Lux Apollo

Oh god, we talked about her in the Music & New Musicology course I took in third year when we were discussing reception theory and audience expectations. Her events were in demand as comedy, and she didn't realize it until after Carnegie Hall. Poor bird.

Ah, now the tempo is a matter of some controversy - yet another mystery surrounding an already mysterious piece. There are all kinds of theories about what the name means, which in turn performers may choose to let inform their decisions about how the piece should be approached. Couperin published the piece with 'vivement' as the tempo marking. Although this is often taken to mean fast, that is not quite right - rather, the word means 'lively'. Hanneke's performance that I chose to post was more about the sound of the piece in French tuning than anything else. Here's a set of examples of different tempi, played by different performers: Scott Ross (one of the harpsichord greats from the mid-late 20th century, tempo is perhaps what I'd consider the 'standard' one): Eduardo Antonello (similar to Ross tempo-wise, but on a different style of instrument and tuned with a temperment appropriate to Couperin's period in France) Bruno Procopio (a fast interpretation, also in a period-appropriate temperament): Francisco Ricardo (slightly downtempo, very much playing out the 'style brisé' aspects with notes that are marked simultaneously in the score played slightly off from one another... perhaps a little too much): Elaine Comparone (a slow interpretation, very much 'plodding along' (bleh!) - along with some very... interesting... choices to make the piece her own): Note that none of the above videos are tuned in French baroque tuning. Most are in 'Baroque performance standard' - A415. Procopio's is tuned even a touch sharper than that. Ugh. Performance practice snob, I am; for concerts and whatnot it's understandable to tune in A415 because you will likely be playing music from a variety of places - Germany, Italy, France... so that becomes the compromise (some italian period tunings are A440ish or higher). But for recordings? Inexcusable. Anyway, when I did this as a repertoire piece in my 2nd year of university, my tempo was somewhere in the Ross/Antonello vicinity. It is fast enough to be 'lively', but slow enough that you have the time to emphasize the brisé in the right places to make the melody sing and sweeten the impact of the harmonies - especially in the third couplet of the rondeau. Antonello's tempo is fine, though he's a little extreme in his lingering on particular moments to emphasize harmonies and the brisé. Comparone and Procopio are too extreme for my taste. While Proosdij's is slow, it is palatable because of the way she takes care of the harmonies. She does not play with the brisé as much as I would, but it is a fair interpretation anyway because Couperin does not explicity mark for it. So... final thoughts? There is a lot of room for interpretation, as long as you can make the piece work as a performer. This piece is a puzzle, both for the performer and the listener. Lol I was writing such a comprehensive response you got to it before I did.

They are both in heightened emotional states (hence the title, wink), and are speaking in hyperbole out of anger. The cell phone isn't dead every day, and he does respond to texts or calls but not all the time, and perhaps hasn't been responding with more frequency lately. There must be an explanation, though. Right? Rain is a bit of a mystery, as usual. Despite the fact that his name means 'strong counselor', derived from roots meaning 'advice'+'army', rain itself is perhaps fitting imagery for his character. What does rain mean for the world? For the people in it? Interesting...

David sure did overreact. Some people might accuse him of being a drama queen, but it is seated in his anxiety and not in some need to be the centre of attention. Laleh is a Persian name, pronounced lah-LAY. It means tulip flower. We will be hearing more from Brady as the story goes on. He's an important support for David, even at a distance. Divya... well, I'm not going to lie - I had a student a few years ago named that, and there are some aspects of fictional Divya's personality inspired by her. All that is in my head, though, because I don't think we are ever going to meet her. Maybe Brady and David will address it at some point, but no guarantees. It could give us more insight into where David was as a person at that important juncture in his life two to three years ago. Yes, Mike's activities remain frustrating and suspicious. Or are they? We'll find out, somehow...

Great work, Hunter. Very character development focused, and definitely what we needed to see at this time, I think.

September 13 2021 So I’m in a bit of trouble. Not real trouble, not really. Well, big trouble, actually. Look, it's hard to frame this properly, and no matter how I put this into words I'm going to come off looking like a bastard in one way or another. I’m having one of those moments where I’m not sure whether I feel proud of myself or disgusted. It’s just another instance of me getting caught up in the moment, in a flash of anger, and doing something idiotic. Af

Fanny's works are wonderful! To continue on the theme of women composers, I'm a huge fan of Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre. She was a protégé in Louis XIV's court as a young girl, and wrote a lot of music including two books of harpsichord suites, sonatas and trio sonatas for treble and continuo, some secular and biblical cantatas, including some focused on female heroines like Esther and Judith (and some mildly feminist messages therein), and even an opera. The opera, Céphale et Procris, was one of the first, if not the first opera by a female composer to be presented publically to a large audience. Her work was influential, and like in the works of Francois Couperin you can see the transition between the style of the mid portion of the french baroque on to the beginnings of the late baroque and sometimes showing hints of what was to develop in the early classical styles. Also like Couperin, she digested the italian musical styles of the times and synthesized aspects of it into her music - in particular in the way she writes vocal passages. Here's a short trio sonata as an example of her work:

You'd think these fools would be more suspicious of a 'beggar' coming onto the estate looking for work at a time like this. Sigh. Well, such is life. You've created a nice flow in this chapter, and definitely a good cliffhanger. Can't wait for the next installment!

Other than the betraying my soulmate for cheap sex with the seducer, everything David is going through in this chapter is so familiar I'm full of tears. Well done, Skinny. That takes a lot nowadays. I'm not sure what to write, because I don't totally want to spoil things for other readers and reviewers, drowning them with words. Just... you guys need to understand that David is not rational, and has not been rational for a long while (at least since he began his crusade since his mother, but more subtly so even before that). If he was sharing what was going through his head, if Ginny really realized how bad things were up there, he'd be sent to hospital. Speaking of Ginny and Twoey, why the hell doesn't the reverse of Twoey staying at David's come up? Well, there would be the Tommy issue there, I guess. I am not looking forward to seeing David's next interaction with Donny now that the external laser has been refocused from Twoey onto him. We have a few more days to see how David structures his interactions with friends and family while in this state of self-hate, where at any moment his emotional instability may cause him to lash out in order to distance him from those who love him. No one understands what happens at David's lake. The real David's lake. When you are as emotionally unbalanced as David is right now, those moments of 'clarity' are precious and you cling to them. What ever it is that seems immediately clear is an ultimate truth, and often comes with an ultimate solution - the final destruction of the self. Where the fuck is Danny?

I'm doing my best, really! Chapter 9 is flowing along better than 8 did, so hopefully it won't be as long as a gap. I am tempted to say what day, but I don't want to be a let down any more than I already am, lol. Sometimes the chapters need a bit more time to percolate (especially long ones like this one!) The physical tick with Mike is an interesting thing. Was it just that his body was sensitive in that moment? Some people have to be in the right state of mind and/or be expecting a touch to come otherwise their can be a quick, almost reflexive action to escape that touch. Given the party and the unsettled state that Mike is in, if he's one of those types it's easy to understand. Or... is it something else? Felix's situation will definitely give *both* David and Mike some food for thought, though of course we will only be seeing things from David's perspective in the narrative. How they will each react is anyone's guess.

Anyway... now I'd like to present you guys with something very interesting. Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa was a noble Prince & Count that lived in the late 1500s/early 1600s. His personal life is as crazy as his music - he murdered his first wife and her lover when he caught them in flagrante delicto, was into wild bouts of self-flagellation, and his second wife ordered Gesualdo's concubines be tried for witchcraft. Gesualdo's music is very idiosyncratic - although he wrote in the forms common to the day, his music is full of very daring harmonic progressions of the sort that wouldn't be seen again until the post-romantic period (almost 400 years later!). Here's one of his madrigals, exemplifying his bizarre but absolutely thrilling genius:

Oh you've poked the beast, Parker. As a trained harpsichordist it always wrankles me for a minute hearing music of the French baroque on piano. It's not that playing baroque music on the piano is remotely unjustified - I mean, we are all *completely* used to an immersed in piano interpretations of Bach, right? You do lose something timbrally when you switch from harpsichord to piano... that, and playing these works at A440 just sounds WRONG to me, ha ha ha. Even A415 is wrong, actually... French tuning at the time these pieces were composed is at A398 - sounding around a whole-tone lower than this piano rendition. I am serious when I say that it does have an effect, especially on the harpsichord. There is a greater richness in the harmonics in the bass of the instrument and that little bit of lowering adds to that richness. Anyway, as a counter-example of the piece, here's Hanneke van Proosdij's take on the piece on an instrument design common to Paris nearing Couperin's mid to late years, although the tuning system set up in the harpsichord is a little more advanced (closer to equal temperament) than would have been used:

Not much to say other than some gleeful jumping up and down, wringing my hands in delight. So we have the b-word. Yes! You used beseechingly! Oh, and Corey is staking his claim over Jason now. Yay! Happy, comfortable domesticity, a new start and... Maybe a touch of trouble on the horizon later in the evening. After all, it seems every time Corey and Jason are together somewhere that people are drinking, Zach shows up. Great job, lit!

Love it. So much new information and new direction. The contrast between streak hierarchies is interesting. And then there is Park's behaviour... And now we have Ritch's missing brother and his cheetah wife. And Kraig is half-tiger half-cheetah bonded. Hmm. Can't wait for next week's installment!

Love the ambivalence you are putting into Angie. She may have made up with her brother to an extent, but her worldview is still what we were introduced to earlier in the book. At least we know that she knows it's a bit warped. I mean, what the fuck does popularity have to do with surviving high school? Bullshit, Angie. Surviving involves showing up, making the grade and moving on. The rest of it is just weak gravy. Buy easy fake instant ingredients if you want, but you get what you pay for. And now Travis returns. Clint is a good guy with his forgiveness. Travis must truly be terrified of Sheila, more than we thought, if he was unwilling to give Clint an explanation, especially with the context of that email floating around. Oh well... teenagers, after all. Travis is going to be a complicated friend, and I really like your revelation of the depth of his fear - that he feels a piss poor explanation and avoidance are a way to 'save' Clint. Good stuff, as always.

Nice work. So much of the feels. I wish I was in a better mental place right now, or I'd write a little more for you. Looking forward to the next one!

God, I wish I wasn't having an off mental health day today and reading this. I was fine until he got to Donny's house, even if his interaction with his family left me extremely frustrated - both with them and with him. This trip away is such utter bullshit. Not a criticism of you, just David's father, sister, bro-in-law(ish) and goddamn what is wrong with his Aunt? I thought her entrance into the picture after David was put in the hospital would end up being a moderating presence and helpful for the family, but she's really just fucking Stepford Mom doing not much other than go with the flow. But yeah, David. Go ahead. Blame your bullshit decisions on Twoey. That's going to make *everything* better, isn't it? Blame Twoey for you feeling attracted to him. Blame Twoey for letting yourself get drawn into sex with Donny and drinking alcohol. Blame Twoey for you falling in love with Twoey. So now, David, with your Merry Fucking Christmas, what the hell are you going to do about it? Are you going to back out of dinner with Twoey and Ginny? Or are you going to make it a disaster and break Twoey once more? Are you going to calm the fuck down? Is Ginny going to notice? I do sort of agree with the other guys, though. I know David's very focused on himself because of his mental state, but you'd think he'd at least give us a modicum of description of what's going on with his friends and their gifts. He's isolated himself so much and is just paying lipservice to everything and everyone... But if he's going around being very 'oh I missed this' with Twoey and Ginny especially, you'd think there would be a little more of that. Even there, though, we see David reading what he wants to see into Twoey's behaviour. Whether it's right or wrong, we'll see, but David doesn't get that his behaviour isn't about Erik, it's about David. Too much of the feels for me today. Good stuff.

Great start, Dayne. I was wondering exactly what the first emphasis of the title was going to be and I like this angle a lot. I'm sure you are going to give us some more twists and turns with Cory showing his 'wild card' side in one fashion or another. I'm glad we are finally getting to see a bit of the younger Cory. You've given us a good picture of the family dynamics, setting up some expectations for us as we begin to see more of how the present unfolds. Tim, Keenan told Preston and Efrain at the end of Wolf Like Me that he talked to Cameron, who said none of the brothers know where Cory is. So, either Cameron is lying or he honestly doesn't know. Despite them haranguing Cory in his recollections, I don't think Cam would be lying about this. Anyway... I await the continuance with bated breath, Dayne. Even reading this has me gripping my chair a little bit from the carry-over tension from last time. Cheers!

David definitely has a bit of a problem with catastrophizing, and having too much time on his hands/by himself at home is only feeding into that. Anxiety can do horrible things to you when you are alone with your thoughts and feeling threatened. As for the job interview, it would be good practice from the company's perspective to see other candidates, not just David. They could find someone who does good work that they could pay less; considering they are rehiring after weathering a recession that could be a factor to consider. I'm glad you are still reading. Enjoy!

I hope you have had the merriest of birthing days!

John is most definitely a perfectionist, and it bothers him when he feels like he is underperforming. I think he's kind of an all-or-nothing kind of guy, so it frustrates him when he has a idea of what he wants to give but can't give it.

Sucks that Devin had that freak out in the police station. Boy really, really needs to get into counselling. He's not dealing. The rest of the day was nice, though. The back and forth feelings about Bryce's overpowering sexuality is an interesting thread that we'll be watching going forward.

September 9 2021 If I have to correct ‘there/their/they’re’ on my Writers’ Craft students’ work one more goddamned time, I’m seriously going to lose it. It’s not even a month in, and I already want to rip my hair out every time I grade some of the shit they hand in to me. Do they no longer teach proper grammar at this goddamned school? I know, I know, that’s such a bullshitty, tropey thing to say but there is no way my writing was this pathetic when I was their age. Hell, w

Thanks for your kind word, Tim. I'm hoping the next chapter goes a little smoother. I've got a decent start already. Hopefully that's a good sign. I have a decent layout for the chapter, so now it's just fleshing out the one-page into many.

Ah, it's only the first round the Leaf's made it into. And if the chapter had made it as far as I originally wanted it to go into the afternoon, the game would have finished with an utterly devastating loss of 4-0 against the Red Wings, leaving them with no victories against them in the series and out of the playoffs. I thought it was a nice tease. Maybe I'll cover that next chapter (oh crap, what an unimportant spoiler, lol!). I think David is starting to see that he and Mike have different perceptions about how damaged their relationship is right now. He's at the beginning of learning what Mike feels he needs from David right now, and where his ambitions for the future lie. David will need to think long and hard about what he wants in his life, and whether or not his own wants and needs are close enough to align with Mike's. I'm thinking he's going to need a lot of discussion and advice from different people in his life in order to get there. Thanks for the comments, compliments and for sticking with me on this ride.