oceanides.  en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed June 4, 2012.  

Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.5 in F Major

Classical Music / Piano Concerto


The Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103, popularly known as "The Egyptian", was Camille Saint-Saens' last piano concerto. He wrote it in 1896, 20 years after his Fourth Piano Concerto. This concerto is nicknamed "The Egyptian" for two reasons. Firstly, Saint-Saëns composed it in the temple town of Luxor while on one of his winter vacations to Egypt. Secondly, the music is among his most exotic, displaying influences from Spanish, Javanese, and Middle-eastern music. The composer said that the piece represented a sea voyage.  He was the soloist himself at its first performance in June 3, 1896, in Paris. It was a popular and critically successful.

Below's video is Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103, 'The Egyptian'
with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performing, conducted by Andris Nelsons, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, pianist. This performance was recorded 16th of November 2011, Concertgebouw Amsterdam.






Video Credit:

Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No.5 - Thibaudet / Concertgebouw Orchestra - Live Concert HD. YouTube, uploaded by AVROTROS Klassiek. Accessed December 14, 2012

Resource:

Camille Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103. en.wikipedia.org


Posted June 3, 2012.  Latest update: March 12, 2012. Tel.  

History of Instant Coffee

As a coffee lover, I always love to know anything about coffee, including its history ... its beginnings. Nobody really knows who discovered this wonderful companion, this great friend to many of us. Coffee!

Kaldi, 850 A.D.

Some writers say that coffee may have been discovered by an Ethiopian goatherd called Kaldi. This was around 850 A.D. Apparently, Kaldi found his goats getting really excited, joyous, after eating the berries off a particular kind of bush.

History of Ice-cream

Ice Cream Beginnings and Makers

Ice-cream (originally referred to as "iced cream") or gelato in Italy, is a frozen dessert made from dairy products, like milk and cream, combined with sugars, flavorings and other ingredients. The mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent ice crystals from forming.  The result is a smoothly textured ice cream. Here is ice-cream's early history.

Ice-cream Water-ices

Ice-cream started around the time as the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Fruit juices were kept cold by being packed with snow but they were really 'water-ices' rather than the real ice-cream that we know.

Andrei Sakharov

Science / Scientist Datebook:  May 21

 

Sakharov a nuclear pioneer and activist for peace

Andrei Sakharov (May 21, 1921 - December 14, 1989), was a Soviet physicist and activist often referred to as the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb. He was awarded the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize for advocacy of human rights and civil liberties, a nuclear pioneer who clamoured for peace.

Andrei (or Andrey) Dmitriyevich Sakharov was born in Moscow, Russia on May 21, 1921. The son of a physicist, he won a doctorate when he was 26 and became a full member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences by the age of 32. He spent several years working with Igor Tamm, a Nobel laureate for physics in 1958.

Initially, he studied cosmic rays before he became involved in the development of the Soviet H-bomb that was tested in 1949. Progressing his test, he moved to a more powerful hydrogen bomb research, tested in 1953.

Sakharov an Inspiration and Conscience of the Cold War

In 1961, Sakharov protested against Nikita Khrushchev's plan to test a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb designed to showcase the Soviet's world dominance. That was the time of the Cuban crisis and John Kennedy was U.S. president. Sakharov feared the effects of a radioactive fallout. In 1968, he published Progress, Coexistence and Intellectual Freedom, , an essay that called for the nuclear arms race to end. In 1971, he married the human rights activist, Yelena Bonner. The couple became increasingly at odds with the Soviet government. He denounced the Soviet adventure into Afghanistan and also called for a worldwide boycott of the Moscow Olympic Games.

In 1980, he was stripped of his honours and exiled to the city of Gorky.  Six years later, he was released and the Soviet government allowed the couple to return to Moscow.  In 1989 Sakharov was elected to the People's Congress, and his honours restored.  He died few months later, on December 14, 1989.

Andrei Sakharov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975, for his work on human rights and civil liberties, a "spokesman for the conscience of mankind."



Image Credit:

Andrei Sakharov.   en.wikipedia.org (Wikimedia Commons)    



Resource:

"Andrei Sakharov - Autobiography". Nobelprize.org. 22 May 2012 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1975/sakharov-autobio.html. Accessed May 21, 2012.


(c)  May 2012. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Nellie Melba née Mitchell

Classical Music / Opera Singer Datebook: May 19

Australian soprano, Dame Nellie Melba née Mitchell

Nellie Melba, DBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian opera soprano, the first Australian to achieve international recognition in the form, and a legend in her time.

She was born at "Doonside" in Richmond, suburb of Melbourne, into a musical family. She attended Presbyterian Ladies' College (a prestigious private school) where her musical talent emerged. Eventually, she became one of the most famous opera singers of the late Victorian Era until the early 20th century, the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical singer.

After a brief and unsuccessful marriage in Australia, she moved to Europe in search of a singing career. Failing to find engagements in London (1886), she studied in Paris. Soon she was successful there and in Brussels. She immediately returned to London where she established herself as the leading lyric soprano at the famous Covent Garden from 1888.

Here's a video of Dame Nellie Melba History Documentary. YouTube, uploaded by Stephanie history. Accessed 19 May, 2014.

Fibonacci, his Number Sequence and the Golden Ratio

Leonardo Fibonacci (c. 1170-c. 1250)

Leonardo Fibonacci, also called Leonardo of Pisa, was believed the greatest mathematician of the Middle Ages. His Liber Abaci ('The Book of Calculation', 1202) introduced the Arabic system of numerals that originated in India to Europe.The book illustrated the virtues of the new numeric system showing how it can be used to simplify highly complex calculations. It included work on geometry, the theory of proportion and techniques for determining the roots of mathematical equations.


Fibonacci Numbers

Fibonacci discovered what we know now as Fibonacci numbers or Fibonacci sequence. Mathematics students and gurus of this branch of science will remember the famous numbering sequence of Fibonacci: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, and so on up the line, in which the two previous numbers in the series add up to the next one or equal to the sum of the preceeding two integers.

Robert Burns Woodward

Known for his synthesis of complex organic substances, including cholesterol and vitamin B12.
 

Robert Burns Woodward (April 10, 1917 - July 8, 1979), was an American chemist born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of an English father and Scottish mother.

He became professor Harvard and was a Nobel laureate in Chemistry, awarded a Nobel Prize in 1965 in recognition of his synthesis of a number of complex organic substances including cholesterol, cortisone, strychnine, reserpine, chlorophyll, lysergic acid, and some others.

Robert Woodward worked closely with Roald Hoffman on theoretical studies of chemical reactions. His contributions are significant especially in the area of organic chemistry.


Resource: 

"Robert B. Woodward - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 12 Apr 2016.

John Presper Eckert and ENIAC Computer

Science & Technology Dateline: April 9

John Presper Eckert, Jr., co-inventor of the first general-purpose electronic digital computer (ENIAC)

John Adam Presper "Pres" Eckert Jr. (born April 9, 1919, Philadephia, Pennsylvania – died June 3, 1995, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) was an American electrical engineer and computer pioneer. With John Mauchly, he invented the first general-purpose electronic digital computer (ENIAC) and presented the first course in computing topics (the Moore School Lectures, founded the first commercial computer company, the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation, and designed the first commercial computer in the United States, the UNIVAC, incorporating Eckert's invention of the mercury delay line memory.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Classical Music: Composer's Datebook: March 21 (O.S.) and March 31 (N.S.)

"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." ~ Johann Sebastian Bach

Brief biography of Baroque German composer JS Bach - his life, works and influence on classical music. A master of counterpoint or contrapuntal technique, his Baroque music is one of the world's most famous.

Johann Sebastian Bach or simply JS Bach (31 March (O.S. 21 March, and N.S. 31 March, 1685), a Baroque German Protestant composer, organist, choirmaster, singer and violinist, the most popular of the musical Bach family. He was born on March 21, 1685, in Eisenach, North Germany. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a court musician.

He was a counterpoint master known for church music famous for St. John Passion that includes the famous "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,"  and  St. Matthew Passion.





 

Note: This next video has been deleted as embedding is no longer available due to copyright issue.

J.S. Bach: St John Passion, BWV 245 - Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki (HD 1080p)  

Please watch directly at YouTube. Link: Here.

Verdi Opera Macbeth

Macbeth, an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth plot summary, Macbeth character list, and other Verdi opera information.

The 4-act tragic opera Macbeth by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi premieres in Teatro della Pergola, Florence, Italy, on March 14, 1847. It is based on the libretto by Francesco Maria Piave on a play of the same name by William Shakespeare. Verdi composed it 1846-1847, and revised 1864-1865.  The revise version première was: April 21, 1865, in Paris.
Setting is in Scotland, around 11th century Macbeth’s castle.

Here's a performance of Macbeth conducted by Riccardo Muti, uploaded by operaliricachannel. Published 15 January 2013

Famous Orchestras and Related Websites

Classical Music / Orchestras  

 

An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments.

The term orchestra is derived from the Greek word "orchesis" which describes the area in front of an ancient Greek stage meant for the Greek chorus.

From its pioneering years in Renaissance and Baroque periods, the orchestra grew through the 18th and 19th centuries, but hardly changed in composition during the succeeding 20th century. 

The Piccard Twin Brothers: Auguste Antoine and Jean Felix

Science/Scientists Dateline: January 28

Scientists, Balloonists, Aeronauts, Hydronauts, Inventors, Explorers

Born on 28 January 1884, in Basel, Switzerland, the twin brothers, Auguste Antoine Piccard  and Jean Felix Piccard, were both balloonist, aeronauts, inventors and explorers. They also both graduated from ETH Zurich. Auguste was a physicist while Jean was a chemist. Their father, Jules Piccard, was a professor of chemistry.  The brothers ascended 16-17 km by balloon (1931-1932) into the stratosphere.

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

Classical Music / Piano Concertos

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed the Piano Concerto No. 1in B♭ minor, Op. 23 between November 1874 and February 1875. It was revised in 1879 and in 1888. It was first performed on October 25, 1875, in Boston by Hans von Bülow after Tchaikovsky's desired pianist, Nikolai Rubinstein, criticised the piece. Rubinstein later withdrew his criticism and became a fervent champion of the work. It is one of the most popular of Tchaikovsky's compositions and among the best known of all piano concertos.

From 2021 to 2022, it served as the sporting anthem of the Russian Olympic Committee as a substitute of the country's actual national anthem as a result of the doping scandal that prohibits the use of its national symbols.

 

Featuring: 

The legendary pianist Martha Argerich performs Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 (FULL), with Charles Dutoit, conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, 1975.

 

 

Brief History 

Tchaikovsky revised the concerto three times, the last in 1888, which is the version usually played. One of the most prominent differences between the original and final versions is that in the opening section, the chords played by the pianist, over which the orchestra plays the main theme, were originally written as arpeggios. Tchaikovsky also arranged the work for two pianos in December 1874; this edition was revised in 1888.

The work is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B♭, two bassoons, four horns in F, two trumpets in F, three trombones (two tenor, one bass), timpani, solo piano, and strings.

Structure.  The concerto follows the traditional form of three movements:

1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito (B♭ minor – B♭ major)
2. Andantino semplice – Prestissimo – Tempo I (D♭ major)
3. Allegro con fuoco – Molto meno mosso – Allegro vivo (B♭ minor – B♭ major)

A standard performance lasts between 30 and 36 minutes, the majority of which is taken up by the first movement.

 

Resource: 

Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky).  en.wikipedia.org.   

(c) January 12, 2012. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.