L'aura del Campo

A Boston Tea Party to baroque music

Winter: 4 'Ala (March 5)

2006-03-05
noonish, 61 degrees. 40 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Brendan said it was cold in the North-East when I spoke to him last night. Yep. He took some fortitude-in-a-bottle to feel no pain and even suggested moving back here. However, I'm still not convinced that that is a good idea.

Today is Kathleen Sutton's birthday. We were friends in junior high. Perhaps the only friend I had. We joked that her birthday was the Boston Tea Party. Mine was Lexington and Concord. Even wrote a prose-poem letter to her today. Haven't seen her in years. But that never stopped me.

New swear words according to an article in some trash mag: pfnark, snog, kuq, chuz, jizzlewax, zighumple. Maybe I should write poems to each? Afterall, they sound like fun, and who knows if they have any meaning at all. Which means they are open to my interpretation. Beware the writer! Actually, 'snog' sounds familiar. Something about making out ... perhaps?

SENSED

Sky reflected in a muddy puddle; one pigeon feather, 2 yellow crocuses blooming together; blue vinca; a dilly of bright yellow daffs; wind chimes; telephone pole full of staples; scraps of paper; limp flags; wall posters; pink styrofoam; drainpipe drips; sparrow chirps; trash and leaves in a well of stairs.

Things to write about:
A dilly of daffs! (I like the sound of that)
Queenie the belly-dancer (for Jeanne Quinn Tobler)
Beecher Island, the Arikaree, Roman Nose (NW Kansas)
Walking on marbles
Static magic, stuck on me
P. B. U. H. (peace be upon him)
"How ever late they come, they always bloom equally in the end" from 'The Rose Rent' (Cadfael)
To senility, a gift
3 windows to the world
The nether path, the nowhere, the nothing
And there it lies, rubble of a thousand years of struggle
Plants on a window sill, no curtain
The beat that my heart skipped

2006-03-05
afternoon, 66 degrees. 51 in Washington, DC

Just heard from Gaston in DC. He laments that it isn't Spring yet there. Here it is quite Spring-like today.

Coming out of the concert at Spencer Art Museum, I loved the smell of pine, the sound of the bells doing the three-quarter hour chime, the sight of eleven men and women playing field crumpets on New Fraser's lawn, the smack of bats.

http://www.fieldcrumpets.com/

The concert was baroque instruments playing Buonamente, Purcell, Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Quantz, Uccellini. I wrote two sketches listening to Purcell and Pachelbel.

The ensemble was voice, harpsichord, cello, oboe, flute and recorder depending on piece. All instruments were reproductions of baroque instruments.

What I learned:

The oboe used today has a smaller bore. This makes it easier to hit the high notes. The finger holes now are flared inside; then they just went straight in. The holes now are larger. Today's oboe is easier to play.

The baroque cello has a neck that gets in the way of modern players. The strings are gut. The instrument sits on a nob, not a metal spike. There have been changes in the bow and the insides.

The harpsichord was tuned to 415 instead of 440 (the A). Most tunings were probably centered around the flutes. The flutes or recorders were the star instruments.

There were about 80 to 100 guests. Which they considered a pleasant surprize as it wasn't promoted much. My friend Hubb saw it in the paper today and pointed it out to me. Lucky me! I could listen to Canon in D all day long. It soothes the savage beast (and me) .

This was sketched less than 2 hours ago and is therefore way too fresh, but what the hell!

Celebrate this festival

Return fond Muse!
Recorders blend with soprano voice;
the harpsichord plucks pain.
Where have you gone?

The cello responds amused;
voice smiles, intones:
O come ye sons of art,
let go, quick strike the viol,
come dance awhile!

Into the evening hours
this hymn goes forth
with quiet strokes of bow,
soft plucks of chords,
entreating voice.

And all ends well.
Enticed with alleluias,
said Muse returns.
He dances with the viol. [162.785]

Ha! This was based on three songs of Henry Purcell (who was less than 40 when he died by-the-way; Pachelbel died at my age). "Return, Fond Muse!" from Celebrate This Festival, "Strike the Viol" from Come Ye Sons of Art and "Evening Hymn".

GETTING TO KNOW ME

65. Checkers or chess? Scrabble, Clue, canasta, backgammon.

66. Crosswords, word find or sudoku? Sudoku (but only medium or hard level)

67. Middle of the room or corner? I'm a corner type-o-guy.

68. Curtains? Lace or brocade or none.

69.

70. Least favorite colors: grey and pink

71. Stone? Tiger's eye.

72. Turquoise and silver? Nope, malachite and copper.

73. Cider? hot mulled (oranges, cloves).

74. Coke or Pepsi? Dr. Pepper.


O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.

~ Baha'ulláh, Persian Hidden Words #3