ma non troppo

(via takeoverkids) I will never be vegetarian. I love meat too...

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:53:27 -0500

(via takeoverkids)

I will never be vegetarian. I love meat too damn much.

O’ Venezia Venaga Venusia by Nino Rota Happy Holidays from...

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:54:31 -0500

O’ Venezia Venaga Venusia

by Nino Rota

Happy Holidays from yours truly…

Daniel One of my most favorite fictional characters played by...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:42:59 -0500

Daniel

One of my most favorite fictional characters played by one of my most favorite artists.

ayoung: musichistory: “Symphony No. 6 in B minor,...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:01:47 -0500

ayoung:

musichistory:

“Symphony No. 6 in B minor, ‘Pathétique,’ Op. 74, I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky [1893] (performers unknown for this recording…)

Random Music History Song of the Day

Tchaikovski composed his sixth symphony from as early as 1890 to 1893. Tchaikovski premiered the work in St. Petersburg on October 28, 1894. He titled the symphony “Патетическая” (transliterated as “Patetičeskaja”), the closest translation being “passionate.” Some confusion arises from the convention of using the French translation “Pathétique,” which common English speakers often falsely correlate to our word “pathetic.” The dramatic, dynamic first movement is posted here.

Nine days after the premiere, on November 6, the great Russian composer died of cholera (or as some legitimate historians have suggested, suicide). The strong emotions implied by his sixth symphony made a fitting goodbye.

"Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love; it is the faithless who know love’s..."

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:54:00 -0500

“Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love; it is the faithless who know love’s tragedies.”

- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

(via likeneelyohara) I’m on a boat staying afloat....

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:24:50 -0500

(via likeneelyohara)

I’m on a boat staying afloat. Sailing… sailing…

A Biological Rationale for Musical Scales

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:55:22 -0500

A Biological Rationale for Musical Scales:

‘Scales are collections of tones that divide octaves into specific intervals used to create music. Since humans can distinguish about 240 different pitches over an octave in the mid-range of hearing [1], in principle a very large number of tone combinations could have been used for this purpose. Nonetheless, compositions in Western classical, folk and popular music as well as in many other musical traditions are based on a relatively small number of scales that typically comprise only five to seven tones [2]–[6]. Why humans employ only a few of the enormous number of possible tone combinations to create music is not known. Here we show that the component intervals of the most widely used scales throughout history and across cultures are those with the greatest overall spectral similarity to a harmonic series. These findings suggest that humans prefer tone combinations that reflect the spectral characteristics of conspecific vocalizations. The analysis also highlights the spectral similarity among the scales used by different cultures.’

I prefer the pentatonic scales perhaps because of its potential for melismatic delivery.

takeoverkids: I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. Although, I would love to...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:12:11 -0500

takeoverkids:

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

Although, I would love to believe that it does… it’s as fleeting as the next fashion trend.

Friendships… however, can last a lifetime.

(via parachuteshark) I hate being anxious… especially, if...

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:14:17 -0500

(via parachuteshark)

I hate being anxious… especially, if there’s a hangover the morning after.

(via sewseas) I LOVE SCRABBLE!!!

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:37:17 -0500

(via sewseas)

I LOVE SCRABBLE!!!

Synesthesia

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:01:13 -0500

Synesthesia:

A condition in which sensations in one sense produce sensations in another sense. A synesthete can smell shapes, taste music or see colors when they read. Their senses are blended.

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:04:00 -0500

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major
“Emperor”, Op. 73 2nd movement: Adagio un poco mosso

Pianist: Krystian Zimerman
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker

Quite possibly the only piece of music that can arouse a multitude of emotions and in the end leave me feeling calm and at ease.

"Clarity is of no importance because nobody listens and nobody knows what you mean no matter what you..."

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:51:59 -0500

““Clarity is of no importance because nobody listens and nobody knows what you mean no matter what you mean, nor how clearly you mean what you mean. But if you have vitality enough of knowing enough of what you mean, somebody and sometime and sometimes a great many will have to realize that you know what you mean and so they will agree that you mean what you know, what you know you mean, which is as near as anybody can come to understanding any one.””

- Gertrude Stein

Confessions of a Corporate Whore: Part I

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:43:00 -0500

I have a corner office, which I share with 3 male colleagues, on the 14th floor of a highrise building in Midtown, New York. The view behind my desktop monitor is of skyscrapers and off in the not too far distant is a view of the Empire State building.

All seems to be right but I’m not sure if all this is what I’d like to be… a Senior Business Analyst.

upsider: Cruz celebrates her 27th birthday with Almodóvar and...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:59:19 -0500

upsider:

Cruz celebrates her 27th birthday with Almodóvar and (from left) her sister, Mónica, and friends Gregoria “Goya” Toledo and Carlos Ochoa at Casa Lucio, one of her favorite restaurants in Madrid. “The true princess of Spain is Penélope,” Almodóvar said in 2001, “much more so than the king’s daughter.”

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the September 2001 issue of Vanity Fair.

I remember seeing Pe and Pe at the NY TimesCenter stage back in October. You can easily tell that the bond they share is mutual, deep and impressive. The artist and his muse…

Watch the Manhattan Bridge pulse and flex… Another reason...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:35:25 -0500

Watch the Manhattan Bridge pulse and flex…

Another reason why I love this city.

"Did you get my email?"

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:42:00 -0500

The most passive aggressive question that you can ask in the workplace.

who showers at one in the morning? honestly.

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:27:10 -0500

ataxiwardance:

dripping wet and shivering as i crawl under my soon-to-be-damp quilts.

there’s something wrong with me.

I take showers every evening before going to bed. I’d rather sleep clean than dirty my sheets.

funkadelicer: Thelonious Monk, cause he was the man who had the...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:27:07 -0500

funkadelicer:

Thelonious Monk, cause he was the man who had the sound.

Well you needn’t…

leftbrainright: Spiegel Im SpiegelComposer: Arvo Pärt I first...

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:45:55 -0500

leftbrainright:

Spiegel Im Spiegel
Composer: Arvo Pärt

I first remember hearing this piece during a scene in the movie Wit - based off the play of the same name. I’ve been a fan of Arvo Pärt ever since.

Such a great minimal postmodern classical piece, indeed.