Haydn and the clock

Edit: 6/4/2023

I had to update this entry wit a new video – also a huge favourite – as the original video was made ‘private’ and not available anymore. How sad. The Symphony No. 101 in D Major (Hoboken 1/101) is the ninth of the twelve London Symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is popularly known as The Clock because of the “ticking” rhythm throughout the second movement.

Image of Haydn: Wikipedia
This is an old time favourite. Three days in a row of parents’ evenings – done! Tired, exhausted is not enough to describe how you feel, especially if you go on till 6:10pm – from 3:30. Now: time to sit back and to relax.  

The Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1785. The first performance took place at the Mehlgrube Casino in Vienna on 11 February 1785. The concerto is scored for solo piano, flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and string and written in three movements. Source: Wikipedia. #Mozart #Classics

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F is for …. Finished!

reading, reading, reading, reading
reading, writing, writing, reading
more reading, more writing and even more reading
reading books, reading journals, reading bits, reading blobs
reading reading reading reading
writing writing writing writing
and more, and more, more, more and more
I can’t stop reading, writing and reading
I’m going mad, I’m going crazy
I love the reading, but not the writing
Finally, I’m finished, finished, finished
with my assignment, assignment, assignment
off to hand, hand, hand it in!
enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy the music!
I need to get back to normal
enjoy the music!
off to hand in my assignment
I am finally finished
I can stop myself now from reading
I can stop myself now from writing
I think I’m back to normal
Back to my old self and ready to relax!
Enjoy the music
F is for… Friday!

Update: results

5th October 2013

Got a B for my assignment – very happy me! 

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I lived in your chess game but you changed the rules every day

You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain, and I lived in your chess game but you changed the rules every day.

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Love remains the light

It was National Poetry Day today in the ukay and I want to share this song by Steve Hofmeyr to celebrate poetry, not just in the ukay, but everywhere. Do listen to the words of this song – beautiful!  Poetry, love and music…touching the strings of my heart.[and of course…chess!]
If you like this song, click here to listen to more songs from a variety of artists and to read a few love poems in English as well as in Afrikaans.

[Sorry, I’ve removed the song due to another site getting people to download it from my site..that is illegal]

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Wind beneath my wings

I’ve come across this fantastic image. I love thunder/lightning and I do miss it here in London. You don’t get it here and if you do, you would think it was just another plane to touch down at Heathrow. I’ve taken the quote from this travelblog too. Also, enjoy the music of Bette Midler – The wind beneath my wings. South Africa, you are the wind beneath my wings!

Images here from a Cape Town-awardwinning-travelblog, worth to visit! The link will open in a new window.

Cape Town doesn’t get that many thunderstorms so when we do we tend to get very excited. This morning’s spectacular storm had us getting out the cameras and snapping away, but I think Cape Town local John Maarschalk wins with this incredible image.

John says:

“We had a marvellous electric show this morning around Cape Town. This was taken from inside my car with the camera balanced on the camera bag, with the wind blowing and the occassional squall of rain coming through. It wasn’t the best conditions to shoot, hence the movement in the image.

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Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

This song by OMD is one of my favourite songs. Coincidentally, it was also today Joan of Arc’s info which I’ve found on “this day in history”. Enjoy this song on this Saturday night!

Joan’s birthplace is now a museum

Joan of Arc, or Jeanne d’Arc in French,(c. 1412 – May 30, 1431)was a 15th century national heroine of France. She was tried and executed for heresy when she was only 19 years old. The judgment was broken by the Pope and she was declared innocent and a martyr 24 years later. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized as a saint in 1920.

Joan of Arc was born to Jacques d’Arc and Isabelle Romée in Domrémy, a village which was then in the duchy of Bar (and later annexed to the province of Lorraine and renamed Domrémy-la-Pucelle). Her parents owned about 50 acres (0.2 square kilometers) of land and her father supplemented his farming work with a minor position as a village official, collecting taxes and heading the local watch. They lived in an isolated patch of northeastern territory that remained loyal to the French crown despite being surrounded by Burgundian lands. Several local raids occurred during her childhood and on one occasion her village was burned.

Joan said she was about 19 at her trial, so she was born about 1412; she later testified that she experienced her first vision around 1424 at the age of 7 years, or other sources say at the later age of 12 when she was out alone in a field when the voices appeared. She had said she cried when they left as they were so beautiful. She would report that St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret told her to drive out the English and bring the Dauphin to Reims for his coronation.

At the age of 16 she asked a kinsman, Durand Lassois, to bring her to nearby Vaucouleurs where she petitioned the garrison commander, Count Robert de Baudricourt, for permission to visit the royal French court at Chinon. Baudricourt’s sarcastic response did not deter her.She returned the following January and gained support from two men of standing: Jean de Metz and Bertrand de Poulengy. Under their auspices she gained a second interview where she made a remarkable prediction about a military reversal near Orléans.

She has remained an important figure in Western culture and many other nations. From Napoleon to the present, French politicians of all leanings have invoked her memory. Major writers and composers who have created works about her include Shakespeare, Voltaire, Schiller, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Twain, Shaw, Brecht, Anderson, Honegger, Cohen and Anouilh. Depictions of her continue in film, television, song, and even video games.

Read more about Joan here.

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Chess, poetry art and music

Image: Chesscentral.com

I believe this is a good combination: chess, poetry, art and music! I’ve started recently reading Dean’s poetry blog and glad that I’ve discovered his blog. This poem in this post, is today’s entry on his blog and I’ve really enjoyed it and thought to share it with you. If you’re a lover of poetry, make sure to visit his blog, if you don’t, you will regret it! If you don’t like poetry, then you still should visit his blog and you will immediately fall in love with his poems! I have a present for you today too, let’s call it an early Christmas present if you like, a composition by Jim Brickman. Finally, for my chess-lovers (and those who think they might become chess-lovers!) I’ve got a few games here (do check back as I have about ten more to blog in this entry!) played a few days ago in the Dresden Olympiad. This post is almost as good as “wine women and song!”:) All links will open in a new window.

Remember me to the world
And all the beautiful girls
I never kissed; if there’s one regret
That is it: that I left any lovelies’
Lips unblessed, her heart repressed

Remember me to the wind, which
Blows wherever it goes; still, or not
Any feeling does not cost, but what you
Do with it: recall I am that
Innocent, awake to only wonder told

Remember me to the sun; the heat,
The blaze, worries public or hidden,
I have had them all, unbidden: most
Of all when you see that woman or girl,
Remember me, my dear, to the blessed world

©Dean J. Baker
To read more wonderful poetry, please click HERE to read on Dean Baker’s blog! Chess=love+poetry+music+art=chess!

Read more about Dean on his biography-link on his blog!

Over 500 poems and prose poems published since 1972 in over 130 literary publications in Canada, the USA, England, Australia, New Zealand, etc., such as Descant, Carleton Literary Review, Poetry WLU, The Prairie Journal, Freelance, Nexus, Bitterroot, Oxalis, Bogg, Aileron, RE:AL, Art Times, Pegasus, Impetus, On The Bus, and many others. More have been published in newspapers, magazines, online and in anthologies, recorded and paper.

Music: Jim Brickman: Dream comes true

Please click HERE to play through the game of Nyback from Finland vs Carlsen played in round 6, Dresden 2008.

Carlsen

Please click HERE to play through the game of Dominguez from Cuba vs Gata Kamsky in round 6, Dresden 2008.

This game of Etienne Bacrot was played in round 7 against Sasikiran from India.

Click HERE to play through the game of Boris Gelfand from Israel vs Elexei Shirov of Spain in round 7.

Please click HERE to play through the game of one of my favourite players, Ivanchuk vs Wang of China.

Ivanchuk

Click HERE to play through Kamsky’s game played in round 7 against Peter Leko.

Play through the game of Michael Adams against Radjabov played in round 7, Dresden.

Please click HERE to play through the game of Yelena Dembo, from Greece,  played in round 7 at the Olympiad.

Yelena Dembo

Please click HERE to play through the game of Cheparinov in round 8, Dresden.

To play through a game of Topalov played in round 8, click on the link!
Please click HERE to play through the game of David Howell from England played in round 9.

image: Greekchess.com..David Navara

Please click here to play through the game of David Navara played in round 9.

To play through the game of NIGEL SHORT, played in round 9, click on the link!

Image: chessbase..Nigel Short

Please click HERE to play through the game of Peter Svidler played in round 9 at the Dresden Olympiad in Germany.

Samuel Bak Chess Art. See my “chess humour”- page for more chess art from Samuel and his link.

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Make a joyful sound

The Dancer: Image: noise.net/featured-work.asp?artist_id=8618&category_id=4

This entry is quite an odd entry. I have a few snippets of music files which I truly enjoy and they are some of the about 2GB music files on my MP3-player. The first file is the Elizabeth Serenade, then you can listen to “The mouth organ boy” – by Vicky Leandros. The 3rd song is by Laurika Rauch..”The song of the trains” and then you can enjoy Jackson Browne’s “For a dancer”- a bit down in this entry!

I also have a poem! “The Night Mail”. I had to teach this poem to Y4’s a few years ago and when I searched for the poem, I found it on a website which was about the Night Mail…Royal Mail! It was such interesting reading – the history of the night mail, but what was sad, was the fact that the services of the Night Mail train were terminated. The same time it was about to be terminated,  I came across the site and the poem. There was an abundance of info on that site, but it seems to me that the site, where I found the poem, doesn’t exist anymore! What a shame! I could find you a newspaper article about this train- at least! The poem by Auden is about this train! The Royal Night Mail was about the train from London to Scotland/Wales…see the youtube movie-links at the bottom of this post… and there are even more movies on youtube to be seen! Do enjoy it! Enjoy the music here too! Wherever you go this week, make sure you “make a joyful sound”! – see the lyrics of “For a Dancer”.

 

Night Train
(Commentary for a G.P.O. Film, July 1935)

by W.H. Auden (1907 – 1973)

This is the Night Mail crossing the border,Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner and the girl next door.

Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.

Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,

Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from the bushes at her blank-faced coaches.

Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.

In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in the bedroom gently shakes.

Dawn freshens. Her climb is done.
Down towards Glasgow she descends
Towards the steam tugs yelping down the glade of cranes,
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
In the dark glens, beside the pale-green sea lochs
Men long for news.

Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from the girl and the boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or visit relations,
And applications for situations
And timid lovers’ declarations
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled in the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands
Notes from overseas to Hebrides
Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, adoring,
The cold and official and the heart’s outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.

Thousands are still asleep
Dreaming of terrifying monsters,
Or of friendly tea beside the band at Cranston’s or Crawford’s:
Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well-set Edinburgh,
Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
And shall wake soon and long for letters,
And none will hear the postman’s knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?

It was one of the world’s great railway journeys, but you could not book a seat on it. It inspired two of Britain’s greatest 20th-century poets, and Britain’s most infamous bunch of 20th-century villains. It rushed through the darkness, utterly reliable, while the rest of us slept. But last night it ran for the last time.

Please click HERE to read more about the last Night Mail train from London. The link will open in a new window.

Night Mail Image: See more images on this link….http://flickr.com/photos/scardy/421208053/in/set-72157594588477493/

Image: buckinghamcovers.com

Jackson Browne

For a Dancer..by Jackson Browne

Keep a fire burning in your eye
Pay attention to the open sky
You never know what will be coming down
I dont remember losing track of you
You were always dancing in and out of view
I must have thought you’d always be around
Always keeping things real by playing the clown
Now you’re nowhere to be found

I dont know what happens when people die
Can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try
It’s like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I can’t sing
I can’t help listening
And I can’t help feeling stupid standing round
Crying as they ease you down
cause I know that youd rather we were dancing
Dancing our sorrow away
(right on dancing)
No matter what fate chooses to play
(theres nothing you can do about it anyway)

Just do the steps that youve been shown
By everyone you’ve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Anothers steps have grown
In the end there is one dance you’ll do alone

Keep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don’t let the uncertainty turn you around
(the world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound

Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But you’ll never know.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zmciuKsBOi0
The poem on this link on youtube.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AlG4dLxHjCY
The Royal Mail on this youtube-link.

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Pure Nature

 

wikimusicguide.com/images

I got this cd of Jim Brickman from an American chess player-friend about a year ago. I’ve rediscovered the music and want to share a few tracks (some tasters) with you. The music is beautiful, relaxing, soothing…. Enjoy!

Amazing Grace

You never know

 All I ever wanted

 Please click here to visit his site…the link will open in a new window.

“In you I see the beauty of nature and the love of God” …beauty is in your heart and not in the mirror.

Tracks on the cd:
1. If you believe
2. Journey
3. Amazing Grace
4. All I ever wanted
5. Crossroads
6. You never know
7. By Chance
8. Angel Eyes
9. Bittersweet
10. Dream come true
11. Joyful
12. Picture this
13. By heart
14. Shades of white
15. Another Tuesday morning
16. Devotion
17. Glory (Duet with David Benoit)
18. We exalt Thee

Image: farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/2286429154_f9c9f2dd5a_b

Thousands of years ago the Celtic ancestors placed great value on spiritual friendships. The Gaelic word for this was…Anam Cara. The link will open in a new window.

Anam Cara Blessing

May the light of your soul guide you.
May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth in your heart.
May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light, and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work.
May your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration, and excitement.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in the bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected.
May your soul calm, console, and renew you.

John O’Donohue

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Sea of Dreams

Sleep and His Half Brother Death
John William Waterhouse
http://www.illusionsgallery.com/sleep.html

Image: dreams.co.uk
 How do you feel about sleep? Sometimes I can go a whole night without sleep, but I will surely feel knackered two days later! I love being in bed at night when the rain is tapping on the roof. Weekends I like to lie in…and then get a nice breakfast in bed! …now to the music!  I’ve these wonderful music, two tracks from a chess friend and he also sent me the third track by Hennie Bekker and suddenly! I found myself busy with an entry on sleep!! I even found you an interesting link about the stages of sleep and one about sleep deprivation…that’s for me, actually…lol! It was truly not my intention to blog about sleep when I uploaded these snippets of music, but at the end, after  searching for some images, I came across these interesting info and sites and thought to share it with you as it was interesting to me.  I  blog about stuff which I enjoy/find interesting…apart from chess…my blog is sort of a “gathering space” for info I want to refer back to, but also in the hope that other people will find it useful too or will enjoy it at least. In the same process, I also found music for children with Aspergers! I’ve worked with children with Aspergers syndrome, Down Syndrome and also Autistic children and they are all a pleasure to work with!

I’ve come across music for  ASD– the link will open in a new window – which you will find in this post. You can read more  about ASD on the link and there’s another link in this post for you to follow up too, if you are more interested in Autistic children.
Seven hours sleep a night helps reduce heart problems. Read the article…the link will open in a new window.

Image…see more fantastic images here..http://photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=941594

Firstly, enjoy “Sea of Dreams”…this track is about 5 min, but you get to listen to only a taster of it, as well as the other tracks. Tranquil Realms is about 11 min but the taster only about 2 min. For Afrikaans speaking people, I wonder if you can remember the Afrikaans poem about sleep! Please find it at the bottom of my post, a wonderful poem by DF Malherbe! In this poem he asks God to shut his eyes one day like the little girl’s when she falls asleep…
On my blog on this link you can read about dreams…the link will open in a new window.

Sea of Dreams..by Angelle

Sleepy Time…by Angelle

Hennie Bekker…Tranquil Realms

Read on this link about sleep cycles. The link will open in a new window. Read on this pdf-link on wiki about dreaming.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikibooks/en/e/ef/Lucid_Dreaming.pdf

The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior
Sarah Ledoux
Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false . Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person’s behavior. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quite environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of “quiet readiness” . Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections. The effects of sleep deprivation on behavior have been tested with relation to the presence of activity in different sections of the cerebral cortex.
The temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex is associated with the processing of language. During verbal learning tests on subjects who are fully rested functional magnetic resonance imaging scans show that this area of the brain is very active. However, in sleep deprived subjects there is no activity within this region. The effects of this inactivity can be observed by the slurred speech in subjects who have gone for prolonged periods with no sleep .
Please click HERE more about sleep deprivation and brain behaviour…the link will open in a new window.

The music in ‘Sleep’ has been designed to be physically relaxing – the program features no distracting surprises and feels like slow, steady breathing, to help transport the listener away from the stresses of the day towards restful sleep.

This CD, with music composed by Hennie Bekker, incorporates scientific principles of sonic response, and is designed to nudge your mind toward deep and refreshing sleep.

On this link you can listen to more snippets of his music. The link will open in a new window.

Hennie Bekker

African Roots
Bekker was raised in Mufulira, a Zambian copper mining town 10 miles south of the Congo border. In those early years, he was captivated by the symphonic sounds of the African wilderness, the haunting harmonies of tribal chanting and the rhythmic dialogue of drummers communicating between camps at sundown. He is a self-taught pianist who had his professional debut at age 15, spending the next decade performing with various bands throughout Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe and Kenya. His success as a fusion-jazz musician and band leader elevated him to become the musical director for one of South Africa’s largest record companies. Here, he added scores of film, television, radio and commercial music to his list of career accomplishments.
Read more about Hennie Bekker here, the link will open in a new window. If you click on “home”, you will find youtube-videos of him to watch.

On the “music” link you will find more albums, even some Africa-music and snippets to listen to.

Asperger’s Syndrome is a condition that was initially described by Dr. Hans Asperger’s 1944 doctoral thesis. It was not until 37 years later, in 1981, however, that Dr. Lorna Wing used the term “Asperger’s Syndrome” in a paper that helped to introduce this condition to the English-speaking world.

As described by Dr. Wing, the primary clinical features of Asperger’s Syndrome include:
naïve, inappropriate, one-sided social interactions
limited ability to establish relationships
poor non-verbal communication
a lack of emotional empathy
pedantic, repetitive speech
intense absorption in certain subjects
clumsy, un-coordinated movements
odd postures

Currently, the prevailing view is that Asperger’s Syndrome is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder which falls at the high end of the Autism Spectrum continuum.

BEHAVIORAL DEFINITION

The autism spectrum extends from “classic autism” — which lies at the lower end of the spectrum– through ASPERGER’S SYNDROME, which is characterized as being at the mildest and highest functioning end of the spectrum –or Pervasive Developmental Disorder–Continuum

The major source of stress in life for the person with Asperger’s Syndrome is social contact, and increased stress generally leads to anxiety disorders and depression Attwood, T. Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, 1998, p. 148.
AS represents a neurologically-based disorder of development

AS reflects deviations or abnormalities in four aspects of development:

(1) Social relatedness and social skills
(2) The use of language for purposes of communication
(3) Certain behavioral and stylistic characteristics such as repetitive or persevering features
(4) Limited, but intense, range of interests

These dysfunctional features can range from mild to severe

“The Epidemiology of Asperger Syndrome: A Total Population Study” by Ehlers and Gillberg (retrieve citation) 2001), it is estimated that the prevalence of Asperger is 2.6 per 1,000 individuals. With the population of the U.S. currently estimated at 275 million (July 2000), this would mean an estimated 715,000 people are affected by Asperger’s syndrome in the U.S. alone”
Stewart, K. (2002). Helping a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder or Asperger’s Syndrome, p. 148

AS is characterized by:

high cognitive abilities — or, at least, “normal” IQ level
extending into the very superior range of cognitive ability
normal language function when compared to other autistic disorders
difficulties with pragmatic, or social language
a better prognosis than other Autism spectrum disorders
Please read on THIS LINK more…the link will open in a new window. Click on “products” and it will take you to the music page.

Image: babyzone.com

DF Malherbe (1881-1969)

Slaap

Wat is die slaap ‘n wondersoete ding!
Sag op haar bloue oë daal die vaak
soos maneskyn diep waterkuile raak
om daar te droom in silwer skemering.

Vir laas beef oor haar lippe ‘n fluistering:
“Nag, Pappie.” Ek merk hoe langsaam hy genaak,
wat drome soet tot werklikhede maak:
in vaderarms rus my lieweling.
Sluit so my oë, God, wanneer vir my
u Engel wenk ter laaste, lange rus
en ek van wilde woeling hier moet skei;
dat my dan stille drome huis toe sus
en sterke Hand deur duisternisse lei.
Sluit so my oë, God, as ek gaan rus.

To Sleep
by John Keats.
O soft embalmer of the still midnight!
Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,
Our gloom-pleas’d eyes, embower’d from the light,
Enshaded in forgetfulness divine;
O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close,
In midst of this thine hymn, my willing eyes.
Or wait the Amen, ere thy poppy throws
Around my bed its lulling charities;
Then save me, or the passed day will shine
Upon my pillow, breeding many woes;
Save me from curious conscience, that still hoards
Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;
Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed casket of my soul.

Sea of Dreams…Kelly King …I’ve found this book on google-books whilst searching for images and thought it might be on my list to read when I have more time…I’ve read a couple of books about wars…and for some reason I like to read about it…all part of history.

Sea of dreams by Martin Sramek

Dreams
by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

My Piano….by… artistnina.com

 

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If music be the food of love, play on

Image: allposters.com

From Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, 1601:

DUKE ORSINO:
If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again! it had a dying fall:
O, it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound,
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour! Enough; no more:
‘Tis not so sweet now as it was before.
O spirit of love! how quick and fresh art thou,
That, notwithstanding thy capacity
Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,
Of what validity and pitch soe’er,
But falls into abatement and low price,
Even in a minute: so full of shapes is fancy
That it alone is high fantastical.

Swallows in Durban – see the news article in this entry from ENS news

Enjoy “Village Swallows” by  Mantovani and his orchestra. It is a composition by Josef Strauss, one of the Strauss-brothers.

 

hmmm…just what I need…flowers and chocolates!! and on this video…the music of Strauss…”Roses from the South”

Swallow Flocks and World Cup Airport Try Coexistence

DURBAN, South Africa, November 12, 2007 (ENS) – This year, as five million barn swallows migrate from across Europe to roost in South Africa’s Mt. Moreland Reedbed, they will be greeted by air traffic controllers. The controllers will be waiting to warn pilots of the swallow flocks coming in to land so that bird-plane collisions can be avoided.

The plan to protect the birds was announced Monday at a ceremony at the reedbed, attended by the nonprofit conservation group BirdLife South Africa.

The decision to protect the swallows was made in response to global outcry last November, when BirdLife outlined its concern about the expansion of La Mercy Airport at Durban, in preparation for South Africa’s hosting of World Cup 2010.

The airport is being expanded to handle traffic expected for the soccer event and the KwaZulu Natal government wants to see the project completed by 2009.

The Airports Company of South Africa, which administers the existing Durban International Airport, owns the La Mercy land where the $8 billion King Shaka International Airport is under construction, 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Durban.

The new airport is expected to replace Durban International, which will be decommissioned. But for the swallows at the Mt. Moreland Reedbed, without special planning and accomodation, the airport would have been deadly.

Both the reed bed and Mount Moreland are situated South West of the proposed development are aligned exactly with the proposed runway and so are in the flight patch of aircraft leaving or arriving the airport.

The controllers at La Mercy Airport have been among those watching the millions of birds come in this year from all over eastern and western Europe. They will leave again at the onset of winter.
The threat that planes at an expanded La Mercy Airport would pose to the swallows roosting at the reedbed, among Africa’s largest roosts, was put across by conservationists and BirdLife partner organizations throughout Europe.The barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, undertakes one of the world’s most remarkable migrations. The birds fly thousands of miles from southern Africa in spring to breed in Europe and then repeat the feat in reverse in the autumn, to winter back in Africa.

“This has been a fantastic result, and we’re delighted to report on this outcome after a year of negotiations and meetings. The support of so many people via letters and petitions has played an important part.” said Neil Smith, conservation manager at BirdLife South Africa, which led the campaign.

The Airports Company of South Africa has been supportive of making accommodations for the birds.

“Since our campaign started, the Airports Company of South Africa has really come on board, quickly realizing the importance of this site as a reedbed of international significance,” said Smith.

Following BirdLife’s complaint, consultants were brought in to examine the roosting and flocking behavior of the swallows, using advanced radar imagery. They confirmed that constant monitoring of the swallow movements during take-off and landing of aircraft would be required.

The Airports Company of South Africa now says it will install in the airport control tower the same advanced radar technology that the consultants used to study the movement of the swallows.

This will mean that planes can take the option of circling or approaching from another angle when large flocks of swallows form over the reedbed site in the late evening.

Environmental management staff will be employed to make sure that suitable management of the reedbed continues, the airports company said.

Bird conservationists feel somewhat reassured about the swallows’ future. “Losing such a valuable site could have affected breeding swallow populations across Europe,” said Dr. Ian Burfield, Birdlife’s European research and database manager.

“Conserving migratory birds is about more than ensuring one site is protected or well managed,” said Burfield. “It takes global effort: at breeding sites, at stopover sites during migration, and at important non-breeding sites like this, where large numbers of birds roost.

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Villa Rides

It was Monday when the music of Villa Rides suddenly – without a warning! – entered my thoughts and managed to settle there and it hasn’t left me since! When I got home, I couldn’t wait to search the internet to see if there’s somewhere a downloadable file, but to no avail! All I could do, was to order this cd to satisfy my Villa Rides-thirst! When I was at secondary school, I used to do my homework on Saturdays outside with classical music playing…picture this…a farm, huge oak trees – five of them – in front of the house, about 20m away from the house, birds chirping around you…..and you…doing homework! (I loved school homework and wished always for more! haha do you think I’m insane/crazy!?) with the music playing loudly — Villa Rides was definitely on my music-menu during homework time! Even the pesty baboons in the mountain opposite the house had come closer to take a listen! wow! hehehe…I’ve decided to be generous again and to share some tasters with you. The first one is the theme music from the movie with the same title…Villa Rides! And, best of all, I didn’t even know about this movie! I was so surprised when I discovered that it was actually from a movie with even the same title! Why am I the last person to know this! The second and third also only “tasters” from this cd.  I like Mantovani’s music and would like  to put him in the same class/category as Waldo de los Rios. This is what I call music if I have to define music! I also have more info on Fierro and Pancho Villa…very interesting – the Mexican Revolution – on which the movie was based. Do enjoy!
Enjoy the music of Mantovani and his orchestra with…Villa Rides, the theme music from the movie with the same title, Hora Staccato and the third track…Hungarian Rhapsody no2.

Rodolfo Fierro

Villa in grey suit in center. General Rodolfo Fierro at far right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodolfo_Fierro
Rodolfo Fierro (b. 1880 d. October 14, 1915) was a railway worker, railway superintendent, federal soldier and lieutenant in the army of Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution in the Division del Norte. Fierro and his counter part and fellow lieutenant, Tomas Urbina, have been cited as the two halves of Pancho Villa, Fierrorepresenting his malicious side. It is believed Fierro met Pancho Villa in 1913 following the Madero revolution. Originating from Sonora, Fierro was a former federal officer having taken part in fighting against the Yaqui Indians. Following his role as a federal officer, Fierro went on to work as a railway man, eventually being absorbed into Villa’s ranks.

Soldier
Fierro’s prominence is often cited back to the Battle of Tierra Blanca on November 23, 1913. The battle included 5,500 of Villa’s soldiers, against an estimated 7,000 federal soldiers. Before the battle began Fierro had been sent South to destroy the railroad tracks, forcing the federal soldiers to halt. As Villa flanked the well armed federal soldiers with cavalry, a locomotive filled with dynamite and percussion caps was rammed into the federal soldiers train cars, the resulting explosion caused the federal soldiers to flee to nearby undamaged train cars in retreat. Fierro is then noted as riding on horseback after the escaping locomotive, climbing on to the locomotive, running across the roofs of the train cars, and shooting dead the boilerman and conductor, pulling the train to a complete stop. All federal soldiers captured were executed and in the battle Villa captured 4 locomotives, 7 machine guns, horses, rifles and 400,000 rounds of small arms ammunition. The death toll during the battle stood around 1,000 federal soldiers killed and 300 of Villa’s.

Fierro is most known as Villa’s executioner, known as el carnicero (English the butcher).Fierro’s nom de guerra originates from a story documented by Martín Luis Guzmán. Guzmán describes events following the capture of over 300 soldiers known as Orozquistas. The captured soldiers were led into a large field with Fierro on one end, and a wall on the other. They were informed, if they were to reach the opposite end and climb over the wall they would be allowed to continue on free. In groups of ten the captured men were set out to run, Fierro alone firing his pistol at them as they ran, his soldiers handing him fresh pistols to continue firing without delay. One captive is noted as making it over the wall and to freedom, only after Fierro stopped to massage an achy trigger finger.The shooting went on for two hours. It is said that Fierro would ask each prisoner if they would rather return to their family, or join the army of Pancho Villa. Those deciding to return to their family were seem as men who would head back to their old regiment and were executed. Those choosing to join Pancho Villa were provided with a horse, a gun, and three bullets.

Other stories exist of Fierro shooting a man dead in public in the state of Chihuahua. The person, sitting across from Fierro, argued that a man shot would fall backwards, Fierro disagreed. To settle the bet Fierro shot the man, and watched as he fell forward, confirming to Fierro that he was correct.

While working as Villa’s railway superintendent, Fierro was publicly reprimanded by Villa for a train of supply water running 35 minutes late. Villa, when the train arrived is said to have shot the conductor dead as an act of vengeance for his humiliation. This incident sparked strife amongst the railway workers, who primarily supported Villa. In another incident, a drunken Fierro killed a railway worker for bumping into him, this final incident caused Villa to act. Villa permitted a judge to begin collecting evidence against Fierro into his actions, a judge who begged to be removed from the case for fear of repercussion. The case never went to trial but Fierro was removed from the position of railway superintendent. It is often stated the case was a sham, simply to continue to retain support from the much needed railway workers.

Fierro is also known for the murder of William S. Benton on February 17, 1914, an Englishman and land owner in Mexico who had his land confiscated by Villa’s forces. Numerous stories exist around what happened. Benton is cited as having stormed into Villa’s headquarters in Ciudad Juárez, demanding his land back from Villa, in which Villa refused. Following his refusal, Villa maintains Benton unsuccessfully attempted to draw a six-shooter pistol, he was wrestled to the floor and given a formal court martial and found guilty of attempted assassination, he was then executed and buried. A conflicting story exists in which Benton drew his pistol but was detained and removed from the town at night. He taken to the desert, where a hole was dug and Fierrois believed to have struck Benton in the head with a shovel, dumping into the grave without checking to see if Benton was still alive.

On October 14, 1915, Fierro died after being thrown from his horse and landing in quicksand. At the time, Fierro was marching toward Sonora when he encountered the quicksand at the Casas Grandes Lagoon. The weight of his belt, loaded with gold is said to have prevented him from being able to escape.

 Doroteo Arango Arámbula  also known as Pancho Villa

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa

Image:tcm.com

 

Charles Bronson as Villa and Yul Brynner as Fierro

The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was fought from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836 between Mexico and the Texas (Tejas) portion of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas
Please click ON THIS LINK to read more about it. The link will open in a new window.

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Dance of the Knights

I’ve seen Romeo and Juliet ages ago, I can only recall certain parts of it, think I need to go and see it again. The Dance of the Knights is quite fresh in my mind…I’ve found the music for you to download too if you want to! Take a listen and enjoy the youtube movie. You can also read about the “Knight’s tour” in chess…almost like the “Dance of the Knights”;) The music was composed by Prokofiev and was also the theme music of the tv program  “The Apprentice”. If you click on links, it will open in a new window.

Download the music here.

Images: Wikipedia
….

History..links open in a new window.
The pattern of a Knight’s Tour on a half-board has been presented in verse form (as a literary constraint) in the highly stylized Sanskrit  poem Kavyalankara written by the 9th century Kashmiri poet Rudrata, which discusses the art of poetry, especially with relation to theater (Natyashastra). As was often the practice in ornate Sanskrit poetry, the syllabic patterns of this poem elucidate a completely different motif, in this case an open knight’s tour on a half-chessboard.

The first algorithm for completing the Knight’s Tour was Warnsdorff’s algorithm, first described in 1823 by H. C. Warnsdorff. Read more on this link.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight’s_tour

 

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Classic you rock!!

I found this newspaper article on yahoo…very interersting what they say about people’s personality. I myself is a great lover of classical music in particular and I’ve blogged some classical music before…here’s two entries to follow and I have 3 tracks for you to enjoy.Please click HERE to read my entry about Waldo de los Rios and I personally think my Symphony of Toys-entry is really one of my best entries so far. Don’t miss it if you haven’t read it..

The first track is called…Symphony No. 101 in D..”The Clock” part 3 “Rondo” and it is actually a four min piece of music. You really have to turn your sound up with the start of this track, otherwise you’re going to miss the clock!! The clock can be heard throughout the music, but the music starts with only the clock playing… The second track is of course the Toy Symphony…Minuetto…but I’ve discovered it was composed by Mozart’s dad..Leopold and not by Haydn. This cd indicates it was composed by Haydn. The 3rd track is Beethoven’s Symphony no 6 in F opus 68 ‘Pastorale’ part 5! This is such wonderful music, but sadly, this is only almost half of the track, think you know why I can’t upload the whole track, although I would love to! but since I’ve discovered how to go about to upload only a “taster”, I will stick to the rules! Make sure the volume is turned up!

Image: sybervision.com

A study by a psychology professor has found links between personality and music taste.

The Heriot-Watt university professor Adrian North said: “We have always suspected a link between music taste and personality. This is the first time that we’ve been able to look at it in real detail. No-one has ever done this on this scale before.

“People do actually define themselves through music and relate to other people through it but we haven’t known in detail how music is connected to identity.”

According to the study heavy metal fans are gentle, indie music listeners lack self-esteem and lovers of pop music are uncreative.

He found that country and western fans are hard-working, rap fans outgoing and jazz and classical music supporters are innovative and bursting with self-confidence.

Contrary to the stereotype, heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease with themselves but they tend not to be hardworking.

Those who listen to heavy metal and classical music share character traits of being creative, at ease and introverted.

But classical music fans have high self-esteem while heavy rock fans lack self-belief.

More than 36,000 people around the globe took part in the survey, the biggest of its type ever conducted.

They were asked to rate 104 musical styles in the study and were also questioned on aspects of their personality.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080907/ten-music-taste-linked-to-personality-ea4616c.html

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Waldo de los Rios

Some of you will remember the post entry about the Symphony of Toys by Mozart — and not Haydn, as many people think. I’ve also blogged the Toy Symphony music, but in the same breath I said I’ve ordered the CD, which has now arrived!

Waldo de los Ríos (7 September 1934 – 28 March 1977) was an Argentinian composer, conductor and arranger.

De los Rios was born as Osvaldo Nicholas Ferrara in Buenos Aires into a musical family; his father was a musician and his mother a well known folk singer; he studied composition and arranging at the National Conservatory of Music under Alberto Ginastera and Teodoro Fuchs. He was inspired by an eclectic range of music and formed a musical group called “The Waldos” which crossed folk music with electronic sounds. De los Rios turned to work in cinema and film sound tracks where his compositions were heard in the 1967 film Pampa Salvaje, for which he received a prestigious award from the Argentine Cinemagraphic Association. He relocated to the USA in 1958 and then to Spain in 1962.
Please read HERE more about him.

Unfortunately, I have to be a bit “nasty” and I’ve uploaded only 1min+ of each of the 2 audio files from this CD. 

The first track is called…Symphony No. 101 in D..”The Clock” part 3 “Rondo” and it is actually a four min piece of music. You really have to turn your sound up with the start of this track, otherwise you’re going to miss the clock!! The clock can be heard throughout the music, but  the music starts with only the clock playing. The second track is of course the Toy Symphony -Minuetto -but I’ve discovered it was composed by Mozart’s dad, Leopold, and not by Haydn. This cd indicates it was composed by Haydn. Do enjoy and if you compare the music here with my post about the Toy music and the audio files on that post. This second track was also the theme song of a program I used to listen when I was a child, it was called “Jongspan Atteljee”…”Children’s Studio” and I think I loved the program more for the music! 
And now, I’ve decided to spoil you with a third track! Beethoven’s Symphony no 6 in F opus 68 ‘Pastorale’ part 5! This is such wonderful music, but sadly, this is only almost half of the track, think you know why I can’t upload the whole track, although I would love to! but since I’ve discovered how to go about to upload only a “taster”, I will stick to the rules! Make sure the volume is turned on full volume! 

Other composers’ music on this cd… Mozart (also Eine Kleine Nachtmusik), Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Verdi, Donizetti and Rossinni.

My favourite – Haydn’s clock movement!

 

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I’ll swim the Seven Seas!

Venice: For a Kiss!

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Symphony of Toys

Image: http://www.hbf.lv/index.php?&366&view=concert&concert_id=94
Please click here to enjoy the music of Waldo de los Rios and his interpretation of the Toy Symphony! The link is on my blog and will open in a new window. You surely don’t want to miss out on his fantastic music!
Wow! This entry took me really hours to put together! But I really enjoyed it…I never do anything that I don’t enjoy…. but if it’s something I have to do and it’s not enjoyable…well, that’s a different case…as I always tell children, some people have to do the boring work too and if it’s you then it needs to be done! That’s life. Back to my entry! I LOVE  the Toy Symphony and as a child, I used to listen to a program on the radio, only for children, called “Jongspan Atteljee“…in English..”Children’s studio”… and the theme song for that program was….the Toy Symphony! — Meneutto— I sometimes turned the radio on for that program just to listen to it ..again… hehe… I spent literally hours on the Internet to find these audio files too! But lucky you, now you can listen to my favourite composition by….NOT Haydn…as I’ve thought too! but by Mozart’s dad! Leopold… and I’ve found websites where more people think the composer was Haydn.

 As a child I had a few toys which I really liked or should I say …enjoyed. One was a doll, she almost looked like the one from the museum on the image, but I wasn’t really a dolly-person when I was a child…there was so much to do on the farm…..only later with the Barbies! but my favourite toys were the little toy cars! I grew up on a farm and we used to have these huge acorn trees near the house, they were really old… when I was little, my mum told us they were more than 70 years old! We had an open space near these trees which was a bit sandy and where we could “build” some “roads” for our cars! wow…that was really great and I can recall an orange tractor too…Massey Ferguson… I used to drive a tractor myself on the farm when I was about 15. My sister’s boyfriend loved to take me on the tractor and the combine harvester! I loved it too…although the combine harvester was a bit tricky to drive…guess what..I was 12 when I drove on the dusty farm roads like I was an expert on driving! It’s easy on those roads as the traffic inspectors don’t go there! ..back to music! 

Little children need to be introduced to music at a very young age, as with books and art. There are many ways you can do that with music and one way is to get them to draw images or patterns if they listen to music. To compose their own music they can use a pattern structure. On one image you will see patterns drawn and coloured. That’s  my Y5 children that listened to different types of music and they’ve decided which patterns  and  colours to use to express the mood/type of the music.

Toy Symphony:

The composition, originally called in German “Kinder Sinfonie” (“Children’s Symphony”), and known in America under the title “Toy Symphony” goes back to the 18^thcentury.   It was created to entertain everyone on the stage and in the audience.  The score of this humoresque piece of music calls for two violins, bass, and a small battalion of toy instruments – cuckoo, nightingale, toy drum, toy trumpet, rattle, and triangle.

Please click HERE for the International music performance and educational project that empowers children and adults alike, giving realization of modes of musical creativity and expression through the use of new concepts and technologies.

Image: Sibeliusmusic.com

 

Mozart… image: Classicsonline.com
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)http://www.classicsonline.com/composerbio/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart/

Leopold Mozart …Image: classicsonline.com
Leopold Mozart (1719 – 1787)
The father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Leopold Mozart, distinguished as a violin teacher, sacrificed his own career as a composer to foster that of his son. He was a man of wide interests, the son of an Augsburg bookseller, and left university to join the musical establishment of the Archbishop of Salzburg, a prelate in whose service he rose to become court composer and deputy Kapellmeister, a position he maintained, without further advancement, until his death in 1787. See more of his music on this link: http://www.classicsonline.com/composerbio/Leopold_Mozart/
 

 Please click HERE to listen or to order this cd.

Toy Symphony : Allegro

Toy Symphony : Menuetto–my favourite!!

Toy Symphony : Finale

Art…different moods according to different types/pieces of music…

Image: Liverpool museum…

Together with the piano, I played the recorder too when I was at school, but would really love to play the violin and flute!

Little chidren can listen to music and draw images of what they “see” while listening to the music.

I’ve only ordered this morning this cd of Waldo de los Rios. His music is just fantastic and the Toy Symphony is on this cd and…Haydn’s  Symphony No. 101 in D Major..”the Clock”…!!
Click here to listen to the music of Waldo de los Rios on classicfm. This youtube video is the Symphony of Haydn, but not the same as being played by Waldo de los Rios!!

Youtube video: Toy Symphony: Allegro…Menuetto…and then the Finale…enjoy!

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Suid-Afrika my skaduwee

I’ve got this CD of Hilary Stagg…beautiful music…enjoy this track and do get yourself this CD!!

This is an Afrikaans poem, just my thoughts about life as a child…

Indien jy ooit by die Opelug Museum in Pretoria ‘n draai maak, maak gerus ‘n draai by die Watermeule. Hierdie watermeule het op ons plaas gestaan en is hy klip-vir-klip gemerk en net so herbou in Pretoria. As kind van ongeveer 7/8 jaar oud, het ons gedurig op die wiel gespeel en was dit ‘n heerlike wegkruipplek vir die kat om haar kleintjies te kry!! Daarom dat my gedagtes ook in hierdie gegriffel ‘n draai gaan maak het op die watermeul se wiel! Ek kon vir ure die miskuiers volg wat in veld hulle bolletjies gerol het…wanneer ek gaan stap het om verdroogde stukkies takkies te versamel en grassade vir my versameling wat ek gedurig in my kamer uitgestal het…die gedrooge takkies…spesiale mooi uitgesoektes natuurlik, het ek in gebruik in rangskikkings en was my kamer omtrent ‘n “nes” van alles wat ek van die veld aangedra het. Selfs verdwaalde tarentaal-vere het hul ere-plekkie gehad…en hoe kon ek die karretjies uitlaat, dit het ek meer gespeel as met my poppe wat altyd net op my bed gelê vir die mooiheid…

Baie dankie aan Francois vdM wat vandag [18/6/2011] hierdie pragtige foto van my geliefde waterval op ons familieplaas – waar ek ure kon sit en ontspan, rondklouter en saam met familie/vriende geniet het, aangestuur het. Francois bly ook in die omgewing en ken dit ook alte goed. In die volgende gedig lees jy juis van die waterval!

Suid-Afrika – my skaduwee

In die skadu’s
van die groot ou Eik
stoot ek weer in die sand
Boeta se karretjies een-vir-een
‘is verstommend hoe die mierleeus uit hul tonnels
krioel met kierang-hier en kierang-daar

Langs die waterval
sit ek, halfbewus
my gedagtes vind perspektiwiteit
en rol ragfyn ligstraaltjies voor my uit
op die kabbellende water

Op die meulwiel van vervloë
versamel ek babakatjies
pas gebo’, versteek
teen elemente daar buit’
en ek streel die sagtheid
wat ek koester
verder op my reis

Ek verdwaal tussen rante
soekend na onweerstaanbare
toktokkies en miskruiers
‘k neem ‘n honger teug
uit die kom van fluisteringe
“ons-vir-jou-ons-vir-jou”

Hoe sal ek jou kan vergeet
jou alledaagse ontwykende
en eindlose horison
onwetend
bly jy daar vir my
en ek vir jou
Hoe kán ek dan
Vergeet van: “ons-vir-jou”…?

©Nikita 17 Junie 2008

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Remembrance

Image:icecreamjournal.turkeyhill.com

 My blog is this month…ONE year old!! The actual “birthday” is the 9th….I’ve decided to link this “celebration” to some “memories”…after a year, you always think back/reflect on things that happened throughout the year..and you try to improve the next year…so: I’ve decided to “reflect” a bit…not really…hehehe…it’s just a blog! but to “refresh” some minds…I’ve decided to blog about the things I like/love…well, by just looking at that Springbok rugby player…I don’t have to say more!! Go to Sept/Oct 2007 and you’ll find about 10 entries on the World Cup Rugby…mostly about the Springboks ( of course!!)  and their games..but there is at least the one of England against France too! I love rugby…and that’s due to my very first boyfriend…he played rugby for about 3 clubs…the same time!.. and I  used to spend my days at Loftus!! ….all those days chewing biltong (jerky for the Americans!) and droëwors! with the other girls…the links to entries on my blog  is self explainable…according to the stats since Nov 2007.
Most popular Chess link …Bobby Fischer.. was and is…the most popular POETRY link….and the most popular ART link…all of these links have had 1000+ hits till now…and this link is the MOST popular link on my site…with 1500+ hits since I’ve moved my blog to WordPress in November.

Image: bestbiltong.com

I’m sure that TESSA wouldn’t mind me blogging  one of her fantastic pictures again..this is South Africa! and follow the link to see some more beautiful images!

I couldn’t help myself blogging this video! It has taken me back a couple of years…I  took piano lessons from  age 11…and when I was in secondary…. I was desperate to play this piece of music!! I practised it myself…it’s from a book which I didn’t use with my teacher….I could play it about half way at the end…but hey!! this piece of music is so tricky!! I really admire anybody that plays it like this lady does in the video! I still wish I could play it like that…<sigh>…sweet memories…ENJOY!
Here is an audio file to listen to… from THIS SITE …

If the above link doesn’t work, try this NEW link here.

Percy Montgomery!…my favourite Springbok rugby player.

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Loch Lomond

 

Image: …highlandexperience.com

Image: visit-loch-lomond.co.uk/i/LLomond.jpg

I think I had a fantastic music teacher during my Primary school years…we used to love her lessons — even the boys! — and she always taught us great songs…also folk songs from different countries. I’ve blogged earlier the Irish Folk song… Cockles and Mussels –the balad of Molly Malone — on this link…a song which we also thoroughly enjoyed! Now, why is it that suddenly, out of the blue, a song got stuck in your head…and it stays there for two days…that’s me… this song…By yon bonnie banks…a Scottish folk song…got into my head two days ago and I can’t get rid of it…so hopefully by blogging it…I will get rid of it…lol! I found this lovely video on youtube too…and then, one of my chess player-friends on Chessworld..sent me the link of Nanci Griffiths….Red is the Rose…a beautiful song!

About Loch Lomond:
Loch Lomond has the largest surface area of fresh water Loch in the UK. The Loch is 24 miles long and five miles wide and at its deepest point is some 600 feet deep.

 

 

 

On the Loch there are approximately 38 Islands, some of them inhabited and there is even a Hotel on one, Inchmurrin.

Loch Lomond must be the worlds most famous Loch and has been much written about, both in song and verse. The area is renowned for its beauty and tranquility and offers picture postcard views around every corner.

The Loch is crossed by the Highland Boundary Fault and exhibits the physical characteristics of both highland and Lowland Scotland. Some 200 species of birds and over 25% of Britain’s wild plants have been recorded in the area.

 

 

 

Here’s the lyrics of the song I learnt at Primary school….
1. By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond.
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae
On the bonnie, bonnie banks O’ Loch Lomond.

Refrain:
O ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ the low road,
An’ I’ll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks O’ Loch Lomond.

2. ‘Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side O’ Ben Lomon’,
Where in purple hue the Hieland hills we view,
An’ the moon comin’ out in the gloamin’
Refrain:

3. The wee birdies sing and the wild flow’rs spring,
And in sunshine the waters are sleepin’;
But the broken heart it kens nae second spring,
Tho’ the waefu’ may cease frae their greetin’.
Refrain:
—–source: http://ingeb.org/songs/byyonbon.html
Please click HERE for the music and on THIS LINK there’s a midi file which you can download.

The beautiful Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond-song
 

 

Nanci’s song….

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Al die veld is vrolik

For English readers… this is a short Afrikaans song about Spring and the second song/poem is about the little mini-beasts, birds, children and even the small plants are happy…they all want to dance and sing and play…

DIS HEERLIKE LENTE

Woorde: THEO W. JANDRELL en G.G. CILLIÉ
Musiek: Wysie uit die Alpe; verwerk: G.G. CILLIÉ

Dis heerlike lente, die winter’s verby;

weer nooi berg’ en klowe vir jou en vir my.

Hol-la-dri-o-ha, hol-la-dri-o. Hol-la-dri-o-ha, hol-la-dri-o!
Die bergklim is heerlik, dit hou mens gesond.

Die vroe-, vroeë môre het goud in die mond.

Hol-la-dri-o-ha, hol-la-dri-o. Hol-la-dri-o-ha, hol-la-dri-o!

AL DIE VELD IS VROLIK

Woorde: C. LOUIS LEIPOLDT
Musiek: J. WEBER; verwerk: PIETER DE VILLIERS

Al die veld is vrolik; al die voëltjies sing;
al die kriekies kriek daarbuit’; elke sprinkaan spring.
Al die koggelmannetjies kom om fees te vier;
hier galop ‘n goggatjie, daarso dans ‘n mier.

[KOOR]
Nou gaan die kinders draai, nou gaan hul speel!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!

Selfs die vissies spartel teen die kafferskuil;
in die groot ou eikeboom droom ‘n oupa-uil.
Oral in Karooland is ‘n ruik versprei:
boegoeblom en appelkoos–kan jy beter kry?

[KOOR]
Nou gaan die kinders draai, nou gaan hul speel!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!

Bind vir my tesame katjiepiering wit,
bobbejaantjies blou en bont, rose in gelid,
varings van die klippe, oral, ai só mooi,
rooi kalkoentjies uit die vlei–blomme uitgestrooi.

[KOOR]
Nou gaan die kinders draai, nou gaan hul speel!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!

Vrolik is die wêreld, vrolik rant en vlei!
Elke koggelmannetjie het sy maat gekry.
Elke gons’rig’ goggatjie is getroud of vry:
vrolik is die wêreld hier, vrolik veld en vlei!

[KOOR]
Nou gaan die kinders draai, nou gaan hul speel!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!
Kom Sus, gee handjie! Almal moet draai!
Boet gee ook handjie! Nou gaan ons swaai–
dis tog so prettig! Wie dans met my?
Al in die rondte, vrolik en bly!

Kry AL daardie liedjies wat jy nooit kan onthou nie, se woorde op hierdie link!

Die foto’s is geneem so 3min se stap van ons huis af. Moenie dat die weer jou flous nie, dit het gesous gedurende die oggend. Die foto’s is om en by 5:15 nm geneem.

Update 1/9/2013 : Ek was net bly om te sien dat die link met die musiek [blerkas] net geskuif het en nie verdwyn het – soos die oorspronklike link.

http://esl.ee.sun.ac.za/~lochner/blerkas/

 

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I won’t give up!

This is Steve Hofmeyr’s version:

Update: 22/04/2012
Listen to Bruce’s version:

Update October 2011

If you are interested in emailing/contacting Bruce Millar – see his message in the comments box. Here is also an email that was left by ‘Natasha Millar’ – assume it is his wife? – or relative – see the comments box. millar@vanilla.co.za

This song is one of my favourites on a Steve Hofmeyr CD…this song was sung by Bruce Millar first before Steve recorded it too. Bruce is a great artist and was born in Zimbabwe…you can read more about Bruce on this link. He’s now a radio presenter in South Africa. What I didn’t know and only discovered recently, was that his song is a translation of this Italian song, Inno, sung by Mia Martini. I could find the Italian song on youtube and you can follow the words in English. I’ve got the words in Italian too and if you understand Italian, you might want to tell me – when comparing the words to the English song – if it’s a true translation… thanks!

English words:
I won’t give up

I won’t give up my dream
There’s a love for me
Somewhere in this world of loneliness
Someone who’s cup is filled with tears
And waiting like me
To share that sweet embrace
And chase away the saddened face
Of yesterday’s fears.
I won’t give up the search
‘Till I find the one
Who’s kisses will awake my heart
And make it fly
I won’t give up
I’m gonna take my stand
Because I know
There’s someone in this world
That won’t give up
‘Till she’s holding my hand
Repeat song twice

Song in Italian!

Cantero’ – se vuoi – ma non credermi
Stelle nelle tasche piu’ non ho
E tu – non sai – volare piu’ – piu’ – piu’ in alto
Nel viso della sera che nasce
Sulla spiaggia coi falo’

Cantero’ – per noi – che non siamo piu’
piu’ forti – di quel po’ – di gioventu’
Che sta – bruciando dentro e poi – finira’
Nel viso della sera che nasce
Sulla spiaggia coi falo’

Dimmi che vuoi – che puoi – darmi felicita’
E sotto – la mia pelle nascera’
Per te un dolce fiume che – cantera’
La mia speranza d’esser donna
E la tua bocca poi lo berra’

Dimmi che il posto mio non sto per perderlo
Dentro la mia fiaccola tu sei
Ma se – non sai bruciare piu’ – resta ancora
Insieme canteremo e legnia
Porteremo al nostro falo’

Dimmi che vuoi – che puoi – darmi felicita’
Apri le tue braccia e se ne andra’
La mia tristezza finalmente sara’ un esplosione
Di stelle cadenti sopra i fuochi gia’ spenti dei falo’
Sole no! Non puoi – piu’ mandarci via
Rosso stai salendo sempre piu’
Lui sta dormendo il mare sa’ – quanto amore
Mi ha dato e mi dara’ rubando il viso di una sera

At last! Bruce on Youtube too!

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This is until…Chess!

I don’t know the band…“Wonderboom” but it seems to me that they are doing great from what I’ve read on the internet about them. Cito is part of the band…and you can read more about him…he’s also starring in the musical “Chess”… in South Africa. If you click HERE you can visit his “My Space” site.

Cito

In the role of Jesus Christ

Cito is singer, composer and producer. He was born in Los Angeles and grown up in New York, he has been influenced musically by his parents, and more specifically by his mother who was singing and played classic guitar.

From adolescent years, Cito studied music, composed and also was member in various groups, as the Heart and Soul, Moonchild and 8 Legged Groove Machine.

From 1996 he was the basic singer in the successful rock group of South Africa, the Wonderboom.

In his own recording studio, Cito makes productions, composes and also records various projects, while he has worked with various artists as Karin Zoid, Tamara Dey, Craig Harris and Paul E Flynn. His role as Jesus Christ in the Jesus Christ Superstar constitutes the debut of Cito in theatrical musical. His astonishing voice and the awe that he causes on scene get paid with the warmest clap.

Please click HERE to view the source.

Another article…

From crucifixion to checkmate
April 1, 2008

By Therese Owen

Cito’s first introduction to theatre was through Jesus Christ. To many a trained actor and singer, the role of Jesus Christ (in Jesus Christ Superstar) would be daunting.

But Cito, who had never acted before in his life, embraced the challenge. By the time the musical toured Greece and Korea, where they played to 4 000 people a night, Cito had turned the role into his own. Since returning to South Africa he has continued with Wonderboom and has turned down every theatrical offer.

That is until Chess. He was offered the part of the chess master, Fredrickson, by all accounts an egotistical man. who turned the game reserved for nerds into rock star status. Fredrickson is based on the US chess icon, Bobby Fisher.

“The great thing about Chess The Musical is that everyone is flawed and there is no happy ending,” says Cito. “It’s not a happy-go-lucky Broadway show, which is why I chose to be a part of it.”

Cito says he still puts his band, Wonderboom, first and, initially, the role conflicted with a planned tour. But Pieter Toerien was so eager to have him in the show that he moved it forward six weeks to accommodate Cito.

“This theatre thing is blooming for me. I could feel it in Greece and Korea. In Korea, people would throw babies at me. It’s intense. Luckily, I’ve been humbled by rock ‘n roll to know the difference between reality and fame.

“I’m also singing like a mother. I always knew I could sing . But when I look back at my early days of Jesus Christ Superstar I was petulant. I felt like I was in standard six all over again.”

Like all good artists, Cito saw the opportunity as a way to improve his craft. “I don’t come across as a well-trained actor, but I think that gives me an edge.

“With this role I really have to embrace being an asshole with real swank. When it comes to Chess it’s a discipline. I have had to unlearn that stuff from Wonderboom. After all, that started off as a joke.”

Wonderboom has always used humour and parody in their music and their live performances to great effect.

“Acting is not pretending. It’s about finding that other person, becoming that other person. Right now, I still wanna be Jesus. I still wanna be a nice guy.

“Fredrickson has confidence. He was revolutionary and had a highly passionate sexual relationship with his woman.”

He says the sexual aspect of his character gave him some difficulty. In one of the opening scenes his character walks into the scene and immediately goes up to a female, grabs her and brazenly kisses her.

“I’m not about that kind of misogynistic behaviour,” he says shyly. “But the director said just do it and I just did it. Everything is a learning curve.”

Source: HERE …

Buy your tickets HERE for this musical in SA…

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It’s time to go!

 

 

Please click HERE to listen to Mugabe’s song…go Mugabe go! walk out the door!! You’re not welcome anymore…!! It’s time to …go! BYE!!!

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Child of Africa

I have edited this entry – 4/1/2021

 The original post was about Monty Don, a very negative entry about him – he was very negative about South Africa in general and it upset me massively. So, let’s keep it positive!
The following comes from the BBC’s site
Around the World in 80 Gardens
Mon 7 Apr, 12:40 am – 1:40 am 60mins

South Africa

Monty Don continues his extraordinary journey Around the World in 80 Gardens with a journey to South Africa, one of the most plant-rich zones in the world.

At Cape Town’s world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens he revels in the impressive display of native flora, including the strange King Proteus, South Africa’s national plant before taking a journey to the Drakensberg Mountains to see some native botanical treasures in their natural environment. Along the way, he traces the garden-story of the Dutch colonists who settled in the nineteenth century and looks at what some of South Africa’s gardeners are doing today.

Monty’s discoveries leave him excited to find that South Africa is forging a new identity for itself through a fresh appreciation of its environmental wonders.

Source: Click HERE to read about his program.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7852086.stm

Monty in South Africa 2011

Monty in the Cape – 2018

This next song is sung by Machiel Roets.

One night I listened to a radio station and he was interviewed and asked a question. It’s about 2 years ago and I can’t even remember the radio station nor the question! However, I sent the answer by email and was lucky to be one of the winners and received his cd called “Afrika Kind” This song is on the cd and I translated it quickly so you can follow the lyrics and see what a beautiful song it is. It’s just to give you an idea what it’s about. On the video there’s some beautiful images to see about South Africa. 

Child of Africa

Come take my hand
through this country of hardship
come let’s laugh
’bout the day of tomorrow
walk with me
through this wetland-region
hear the song
nature poured over you

Chorus:
‘ts here where the wind speaks to you
by the rhythm of the earth
and water that flows
and soothes you
suddenly there’s a voice that says
You’re my child!

Come take my hand
here in sunshine land
let’s carry together
what’s going on around us
walk hand-by-hand
here on Africa soil
come breathe the air
that soothes your soul

Chorus
It’s here where the wind speaks to you
by the rhythm of the earth
and water that flows
that soothes you
suddenly there’s a voice that says
You’re my child!
Repeat chorus again..
You’re my child!(2x)
My African child.
 Translated by: Nikita 

This next song is for those who grew up with Afrikaans and a song about a frog that would like to hire a fire fly to have light when visiting his girl friend! A song we all love!

Die Padda wou gaan opsit

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James Blunt

One of my favourites… James Blunt… I’ve got this cd…and there are a couple of beautiful songs on this cd… my favourites in this order…1. You’re beautiful 2. Tears and rain 3. Goodbye my lover – a bit mushy…lol! 4. Cry 5. High 6. Out of my mind… the others… not really something to get excited about…but….

Enjoy this track…You’re beautiful

…and the video…Goodbye my lover

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Lied van die lewe…song of life!

You can listen to a snippet from his song…”Liefling”. This song was a big hit for many, many years in South Africa and I do believe that many South Africans still love this song! It’s a song about life! I have done a loose translation for you to understand the song – if you are an English speaker.

Lied van die lewe
Om jonk te wees bring lekker dae
Die son skyn dan op elke dag
Die kinders skaats en ry fiets in die strate
Jongmense luister na nuwe plate
Niemand dink aan die tyd wat verby gaan
en dat die lewe net nie stil sal staan. (2x)

Koor:
Sing met my ‘n lied van die lewe
Sing met my van jonk en oud
Die lewe gee soveel mooier dae
maar dikwels gaan dit so gou verby (2x)
Ja, dikwels gaan dit so gou verby.

Maar die lewe sal nooit stilstaan
Dae kom en dae gaan
Die jonges trou en gaan op hul eie
Nou kom daar soms sware tye
Almal werk net vir die hede
Ure, maande en jare vlieg soos die wind verby (2x)

Herhaal Koor

Die oues word dan ook weer ouer
Hul word dan oupa en oumama
Dae word dan vinnig korter
Langsaam gaan die son dan onder
Herinneringe laat ons oor die lewe wonder
Lewe van mooi en troebel dae
staan einde toe (2x)

Herhaal Koor

Song translated: I tried my best and do hope you enjoy it….

Song of life

To be young brings blissful days
The sun shines ‘bout every day
The children in the streets skate and do bike riding
Youngsters listen to new music
Nobody thinks about time flying by
And that life is moving on
And that life is moving on

Chorus:

Sing with me a song of life
Sing with me ‘bout young and old
Life gives so much back to us
But often days go flying by
Sing with me a song of life
Sing with me ’bout young and old
Life gives so much back to us
But often days go flying by
Yes, quite often the days fly so soon

But life is never ever static
Days come and days go
Young people get married and live their lives
Now come even tougher times
Everybody works as for now and here
Hours, weeks, months and years fly like the wind
Yes, hours, weeks, months and years fly like the wind 

Chorus:

Sing with me a song of life
Sing with me ‘bout young and old
Life gives so much back to us
But often days go flying by
Sing with me a song of life
Sing with me ’bout young and old
Life gives so much back to us
But often days go flying by
Yes, quite often the days fly so soon

The older get much older too
They become grandpa and grandmamma
Days grow shorter very quickly
Slowly the sun goes down
Memories make us wonder ‘bout life
Beautiful and harder days
Near its end
Beautiful and harder days
Near its end

Chorus:

Sing with me a song of life
Sing with me ‘bout young and old
Life gives so much back to us
But often days go flying by
Sing with me a song of life
Sing with me ’bout young and old
Life gives so much back to us
But often days go flying by
Yes, quite often the days fly so soon

translated by: Nikita

 Born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands as the youngest of eight children, Korsten and his family emigrated to South Africa when he was nine years old. He married Elna Burger and had five children. Career
Initially he worked as an electrician, but from the age of 20, started singing in choirs, some of which were televised frequently by the SABC. However, he received his first formal vocal training in 1952, when he was well into his 20s, studying under Adelheid Armhold at the South African College of Music.In 1955 he moved to Pretoria, where he was one of the founder members of the Pretoria opera company. In 1956, he debuted as Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.Korsten won a bursary to study in Vienna in 1962, where he received tution under Judith Hellwig. During this period he had the opportunity to perform in Vienna and Munich, but he never sang professionally outside South Africa, mainly due to family considerations. It was only in 1970 that Korsten sold his business to devote himself to full-time singing. In the course of his operatic career, Korsten appeared on stage more than 3,000 times, playing 23 roles in most of the major operas. In 1965, Korsten started his career in light music, with his album “Gé Korsten Sing Uit Die Hart” (“Gé Korsten Sings From The Heart” ), and soon became a best-selling recording artist, with a career spanning 40 years. Nine of his 58 albums achieved gold status. Most of his recorded work is light Afrikaans music, including the song “Liefling” (Sweetheart), which is still performed at rugby matches in Bloemfontein and Pretoria. His popularity as a singer also lead to lead roles in films such as Hoor My Lied (Hear My Song), Lied In My Hart (Song In My Heart) and A New Life, all of which included singing scenes. He received six Sarie awards and, in 1979, an ARTES award for his TV program “Gé Sing” (“Gé Sings”).In his later life, Korsten was well-known for his role as family patriarch Walt Vorster in the long-running South African soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold.

In 1985 he was appointed as the managing director of the Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) in Cape Town, a post which he held until 1989.
In 1999, while presumably suffering from cancer, he committed suicide.
Wiki link HERE ..

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Dans van die reen/Dance of the rain

Image…Wikipedia
Click HERE on this post to read my translation of his poem “Dans van die reën” in English…The link will open in a new window. “The Dance of the rain”…and you can read about this book on the link too.

“EUGÈNE Marais was a South African poet, a story-teller, a journalist, a lawyer, a psychologist, a natural scientist, a drug-addict, and a great genius — an abused and forgotten genius, and the world is the worse off for that.”
Read “Soul of the Ant” HERE online.

 

Eugene Marais was one of  South Africa’s more talented writers/poets. I love his poems although I haven’t read his books. I borrowed “The Soul of the Ant” one day – when I was at Primary – but I guess I was too young to read such a book, so I didn’t finish it and read only the first few pages. Some of his poems is about nature like the ‘Winter’s Night’ (translated in English here) and the “Dans van die reën” which is -translated: ‘Dance of the rain.‘ In this poem, he describes the animals’ reaction when the rain is on its way and he describes the rain and her ‘dance.‘ Marais is just brilliant in the way he played with words/metaphors etc. Sadly, he committed suicide in 1936.
Read HERE on Wiki  more about him. The link will open in a new window.
On the bottom of this post you will find a link to a post on my blog – in English – about Eugene Marais…he was a naturalist, scientist, writer and poet. He made a study of  ants and you can see the book he wrote “The soul of the Ant” on that link…and his other book…”The soul of the Ape”…
 

Author: Julee Dickerson Thompson
ISBN: 865432597
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Africa World Press (March 1997)

The following translation of Marais’ “Winternag” is by J. W. Marchant:

“Winter’s Night”

O the small wind is frigid and spare
and bright in the dim light and bare
as wide as God’s merciful boon
the veld lies in starlight and gloom
and on the high lands
spread through burnt bands
the grass-seed, astir, is like beckoning hands.

O East-wind gives mournful measure to song
Like the lilt of a lovelorn lass who’s been wronged
In every grass fold
bright dewdrop takes hold
and promptly pales to frost in the cold!

Eguene N Marais
WINTERNAG
by Eugene Marais

O koud is die windjie
en skraal.
En blink in die dof-lig
en kaal,
so wyd as die Heer se genade,
le die velde in sterlig en skade
En hoog in die rande,
versprei in die brande,
is die grassaad aan roere
soos winkende hande.

O treurig die wysie
op die ooswind se maat,
soos die lied van ‘n meisie
in haar liefde verlaat.
In elk’ grashalm se vou
blink ‘n druppel van dou,
en vinnig verbleek dit
tot ryp in die kou!

DIE DANS VAN DIE REËN – Eugene Marais
Lied van die vioolspeler. Jan Konterdans.
Uit die Groot Woestyn
O die dans van ons Suster!
Eers oor die bergtop loer sy skelm,
en haar oge is skaam;
en sy lag saggies.
En van ver af wink sy met die een hand;
haar armbande blink en haar krale skitter;
saggies roep sy.
Sy vertel die winde van die dans
en sy nooi hulle uit, want die werf is wyd en die bruilof groot.
Die grootwild jaag uit die vlakte,
hulle dam op die bulttop,
wyd rek hulle die neusgate
en hulle sluk die wind;
en hulle buk, om haar fyn spore op die sand te sien.
Die kleinvolk diep onder die grond hoor die sleep van haar voete,
en hulle kruip nader en sing saggies:
“Ons Suster! Ons Suster! Jy het gekom! Jy het gekom!”
En haar krale skud,
en haar koperringe blink in die wegraak van die son.
Op haar voorkop is die vuurpluim van die berggier;
sy trap af van die hoogte;
sy sprei die vaalkaros met altwee arms uit;
die asem van die wind raak weg.
O, die dans van ons Suster!

[Uit: Versamelde gedigte – Eugene Marais]
Read on THIS LINK on my blog more about Eugene Marais…Article in English…The link will open in a new window.

I don’t know Laurinda Hofmeyr’s music, but she’s got an album with the song…”Dans van die reen”. I hope one of my blogger-visitors from SA would be able to tell me more…

Snitte:
1. Lied van die bruidegom – Johan Myburg
2. 26 November 1975 – Breyten Breytenbach
3. Op reis na die Suide – Breyten breytenbach
4. Inbrand – Breyten Breytenbach
5. Die dans van die reën – Eugène N. Marais
6. Kind – Rabindranath Tagore
7. Ek sal sterf en na my vader gaan – Breyten Breytenbach
8. ‘n Halwe engel – Breyten Breytenbach
9. Last grave at Dimbaza – Fanie Olivier
10. Die reis – Breyten Breytenbach
11. Lied van die bruidegom (improvisasie)

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Electric band

On the chess site I was sent this link with a goodie when I finished a game against a player. I like these two songs on this video! Golden Oldie memories. Enjoy it with me!

While we are on the word “electric”… South Africans will know why I’m posting the next line…. 🙂

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNMENT:  “Will the last person leaving the country, please blow out the candle”  Thank You………….

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Simon and Garfunkel

Claude, a blogger friend, has sent me this video-link. So, here it is for everyone to enjoy with  me!

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Baby Queen….

Click here: for Baby Queen and enjoy the bit of fun!

http:// users. telenet. be / leukelinks / flash / queen . htm

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Happy New Year!

Enjoy the movie . This entry is an updated entry. I wish you all a wonderful New Year for 2009. May it be the best year in your life. The first image is actually an animated image, click on the image to see the “animation”.

This next video is last year’s video.

 

 

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Suncatcher! – song

This is the most beautiful song by Laurika Rauch and Valiant Swart.  They sing about the sun….”Suncatcher” – ….Laurika Rauch is really one of our best artists in South Africa… she’s a beloved singer, well, I do love her music and I think most other South Africans too as you will notice the reaction of the audience when she appears on  stage to sing with Valiant. She’s really done her bit for Afrikaans and she’s a big legend in SA.  This song is in Afrikaans and I’ve tried my best to translate this “Sonvanger” (Suncatcher) in English, please listen to the music while following the words as  this is a special song! You can also follow the words as I’ve translated her song in English. Enjoy!

Please click HERE to listen to her singing an English song, called… “The old folk”…beautiful! 

SONVANGER

Valiant Swart

KYK OF JY VIR MY DIE SON KAN VANG
DAAR’S ‘N KAMER IN DIE HUIS WAAR ONS DIE SON KAN HANG
DIS DONKER BY DIE VENSTER IN DIE MIDDEL VAN DIE DAG
ONTHOU JY HOE HELDER DIE KAMER KON LAG

KYK OF JY VIR MY DIE SON KAN BRING
DAAR’S ‘N LIEDJIE IN DIE GANGE WAT DIE SON KAN SING
WANT DIS STIL IN DIE HOEKE, HIERDIE KOUE SEISOEN
KAN JY SIEN WAT DIE WIND EN DIE REËN AAN MY DOEN

REFREIN:
S-O-NVANGER
EK VRA JOU MOOI, LAAT HOM WEER VIR MY KOM SKYN
S-O-NVANGER
LAAT MY VERSTAAN
HOE ‘N SOMER SOMMERSO IN DIE NIET KAN VERDWYN
EN LAAT HOM SKYN

KYK OF JY VIR MY DIE SON KAN KRY
DAAR’S ‘N HUISIE IN MY HART WAAR DIE SON KAN BLY
KYK OF JY VIR MY DIE SON KAN STEEL
DAAR’S ‘N PLEKKIE IN DIE TUIN WAAR DIE SON KAN SPEEL

REFREIN
BRING ‘N BIETJIE LIG VIR DIE DRAAIE OP MY PAD
EN ‘N HANDJIEVOL STRALE VIR DIE DONKER IN MY HART

S-O-NVANGER

Suncatcher

See if you could catch me the sun
There’s a room in the house where it can be hung
It’s dark by the window in the middle of the day
Do you remember how brightly the room could laugh?

See if you could bring me the sun
There’s a song in the corridors the sun can sing
Coz it’s quiet in the corners, this cold season
Can you see what the wind and rain do to me?

Choir:
S-u-ncatcher!
I ask you, please, let it shine for me again
S-u-ncatcher!
Let me understand
How a summer disappear like that in the nothingness
And let it shine

See if you could get me the sun
There’s a home in my heart where the sun can live
See if you could steal me the sun
There’s a place in the garden where the sun can play

Choir:
S-u-ncatcher!
I ask you please, let it shine for me again
S-u-ncatcher!
Let me understand
How a summer could disappear like that in the  nothingness
And let it shine

Bring some light for the meanders on my road
And a handful of rays for the darkness in my heart

~~~Nikita

This next song is sung by Helmut Lotti, a Belgium artist….singing Afrikaans….a very old folk song called “Sarie Marias”.
Steve Hofmeyr…..from the TV-series (couple of years ago)….”Agter elke man..” ….(“Behind every man…”)

 

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Hilary Stagg

Hilary Stagg’s music is really beautiful….harp music!

Clickhere to see more of his albums. There are 30 sec bits of tracks to listen to! Enjoy! but, I would suggest you get yours as it is really worth it!  I have The edge of Forever….beautiful!

 

Although you might not understand the words here on the Youtube video, you can still enjoy his music! Don’t fall asleep!

On the link here and this link HERE you can listen to tracks from his album in this post. The links will open in a new window.

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Love-light Bitterbessie

7 December-poem
This poem comes from a “poetic calendar”. There’s a poem for every day and it’s actually a book used by Teachers and I want to share a poem for today from this book! Fridays always feel to me like a special day for poetry! A day to relax! So…relax and enjoy! As student, Ingrid Jonker’s poems really appealed to me…and “Bitterbessie Dagbreek” was always somewhere on a door/wall in my room. At the bottom of this post, you will find a link to read more about her….her poems were translated in many languages!
Follow this link HERE to listen to her poem in Afrikaans, and at the same time, you can read it in English! Please Click on the play button!
Love-light
A taper lit in sunlight,
Pale yellow leaf of flame,
An upturned heart that trembled
As soft winds breathed your name,
Its brightness was diluted;
But, when the darkness came,
It shone with such pure brilliance
As put the stars to shame.
Vernon Scannell 
From:Read Me2: A Poem For Every Day of The Year

BITTERBESSIE DAGBREEK
Ingrid Jonker

Bitterbessie dagbreek
bitterbessie son
‘n spieël het gebreek
tusen my en hom

Soek ek na die grootpad
om daarlangs te draf
oral draai die paadjies
van sy woorde af

Dennebos herinnering
dennebos vergeet
het ek ook verdwaal
trap ek in my leed

Papegaai-bont eggo
kierang kierang my
totdat ek bedroë
weer die koggel kry

Eggo is geen antwoord
antwoord hy alom
bitterbessie dagbreek
bitterbessie son

On THIS LINK you will find interesting reading about her life! Read HERE more about INGRID JONKER.

  SONG 

 

 

Another Afrikaans poem of Ingrid…
Madeliefies in Namakwaland
~~~Ingrid Jonker
Waarom luister ons nog
na die antwoorde van die madeliefies
op die wind op die son
wat het geword van die kokkewietjies
Agter die geslote voorkop
waar miskien nog ’n takkie tuimel
van ’n verdrinkte lente
~~~
Agter my gesneuwelde woord
Agter ons verdeelde huis
Agter die hart gesluit teen homself
Agter draadheinings, kampe, lokasies
Agter die stilte waar onbekende tale
val soos klokke by ’n begrafenis
Agter ons verskleurde land
~~~
sit die groen hotnotsgot van die veld
en ons hoor nog verdwaasd
klein blou Namakwaland-madeliefie
iets antwoord, iets glo, iets weet. 

I had to blog this Afrikaans song of Laurika Rauch as I think the mood suits today’s poems!

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Flying Pickets – Only You

Boer-in-Ballingskap het my op die skaakwebsite….gese van die liedjie….en hy is een van my gunstelinge…ek moes hom net gou blog! ………..ja ons twee speel nou deesdae gereeld skaak…en hy het my vandag gewen! -ek het hom die ander gewen…maar ek dink hy steek bietjie weg…hy gaan seker nou sy ware kleure begin toon!!! Hy het selfs iemand van Finland gewen…dit wys jou nou….hy het net gemaak of hy lanklaas gespeel het!!

And this one!?

And…what about this video!

Kalidasa:
Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!

I’d read a speech of a Director General of the Department of Internal Affairs in SA one day…and this was part of his speech!

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

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Traditional Afrikaans songs

This mp3-song is a song in Afrikaans by Nadine. She says: “Dankie Liewe Ouma” which means ‘Thank you dear Grandma.’

On the next link, which will open in a new window, you will find traditional Afrikaans songs, plus the lyrics.

 

http://esl.ee.sun.ac.za/~lochner/blerkas/index.html

h

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