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18 episodes with some notes
PDF feed of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Abstract: Authors of two recent articles believe they have found evidence that Joseph Smith, in preparing his revision of the Bible, drew ideas from a contemporary Bible commentary by British scholar Adam Clarke. The evidence, however, does not bear out this claim. I believe that none of the examples they provide can be traced to […] The post Some Notes on Joseph Smith and Adam Clarke first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.
Abstract: Authors of two recent articles believe they have found evidence that Joseph Smith, in preparing his revision of the Bible, drew ideas from a contemporary Bible commentary by British scholar Adam Clarke. The evidence, however, does not bear out this claim. I believe that none of the examples they provide can be traced to […] The post Some Notes on Joseph Smith and Adam Clarke first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.
Abstract: Authors of two recent articles believe they have found evidence that Joseph Smith, in preparing his revision of the Bible, drew ideas from a contemporary Bible commentary by British scholar Adam Clarke. The evidence, however, does not bear out this claim. I believe that none of the examples they provide can be traced to […] The post Some Notes on Joseph Smith and Adam Clarke first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.
In today's episode, we will be talking with our good friend, Jeff Bond. As Director of Client Services at AppBarry, Jeff is responsible for business development, account management, and delivery of custom software & cloud integration projects. He is also the Co-Founder of "Chat With Leaders", a podcast designed to give resilient, servant leaders a platform for sharing the inspiring things they’re doing to lead their teams, themselves, and the communities they serve wisely. Overall, Jeff has 15+ years of experience delivering technology, business, and people solutions as a sales, management, and consulting professional. He and his wife Katie reside in Atlanta, GA with their 3 children. Listen as Jeff and I talk about apps, faith and racial reconciliation among other things. You can connect with Jeff in the following ways: Personal: LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook @jeffbond123 Instagram @jeffbond1234 Professional: Chat With Leaders LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook/Instagam @ChatWithLeaders AppBarry Facebook @Aappbarryllc Twitter/Instagram/LinkedIn @appbarry Jeff also mentioned someone you need to know: Peggy McIntosh, anti-racism activist "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" and "Some Notes for Facilitators". Ted Talks Oct 2012 This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxTimberlaneSchools, an independent event.https://www.ted.com/talks/peggy_mcintosh_how_to_recognize_your_white_privilege_and_use_it_to_fight_inequality?language=en At Tech & Main, we want to be YOUR technology partner. Let our 20+ years of expertise help you achieve the outcomes that are best for your business: cloud, SD-WAN, data center, security or anything else. We have engineers and project managers available to assist you. Call our office at 678-575-8515, email us at info@techandmain.com or visit us at www.techandmain.com. Thanks for listening! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/techandmain/message
MLM Branding Secrets Podcast - Episode 21: Having Online Conversations... Here are Some Notes... Online Community and a networking event Understand Social Media is for Social and Building Connections not Selling Media Never Eliminate your future opportunities into other industries by pitching the wrong thing What’s their goal? Find it. We have 2 ears and 1 mouth, that’s the clue..."Stop talking and start listening" Provide the business if it’s the solution and direct them to something/someone if it’s not. Don’t be that person that focuses on just selling without even really connecting... Jab, Jab, Right Hook… Help help help then ask by Gary Vaynerchuk / GaryVee If you enjoy the episode, you can take a screenshot and share it out on Instagram and tag me - @HaroldClaveria and I’d love to share your comments and big takeaways on my Instagram Stories as well. Also, please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or a comment on YouTube. ____________________ ►FREE RESOURCES GET YOUR FREE MLM BRANDING PACK HERE: https://www.mlmbrandingsecrets.com/ Free MLM / Network Marketing PREMIUM Training Course "5 FREE VIDEOS Reveal ...The Secrets of Successful Top Network Marketers.." ____________________ FOLLOW ME ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE TIPS AND UPDATED STRATEGIES: https://bit.ly/HC-Youtube ____________________ JOIN VIRTUAL ENTREPRENEURS SECRETS COMMUNITY : https://bit.ly/VES-FB-Group The Virtual Entrepreneur Secrets Facebook Group is specially created for Online Marketers who want to grow their business online so that they can build their business the right way using the Latest Basic to advance Marketing Strategies. This group is hosted by Harold Claveria. He is a Marketing Strategist, Online Marketer, and Expert in Online Automations. Request to JOIN TODAY: https://bit.ly/VES-FB-Group ____________________ FOLLOW HAROLD IN SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook Profile ► https://www.facebook.com/ClaveriaRoy Facebook Page ► https://facebook.com/haroldclaveriahq Instagram ► https://instagram.com/haroldclaveria Twitter ► https://twitter.com/harold_claveria FOLLOW ME ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE TIPS AND UPDATED STRATEGIES: https://bit.ly/HC-Youtube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mlm-branding-secrets/message
011 - You are going really like this conversation. Chock full of hope.On March 6, 2020 I had a Zoom conversation with Dr. Benjamin Hardy. I wanted to support Dr. Hardy in getting the word out about the ideas in his book Personality Isn’t PermanentTake a listen as we had a meaningful, fun conversation. I feel like Ben is my brother. Check it out for yourself. Psychologist and bestselling author Benjamin Hardy, PhD, debunks the pervasive myths about personality that prevent us from learning—and provides bold strategies for personal transformation In Personality Isn’t Permanent, Dr. Benjamin Hardy draws on psychological research to demolish the popular misconception that personality—a person’s consistent attitudes and behaviors—is innate and unchanging. Hardy liberates us from the limiting belief that our “true selves” are to be discovered, and shows how we can intentionally create our desired selves and achieve amazing goals instead. He offers practical, science-based advice to for personal-reinvention. [From Amazon’s description]Medium Blog where I discovered Benjamin Hardy https://medium.com/@benjaminhardyPersonality Isn’t Permanent - https://benjaminhardy.com/Gaping Void - Career Hierarchy Foster Allhttps://www.fosterall.org/Sungshim and I attended a Gala to raise awareness and money for Foster All. Thanks to Anne Bierling The Body Keeps The Score - Basel ven der Kolk Trauma keeps a personality frozen. Trauma shatters imagination. Gabor Mate Personality is a way to cope with trauma. SOME NOTES from the episode Hope Theory - You can’t have hope without a different or better future. Expectancy theory - You can’t have motivation without a clear goal and path to get there. Imagination is the key to learning. You can’t learn without imagination. “Mental flexibility is the basis of imagination” - Basel ven der Kolk “If you really want a goal, you better start telling it to everybody.” “People don’t typically admit what they want.” A fixed mindset often comes from trauma and leads to a fear of failure. The more honest and explicit you are the more your environment (people) will support or oppose it. I think identity is far more important than personality. Personality flows out of our identity. Fasting is amazingFasting is like prayer on steroids. A personality typing system helps create an identity and removes a lot of ambiguity. …can limit yourself from imaging a future self. “They set goals to confirm the label.” Want to become like Christ? Define that reality, go for it! Let's do it together. https://www.presenceandpractice.com/If you are looking for a Contemplative Marriage & Family Therapist you can find one here.https://www.loppnowrelationshipcenter.com/
Join Athrabeth's Discord!References, Notes and Useful LinksBrackmann, Rebecca. “‘Dwarves Are Not Heroes’: Antisemitism and The Dwarves in J.R.R. Tolkien's Writing.” Mythlore, vol. 28, no. 3, 10 Apr. 2010. 109/110 Spring/Summer.https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=mythloreTolkien reciting namarie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6de_SbVUVfATolkien singing namarie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkuHrD_xlJYHostetter, Carl F. “Elvish as she is spoke” http://www.elvish.org/articles/EASIS.pdfhttp://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie_elvish.htmConvenient condensed writeups of the various Tolkien languages coveredFauskanger, Helge K. “Valarin - like the Glitter of Swords.” Ardalambion, folk.uib.no/hnohf/valarin.htm (accessed 8 September 2019)Fauskanger, Helge K. “Various Mannish Tongues - the sadness of Mortal Men?” Ardalambion, folk.uib.no/hnohf/mannish.htm (accessed 8 September 2019)Fauskanger, Helge K. “Quenya - the Ancient Tongue” Ardalambion, folk.uib.no/hnohf/quenya.htm (accessed 8 September 2019)Fauskanger, Helge K. “Sindarin - the Noble Tongue” Ardalambion, folk.uib.no/hnohf/sindarin.htm (accessed 8 September 2019)Fauskanger, Helge K. “Adûnaic - the vernacular of Númenor” Ardalambion,folk.uib.no/hnohf/adunaic.htm (accessed 8 September 2019)Fauskanger, Helge K. “Orkish and the Black Speech - base language for base purposes” Ardalambion, folk.uib.no/hnohf/orkish.htm (accessed 8 September 2019)SourcesJ.R.R. Tolkien, "The Qenya Phonology", in Parma Eldalamberon XII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 22J.R.R. Tolkien, "Quenya Phonology", in Parma Eldalamberon XIX (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 22J.R.R. Tolkien, "Quenya Grammar", in Parma Eldalamberon XIX (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 28-34J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages", in Parma Eldalamberon XII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 12Letter 176. In H. Carpenter and C. Tolkien (Eds.), The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien.New York, NY: Houghton MifflinGilson and Wynne, ‘The Growth of Grammar in the Elven Tongues’ 1992Gilson, Christopher, “Narqelion and the Early Lexicons. Some Notes on the First Elvish Poem”, in Vinyar Tengwar 40 (edited by Carl F. Hostetter), p. 6Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lost Road and Other Writings. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. Vol. 5. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. Print. History of Middle earth.Tolkien, J.R.R. Sauron Defeated. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. Vol. 9. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1992. Print. History of Middle earth.Tolkien, J.R.R. War of the Jewels. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. Vol. 10. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. 30166. Print. History of Middle earth.Tolkien, J. R. R. “Appendices” in The Lord of the Rings. Allen & Unwin.
EPISODE 6: welcome back! This episode, we provide the following highly edifying and informational segments for our listeners: 0:00:00 - Intro, Recent Tournament Shenanigans, How To Necrons 0:15:16 - Some Notes on Terrain in Tournaments, How To Fun 0:37:05 - Narrative Play, How To Fun Part II: Electric Boogaloo 0:43:04 - Getting in Touch with the KnightsCast Crew, How To Do That 0:44:51 - A Word from Our Sponsors: How To Improve Your Painting Game with Powering! 0:48:44 - The Meta, How To Make A Game You Love Feel Like Work 1:15:00 - Eisenhorn TV Show, How To Get The KnightsCast Crew Really, Really Excited 1:24:41 - Goodbyes and Outtakes
Horus (Sonata for Keyboard) - in g# minorThis episode of Friday Music at Five features "The Proud Bird," by Romansk V. This is a depiction of the ancient Egyptian god of Horus. What grabbed my attention in this piece is the artist's choice to reimagine the ancient two-dimensional Egyptian images and render it in three dimensions with very interesting color choices for the shading. I also like the extreme colorfulness of the god and the proud, confident, intelligent expression on its face. The background is vague and dark, while the bird is colorful and highly distinct. The curve and sharpness of the beak, the haughty look in the bird's eye, the musculature of the face; all of these things suggest a masculine vitality, power, and fearlessness.The Egyptian RenassainceIt has occurred to me that we may be on the verge of a renaissance of rediscovering the deep roots of the Abrahamic religions, which really do go back as far as Egypt; and even further, into the days of Hammurabi and Sumer. However, Egypt particularly is where many of the archetypical stories that are cherished by the Jews, Christians, and Muslims originate. It is also interesting that, according to legend, in the times of the sons of Noah, Egypt was the seat of authority for Shem; from which he exercised God's justice on Earth.This is important because the Post-Modern Structuralist intellectual narrative has begun to unravel. People are seeking a new way of developing a relationship with being. Consequently, one of the most popular intellectuals of our time is Dr. Jordan Peterson, whose Biblical Lecture Series represents a deep dive into the intellectual roots of the Western Tradition and morality. Part of what led to the rejection and death of God in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was an ossified understanding of this tradition.The Christ Story of HorusWhat better symbol for this rebirth of the Western Tradition than that of Horus, the ancient Egyptian christ figure. According to ancient Egyptian tradition, Osiris is murdered by his brother Set. Osiris's wife, however, reassembles the corpse of Osiris, engages in intercourse with it, and gives birth to Horus. Horus is regarded as the resurrected form of Osiris.Horus, therefore, represents the divine masculine; that which overcomes death and destruction.Some Notes on Horus (Sonata for Keyboard) - in g# minorThis piece expresses a major philosophical theme. That is, the backdrop to life is struggle and hardship. Death always lies in wait for us. However, we can overcome this. We are not linear creatures. We are creatures of light. Death, darkness, and hardship exist in order that the heroism of our being can shine against it like eternal stars in the night sky.The harmonic trajectory of the piece is rising dominant-tonic resolutions. The first movement is in g# minor, which is a tumultuous key, to my ear. The second movement is in c# minor, which is the darkest key, to my ear. The final movement is in f# minor, which has a spiritual energeticness.First Movement - VivaceThis movement is in a modified sonata form. This movement begins with a trill ostinato. The upper note of the ostinato traces a simple melodic line against the tonic bottom. This is the main theme. The countertheme is in the relative B Major. It is slower and melodic. The countertheme goes directly into a development section. The countermelody, rather than the main theme, is developed. In the recapitulation, the two themes are combined polyphonically and polytonally.The modification of the form reflects three things. Firstly, the backdrop of life is death and struggle. Secondly, although that is the case, the contrasting, heroic living power is far more worthy of our attention and is what undergoes development in being. Finally, in the end, we live before death's face with courage, grace, and defiance, even as it pursues to end us.Second Movement - DirgeThis is a funereal movement in ternary form. The general form of this movement is 'ABA,' where each section also undergoes a certain amount of thematic development. The first iteration of the 'A' section is an Adagio that expresses a quiet shock of loss. The first reaction to death is often not overwhelming emotion, but rather an inability to process the fact of loss. The 'B' section is a somewhat faster Allegretto, where one recalls the living force of the one lost. The return of the 'A' section is in a higher, less shocked and somber register. Here, the emotional outpouring of the loss comes into experience.Third Movement - AllegroThis movement is in a truncated sonata form. The main theme is a defiant, aggressive, fearless birdsong. The counter theme is a much softer, melodic theme in the relative major. The final section of the piece is simultaneously a development section and long, raucous, sped-up CODA dominated by a few variations of the main theme, ending in a brief recapitulation of the counter theme in the main key of f# minor.Although the main key of this movement is in the minor, the main theme is extremely lively. This is done to suggest that, although the backdrop of life is struggle and death, in the end, the power of the divine masculine merely shines that much brighter against the dark.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Horus (Sonata for Keyboard) - in g# minorThis episode of Friday Music at Five features "The Proud Bird," by Romansk V. This is a depiction of the ancient Egyptian god of Horus. What grabbed my attention in this piece is the artist's choice to reimagine the ancient two-dimensional Egyptian images and render it in three dimensions with very interesting color choices for the shading. I also like the extreme colorfulness of the god and the proud, confident, intelligent expression on its face. The background is vague and dark, while the bird is colorful and highly distinct. The curve and sharpness of the beak, the haughty look in the bird's eye, the musculature of the face; all of these things suggest a masculine vitality, power, and fearlessness.The Egyptian RenassainceIt has occurred to me that we may be on the verge of a renaissance of rediscovering the deep roots of the Abrahamic religions, which really do go back as far as Egypt; and even further, into the days of Hammurabi and Sumer. However, Egypt particularly is where many of the archetypical stories that are cherished by the Jews, Christians, and Muslims originate. It is also interesting that, according to legend, in the times of the sons of Noah, Egypt was the seat of authority for Shem; from which he exercised God's justice on Earth.This is important because the Post-Modern Structuralist intellectual narrative has begun to unravel. People are seeking a new way of developing a relationship with being. Consequently, one of the most popular intellectuals of our time is Dr. Jordan Peterson, whose Biblical Lecture Series represents a deep dive into the intellectual roots of the Western Tradition and morality. Part of what led to the rejection and death of God in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was an ossified understanding of this tradition.The Christ Story of HorusWhat better symbol for this rebirth of the Western Tradition than that of Horus, the ancient Egyptian christ figure. According to ancient Egyptian tradition, Osiris is murdered by his brother Set. Osiris's wife, however, reassembles the corpse of Osiris, engages in intercourse with it, and gives birth to Horus. Horus is regarded as the resurrected form of Osiris.Horus, therefore, represents the divine masculine; that which overcomes death and destruction.Some Notes on Horus (Sonata for Keyboard) - in g# minorThis piece expresses a major philosophical theme. That is, the backdrop to life is struggle and hardship. Death always lies in wait for us. However, we can overcome this. We are not linear creatures. We are creatures of light. Death, darkness, and hardship exist in order that the heroism of our being can shine against it like eternal stars in the night sky.The harmonic trajectory of the piece is rising dominant-tonic resolutions. The first movement is in g# minor, which is a tumultuous key, to my ear. The second movement is in c# minor, which is the darkest key, to my ear. The final movement is in f# minor, which has a spiritual energeticness.First Movement - VivaceThis movement is in a modified sonata form. This movement begins with a trill ostinato. The upper note of the ostinato traces a simple melodic line against the tonic bottom. This is the main theme. The countertheme is in the relative B Major. It is slower and melodic. The countertheme goes directly into a development section. The countermelody, rather than the main theme, is developed. In the recapitulation, the two themes are combined polyphonically and polytonally.The modification of the form reflects three things. Firstly, the backdrop of life is death and struggle. Secondly, although that is the case, the contrasting, heroic living power is far more worthy of our attention and is what undergoes development in being. Finally, in the end, we live before death's face with courage, grace, and defiance, even as it pursues to end us.Second Movement - DirgeThis is a funereal movement in ternary form. The general form of this movement is 'ABA,' where each section also undergoes a certain amount of thematic development. The first iteration of the 'A' section is an Adagio that expresses a quiet shock of loss. The first reaction to death is often not overwhelming emotion, but rather an inability to process the fact of loss. The 'B' section is a somewhat faster Allegretto, where one recalls the living force of the one lost. The return of the 'A' section is in a higher, less shocked and somber register. Here, the emotional outpouring of the loss comes into experience.Third Movement - AllegroThis movement is in a truncated sonata form. The main theme is a defiant, aggressive, fearless birdsong. The counter theme is a much softer, melodic theme in the relative major. The final section of the piece is simultaneously a development section and long, raucous, sped-up CODA dominated by a few variations of the main theme, ending in a brief recapitulation of the counter theme in the main key of f# minor.Although the main key of this movement is in the minor, the main theme is extremely lively. This is done to suggest that, although the backdrop of life is struggle and death, in the end, the power of the divine masculine merely shines that much brighter against the dark.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Time to kick off your weekend with some new music! Welcome to Friday Music at Five, Episode #1.Attention (Prelude and Fugue in F#)I have decided to name this Prelude and Fugue "Attention," because it was inspired by the pen illustration featured in this post ("The Boy and the Cat," by Betzael Corvo). What strikes me about this work of art is looks on the faces of the cat and the boy. They seem to be staring raptly at some object in the distance, engaging their full attention to it.Attention is an interesting thing from a phenomenological point of view. Heidegger describes objects of being as emerging through our participation in reality. Objects emerge from the void as a consequence of us negating all that is not radically other. Objects actually emerge as a result of us paying attention to them. Until we do, they are simply part of the undifferentiated manifold of experience. Objects of AttentionIn a very real sense, things, as such, do not really exist until they are formed by us paying attention to them. Things have a way of accumulating meaning the more we dedicate our attention to them. When we do not direct our attention to things, they often have a tendency to fade into irrelevancy. But when we do direct our attentive thoughts and actions to them, other things accumulate around them until they become irreversibly embedded in our sense of being; replete with rich relationships of meaning with other objects of experience.ProjectionWhen an object has become deeply embedded in our experience of being, it begins to have a sort of gravitational pull. It begins to affect our language; consequently, it ultimately affects the way we think. That which captures our attention redefines our very reality. This is how objects of experience became our religion, which then became our language. Religion establishes a hierarchy of being. This hierarchy of being evolves into language. That language becomes our means, not only of communicating but of thinking rationally. What we pay attention to determines everything about us and our life experience.Some Notes on Attention (Prelude and Fugue in F#)Just like my other Preludes and Fugues, this one is modal with impressionistic, modernistic, and/or minimalistic tendencies. This particular one operates in two different modalities. The modality of the Prelude is similar to F# Major, although it does drift into some Mixolydian, blues, and quasi-octatonic textures and has a significant amount of dissonance. It also explores the parallel minor a bit. The Fugue has a unique modality similar to f# minor, but with a lowered 2nd scale degree.The Prelude is highly melodic. It has a steady ostinato in the lower register, and it slowly turns over a melodic motif in the higher register. It dwells on it and explores it, much like someone carefully paying attention to a fascinating object. The Fugue is a two-part canon. I chose to do this because I wanted it to reflect the two characters in the drawing. Just as the two characters in the drawing seem to have resonant reactions to whatever it is they are observing; so too do the two melodic lines of the fugue play off and harmonize against each other. This fugue is somewhat unique in that, in the development section, there is some extensive variation of the theme, rather than a predominantly tonal development.The piece ends on the fifth scale degree; as if to suggest that the object in the distance is still something of a mystery to the observer.Announcing the New Podcast SeriesThe Asterisk Piano Podcast (available on iTunes) now has, as its primary feature, the Friday Music at Five series (F.M.F.). This is the first official episode of that series. Stay tuned, and kick off your weekend with new music every week, published every Friday around 5 P.M. E.S.T.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Time to kick off your weekend with some new music! Welcome to Friday Music at Five, Episode #1.Attention (Prelude and Fugue in F#)I have decided to name this Prelude and Fugue "Attention," because it was inspired by the pen illustration featured in this post ("The Boy and the Cat," by Betzael Corvo). What strikes me about this work of art is looks on the faces of the cat and the boy. They seem to be staring raptly at some object in the distance, engaging their full attention to it.Attention is an interesting thing from a phenomenological point of view. Heidegger describes objects of being as emerging through our participation in reality. Objects emerge from the void as a consequence of us negating all that is not radically other. Objects actually emerge as a result of us paying attention to them. Until we do, they are simply part of the undifferentiated manifold of experience. Objects of AttentionIn a very real sense, things, as such, do not really exist until they are formed by us paying attention to them. Things have a way of accumulating meaning the more we dedicate our attention to them. When we do not direct our attention to things, they often have a tendency to fade into irrelevancy. But when we do direct our attentive thoughts and actions to them, other things accumulate around them until they become irreversibly embedded in our sense of being; replete with rich relationships of meaning with other objects of experience.ProjectionWhen an object has become deeply embedded in our experience of being, it begins to have a sort of gravitational pull. It begins to affect our language; consequently, it ultimately affects the way we think. That which captures our attention redefines our very reality. This is how objects of experience became our religion, which then became our language. Religion establishes a hierarchy of being. This hierarchy of being evolves into language. That language becomes our means, not only of communicating but of thinking rationally. What we pay attention to determines everything about us and our life experience.Some Notes on Attention (Prelude and Fugue in F#)Just like my other Preludes and Fugues, this one is modal with impressionistic, modernistic, and/or minimalistic tendencies. This particular one operates in two different modalities. The modality of the Prelude is similar to F# Major, although it does drift into some Mixolydian, blues, and quasi-octatonic textures and has a significant amount of dissonance. It also explores the parallel minor a bit. The Fugue has a unique modality similar to f# minor, but with a lowered 2nd scale degree.The Prelude is highly melodic. It has a steady ostinato in the lower register, and it slowly turns over a melodic motif in the higher register. It dwells on it and explores it, much like someone carefully paying attention to a fascinating object. The Fugue is a two-part canon. I chose to do this because I wanted it to reflect the two characters in the drawing. Just as the two characters in the drawing seem to have resonant reactions to whatever it is they are observing; so too do the two melodic lines of the fugue play off and harmonize against each other. This fugue is somewhat unique in that, in the development section, there is some extensive variation of the theme, rather than a predominantly tonal development.The piece ends on the fifth scale degree; as if to suggest that the object in the distance is still something of a mystery to the observer.Announcing the New Podcast SeriesThe Asterisk Piano Podcast (available on iTunes) now has, as its primary feature, the Friday Music at Five series (F.M.F.). This is the first official episode of that series. Stay tuned, and kick off your weekend with new music every week, published every Friday around 5 P.M. E.S.T.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
AgaveThe agave is a desert cactus. It spreads out almost like a flower; but unlike a flower, it survives year in and year out in the inhospitable desert. It is so sweet that its flesh is processed and used as an alternative to sugar. Its glory is its steadfastness, longevity, and sweetness. Prickly and yet beautiful on the outside. Alive and sustaining of life on the inside. It is patient.Some Notes on AgaveThis piece is largely tonal. It is in F Sharp Major. It is for keyboard and guitar. Although it is tonal, it uses a lot of quartal harmonies, polytonality, and some dissonance. The piece is a narrative in terms of formal structure; it expresses a motif, and then the rest of the piece is one long development section.The piece starts with a solo piano. It begins with an unassuming moderato. The motif is almost an ostinato, but it moves just enough to suggest a simple melody. The guitar enters intermittently with a more melodic countermelody, lending it a simple polyphonic texture. After this brief interplay, the piece slowly begins to unfold and build. The piano begins to play fast chords while the guitar sings over it. Then it takes a step back. The piano returns to the ostinato melody; however, now in a variation. The guitar continues to play a melody consisting of long, patient notes as a slow, concurrent melodic line over the frenetic keyboard activity.The piece reaches a climax with a third piano variation over the guitar's agave theme, like an agave plant riding a desert storm. The piece ends with a quiet inversion (also a variation) of the theme in the piano, with a slow scaling motion in the guitar. Finally, the guitar ends on the fourth scale degree, suggesting the sacredness of a liturgic resolution.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
AgaveThe agave is a desert cactus. It spreads out almost like a flower; but unlike a flower, it survives year in and year out in the inhospitable desert. It is so sweet that its flesh is processed and used as an alternative to sugar. Its glory is its steadfastness, longevity, and sweetness. Prickly and yet beautiful on the outside. Alive and sustaining of life on the inside. It is patient.Some Notes on AgaveThis piece is largely tonal. It is in F Sharp Major. It is for keyboard and guitar. Although it is tonal, it uses a lot of quartal harmonies, polytonality, and some dissonance. The piece is a narrative in terms of formal structure; it expresses a motif, and then the rest of the piece is one long development section.The piece starts with a solo piano. It begins with an unassuming moderato. The motif is almost an ostinato, but it moves just enough to suggest a simple melody. The guitar enters intermittently with a more melodic countermelody, lending it a simple polyphonic texture. After this brief interplay, the piece slowly begins to unfold and build. The piano begins to play fast chords while the guitar sings over it. Then it takes a step back. The piano returns to the ostinato melody; however, now in a variation. The guitar continues to play a melody consisting of long, patient notes as a slow, concurrent melodic line over the frenetic keyboard activity.The piece reaches a climax with a third piano variation over the guitar's agave theme, like an agave plant riding a desert storm. The piece ends with a quiet inversion (also a variation) of the theme in the piano, with a slow scaling motion in the guitar. Finally, the guitar ends on the fourth scale degree, suggesting the sacredness of a liturgic resolution.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
DriftingThis short keyboard improvisation depicts a feeling of drifting; letting go, and just letting the currents that are present in your life just sweep you along where they will. The title describes the experience I'm trying to communicate by the piece. It's a feeling of drifting down a river, not knowing, or even much caring where you end up. Every now and then, you have to take a break from constant goal-oriented activity and just drift. When you drift and turn off your consciousness momentarily, you are able to get out of your perspective for a while. This is an important practice. You can get so wrapped up in what you think is important. If you're not careful, you can end up never stopping to reevaluate your direction. You can only really do that if you just let go and drift every now and then.The Jewish people believe in practicing the Sabbath. I submit that that practice is a form of spiritual drifting. We should all have a Sabbath day to let go for just a little while and drift so that we can truly collect ourselves.Some Notes on DriftingThe piece is multi-modal with a single tonal center (E flat). It starts off with some descending minor seconds, that keep you guessing about the tonal center for a couple bars, before the initial, un-harmonized melody resolves in such a way as to make that clear. Polyphonic strands are introduced at intervals, and they sometimes dissolve into a supporting harmony, and sometimes, they emerge in parallel octaves and fifths, like accelerating bottlenecks of current. By and large, the piece is focused more on the higher registers, to give the piece a lonesome, melancholy feel. The melody is almost Gregorian at times, in that it evenly spaced, without too many large jumps, but is measured in unusual time signatures, and sometimes breaks into less regulated rhythms, as the drifting speeds up and slows down on its own. The piece ends on a jazz-like unresolved dissonance.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
DriftingThis short keyboard improvisation depicts a feeling of drifting; letting go, and just letting the currents that are present in your life just sweep you along where they will. The title describes the experience I'm trying to communicate by the piece. It's a feeling of drifting down a river, not knowing, or even much caring where you end up. Every now and then, you have to take a break from constant goal-oriented activity and just drift. When you drift and turn off your consciousness momentarily, you are able to get out of your perspective for a while. This is an important practice. You can get so wrapped up in what you think is important. If you're not careful, you can end up never stopping to reevaluate your direction. You can only really do that if you just let go and drift every now and then.The Jewish people believe in practicing the Sabbath. I submit that that practice is a form of spiritual drifting. We should all have a Sabbath day to let go for just a little while and drift so that we can truly collect ourselves.Some Notes on DriftingThe piece is multi-modal with a single tonal center (E flat). It starts off with some descending minor seconds, that keep you guessing about the tonal center for a couple bars, before the initial, un-harmonized melody resolves in such a way as to make that clear. Polyphonic strands are introduced at intervals, and they sometimes dissolve into a supporting harmony, and sometimes, they emerge in parallel octaves and fifths, like accelerating bottlenecks of current. By and large, the piece is focused more on the higher registers, to give the piece a lonesome, melancholy feel. The melody is almost Gregorian at times, in that it evenly spaced, without too many large jumps, but is measured in unusual time signatures, and sometimes breaks into less regulated rhythms, as the drifting speeds up and slows down on its own. The piece ends on a jazz-like unresolved dissonance.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Why do you read? (Or why do YOU do the thing you love)? How can someone get into reading if it is just not their thing? Suzie & Lori explore their love of reading and even having a purpose for reading books for pleasure. Lori shares insight on how books have impacted her and her students. “The reading that I’ve been doing has allowed me to go places and experience things that I would never experience.” About Lori: Lori is a public school educator. Resource referenced: This link takes you to Peggy McIntosh’s "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" (1989) and- as equally important- “Some Notes for Facilitators” that were provided in 2010. https://nationalseedproject.org/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack
Through the NightThrough the night is a keyboard improvisation. I am completely self-employed, but I engage in multiple forms of work. Currently, I derive income from creating online content (like the content you're reading now), selling insurance, and doing rideshare (Uber and Lyft). I do insurance and web content during the day when other people are up; and then I drive at night, when most people are asleep. I find that I enjoy driving at night. It's all about the long dark drives punctuated with interactions with every imaginable type of person. This piece is about the zen of driving all night on dark, empty roads.Some Notes on Through the NightThis piece is, generally, in e flat minor; but there's quite a bit of polytonality going on with the E Mixolydian Modality and F Sharp Major. You tend not to notice that kind of polytonality so much because the two modes share all the same notes except for the third scale degree, and e flat minor and F Sharp Major are relative respective minor-Major scales, meaning they share a key signature. The beginning of the piece opens with a simple ostinato, and later a simple melody emerges. The ostinato comes in and out in various permutations throughout the piece, and the melody undergoes some simple development with substantial tonal exploration, but without any complete key changes. The piece starts in a lower register with some energy, and then slowly peters out in the higher registers. Stylistically, this piece falls into a few different categories. It is minimalistic, in classical terms; but it also falls into rock, jazz, and blues categories. It uses some dissonance, albeit sparingly. The frequent use of parallel fifths gives it a distinct rock feel. It also uses syncopation very generously.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Through the NightThrough the night is a keyboard improvisation. I am completely self-employed, but I engage in multiple forms of work. Currently, I derive income from creating online content (like the content you're reading now), selling insurance, and doing rideshare (Uber and Lyft). I do insurance and web content during the day when other people are up; and then I drive at night, when most people are asleep. I find that I enjoy driving at night. It's all about the long dark drives punctuated with interactions with every imaginable type of person. This piece is about the zen of driving all night on dark, empty roads.Some Notes on Through the NightThis piece is, generally, in e flat minor; but there's quite a bit of polytonality going on with the E Mixolydian Modality and F Sharp Major. You tend not to notice that kind of polytonality so much because the two modes share all the same notes except for the third scale degree, and e flat minor and F Sharp Major are relative respective minor-Major scales, meaning they share a key signature. The beginning of the piece opens with a simple ostinato, and later a simple melody emerges. The ostinato comes in and out in various permutations throughout the piece, and the melody undergoes some simple development with substantial tonal exploration, but without any complete key changes. The piece starts in a lower register with some energy, and then slowly peters out in the higher registers. Stylistically, this piece falls into a few different categories. It is minimalistic, in classical terms; but it also falls into rock, jazz, and blues categories. It uses some dissonance, albeit sparingly. The frequent use of parallel fifths gives it a distinct rock feel. It also uses syncopation very generously.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
PatiencePatience is a virtue that is related to endurance. You don't have to have it when things are as you would like them to be. You need patience when, from a certain perspective, your situation is not tenable long-term. I say "from a certain perspective," because what it is really about is focus. If you focus on that which has not arrived yet, the pain of lack can be a source of unbearable suffering. You must intentionally focus on other things. Know that things will be alright again. Then you will exercise patience, and it will be less of a burden to you. Enduring lack is a matter of directing your attention to areas relatively untouched by the lack. There is a certain kind of discipline in this. Therefore, patience is a discipline.Some Notes on PatienceThis piece is agonizingly slow and constricted. I achieve this effect in a few different ways. Firstly, the piece, overall, and especially at the beginning is at a very slow tempo and contains chords that are very compressed, in terms of register. The piece is (generally) in a minor; a very gray, withdrawn key. When the melody does come out, it is in a high register; it tends to "dwell on" (that is, repeat) particular phrases, almost to the point of being an ostinato; but it does move - barely.Eventually, the "patience" of the melody is "rewarded" by some polyphonic integration, as a couple of melodic strands move with it, and integrate with it, and then the piece concludes on a hopeful note, but at the very end, the melody hangs on the seventh scale degree, and doesn't resolve. Within the compressed space of the piece, there is a significant amount of harmonic exploration, and even a couple of key changes, reflecting a complex stew of emotions with very slow and gradual forward movement.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
PatiencePatience is a virtue that is related to endurance. You don't have to have it when things are as you would like them to be. You need patience when, from a certain perspective, your situation is not tenable long-term. I say "from a certain perspective," because what it is really about is focus. If you focus on that which has not arrived yet, the pain of lack can be a source of unbearable suffering. You must intentionally focus on other things. Know that things will be alright again. Then you will exercise patience, and it will be less of a burden to you. Enduring lack is a matter of directing your attention to areas relatively untouched by the lack. There is a certain kind of discipline in this. Therefore, patience is a discipline.Some Notes on PatienceThis piece is agonizingly slow and constricted. I achieve this effect in a few different ways. Firstly, the piece, overall, and especially at the beginning is at a very slow tempo and contains chords that are very compressed, in terms of register. The piece is (generally) in a minor; a very gray, withdrawn key. When the melody does come out, it is in a high register; it tends to "dwell on" (that is, repeat) particular phrases, almost to the point of being an ostinato; but it does move - barely.Eventually, the "patience" of the melody is "rewarded" by some polyphonic integration, as a couple of melodic strands move with it, and integrate with it, and then the piece concludes on a hopeful note, but at the very end, the melody hangs on the seventh scale degree, and doesn't resolve. Within the compressed space of the piece, there is a significant amount of harmonic exploration, and even a couple of key changes, reflecting a complex stew of emotions with very slow and gradual forward movement.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Keyboard Suite in AThis is a keyboard suite in A; that is, it has a tonal center of A, but the piece isn't completely tonal. This piece is mostly tonal, but it does explore other modalities, as well. A suite is a cycle of pieces in dance form. This suite is in four parts.ArabesqueThe first dance in this keyboard suite is an arabesque. It is a lively, narrative style piece that incorporates some middle eastern modalities. It also serves as an introductory piece. Although it does explore Arab modalities, it is largely in A Major.MinuetThe second dance in the keyboard suite is a minuet. It is in A Major, although it does undergo a development section, and is dissonant in places. It is slow, stately, and simple. Passacaglia The third piece is a passacaglia. It is slow and dark. It has an a minor feel, although it is actually modal with some similarities to a minor. RigaudonThe capstone of the suite is its final movement, which is a rigaudon. It is fast, loud, and angular. It has a strong Americana feel. Generally, it is in A Major, although there is some dissonance and polytonality.Some Notes on Keyboard Suite in AAs I mentioned before, this piece is mostly tonal, however, it explores other modalities. In general, this piece is very much in keeping with the Americana tradition, even while it uses Baroque European dance forms. This piece was created improvisationally, however, I did some preliminary research on the forms I used before I sat down to play. Ever since I was a child, I had a deep appreciation for J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suites, consequently, I've always been interested in exploring the form for myself. Formally, this piece is similar to what Baroque composers were creating in the early 1700s. Stylistically, this piece has more in common with Copland, Bernstein, Adams, Jazz, and Rock.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Keyboard Suite in AThis is a keyboard suite in A; that is, it has a tonal center of A, but the piece isn't completely tonal. This piece is mostly tonal, but it does explore other modalities, as well. A suite is a cycle of pieces in dance form. This suite is in four parts.ArabesqueThe first dance in this keyboard suite is an arabesque. It is a lively, narrative style piece that incorporates some middle eastern modalities. It also serves as an introductory piece. Although it does explore Arab modalities, it is largely in A Major.MinuetThe second dance in the keyboard suite is a minuet. It is in A Major, although it does undergo a development section, and is dissonant in places. It is slow, stately, and simple. Passacaglia The third piece is a passacaglia. It is slow and dark. It has an a minor feel, although it is actually modal with some similarities to a minor. RigaudonThe capstone of the suite is its final movement, which is a rigaudon. It is fast, loud, and angular. It has a strong Americana feel. Generally, it is in A Major, although there is some dissonance and polytonality.Some Notes on Keyboard Suite in AAs I mentioned before, this piece is mostly tonal, however, it explores other modalities. In general, this piece is very much in keeping with the Americana tradition, even while it uses Baroque European dance forms. This piece was created improvisationally, however, I did some preliminary research on the forms I used before I sat down to play. Ever since I was a child, I had a deep appreciation for J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suites, consequently, I've always been interested in exploring the form for myself. Formally, this piece is similar to what Baroque composers were creating in the early 1700s. Stylistically, this piece has more in common with Copland, Bernstein, Adams, Jazz, and Rock.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Only the latest episodes of this show are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. To locate archives of this podcast, visit: http://pjcornell.com/category/asterisked-music/piano-podcastFollow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Prelude and Fugue in ASolo keyboard pieces like this prelude and fugue were not common in the Baroque period. However, some significant works for solo keyboard did exist. Bach and Buxtehude wrote significant numbers of solo keyboard works (for example, The Well-Tempered Klavier, by J.S. Bach). The piano did not exist at that time. The keyboards available to composers and musicians at that time were far less versatile. They had the organ, the harpsichord, and the clavier; but each of these instruments had limited capacity in terms of volume control. In the case of the organ, you could pull out more stops, but even then, you were talking about sharply graduated stages of volume. The organ did not have the same level of artistic expressiveness as the piano.Around 1700, Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano. Composers became excited about the possibilities for the instrument, and the literature for solo keyboard music exploded. The "fortepiano," ("the loud-quiet," in Italian) was highly versatile. You could control how loudly or quietly you could play on it. Thus, the name.In the Baroque period, prior to the classical version of the sonata form, which came to dominate two centuries of instrumental classical musical form in one way or another, a very popular formal practice was to take a form, such as a fugue, fuguetto, fantasia, toccata, passacaglia, etc., and put a prelude in front of it, to compile a nice little two-movement piece. The prelude and fugue, in particular, was a form that produced a lot of great keyboard music, mostly because of J.S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Klavier.Some Notes on Prelude and Fugue in AThis piece is a prelude and fugue. It's part of my series Preludes and Fugues, most of which are not tonal, but do have a tonal center (thus, there will be twelve of them, one for each scale degree, rather than twenty-four, which would be one for each key). This one is (it is in a minor), however, it is titled as simply in "A," not "a minor," in order to be in keeping with the rest of the series.The entire piece is somewhat slow and melancholy, which I find appropriate; a minor sounds gray and melancholy to my ear. This is a Baroque style piece, but it also uses some modernist techniques.The Prelude, while largely tonal, does drift into polytonality, and does flirt with modalism. There are some very discreet moments of dissonance, as well. It also has a certain recitative structure. As an aside, until the Romantic period, when Chopin published his groundbreaking book of 24 Preludes, it was considered improper to compose a prelude as a standalone piece; it was always a prelude to something, meaning that it was expected that another, longer piece was to follow it. Since then, however, the prelude has come to be recognized as a musical form all to itself. In keeping with the original intent of the prelude, the prelude in this piece preceeds a fugue.The fugue, in this case, is quite short. It is in three parts. Unlike its prelude, it is more or less strictly tonal.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Prelude and Fugue in ASolo keyboard pieces like this prelude and fugue were not common in the Baroque period. However, some significant works for solo keyboard did exist. Bach and Buxtehude wrote significant numbers of solo keyboard works (for example, The Well-Tempered Klavier, by J.S. Bach). The piano did not exist at that time. The keyboards available to composers and musicians at that time were far less versatile. They had the organ, the harpsichord, and the clavier; but each of these instruments had limited capacity in terms of volume control. In the case of the organ, you could pull out more stops, but even then, you were talking about sharply graduated stages of volume. The organ did not have the same level of artistic expressiveness as the piano.Around 1700, Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano. Composers became excited about the possibilities for the instrument, and the literature for solo keyboard music exploded. The "fortepiano," ("the loud-quiet," in Italian) was highly versatile. You could control how loudly or quietly you could play on it. Thus, the name.In the Baroque period, prior to the classical version of the sonata form, which came to dominate two centuries of instrumental classical musical form in one way or another, a very popular formal practice was to take a form, such as a fugue, fuguetto, fantasia, toccata, passacaglia, etc., and put a prelude in front of it, to compile a nice little two-movement piece. The prelude and fugue, in particular, was a form that produced a lot of great keyboard music, mostly because of J.S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Klavier.Some Notes on Prelude and Fugue in AThis piece is a prelude and fugue. It's part of my series Preludes and Fugues, most of which are not tonal, but do have a tonal center (thus, there will be twelve of them, one for each scale degree, rather than twenty-four, which would be one for each key). This one is (it is in a minor), however, it is titled as simply in "A," not "a minor," in order to be in keeping with the rest of the series.The entire piece is somewhat slow and melancholy, which I find appropriate; a minor sounds gray and melancholy to my ear. This is a Baroque style piece, but it also uses some modernist techniques.The Prelude, while largely tonal, does drift into polytonality, and does flirt with modalism. There are some very discreet moments of dissonance, as well. It also has a certain recitative structure. As an aside, until the Romantic period, when Chopin published his groundbreaking book of 24 Preludes, it was considered improper to compose a prelude as a standalone piece; it was always a prelude to something, meaning that it was expected that another, longer piece was to follow it. Since then, however, the prelude has come to be recognized as a musical form all to itself. In keeping with the original intent of the prelude, the prelude in this piece preceeds a fugue.The fugue, in this case, is quite short. It is in three parts. Unlike its prelude, it is more or less strictly tonal.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
PseudoesthesiaThis is a song about accepting loss. Not an ordinary kind of loss, but a loss that a significant portion of yourself has become entangled with. A kind of pseudoesthesia, if you will; the pain of a loss of a part of yourself.Pseudoesthesia is "An illusion of feeling in a limb that has been amputated. It is also called 'phantom pain.'" (source: [PsychologyDictionary.org]). This is a psychological and clinical term for phantom pain; sometimes when you lose a limb, you still have the sensation that the limb is there, and sometimes, you even feel pain in the area as if it were coming from the place that limb used to be. Certain psychological events cause a kind spiritual limb loss.I chose the title to describe a spiritual equivalence. The psyche experiences death from time to time. This is necessary. It attaches itself to things and people. Sometimes, those things fail us on a fundamental level. At times, we have fully identified with the connection that has now failed us. When that happens, we have to let pieces of ourselves die. The truth is, you can't actually let that piece of you go; the only thing you can really do is suppress it, and ignore it until it falls silent. It is a death of self, and the sensation of death certainly does accompany it. Over time, we resurrect and return to the living, ready to form new connections to people and things, but we never forget that sense of death.Some Notes on This PieceThis piece begins and ends in c# minor, which I consider to be the darkest key. Spiritual pseudoesthesia immerses the self into a darkness - a terrible nothingness. The piece is slow and stoic about itself. It undergoes a development section, and there is some polyphonic emergence against the primary theme, and then piece returns to c# minor, and ends on a double octave with an embedded fifth scale degree in the higher octave, which gives the piece a hollow emptiness at the end.Stylistically, this piece is quite impressionistic with some blues influence.
PseudoesthesiaThis is a song about accepting loss. Not an ordinary kind of loss, but a loss that a significant portion of yourself has become entangled with. A kind of pseudoesthesia, if you will; the pain of a loss of a part of yourself.Pseudoesthesia is "An illusion of feeling in a limb that has been amputated. It is also called 'phantom pain.'" (source: [PsychologyDictionary.org]). This is a psychological and clinical term for phantom pain; sometimes when you lose a limb, you still have the sensation that the limb is there, and sometimes, you even feel pain in the area as if it were coming from the place that limb used to be. Certain psychological events cause a kind spiritual limb loss.I chose the title to describe a spiritual equivalence. The psyche experiences death from time to time. This is necessary. It attaches itself to things and people. Sometimes, those things fail us on a fundamental level. At times, we have fully identified with the connection that has now failed us. When that happens, we have to let pieces of ourselves die. The truth is, you can't actually let that piece of you go; the only thing you can really do is suppress it, and ignore it until it falls silent. It is a death of self, and the sensation of death certainly does accompany it. Over time, we resurrect and return to the living, ready to form new connections to people and things, but we never forget that sense of death.Some Notes on This PieceThis piece begins and ends in c# minor, which I consider to be the darkest key. Spiritual pseudoesthesia immerses the self into a darkness - a terrible nothingness. The piece is slow and stoic about itself. It undergoes a development section, and there is some polyphonic emergence against the primary theme, and then piece returns to c# minor, and ends on a double octave with an embedded fifth scale degree in the higher octave, which gives the piece a hollow emptiness at the end.Stylistically, this piece is quite impressionistic with some blues influence.
Finding Your FeetSo-called, because I'm currently going through a "finding your feet" process with the Hydrogen Drum Machine software, which enables me to create drum tracks for my music. Finding Your Feet is my first effort to include Hydrogen beats, and I think it turned out well. Judge for yourself.Ever since college, I wanted to join a band. Over the years, I've briefly been part of a few different projects, including Suicide Death Grip, which was a Deathcore band, and I briefly performed with singer-songwriter David Hawk, who stopped practicing and performing with me for unknown reasons and has subsequently started a solo project called Unicycle Flight. I had jam sessions with an assortment of other musicians over the years. However, I have found that it is exceedingly difficult to get other musicians to commit the time and effort to jam out (much less perform) on a regular basis.Nevertheless, I still wanted to create rock music, so I taught myself bass and guitar. I tried to teach myself drums, but was not successful. Finally, I decided to simply teach myself to create beats artificially using software. I found Hydrogen, and now I'm finding my feet with it.Some Notes on Finding Your FeetThis is a very short piece, which is in keeping with its experimental purpose. It's for a full rock band: keyboard, bass, lead and rhythm guitar, and, of course, drum set. It's an instrumental Rock song. It is in A Flat Major, however, the guitar is in a flat minor. The mild poly-tonality creates a little bit of an edge. Now, Hydrogen makes creating beat tracks relatively simple (although you do need to watch some tutorials if you've never used it). It is free software, which is nice. The software's native sound palette is "electronic" and unconvincing. That's easy to remedy, however. I simply applied a reverb filter onto the drum track in Audacity. I find that that makes it sound much more analog, which is what you want if you're trying to simulate a real drum set. You can still tell that it's a simulated drum set if you're listening very closely, but it isn't obvious.The structure of the piece is an exposition that builds to a climax and then fades out. As such, there really is only one "section" of the piece. That's all the piece really needs, considering that I'm merely trying to successfully integrate Hydrogen tracks. Because of this, I keep it mercifully short at 2 minutes and 22 seconds.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Finding Your FeetSo-called, because I'm currently going through a "finding your feet" process with the Hydrogen Drum Machine software, which enables me to create drum tracks for my music. Finding Your Feet is my first effort to include Hydrogen beats, and I think it turned out well. Judge for yourself.Ever since college, I wanted to join a band. Over the years, I've briefly been part of a few different projects, including Suicide Death Grip, which was a Deathcore band, and I briefly performed with singer-songwriter David Hawk, who stopped practicing and performing with me for unknown reasons and has subsequently started a solo project called Unicycle Flight. I had jam sessions with an assortment of other musicians over the years. However, I have found that it is exceedingly difficult to get other musicians to commit the time and effort to jam out (much less perform) on a regular basis.Nevertheless, I still wanted to create rock music, so I taught myself bass and guitar. I tried to teach myself drums, but was not successful. Finally, I decided to simply teach myself to create beats artificially using software. I found Hydrogen, and now I'm finding my feet with it.Some Notes on Finding Your FeetThis is a very short piece, which is in keeping with its experimental purpose. It's for a full rock band: keyboard, bass, lead and rhythm guitar, and, of course, drum set. It's an instrumental Rock song. It is in A Flat Major, however, the guitar is in a flat minor. The mild poly-tonality creates a little bit of an edge. Now, Hydrogen makes creating beat tracks relatively simple (although you do need to watch some tutorials if you've never used it). It is free software, which is nice. The software's native sound palette is "electronic" and unconvincing. That's easy to remedy, however. I simply applied a reverb filter onto the drum track in Audacity. I find that that makes it sound much more analog, which is what you want if you're trying to simulate a real drum set. You can still tell that it's a simulated drum set if you're listening very closely, but it isn't obvious.The structure of the piece is an exposition that builds to a climax and then fades out. As such, there really is only one "section" of the piece. That's all the piece really needs, considering that I'm merely trying to successfully integrate Hydrogen tracks. Because of this, I keep it mercifully short at 2 minutes and 22 seconds.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Ancient RiddleI find that the deeper I delve into religion, the more my efforts merely uncover an ancient riddle. One can earnestly trace the factual basis for religion. When one does, that leads to threads and stories and archetypes that are far older than written language itself. Consequently, there is one religion of the world that persists; all of its permutations are different only in terms of detail and emphasis. Hence, this one religion of the world is an ancient riddle because it is woven into the very fabric of our psyche from times when we were not even modern humans.Islam traces back to the Christianity of James and Jesus. Likewise, Christianity traces back to a union of Judaism and religions of the east, within one schism; the other half of that schism traces back to Judaism and Babylonian theology (which, in turn, traces back to Egyptian theology), absorbing the European religions along the way. From there, those separate, and trace back to Egypt and the Aryans, respectively. They join again in the Emerald Tablets of Thoth. Finally, the wisdom of the tablets of Thoth traces back into the pre-literate psychology of mankind and pre-humanity. This religion is constantly branching out and recombining with itself like a species undergoing an evolution. Our religion, just like our DNA, distinguishes us, then recombines us, then scatters us into the diaspora of the stars to differentiate us once again. Some Notes on "Ancient Riddle"This is a keyboard improvisation. I have applied reverb and echo filters to it via audacity. It is in E Major. It takes on a ternary format (ABA), where the "B" section is a development section. In the development section, there are no key changes, but there is a lot of polytonality (multiple keys being present at once). Finally, In the recapitulation, the melody does not end in the tonic of E Major, but rather, on the super-dominant, c# minor, suggesting the parallel minor, without actually achieving a transition to that key, leaving the ending of the piece in a highly ambiguous state.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Ancient RiddleI find that the deeper I delve into religion, the more my efforts merely uncover an ancient riddle. One can earnestly trace the factual basis for religion. When one does, that leads to threads and stories and archetypes that are far older than written language itself. Consequently, there is one religion of the world that persists; all of its permutations are different only in terms of detail and emphasis. Hence, this one religion of the world is an ancient riddle because it is woven into the very fabric of our psyche from times when we were not even modern humans.Islam traces back to the Christianity of James and Jesus. Likewise, Christianity traces back to a union of Judaism and religions of the east, within one schism; the other half of that schism traces back to Judaism and Babylonian theology (which, in turn, traces back to Egyptian theology), absorbing the European religions along the way. From there, those separate, and trace back to Egypt and the Aryans, respectively. They join again in the Emerald Tablets of Thoth. Finally, the wisdom of the tablets of Thoth traces back into the pre-literate psychology of mankind and pre-humanity. This religion is constantly branching out and recombining with itself like a species undergoing an evolution. Our religion, just like our DNA, distinguishes us, then recombines us, then scatters us into the diaspora of the stars to differentiate us once again. Some Notes on "Ancient Riddle"This is a keyboard improvisation. I have applied reverb and echo filters to it via audacity. It is in E Major. It takes on a ternary format (ABA), where the "B" section is a development section. In the development section, there are no key changes, but there is a lot of polytonality (multiple keys being present at once). Finally, In the recapitulation, the melody does not end in the tonic of E Major, but rather, on the super-dominant, c# minor, suggesting the parallel minor, without actually achieving a transition to that key, leaving the ending of the piece in a highly ambiguous state.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Windowless MonadsGottfried Leibniz was a German philosopher who was a contemporary of Isaac Newton. He theorized the existence of Monads. Monads are an object of theory; they are supposed to be particles somewhat similar to our modern concept of the atom (with some significant differences). The TheoryThese particles are the underlying universal substrate. They are self-contained and indestructible. They each contain within themselves the essence of the entire universe, much like a kind of divine genetic code. Nevertheless, they also are distinct from one another, each having different attributes, resulting in the vast variety that we can see in nature.What he suggests is that the universe is a self-contained thing and that what we experience as a sequence of space and time, is really a coherent whole. He described monads as "windowless;" meaning, not being open to outside forces in any way. They do not take in or emit from themselves anything from or into anything outside of themselves. In this sense, they are similar to the modern atomic idea, in that we now theorize that atoms interact with other atoms, but under normal circumstances, atoms do not change in their fundamental nature.Leibniz's theory portrays a deterministic view of nature that, in some ways, anticipated Einstein's Theory of Relativity, in that it suggests that the universe is structured in a non-linear way. What I Find Provocative About this IdeaIn absolute terms, modern science has largely invalidated the Theory of Monads. Nevertheless, I find certain aspects of this idea interesting. For one thing, his idea is really quite fractal. This idea that the further you go down into the micro, the more the macro reveals itself is a very spiritual idea, and I think there is something to that. For example, atoms resemble solar systems and galaxies in terms of their basic geometric structure. That's interesting. The idea that each particle has a kind of genetic code that reflects the universe as a whole - that's interesting, too. Some Notes on "Windowless Monads"This piece uses an octatonic palate to portray monadic "windowlessness." The octatonic scale is "windowless," in the sense that it has a completely repetitive structure; whole-tone - half-tone, whole-tone - half-tone, all the way up the entire octave. Unlike tonal scales, which have seven scale degrees, the "octatonic" scale has eight. The seven scale degrees in tonal music give it a kind of built-in tension that seeks resolution. The octatonic scale seeks no resolution because it does not require it. It is naturally self-exploratory and does not need to come to any rest. In this way, it is "self-contained," in the same way that monads are theorized to be.However, I also wanted to portray my "windowless monads" as causing ephemera of time-bound existence. I show this by having the piece transition in and out of tonal sections. True to the monadic theory, the piece ends in a self-contained way - by returning to the original octatonic riff.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Windowless MonadsGottfried Leibniz was a German philosopher who was a contemporary of Isaac Newton. He theorized the existence of Monads. Monads are an object of theory; they are supposed to be particles somewhat similar to our modern concept of the atom (with some significant differences). The TheoryThese particles are the underlying universal substrate. They are self-contained and indestructible. They each contain within themselves the essence of the entire universe, much like a kind of divine genetic code. Nevertheless, they also are distinct from one another, each having different attributes, resulting in the vast variety that we can see in nature.What he suggests is that the universe is a self-contained thing and that what we experience as a sequence of space and time, is really a coherent whole. He described monads as "windowless;" meaning, not being open to outside forces in any way. They do not take in or emit from themselves anything from or into anything outside of themselves. In this sense, they are similar to the modern atomic idea, in that we now theorize that atoms interact with other atoms, but under normal circumstances, atoms do not change in their fundamental nature.Leibniz's theory portrays a deterministic view of nature that, in some ways, anticipated Einstein's Theory of Relativity, in that it suggests that the universe is structured in a non-linear way. What I Find Provocative About this IdeaIn absolute terms, modern science has largely invalidated the Theory of Monads. Nevertheless, I find certain aspects of this idea interesting. For one thing, his idea is really quite fractal. This idea that the further you go down into the micro, the more the macro reveals itself is a very spiritual idea, and I think there is something to that. For example, atoms resemble solar systems and galaxies in terms of their basic geometric structure. That's interesting. The idea that each particle has a kind of genetic code that reflects the universe as a whole - that's interesting, too. Some Notes on "Windowless Monads"This piece uses an octatonic palate to portray monadic "windowlessness." The octatonic scale is "windowless," in the sense that it has a completely repetitive structure; whole-tone - half-tone, whole-tone - half-tone, all the way up the entire octave. Unlike tonal scales, which have seven scale degrees, the "octatonic" scale has eight. The seven scale degrees in tonal music give it a kind of built-in tension that seeks resolution. The octatonic scale seeks no resolution because it does not require it. It is naturally self-exploratory and does not need to come to any rest. In this way, it is "self-contained," in the same way that monads are theorized to be.However, I also wanted to portray my "windowless monads" as causing ephemera of time-bound existence. I show this by having the piece transition in and out of tonal sections. True to the monadic theory, the piece ends in a self-contained way - by returning to the original octatonic riff.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
RootedA balanced human being takes time to explore his own unconscious self. He does that by engaging in protracted self-exploration. Consequently, his conscious self is rooted in his subject. Lacan talks about how the ego, which is the focus of the objective, conscious self, is alienated from his subjective self. The separation between consciousness and subject is rooted in linguistics. The subject organizes itself syntactically. It forms sensory associations which reflect meaning, whereas consciousness forms linguistic networks of meaning through the mother tongue and an objective approach to experience. In order for the conscious self to access the subject, it must listen carefully to the associations of meaning that the unconscious forms. The consciousness then discovers new depths of meaning within what is already familiar. The ego recognizes the roots of the objects of its experience, as well as their true, hidden meanings.Exploring the unconscious subject is necessary. It is necessary for someone to know themselves intimately, and live a balanced, aware life. It is not possible to be truthful to others if, because of self-ignorance, you habitually deceive yourself. One must carefully observe and honestly assess one's emotional responses because these emotional responses reveal the true self. Some Notes on "Rooted"This is a solo keyboard improvisation. It is mostly in a minor, although it wanders quite a bit.This piece is "paratonal." "Paratonal" is my own term. It means that any given bar appears to be (mostly) tonal, however, the harmonic structure of the melody and the piece overall is far from tonal. It tends not to dwell on one key for long. There is a lot of suggested polytonality, as well as some unresolved dissonance.You can hear a certain impressionistic influence, as well. This piece is not dissimilar to something Debbusy, Satie, or Ravel might have created. There is also a little bit of Stravinsky influence, as well as some Rachmaninov.I use paratonality in this piece to express a certain familiar weirdness. This expresses the strangeness, yet familiarity of the unconscious mind. I also use a lot of close intervals (mostly thirds) to portray a hiddenness. This makes the piece sound very closed in.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
RootedA balanced human being takes time to explore his own unconscious self. He does that by engaging in protracted self-exploration. Consequently, his conscious self is rooted in his subject. Lacan talks about how the ego, which is the focus of the objective, conscious self, is alienated from his subjective self. The separation between consciousness and subject is rooted in linguistics. The subject organizes itself syntactically. It forms sensory associations which reflect meaning, whereas consciousness forms linguistic networks of meaning through the mother tongue and an objective approach to experience. In order for the conscious self to access the subject, it must listen carefully to the associations of meaning that the unconscious forms. The consciousness then discovers new depths of meaning within what is already familiar. The ego recognizes the roots of the objects of its experience, as well as their true, hidden meanings.Exploring the unconscious subject is necessary. It is necessary for someone to know themselves intimately, and live a balanced, aware life. It is not possible to be truthful to others if, because of self-ignorance, you habitually deceive yourself. One must carefully observe and honestly assess one's emotional responses because these emotional responses reveal the true self. Some Notes on "Rooted"This is a solo keyboard improvisation. It is mostly in a minor, although it wanders quite a bit.This piece is "paratonal." "Paratonal" is my own term. It means that any given bar appears to be (mostly) tonal, however, the harmonic structure of the melody and the piece overall is far from tonal. It tends not to dwell on one key for long. There is a lot of suggested polytonality, as well as some unresolved dissonance.You can hear a certain impressionistic influence, as well. This piece is not dissimilar to something Debbusy, Satie, or Ravel might have created. There is also a little bit of Stravinsky influence, as well as some Rachmaninov.I use paratonality in this piece to express a certain familiar weirdness. This expresses the strangeness, yet familiarity of the unconscious mind. I also use a lot of close intervals (mostly thirds) to portray a hiddenness. This makes the piece sound very closed in.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Flight"Flight" is about the essential nature of invention. There is, in the most powerful creative endeavors, a process that takes place that the ancient Hermeticists projected as being tied to the nature of existence itself. The creative endeavor is an essential component of life itself as such. All life is the emergence of the new from the pursuit of completion. That's what creativity is.In Hermetic terms, this process takes place through the interplay of the male and female principles. This occurs on the level of biology, psychology, philosophy, politics, even, one could say, on the level of quantum physics. Consciousness and connected being interacting with one another generate the substrate of experience."Flight" depicts the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane. The invention of the airplane is a real-life example of the animating creative process. A colleague of mine once mentioned that one of the Wright brothers was driven to succeed in the face of repeated failure because the woman he was enamored with had lost faith in him. He felt that he had to restore that faith at all costs. I have not verified this story, but it is a plausible one. Because of universal process of completion taking place in the context of the human species, gravity, which once bound by man to a radius of about a hundred miles in his life, was now simply the thing that kept the plane from drifting into outer space, as he enjoys his flight from New York to Moscow.Some Notes on this PieceRecently, I've decided to include a guitar track in my pieces. In "flight," the guitar sort of symbolizes the idea of flight that becomes a tangible reality as the piano track transitions from the slow, plodding thinking to the dynamic emergence of the factual projection underneath.The piece begins quietly and slowly, but it gradually picks up tempo, volume, and body. It rises to a crescendo. At the climax of the piece, the guitar reaches for (and doesn't quite attain) the tonic with a 6-7-6 (scale degrees) phrase. The piece ends with a peaceful decrescendo. The structure of the piece mimics the process of the joining of male and female principles in order to portray the hermetic idea.The piece is for piano and guitar. It has some jazz and rock influences, as well as some Americana classical influence. Americana classical music is a branch of the classical tradition which features a largely diatonic harmonic content with some moderate level of dissonance, as well as some popular music influence. The two most prominent names of this tradition are Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. John Adams also composed music in this tradition, although he also belongs to the minimalist tradition.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
Flight"Flight" is about the essential nature of invention. There is, in the most powerful creative endeavors, a process that takes place that the ancient Hermeticists projected as being tied to the nature of existence itself. The creative endeavor is an essential component of life itself as such. All life is the emergence of the new from the pursuit of completion. That's what creativity is.In Hermetic terms, this process takes place through the interplay of the male and female principles. This occurs on the level of biology, psychology, philosophy, politics, even, one could say, on the level of quantum physics. Consciousness and connected being interacting with one another generate the substrate of experience."Flight" depicts the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane. The invention of the airplane is a real-life example of the animating creative process. A colleague of mine once mentioned that one of the Wright brothers was driven to succeed in the face of repeated failure because the woman he was enamored with had lost faith in him. He felt that he had to restore that faith at all costs. I have not verified this story, but it is a plausible one. Because of universal process of completion taking place in the context of the human species, gravity, which once bound by man to a radius of about a hundred miles in his life, was now simply the thing that kept the plane from drifting into outer space, as he enjoys his flight from New York to Moscow.Some Notes on this PieceRecently, I've decided to include a guitar track in my pieces. In "flight," the guitar sort of symbolizes the idea of flight that becomes a tangible reality as the piano track transitions from the slow, plodding thinking to the dynamic emergence of the factual projection underneath.The piece begins quietly and slowly, but it gradually picks up tempo, volume, and body. It rises to a crescendo. At the climax of the piece, the guitar reaches for (and doesn't quite attain) the tonic with a 6-7-6 (scale degrees) phrase. The piece ends with a peaceful decrescendo. The structure of the piece mimics the process of the joining of male and female principles in order to portray the hermetic idea.The piece is for piano and guitar. It has some jazz and rock influences, as well as some Americana classical influence. Americana classical music is a branch of the classical tradition which features a largely diatonic harmonic content with some moderate level of dissonance, as well as some popular music influence. The two most prominent names of this tradition are Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. John Adams also composed music in this tradition, although he also belongs to the minimalist tradition.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: http://pjcornell.com
New CanyonsIn one or two of my previous posts, I've compared the emotional experience to a river which cuts canyons in the topography of our future experience of being, in such a way that our sense of self is "pre-paved," if you will, by our present emotional experience.What you feel today is who you become tomorrow. If you don't like who you are, you can take control of that choosing to change your emotional experience. When you do this, the "river" that is your emotional self, begins to cut "new canyons" in your a priori bound experiential future. So if you don't like who you are, then it is incumbent upon you to cut new canyons for yourself by changing the way you feel. This starts with a conscious choice. You have to choose to take control of the person you are becoming. You have to understand that doing so commits you to an emotional process. Then, it proceeds with changing your surroundings. This presents the stimuli you need to be happier. You now have the power to be happy, regardless of what the objective situation is. When that happens, you become a deep, powerful, effective human being. Some Notes on this Piece"New Canyons" shows the process of getting from a place of worry to a place of personal power. Getting in touch with your personal power makes you able to experience confidence and happiness. It opens in g# minor, which, to my ear, is the most unsure, worry-filled key. The piece features, close, restricted minor thirds, further underscoring the anxiety of the experience. As it progresses, it slowly opens up and moves past the sense of anxiety, to much more full, open chords in a major key, with parallel fifths and octaves, suggesting a calm, but powerful sense of self-confidence and personal power. As such, this shows the process of developing new canyons of future experience.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
New CanyonsIn one or two of my previous posts, I've compared the emotional experience to a river which cuts canyons in the topography of our future experience of being, in such a way that our sense of self is "pre-paved," if you will, by our present emotional experience.What you feel today is who you become tomorrow. If you don't like who you are, you can take control of that choosing to change your emotional experience. When you do this, the "river" that is your emotional self, begins to cut "new canyons" in your a priori bound experiential future. So if you don't like who you are, then it is incumbent upon you to cut new canyons for yourself by changing the way you feel. This starts with a conscious choice. You have to choose to take control of the person you are becoming. You have to understand that doing so commits you to an emotional process. Then, it proceeds with changing your surroundings. This presents the stimuli you need to be happier. You now have the power to be happy, regardless of what the objective situation is. When that happens, you become a deep, powerful, effective human being. Some Notes on this Piece"New Canyons" shows the process of getting from a place of worry to a place of personal power. Getting in touch with your personal power makes you able to experience confidence and happiness. It opens in g# minor, which, to my ear, is the most unsure, worry-filled key. The piece features, close, restricted minor thirds, further underscoring the anxiety of the experience. As it progresses, it slowly opens up and moves past the sense of anxiety, to much more full, open chords in a major key, with parallel fifths and octaves, suggesting a calm, but powerful sense of self-confidence and personal power. As such, this shows the process of developing new canyons of future experience.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
Sonata for Guitar and Piano in e flat minorThis is a sonata for guitar and piano in e flat minor. While it is somewhat in the realms of minimalism and jazz in terms of style, it follows the basic classical three-movement sonata form. I chose e flat minor because it has a dark, murky, mysterious quality. F Sharp Major is its relative major (which is used in classical sonata form for the countertheme and second movement when the main key is minor), which, to my ear, has a rich, yet frosty sound to it. Some Notes on "Sonata for Guitar and Piano in e flat minor"This piece has three movements. The first movement is a sonata allegretto in e flat minor, the second movement is a ternary andante in F Sharp Major, and the third movement is a quick-paced rondo in e flat minor. First Movement: AllegrettoThis movement moves along at a somewhat leisurely pace. The keyboard opens in the tonic key with a simple ostinato. The guitar then enters mimicking the ostinato before launching into the theme. The keyboards maintain a rhythmic countermelody before shifting to the countertheme.The countertheme is slower and is characterized, in the guitar, with relaxed slides, and a shift to an acoustic sound pallet. The piano has already entered into the development section before the guitar is done with the countertheme.In the development section, the guitar returns to an electronic sound pallet in between keyboard solos that explore a few different keys with the theme and countertheme.The recapitulation is a bit truncated and is really more of a continuation of the thoughts posed by the theme and counterthemes, rather than a full-blown recapitulation. Second Movement: AndanteThis is arguably the best part of the piece. It is in the relative F# Major. This movement is much less rhythmic and much more melodic than the other two movements. It is somewhat modal with a few chromaticisms and whole tones thrown in. The guitar uses an acoustic sound pallet. The theme of this movement is reminiscent of the countertheme of the first movement.This piece follows a ternary form. The "B" section is a development section, but while the theme explores itself a bit here, it doesn't go too far off afield. The returning "A" theme is a variation on the original theme with a slightly more lively texture. Third Movement: Rondo VivaceThis movement returns to e flat minor with a main theme that is reminiscent of the main theme in the first movement, but it is much shorter and frenetic.The keyboard plays the F Sharp Major countertheme rather than the guitar, which plays an accompanying role. The theme is a bit slower than the main theme, but it is not leisurely; it has a moderate pace and emphasizes rhythm over melody.The first return of the main theme is actually a brief development section. The main theme explores a few different keys before going in the "C" section.The "C" section is materially different from the rest of the movement. It is somewhat reminiscent of the countertheme of the first movement. It is a brief development section, as well.The recapitulation returns to e flat minor, and, rather than going into a final "ABA" format, it simply combines elements of the theme and countertheme in what could be considered an extended CODA.Youtube boilerplate:Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
Sonata for Guitar and Piano in e flat minorThis is a sonata for guitar and piano in e flat minor. While it is somewhat in the realms of minimalism and jazz in terms of style, it follows the basic classical three-movement sonata form. I chose e flat minor because it has a dark, murky, mysterious quality. F Sharp Major is its relative major (which is used in classical sonata form for the countertheme and second movement when the main key is minor), which, to my ear, has a rich, yet frosty sound to it. Some Notes on "Sonata for Guitar and Piano in e flat minor"This piece has three movements. The first movement is a sonata allegretto in e flat minor, the second movement is a ternary andante in F Sharp Major, and the third movement is a quick-paced rondo in e flat minor. First Movement: AllegrettoThis movement moves along at a somewhat leisurely pace. The keyboard opens in the tonic key with a simple ostinato. The guitar then enters mimicking the ostinato before launching into the theme. The keyboards maintain a rhythmic countermelody before shifting to the countertheme.The countertheme is slower and is characterized, in the guitar, with relaxed slides, and a shift to an acoustic sound pallet. The piano has already entered into the development section before the guitar is done with the countertheme.In the development section, the guitar returns to an electronic sound pallet in between keyboard solos that explore a few different keys with the theme and countertheme.The recapitulation is a bit truncated and is really more of a continuation of the thoughts posed by the theme and counterthemes, rather than a full-blown recapitulation. Second Movement: AndanteThis is arguably the best part of the piece. It is in the relative F# Major. This movement is much less rhythmic and much more melodic than the other two movements. It is somewhat modal with a few chromaticisms and whole tones thrown in. The guitar uses an acoustic sound pallet. The theme of this movement is reminiscent of the countertheme of the first movement.This piece follows a ternary form. The "B" section is a development section, but while the theme explores itself a bit here, it doesn't go too far off afield. The returning "A" theme is a variation on the original theme with a slightly more lively texture. Third Movement: Rondo VivaceThis movement returns to e flat minor with a main theme that is reminiscent of the main theme in the first movement, but it is much shorter and frenetic.The keyboard plays the F Sharp Major countertheme rather than the guitar, which plays an accompanying role. The theme is a bit slower than the main theme, but it is not leisurely; it has a moderate pace and emphasizes rhythm over melody.The first return of the main theme is actually a brief development section. The main theme explores a few different keys before going in the "C" section.The "C" section is materially different from the rest of the movement. It is somewhat reminiscent of the countertheme of the first movement. It is a brief development section, as well.The recapitulation returns to e flat minor, and, rather than going into a final "ABA" format, it simply combines elements of the theme and countertheme in what could be considered an extended CODA.Youtube boilerplate:Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
Vow of SilenceWhy is it that many monks choose to commit to a vow of silence? The level of commitment that that takes is heavy. It means that even the most casual and menial effort at communication with others becomes a major challenge. One does not take up such a challenge without the possibility of a significant payoff.I would suggest that the payoff for such a vow has to do with the kinds of knowledge that are only accessible through the kind of intense introspection that you are forced to engage in when you have committed to not speaking at all under any circumstances.When you make that kind of commitment, you are forced to listen and observe yourself and others. Unless and until you have chosen to listen and observe more than speak, you are highly vulnerable to hypocrisy and ignorance. So many people view others as their enemies, and sometimes, such an estimation of others has some validity; but what they forget is that they can be their own worst enemies when they fail to attend to the content of their own souls. I think that is what a vow of silence is really about. Some Notes on Vow of SilenceThis piece is a simple improvisation that I did for electronic keyboard. It is mostly tonal, with some whole-tonality sections. The piece is binary, with a musical motif followed by a development section. It is heavily melodic, rather than rhythmic. It does have a shifting time signature. There is very little polyphony; the piece instead focuses on the harmonic content.I created this piece in such a way as to capture a sense of rich, silent introversion. To do that, I used an electronic keyboard sound pallet, which doesn't have any sharp edges, and I used a musical texture that focused on harmony and melody, rather than rhythm.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner.Youtube boilerplate:Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
Vow of SilenceWhy is it that many monks choose to commit to a vow of silence? The level of commitment that that takes is heavy. It means that even the most casual and menial effort at communication with others becomes a major challenge. One does not take up such a challenge without the possibility of a significant payoff.I would suggest that the payoff for such a vow has to do with the kinds of knowledge that are only accessible through the kind of intense introspection that you are forced to engage in when you have committed to not speaking at all under any circumstances.When you make that kind of commitment, you are forced to listen and observe yourself and others. Unless and until you have chosen to listen and observe more than speak, you are highly vulnerable to hypocrisy and ignorance. So many people view others as their enemies, and sometimes, such an estimation of others has some validity; but what they forget is that they can be their own worst enemies when they fail to attend to the content of their own souls. I think that is what a vow of silence is really about. Some Notes on Vow of SilenceThis piece is a simple improvisation that I did for electronic keyboard. It is mostly tonal, with some whole-tonality sections. The piece is binary, with a musical motif followed by a development section. It is heavily melodic, rather than rhythmic. It does have a shifting time signature. There is very little polyphony; the piece instead focuses on the harmonic content.I created this piece in such a way as to capture a sense of rich, silent introversion. To do that, I used an electronic keyboard sound pallet, which doesn't have any sharp edges, and I used a musical texture that focused on harmony and melody, rather than rhythm.Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner.Youtube boilerplate:Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
RokayaMuslims have a practice known as "Rokaya," which is a ceremonial prayer which cleanses a house of unclean spirits. The idea of this practice is highly suggestive to me. It suggests something rather akin to an exorcism, yet less theatrical. It's more like a center of calm in a person that they find deep within their soul and extends, gently, to their chest, stomach, legs and arms, head, and, finally, their toes and fingers. Consequently, an unshakeable calm saturates their entire body, soul, and spirit. When it does, one utters the rokaya -- assertively, powerfully, yet entirely devoid of aggression or impurity.Demons, who thrive on soul decay, frustration, aggression, and hatred, are only repelled by the pure power expressed by the idea of this rokaya. It is humble and unassuming. When the one who expresses it encounters others, they set their demons are on the run, and that things in their life are set back in proper order. The rokaya has a cleansing, healing, and comforting effect.Some Notes on RokayaThis piece has of a number of intersecting elements. The tonal center is c#, with an initial suggestion of the minor mode, which, in my opinion, is the darkest key signature. It sounds "black" to me. But, as other instruments are introduced after the slow, simple pointillist opening with the solo piano, the harmonies become much more complex.The guitar, and later, the piano, introduces an octatonic mode. There is complex, florid polyphony, polytonality, and polyrhythm that grows naturally from initially simple threads into twisted sinews, dissolving again into nothingness. The piece begins and ends on the same, simple, unassuming C# right above middle C. This particularly suggests, in spite of the complex, passionate journey of the piece, a stable sense of self. This portrays a sense of reassurance of a beneficent constancy and dependability of essence in the face of the darkness.Some people can drive out demons by simply seeing the truth. The beholder sees your true self. When you encounter the beholder, your demons must leave. Thoe rokaya cleanses your home. It cleanses your soul.Youtube boilerplate:Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
RokayaMuslims have a practice known as "Rokaya," which is a ceremonial prayer which cleanses a house of unclean spirits. The idea of this practice is highly suggestive to me. It suggests something rather akin to an exorcism, yet less theatrical. It's more like a center of calm in a person that they find deep within their soul and extends, gently, to their chest, stomach, legs and arms, head, and, finally, their toes and fingers. Consequently, an unshakeable calm saturates their entire body, soul, and spirit. When it does, one utters the rokaya -- assertively, powerfully, yet entirely devoid of aggression or impurity.Demons, who thrive on soul decay, frustration, aggression, and hatred, are only repelled by the pure power expressed by the idea of this rokaya. It is humble and unassuming. When the one who expresses it encounters others, they set their demons are on the run, and that things in their life are set back in proper order. The rokaya has a cleansing, healing, and comforting effect.Some Notes on RokayaThis piece has of a number of intersecting elements. The tonal center is c#, with an initial suggestion of the minor mode, which, in my opinion, is the darkest key signature. It sounds "black" to me. But, as other instruments are introduced after the slow, simple pointillist opening with the solo piano, the harmonies become much more complex.The guitar, and later, the piano, introduces an octatonic mode. There is complex, florid polyphony, polytonality, and polyrhythm that grows naturally from initially simple threads into twisted sinews, dissolving again into nothingness. The piece begins and ends on the same, simple, unassuming C# right above middle C. This particularly suggests, in spite of the complex, passionate journey of the piece, a stable sense of self. This portrays a sense of reassurance of a beneficent constancy and dependability of essence in the face of the darkness.Some people can drive out demons by simply seeing the truth. The beholder sees your true self. When you encounter the beholder, your demons must leave. Thoe rokaya cleanses your home. It cleanses your soul.Youtube boilerplate:Copyright, Philip John Cornell, 2018, some rights reserved. You may download this content freely. If you share it, it must be prominently attributed to "PJ Cornell," and if shared online, a link to the original content must be provided in a prominent location. This audio and video content may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without permission from the copyright owner. Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pj-cornellFollow me on iTunes: (Asterisk Piano Podcast)Follow me on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@pjcomposerJoin the conversation on my site: https://pjcornell.com
Today is the 150th anniversary of W.E.B. Du Bois’s birth. To mark this occasion, I interviewed Du Bois scholar, Dr. Tony Monteiro. In this conversation, Dr. Monteiro talks about the year long project he and his colleagues launched in Philadelphia including a weekly radio show on WURD, where works of Du Bois are read. As part of The Year of Du Bois, Dr. Monteiro has helped form Du Bois reading groups throughout the city at historically Black churches such as Mother Bethel AME Church and The Church of the Advocate—to name just two. The significance of Du Bois in our times is also explored. Dr. Monteiro talks about Du Bois’s methodology and why his work focused on solutions to the pressing problems of his time and why this continues to be relevant today. In addition, Dr. Monteiro describes why Du Bois insisted on an analysis of problems that wedded sociology and philosophy, as well as discussing why Du Bois focused on the Black working class. Of particular interest to Beyond Prisons listeners would be the discussion of the special police force that Du Bois describes in his writings. On Du Bois’s poetics and social science in the Souls of Black Folk, Dr. Monteiro says, “Humanity cannot be reduced to quantitative, or statistical or other types of variables. There is the immeasurable…” and this is, in part, why reading Du Bois is such a wonderfully rich and rewarding experience. There is much to be learned from reading Du Bois and this episode helps to highlight some of Du Bois’s most significant contributions, providing insight into why his work continues to be relevant. My interest in Du Bois’s work began many years ago when I was a grad student searching for a way to make sense of the problems of mass incarceration, and particularly reentry. I would read Du Bois and even taught the Souls of Black Folk in my classes. Under the guidance of Dr. Monteiro, I expanded my understanding of Du Bois and began to make connections between what I was working on (prisons and reentry) and Du Bois’s sociology, philosophy, poetics, and phenomenology. Trained as a policy analyst, I found Du Bois’s work brought something to the understanding of social problems that was missing from policy analysis. In my own writing, I describe the approach to the study of problems in public policy analysis and criminology as being rooted in methodological fetishism, which is the tendency within disciplines to esteem a single model/methodological approach. In public policy analysis the preferred/esteemed approach is cost-benefit analysis. In my view, this limits the possibility of critical inquiry—that is, it limits our understanding of social problems and doesn’t address the how or why, but focuses only on the what. Du Bois’s approach upsets this tendency because he drew upon empirical sources, and worked to understand the inner life world of Black people—thereby moving beyond quantitative analysis. This is why we chose to invite Dr. Monteiro back to the show and why reading Du Bois matters to us here at the podcast. We’ve put together a very short list of readings and links that listeners might find useful: The Year of Du Bois: https://www.yearofdubois.org The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study by W.E.B. Du Bois: https://archive.org/stream/philadelphianegr001901mbp/philadelphianegr001901mbp_djvu.txt The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois: http://sites.middlebury.edu/soan105tiger/files/2014/08/Du-Bois-The-Souls-of-Black-Folks.pdf Some Notes on Negro Crime, Particularly in Georgia: http://scua.library.umass.edu/digital/dubois/dubois9.pdf The Souls of White Folk: http://files.umwblogs.org/blogs.dir/5632/files/2012/08/The-Souls-of-White-Folk.pdf Darkwater: Voices from within The Veil: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15210/15210-h/15210-h.htm Du Bois 150th Festival: https://dubois150th.com Outlaw, L. T. (2000, March). W.E.B. Du Bois on the Study of Social Problems. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, The Study of African American Problems: W.E.B. Du Bois's Agenda, Then and Now, 568, 281-297. Monteiro, A. (2007). W.E.B. Du Bois and the Study of Black Humanity: A Rediscovery. Journal of Black Studies, 607. Monteiro, A. (2011). Race and the Racialized State: A Du Boisian Interrogation. Journal of the Research Group on Socialism and Democracy Online, 26(2). Katz, M. B. (2000, March). Race, Poverty, and Welfare: Du Bois's Legacy for Policy. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, The Study of African American Problems: W.E.B. Du Bois's Agenda, Then and Now, 568, 111- 127. Gordon, L. R. (2000, March). Du Bois's Humanistic Philosophy of Human Sciences. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, The Study of African American Problems: W.E.B. Du Bois's Agenda, Then and Now, 568, 265- 280. Support our show and join us on Patreon. Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes and on Google Play Sign up for the Beyond Prisons newsletter to receive updates on new episodes, important news and events, and more. Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @Beyond_Prison @phillyprof03 @bsonenstein @jaybeware Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/ Music & Production: Jared Ware
Today's guest: Nick Gucker! Join us as Nick talks about his roots, what inspires him, and more. We also talked a bit about NecronomiCon, and discussed a few things available for sale there (and online): Sara Bardi's "Eldritch Tarot" cards, the HPLHS's new Lovecraft audiobook, Hippocampus's Lovecraft Collection Fiction, Some Notes on a NonEntity by Sam Gafford and Jason Eckhardt, and A Walk on the Weird Side edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. Become a Patreon and get access to my brand new Lovecraftian fiction podcast, plus our bonus nonfiction podcasts! Check out the Lovecraft eZine Press books. Follow Mike on Twitter or Facebook. Email the show: lovecraftezine@gmail.com
Paul Wolff has designed more legendary pieces of gear than most of us have used. In his years with API alone, Paul designed the 550B EQ, 512 and 3124 mic preamps, Legacy console, and 2500 compressor. He was recently honored by NAMM TEC hall of fame for inventing the Lunchbox and 500-series format, which he helped turned into a cottage industry. I was honored to have Paul on the podcast to discuss console design and how he's seen the industry change in the last 40 years. Just a few of the things we discussed: The origins of the 500-series How Steve Perry became the first customer of the Lunchbox The uphill battle to make gear that’s authentic to the API sound What happened in 1978 to change the sound of most audio equipment Paul's opinion that cloners "should be burned to death” Download the mp3 or subscribe via iTunes Some Notes on API Jargon As much as I try to keep our podcasts fairly jargon-free, I was guilty of using a lot of API model numbers without explanation this episode. These are: 550A: Late 60's, 3-band EQ 2520: The discrete operational amplifier (DOA, or "opamp") that's at the heart of most API designs 2488: Early 70's console 512: 500-series mic preamp designed by Paul 312: 60's mic preamp 3124: A 4-channel 312 designed by Paul 2503: The output transformer in most API gear 2500: Bus compressor designed by Paul
As Variously As Possible - Episode 7 - Some Notes on Traditionalism - Part 1 by Tom Cheetham
Speaker: Dr. Daniel Tsadik Affiliation: Assistant Professor of Sepharadic and Iranian Studies, Yeshiva University, New York Title: "Some Notes on Antisemitism in Iran" Convener: Dr. Charles Asher Small, Founder and Executive Director, Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT Date: February 10, 2011 Description: Dr. Daniel Tsadik speaks about the antisemitic tendencies of the Iranian regime and offers historical perspectives in order to better understand these modern, genocidal antisemitic beliefs.
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Metin Heper, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, on "Some Notes on Secularism in Turkey" Scholarship on secularism in the Middle East and South Asia has been radically transformed in the last decade, and continues to be one of the most innovative and creative, as well as challenging, areas of inquiry. It has become apparent that we are talking about multiple ways of constituting and imagining secularism, and that recognition of historical context and diversity is essential. We no longer use Western Europe as a yardstick, or even speak of secularism as a uniform phenomenon, instead we have moved to exploring the diversity of secularisms in a wide variety of social, cultural and historical contexts. Scholarship increasingly probes ways in which secularisms are constructed in interaction with new understandings of religion and expressions of religiosity, the redefinition of ‘public’ and ‘private,’ ideas of citizenship, and individual subjectivities. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Metin Heper, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, on "Some Notes on Secularism in Turkey" Scholarship on secularism in the Middle East and South Asia has been radically transformed in the last decade, and continues to be one of the most innovative and creative, as well as challenging, areas of inquiry. It has become apparent that we are talking about multiple ways of constituting and imagining secularism, and that recognition of historical context and diversity is essential. We no longer use Western Europe as a yardstick, or even speak of secularism as a uniform phenomenon, instead we have moved to exploring the diversity of secularisms in a wide variety of social, cultural and historical contexts. Scholarship increasingly probes ways in which secularisms are constructed in interaction with new understandings of religion and expressions of religiosity, the redefinition of ‘public’ and ‘private,’ ideas of citizenship, and individual subjectivities. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2
Some Notes for the message on the ascension for May 17, 2015Please listen to the audio message as these notes are not a transcript, but are only here to help provide a framework for the message.Also - please see the questions for discussion and reflection at the bottom of the notes.You can use the comments below to discuss or go to the Message Discussion Group on Facebook 1) John Calvin in the Institutes of Christian Religion says this about the ascension of Jesus into heaven: “...he withdrew his bodily presence from our sight [Acts 1:9], not to cease being present with believers still on their earthly pilgrimage, but to rule heaven and earth with a more immediate power." Institutes II, 16, 16 (pg. 524-525) Summary of Calvin’s benefits imparted to our faith by Christ’s ascension A) Jesus opens heaven to us. “Since he entered heaven in our flesh, as if in our name, it follow, as the apostle says, that in a sense we already ‘sit with God in the heavenly places in him' [Eph. 2:6], so that we do not await heaven with a bare hope, but in our Head already possess it. B) Jesus, in the presence of the Father is our “advocate and intercessor.” “He turns the Father’s eyes to his own righteousness to avert his gaze from our sins. He so reconciles the Father’s heart to us that by his intercession he prepares a way and access for us to the Father’s throne." C) “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive,” (Eph. 4:8), and despoiling his enemies, he enriched his own people, and daily lavishes spiritual riches upon them. He therefore sits on high, transfusing us with his power, that he may quicken us to spiritual life, sanctify us by his Spirit, adorn his church with divers gifts of his grace, keep it safe from all harm by his protection, restrain the raging enemies of his cross and of our salvation by the strength of his hand, and finally hold all power in heaven and on earth. All this he does until he shall lay low all his enemies [1 Cor. 15:25; cf. Ps. 110:1] (who are our enemies too) and complete the building of his church. This is the true state of his Kingdom; this is the power that the father has conferred upon him, until, in coming to judge the living and the dead, he accomplishes his final act. 2) Our misunderstanding of this third from Calvin point started with the disciples that day. The disciples ask: “is this when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” They misunderstand something. What is the nature of their misunderstanding? Commentators don’t agree. Some say that the disciples have missed that the kingdom is for more than Israel. b) Most say that the disciples are still thinking of an earthly kingdom, and have missed that Jesus’ kingdom is heavenly or spiritual. c) Some say that the only mistake the disciples made was one of timing. Is now the time. Jesus says, its not for you to know the times set by the Father. Maybe they missed all these things. Something not right about these when framed as an either / or. But these are all characteristics of the kingdom when seen as both sides being true. The kingdom is either for Israel or the rest of the world. No - its for both. b) The kingdom isn’t an earthly kingdom, its heavenly or spiritual. Actually - its both. And the final promise is not that we will simply all be taken up to heaven as Jesus was. It is that the Kingdom of heaven will be fully realized on earth. We pray for this in the Lord’s prayer. Your kingdom come. Its both. The hoped for physical reality of the kingdom of God on earth, and the heavenly kingdom where Christ is present now. c) The kingdom has not yet come. The time is not now. Some believe it is. Its actually both. The kingdom is now, and it is also not yet. We have a reigning king on the throne of heaven. We have experience of being his subjects, we experience the kingdom of God in part now. But its not yet. 3) The disciples’ misunderstandings help us learn about the nature of the kingdom. But the misunderstanding by the Church over the centuries was actually around Jesus’ answer to their question about the kingdom, and that misunderstanding has sadly had devastating effects: - Jesus tells them - it is not for you to know the times that the Father has set by his own authority. God is in control. Not us, not the Church. - You will be my witnesses. Not - you will make people convert. Not - you will attempt to civilize and assimilate people into your own version of the kingdom. 4) A theology of progress and expansion What is a theology of progress and expansion? Why did it break down? The historical answer Because it was based on human work. Hymns and militaristic/expansionist imagery. 5) Calvin’s insistence on kingdom building and church building being the work of Christ from on high. The third point is entirely focussed on what God is doing, and not at all on what we are doing. In that third point, Calvin ultimately goes to Christ returning to judge the living and the dead. The same event the angels point to "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11 Jesus’ return is the true invasion. If we are going to use militaristic imagery, we need to know that 6) Our job is to point to Jesus, not to implement a plan of progress. How then to be a witness? Martyr. Point to Jesus. He is on high, and we are not. Cruciform witness. Dying for others. Others are put first. A servant mentality. Lead with grace. Love, listen, proclaim. Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. Questions for Reflection/Discussion: 1) What does it mean to lead with grace when we are witnesses to Jesus? 2) When someone says that a lot of terrible things have been done in the name of religion or God, how do you think you might respond? 3) Calvin states: "He therefore sits on high, transfusing us with his power, that he may quicken us to spiritual life, sanctify us by his Spirit, adorn his church with divers gifts of his grace, keep it safe from all harm by his protection.” How is this true in your own life, or in the life of your community of faith?
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