MUSIC SATURDAY - HEINICHEN DRESDEN CONCERTI

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” ― Albert Einstein

Johann David Heinichen (17 April 1683 – 16 July 1729) was a German Baroque composer and music theorist who brought the musical genius of Venice to the court of Augustus the Strong in Dresden. Heinichen’s music lingered in obscurity for a long time, but fortunately it is now being rediscovered and played again.

Johann David Heinichen was born in the small village of Crössuln, near Weissenfels. His father, Michael Heinichen, had studied music at the celebrated Thomasschule Leipzig associated with the Thomaskirche, served as cantor in Pegau and was pastor of the village church in Crössuln. Johann David also attended the Thomasschule Leipzig. There he studied music with Johann Schelle and later received organ and harpsichord lessons with Johann Kuhnau. The future composer Christoph Graupner was also a student of Kuhnau at the time.

Heinichen enrolled in 1702 to study law at the University of Leipzig and in 1705-1706 qualified as a lawyer (in the early 18th century the law was a favoured route for composers; Kuhnau, Graupner and Georg Philipp Telemann were also lawyers). Heinichen practiced law in Weissenfels until 1709. However, Heinichen maintained his interest in music and was concurrently composing operas. In 1710, he published the first edition of his major treatise on the thoroughbass.

He went to Italy and spent seven formative years there, mostly in Venice, with great success with its operas. In 1712, he taught music to Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, who took him as composer. The same prince would appoint Johann Sebastian Bach Kapellmeister at the end of 1717. In 1716, Heinichen met in Venice the Prince Elector of Saxony, and was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Saxony in Dresden. His pupils included Johann Georg Pisendel.

In 1721, Heinichen married in Weissenfels; the birth of his only child is recorded as January 1723. In his final years Heinichen’s health suffered greatly; on the afternoon of 16 July 1729, he was buried in the Johannes cemetery after finally succumbing to tuberculosis. His music is enjoying a resurgence of popularity, with some of his concerti, masses and his final work, a Magnificat, now receiving some attention in the recording world.

Here are his Dresden Concerti with Reinhard Goebel and Musica Antiqua Köln.

FOOD FRIDAY - MONACO BISCUITS

“Nostalgia is a seductive liar.” - George Ball

I remember when I was in High School, I’d visit a friend of mine at his house and his mother would serve up some “Monaco Biscuits”, which she baked herself. These were the homemade version of the good old Monte Carlo variety that were available in the supermarket. I must admit that after eating the homemade variety, those shop-bought ones just didn’t cut the mustard. Recently I found this recipe and I must admit they turned out quite well!

Monaco Biscuits

Ingredients - Biscuits

180g softened unsalted butter,

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp. honey

1 and 1/4 cups self raising flour, sifted

3/4 cup plain flour, sifted

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Filling

Raspberry jam

80g softened unsalted butter

1 and 1/4 cups icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp. milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 175˚C.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and honey. Beat well until combined.

Add dry ingredients to the mixture, and stir to combine.

Roll a teaspoon of the mixture into a ball. Press your thumb into the middle of it and place onto a lined baking tray. Using a fork, gently texture the surface. Repeat this procedure with the rest of the mixture until all of the biscuits are shaped and ready to bake.

Place the biscuits into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a stand up mixer, whip the butter and icing sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the milk and set aside.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

When biscuits are cool, spread a teaspoon of jam in the middle of the flat side of one of the biscuits. Using another biscuit, place a teaspoon of buttercream icing in the middle of the flat surface. Gently sandwich the biscuits halves together. Repeat the process until all of the biscuits have been filled. You may dust with icing sugar if you wish.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

“What a cruel thing war is... to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors.” - Robert E. Lee

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in Australia. This is because the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, which signalled the end of World War One. At 11 a.m. on 11th November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. Initially, when WWI ended, the day was known as Armistice Day but was renamed Remembrance Day after WWII. In the USA the day is known as Veterans’ Day.

Each year Australians observe one minute’s silence at 11 a.m. on 11th November, in memory of all those men and women who have died or suffered in all wars, conflicts and peace operations. This is a simple yet very effective way of remembering the massive loss of life and immense suffering that humankind has been subjected to in all of the various armed conflicts that have blotted recorded history. In Australia, Remembrance Day ceremonies are held in almost every city and town across Australia. All major cities have a Shrine of Remembrance and every town has a monument honouring the fallen Anzacs.

Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra hold formal ceremonies that are very well organised and well-attended. This year, ceremonies will be very significant for the families of Australian soldiers recently killed in Afghanistan. The National Remembrance Day Ceremony includes a formal wreath-laying and will be attended by many high level dignitaries and diplomats. Australian’s Federation Guard and the Band of the Royal Military College will be on parade. Members of the public are of course also invited to join the National Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial.

Lest We forget...

POETS UNITED - PATH

“Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal.” - FriedrichNietzsche

In the Midweek Motif this week, Poets United has the theme of “Path”. Contributors are requested to produce a poem that explores this theme.

Here is my poem:

The Path

We make our own path in life as we walk it,

And it will lead us where our heart desires;

Once the first step is taken, the die is cast

And we walk on until our lamp expires.

We trudge through desert and through jungle,

Our goal forever shining far ahead;

It takes all of our courage, strength, tenacity

To onward march, and firmly tread.

The risks are many, dangers lurk,

So many easier roads lead from our goal away.

With purpose and determination we choose

The rocky, winding path on which we stay.

Many we’ll meet who try to tempt us

With easy words, fool’s gold and false rewards;

Our goal obscured, the forest dark,

The night long, and yet we march towards

What in our heart we know is right and true.

We make our own path in life as we walk it,

And what we hope is that at its end

We find kindred spirits, sister souls, our meed;

For in that blessed place, eternity we’ll spend

And revel in a world all bright and new.

TRAVEL TUESDAY #52 - SAN FRANCISCO, USA

“East is East, and West is San Francisco, according to Californians. Californians are a race of people; they are not merely inhabitants of a State.” - O. Henry

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel!

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us! Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the cultural, commercial, and financial centre of Northern California and the only consolidated city-county in California. San Francisco is about 121 km2 in area. It is located on the north end of the San Francisco Peninsula. It is the smallest county in the state. It has a density of about 7,124 people per km2, making it the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the second-most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City. San Francisco is the fourth-most populous city in California, after Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose, and the 13th-most populous city in the United States (with a Census-estimated 2015 population of 864,816).

The city and its surrounding areas are known as the San Francisco Bay Area, and are a part of the larger OMB-designated San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland combined statistical area, the fifth most populous in the nation with an estimated population of 8.7 million. San Francisco (Spanish for Saint Francis) was founded on June 29, 1776, when colonists from Spain established Presidio of San Francisco at the Golden Gate and Mission San Francisco de Asís named for St. Francis of Assisi a few miles away.

The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city on the West Coast at the time. San Francisco became a consolidated city-county in 1856. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. In World War II, San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theatre. After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalising attitudes, along with the rise of the “hippie” counterculture, the Sexual Revolution, the Peace Movement growing from opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War, and other factors led to the Summer of Love and the gay rights movement, cementing San Francisco as a centre of liberal activism in the United States.

Politically, the city votes strongly along liberal Democratic Party lines. A popular tourist destination, San Francisco is known for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, Fisherman’s Wharf, and its Chinatown district. San Francisco is also the headquarters of five major banking institutions and various other companies such as Levi Strauss & Co., Gap Inc., Salesforce.com, Dropbox, Reddit, Square, Inc., Dolby, Airbnb, Weebly, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Yelp, Pinterest, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, Mozilla, Wikimedia Foundation, and Craigslist.

It has several nicknames, including “The City by the Bay”, “Fog City”, “San Fran”, and “Frisco”, as well as older ones like “The City that Knows How”, “Baghdad by the Bay”, “The Paris of the West”, or simply “The City”. As of 2015, San Francisco was ranked high on world livability rankings.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

Add your own travel posts using the Linky tool below, and don't forget to be nice and leave a comment here, and link back to this page from your own post:

MOVIE MONDAY - SLOW WEST

“Ah, clear they see and true they say, That one shall weep, and one shall stray”― Dorothy Parker

You’ve heard of spaghetti westerns, right? Sergio Leone's 1964 “A Fistful of Dollars” starring Clint Eastwood is a classic example. They certainly put a new twist to the USA genre. But what about a “Fish-and-Chip” western? What is that you may ask? Well, it’s a western produced in UK… We watched it last weekend.

It is the 2015 John Maclean movie “Slow West” starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Caren Pistorius and Ben Mendelsohn. John Maclean is a Scott who studied BA drawing and painting at Edinburgh college of Art and MA at The Royal College of art in London. After graduating, he formed The Beta Band with friends, 1997 to 2004 and The Aliens 2005 to 2008. John made many of the band’s music videos. In 2009 John made “Man on a Motorcycle”, a short film starring Michael Fassbender, filmed on a mobile phone, then “Pitch Black Heist” in 2011, which won the best short film BAFTA. “Slow West: is Maclean’s first feature film.

The plot centres on young Scotsman, Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who leaves the lochs and glens of his country to find Rose (Caren Pistorius), his long-lost love who is now in the Wild West of America. A desperado, Silas Selleck (Michael Fassbender), decides to accompany Cavendish on his journey for a price… Cavendish hands over “protection money” for the journey, but the naïve youngster is unaware that Silas may also be wanting to cash in on a bounty that hangs over Rose’s head (something that Jay is unaware of).

The American West serves as an allegory of love and death and the journey that the two main characters undertake has a soul-searching depth that may be found in some road movies (only here they are on horseback!). The film was shot in New Zealand and Maclean certainly convinces us that we are looking at the American West (and Scotland as well, in a few flashback scenes). The cinematography is wonderful and the colours alternating between muted and hazy to crisp and vivid, as if the film switches between nightmare and beautiful dream.

The film is romantic and violent, hellish and paradisiacal, idealistic and cruelly realistic all at once. But there is also humour and light-heartedness in this film as well as tragedy. The intensity and purity of young, first love is contrasted with the wicked ways of the world, while the young and innocent Jay is quickly corrupted by circumstances and his interactions with tough man Silas. Yet, while Jay hardens on the outside and maintains his idealistic love internally, Silas sheds his toughness and softens by the end of the movie. I was reminded a little of “True Grit” where there is teaming up of a naïve youngster with a cynical older man, but “Slow West” has a charm and hardness that is not seen in the older movies.

The acting was wonderful, both from the first-billed actors to the supporting roles and the direction managed to maintain interest in what was essentially a slow movie, with lots of action and lots of character development, all stuffed into the extremely concise 84-minute run time. The musical score was appropriate and non-obtrusive while the costumes and sets great. This is a great little film if you can lay your hands on it and a wonderful directorial/script-writing debut from Maclean.

ART SUNDAY - GASTON BUSSIÈRE

“The more people explore the world, the more they realise in every country there’s a different aesthetic. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.” - Helena Christensen

Gaston Bussière (April 24, 1862, Cuisery – October 29, 1928 or 1929, Saulieu) was a French Symbolist painter and illustrator. Bussière studied at L’Académie des Beaux-Arts in Lyon before entering the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris where he studied under Alexandre Cabanel and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. In 1884, he won the Marie Bashkirtseff prize. He was close to Gustave Moreau. He found inspiration in the theatre works of Berlioz (La Damnation de Faust) as well as William Shakespeare and Wagner.

He came in demand as an illustrator, creating works for major authors. He illustrated Honoré de Balzac's “Splendeurs et Misères des Courtisanes” published in 1897, “Émaux et Camées”, by Théophile Gautier, as well as Oscar Wilde’s “Salomé”. He also illustrated several works by Flaubert. An associate of Joséphin Péladan, the founder of the Rose-Croix esthétique, Bussière exhibited his works at Salon de la Rose-Croix over two years. Many of his works are on exhibit at the Musée des Ursulines in Mâcon.

Bussière revelled in the female form, many of his canvases depicting legendary women such as Salammbo, Isolde, Brünhilde, Helen of Troy, Salome and Juliet. He also painted many depictions of nymphs, nereids and fairies, scantily dressed and showing a typical Art Nouveau ideal of beauty and embellishment. His colours are glowing and vivid, but his aesthetic often teeters towards the kitsch side of good taste.

Above is one his paintings of an illustrative nature depicting a scene from Wagner’s “Ring”, more specifically Act II of “The Valkyrie”. It is called “The Revelation” and shows Brünnhilde discovering Sieglinde et Siegmund in the forest. Bussière was passionate about the great epics and the opera, especially Wagner and Berlioz. He painted poetic works of symbolist inspiration, evoking the heroes and heroines of the epic, mythology, history and legend.

“The Valkyrie” of Richard Wagner, was performed for the first time in Munich in 1870 and presented to the Parisian public on 12 May 1893. Bussière certainly attended the performance and was inspired to paint this scene. Brünnhilde was sent by her father Wotan, the chief of the gods punish Siegmund and Sieglinde, Brünnhilde is touched by the passionate love they show each other and decides to help them, thus disobeying Wotan. In the background one may see the other Valkyries riding their steeds.

MUSIC SATURDAY - TELEMANN OBOE CONCERTOS

“Certain voices hold this odd pull on our heartstrings. They are like sad oboes or something, something that makes you want to throw all your money at the radio while yelling, ‘I love you.’ I don’t know what it is.” - Jonathan Goldstein

Georg Philipp Telemann, (born March 14, 1681, Magdeburg, Brandenburg Germany—died June 25, 1767, Hamburg) was a German composer of the late Baroque period, who wrote both sacred and secular music but was most admired for his church compositions, which ranged from small cantatas to large-scale works for soloists, chorus, and orchestra.

Telemann was the son of a Protestant minister and was given a good general education but never actually received music lessons. Though he showed great musical gifts at an early age, he was discouraged by his family from becoming a professional musician, at that time neither an attractive nor a remunerative occupation. By self-teaching, however, he acquired great facility in composing and in playing such diverse musical instruments as the violin, recorder, oboe, viola da gamba, chalumeau, and clavier.

At the University of Leipzig, he enrolled as a law student, however, music attracted him more and he founded the University Collegium Musicum and was the city council’s preferred candidate for the position of Thomascantor in 1723, when Bach was eventually appointed. Telemann had established himself in Hamburg in 1721 as Cantor of the Johanneum and director of music for the five principal city churches. He remained in Hamburg until his death in 1767, when he was succeeded by his godson, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach. In his long career Telemann wrote a great deal of music of all kinds in a style that extends the late Baroque into the age of Haydn.

Telemann’s long life ended at the age 86 in 1767. Georg Philipp Telemann was considered the most important German composer of his day and his reputation outlasted him for some time, but ultimately it was unable to withstand the shadow cast by the growing popularity of his contemporary, Johann Sebastian Bach. Telemann’s enormous output, perhaps the largest of any classical composer in history, includes parts of at least 31 cantata cycles, many operas, concertos, oratorios, songs, music for civic occasions and church services, passion, orchestral suites and abundant amounts of chamber music.

While many of these works have been lost, most still exist, and the sheer bulk of his creativity has made it difficult for scholars and performers alike to come to terms with. The inevitable revival of interest in Telemann did not arrive until the 1920s, but has grown exponentially ever since, and with the twenty first century in full swing more of Telemann’s music is played, known, understood and studied than at any time in history.

Here are some of his Oboe Concerti played by Heinz Holliger and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, directed by Iona Brown.
1. Concerto in E minor 0:00
2. Concerto in D minor 11:32
3. Concerto in C minor 20:19
4. Concerto in F minor 29:40
5. Concerto in D major 37:26

FOOD FRIDAY - ASPARAGUS FRITTATA

“The easiest diet is, you know, eat vegetables, eat fresh food. Just a really sensible healthy diet like you read about all the time.” - Drew Carey

We like to eat, as much as possible, seasonal food. This is best exemplified of course by the seasonal fruit and vegetables that make their appearance at appropriate times of the year. There is a little bit of know-how involved in this, as the greengrocer does not always sell fresh, local produce. Nowadays, one may go shopping in Australia and come back with cherries from the USA, Canadian blueberries, New Zealand kiwi fruit, Fijian bananas and South African pineapples – not to mention Polish beetroot and South American yams.

If one knows what produce is in season at any time and one pays a little attention to the fine print in the labelling of the produce, one can be assured that what is bought is fresh, local seasonal produce. Yesterday we bought some local, new season asparagus, which looked so green and delectable that it was tempting to bite into it right there at the greengrocer’s. Instead we had to wait till we got home to make this asparagus frittata.

Asparagus Frittata

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup finely chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)

2 and 1/2 cups thin asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2-cm pieces

1 cup sliced stemmed shiitake mushrooms

8 large eggs

1 cup diced Fontina cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat the griller. Melt butter in a heavy ovenproof 25-cm-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté 4 minutes. Add asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, sprinkle lightly with salt, and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.

Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup Fontina cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Add egg mixture to skillet; fold gently to combine.

Cook until almost set. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Fontina cheese and Parmesan cheese over the top. Grill until frittata is puffed and cheese begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with a fresh green seasonal salad.

ALL ABOUT CHIVES

“Ounce for ounce, herbs and spices have more antioxidants than any other food group.” - Michael Greger

Chives is the common name of Allium schoenoprasum, an edible species in the Amaryllidaceae family. It is a perennial plant, widespread in nature across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. A. schoenoprasum is the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old Worlds. The name of the species derives from the Greek σχοίνος, skhoínos (sedge) and πράσον, práson (leek). Its English name, chives, derives from the French word cive, from cepa, the Latin word for onion.

Chives are a commonly used herb and can be found in grocery stores or grown in home gardens. In culinary use, the leaves, scapes and the unopened, immature flower buds are diced and used as an ingredient for fish, potatoes, soups, and other dishes. Chives have insect-repelling properties that can be used in gardens to control pests in “companion planting”.

Chives are a bulb-forming herbaceous perennial plant, growing to 30–50 cm tall. The bulbs are slender, conical, 2–3 cm long and 1 cm wide, growing in dense clusters from the roots. The scapes (or stems) are hollow and tubular, up to 50 cm long and 2–3 mm across, with a soft texture, although, prior to the emergence of a flower, they may appear stiffer than usual. The leaves, which are shorter than the scapes, are also hollow and tubular, or terete, (round in cross-section) which distinguishes it at a glance from garlic chives (Allium tuberosum), which have flat, solid, strap-like leaves.

Chive flowers are pale purple, and star-shaped with six petals, 1–2 cm wide, and produced in a dense inflorescence of 10-30 together, looking like a pom-pom; before opening, the inflorescence is surrounded by a papery bract. The seeds are produced in a small, three-valved capsule, maturing in summer. The herb flowers from April to May in the southern parts of its habitat zones and in June in the northern parts. Although chives are repulsive to insects in general, due to their sulphur compounds, their flowers attract bees, and they are at times kept to increase desired insect life.

Chives thrive in well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, with a pH of 6-7 and full sun. They can be grown from seed and mature in summer, or early the following spring. Typically, chives need to be germinated at a temperature of 15 to 20 °C and kept moist. They can also be planted under a cloche or germinated indoors in cooler climates, then planted out later. After at least four weeks, the young shoots should be ready to be planted out. They are also easily propagated by division. In cold regions, chives die back to the underground bulbs in winter, with the new leaves appearing in early spring. Chives starting to look old can be cut back to about 2–5 cm. When harvesting, the needed number of stalks should be cut to the base. During the growing season, the plant continually regrows leaves, allowing for a continuous harvest.

Chives are used as a flavouring herb, providing a somewhat milder flavour than those of other Allium species. Chives have a wide variety of culinary uses, such as in traditional dishes in France, Sweden, and elsewhere. In his 1806 book “Attempt at a Flora” (Försök til en flora), Retzius describes how chives are used with pancakes, soups, fish, and sandwiches. They are also an ingredient of the gräddfil sauce with the traditional herring dish served at Swedish midsummer celebrations.

The edible flowers may also be used to garnish dishes. In Poland and Germany, chives are served with quark cheese. Chives are one of the fines herbes of French cuisine, which also include tarragon, chervil, or parsley. Chives can be found fresh at most markets year-round, making them readily available; they can also be dry-frozen without much impairment to the taste, giving home growers the opportunity to store large quantities harvested from their own gardens.

Chives are reported to have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system, however, compared to the very efficacious garlic, chives are much less effective. They also have mild stimulant, diuretic, and antiseptic properties. As chives are usually served in small amounts and never as the main dish, negative effects are rarely encountered, although digestive problems may occur following overconsumption. Chives are also rich in vitamins A and C, contain trace amounts of sulphur, and are rich in calcium and iron.

In the past, bunches of dried chives hung around a house were believed to ward off disease and evil. In the language of flowers, chive flowers signify: “You were my first love, although this caused me distress.” Dried flower heads of chives mean: “The memory of our love is dear to me”. Incorporating chive leaves and chive buds in a bouquet implies “usefulness or utility.” Caution should be exercised as other plants with chive leaves may carry a negative meaning. For example, if Irish Moss (Pearlwort - Sagina subulata) accompanies chive buds, the giver is warning: “You are useful to me because I desire your money”.

POETS UNITED - DAY OF THE DEAD

“Don’t send me flowers when I’m dead. If you like me, send them while I’m alive.” - Brian Clough

All Souls Day on November 2nd is a holy day set aside for honouring the dead. The day is primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church, but it is also celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and a few other denominations of Christianity. The Anglican Church is the largest Protestant Church to celebrate the holy day. Most protestant denominations do not recognise the holiday and disagree with the theology behind it.

Poets United this week celebrates All Souls Day and invites participants to write a poem on ways of honouring the dead and commemorating a soul’s passing. Here is my contribution.

The Liturgy for the Dead

The heady smell of burning incense 

And the drone of the priest’s voice

Reciting the liturgy for the dead.

The chanting of the ancient psalms

And the sobs of the family and friends

Under flickering candlelight.

The cheerless black garments

And the long mauve ribbons

Bedecking glittering icons.

The open coffin on the bier

And the corpse looking like waxwork,

No longer the person we knew and loved.

May he rest in peace, may his soul find repose,

May his memory be everlasting,

May his life have made difference.

Brief is our life like a burning candle,

Our youth as fleeting as a blooming rose

And love as transient as a butterfly.

All in vain, and vanity of vanities,

Our existence is over in the blink of an eye;

We forget while we live that our shrouds have no pockets.

Come all and pay your last respects

To the dear departed, for he will be a long time dead

And you will join him before you know it.

Let us celebrate on this day of his death

For our time in the sun is short

And like a dream life’s pleasures are over before we know it.

Here is the first part of the Greek Orthodox Liturgy for the Dead chanted by Theodore Vassilikos and his choir.

TRAVEL TUESDAY #51 - ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND

“In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” - Orson Welles

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel!

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us! Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich It is located in north-central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich The municipality has approximately 390,000 inhabitants, and the Zürich metropolitan area 1.83 million. Zürich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zürich Airport and railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.

Permanently settled for around 2000 years, the history of Zürich goes back to its founding by the Romans, who, in 15 BC, called it Turicum. However, early settlements have been found dating back more than 6400 years ago. During the Middle Ages Zürich gained the independent and privileged status of imperial immediacy and, in 1519, was the place of origin and centre of the Protestant Reformation in German-speaking Switzerland, led by Ulrich Zwingli.

Zürich is a leading global city and among the world’s largest financial centres. The city is home to a large number of financial institutions and banking giants. Most of Switzerland’s research and development centres are concentrated in Zürich and the low tax rates attract overseas companies to set up their headquarters there. According to several surveys from 2006 to 2008, Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world as well as the wealthiest city in Europe. Many museums and art galleries can be found in the city, including the Swiss National Museum and the Kunsthaus. Zurich also hosts one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

Add your own travel posts using the Linky tool below, and don't forget to be nice and leave a comment here, and link back to this page from your own post:

HALLOWEEN

“From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us…” – Anon Scottish Prayer.

Halloween is the last night of the Celtic year and is the night associated with witchcraft, fairies, elves and wicked spirits.  In countries where the Celtic influence is strong, customs surrounding Halloween are still current and relate to pagan rituals celebrating the beginning of the Winter cycle.  Tales of witches and ghosts are told, bonfires are lit, fortune-telling and mumming are practiced.  Masquerading is the order of the night, making of jack-o-lanterns and the playing of games pass the hours pleasantly. Bobbing for apples in a tub of water is an age-old custom.  These pagan practices have been incorporated into the Christian tradition through association with All Saints’ Day on November the first.

The seasonal association of the apple with Halloween goes back even to Roman times.  November 1st was the time when the Romans celebrated Pomona’s festival.  She was the goddess of orchards and ripe maturity.  Her festival was the time to rejoice in the fruits of the season and also the time to open up the Summer stores for Winter use.  In Celtic tradition the apple was the fruit of the Silver Bough of the Otherworld and symbolised love, fertility, wisdom and divination.  The hazel was a sacred Celtic tree and the hazelnut symbolised wisdom, peace and love.  A hazel tree grew by the sacred pool of Avalon and was described as the Tree of Life.

As Halloween was the night when witches and evil spirits, the souls of the dead and wicked fairy folk roam the earth, numerous superstitions surround the night and have as a characteristic and apotropaic (protective) function.  The fire on the household hearth should on no account be left to die on this night, or else evil spirits will descend down the chimney.  Bonfires were lit on hilltops to drive off witches. Purification by fire ordained that people jumped over the flames, in some parts even cattle driven through the embers. 

In some parts many an unfortunate old woman was burnt in these fires because she was suspected to be a witch.  The fires of purification were called Samhnagan (=Samhain). Often, food offerings were left out for the fairies on this night. Travelling was to be avoided at all costs as one could be led astray by the spirits and fairies.  If one had to go out, pieces of iron or cold steel were carried on one’s person as a repellent against witchcraft.

  Hey how for Hallow E’en

  A’ the witches tae be seen

  Some in black and some in green

  Hey how for Hallow E’en.

Other traditions surrounding Samhain involved the reversal of order and normal values, the reign of chaos.  This involved deriding figures of authority, hurling abuse and cabbages at notable people, playing tricks and practical jokes on friends and relatives.  Parties of “guisers” went around from house to house collecting apples, nuts or money while riding a hobby horse or carrying a horse’s head.  The association of the horse with this festival may go back to the ancient Roman festival of the October Horse, the last of the harvest feasts. Such customs are still very active in some countries, especially the USA, where Halloween has been revived with vigour, no doubt because of its appeal but also because of commercial potential...