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A Journey Through 20th Century Music: Experimentation, Exploration, and Evolution
1. Russian and Eastern European fin-de-siècle music Alexander Nikolajewitch Skrjabin (1872-1915) founded a musical metaphysics, a theological and cultural mythology out of his theosophical beliefs. He was keen on establishing a connection between music and color and envisioned the creation of a “color keyboard”. Some people called him a Russian “impressionist”. His “mysterious chords”, the atonality of the “split” chords of his late works, his writing without movement concept motivations, and the concept of “blocks” heralded a new era in European music. His main compositions include “Prometheus” and “Poetry of Ecstasy”. Although Rachmaninov (Sergei Wassiljwitch Rachmaninow, 1873-1943) lived in Europe and America for a long time, his creations adhered to…
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Cats, Clothes & Cast Iron: Tales of Unexpected Baggage
I possess a Garfield feline companion, endowed with undeniable charm, yet excessively prolific in shedding its fur. Consequently, I engaged the services of a housekeeper to attend to the daily upkeep of my domicile. Upon my nightly return, I am greeted by the ethereal sight of the cat’s discarded filaments adrift upon the floor. My colleagues frequently lament the discovery of errant tufts upon their attire, cloaked in obscurity upon their person. A prior feline acquaintance, bestowed upon me by a friend unable to accommodate its needs, proved even more formidable in demeanor. This ragdoll specimen, christened Tuanzi, not only cast its fur in sporadic patches but also exhibited a…
