Home Is the Sailor

I discovered this poem while listening to a recorded version of Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt.  I love that book, and the book before it, Homecoming.  They are full of deep thoughts but still somehow down to earth, dealing with everyday problems and painful tragedies with the same sensitivity.  I'm going to read A Solitary Blue next.  I guess the Tillerman series has me hooked.

Home Is the Sailor
A.E. Housman
Home is the sailor, home from sea:
Her far-borne canvas furled
The ship pours shining on the quay
The plunder of the world.

Home is the hunter from the hill:
Fast in the boundless snare
All flesh lies taken at his will
And every fowl of air.

'Tis evening on the moorland free,
The starlit wave is still:
Home is the sailor from the sea,
The hunter from the hill.

Leave Your Sleep

In 2010, Natalie Merchant released Leave Your Sleep, which is her first album after a 7-year break from her music career.  She had taken that time to raise her daughter and was inspired by the poetry she read with her.  Leave Your Sleep is an enchanting collection of songs made from children's poems from the 19th and 20th centuries.  I am so fascinated by the words of these poems, and the music is alternately haunting, wistful, and comforting.  It conjures up so many feelings I had as a child.

The full text of the poems can be found on Natalie's website. I had to quote one of the poems here.

Crying, My Little One
by Christina Rossetti
Crying, my little one, footsore and weary?
Fall asleep, pretty one, warm on my shoulder:
I must tramp on through the winter night dreary,
While the snow falls on me colder and colder.

You are my one, and I have not another;
Sleep soft, my darling, my trouble and treasure;
Sleep warm and soft in the arms of your mother,
Dreaming of pretty things, dreaming of pleasure.

Japanese Bach

An ingenious rendition of Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring done by a Japanese cell phone company.

Documentary on Korean High School

My friend Kelley Katzenmeyer, who graduated from high school not long ago herself, is in Korea working on a documentary about the lives of Korean high school students.  She has already made some fascinating discoveries about the pressures that are put on these students to succeed.
http://www.koreanhighschool.com


Korean High School (Documentary Preview) from Kelley Katzenmeyer on Vimeo.

Ben Nevis

Here's a poem I wrote after climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland.

Ben Nevis
Water reveals itself to be
But a small drop in a network
of lochs and inlets from the sea
The higher you go, the more you see
and understand

Looking back -
Were we really that far down once?
Is that the path we walked?

Seeing how far you've come gives you will to keep going.
The peak is in view! Don't turn back now!

The sun is a gift -
not every traveler has the path laid out this clearly.
We can't be afraid of what we can see.

Suzuki Japan Relief and Benefit Concert

Duke University is hosting a concert to raise money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Click here to download a PDF Flier describing the program.

The program will feature:

100+ Suzuki violin students, teachers, and alumni will perform together on stage to celebrate Dr. Suzuki’s kind, loving teachings, and to help the victims of Japan’s horrible disasters.

Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Second Movement - Allegretto

I never appreciated Beethoven until I first heard this movement on a CD five years ago.  The King's Speech, which won Oscar for Best Picture this year, used this beautiful piece of music in the climax of the movie.  I was thrilled from the moment I heard the opening chords, and breathed in and out with the music as Colin Firth gave his brilliant performance.

In a way, I can relate to Firth's character, because I fell in love with this movement when I was applying for a job.  I hated going to interviews, and listening to this helped me steel my nerves before going in to face the interviewer.

Tour Art Museums with Google Maps!

Google just did it again!  They have added some of the greatest art museums in the world to Google maps.

Try out some of these museums:

• Botticelli's Birth of Venus in The Uffizi Gallery in Florence
• Rembrandt's Night Watch in Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
• Hans Holbein's Ambassadors in The National Gallery in London
• Wander through the Palace of Versailles

See Behind-the-Scenes footage

How to Make a Guitar Rosette

As a classical guitarist, I found this fascinating.  Stephen Connor, a luthier, created this wonderful step-by-step photo guide showing the process it takes to build the rosettes that decorate the sound holes of classical guitars.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a fan of folk music. This recording brings together some of the biggest names in folk and old country music, including Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Mark O'Connor, and Jerry Douglas to name a few.

A Celebration of Taiwanese Cooking

Cooking can be an art too!  This video is a series of clips from "Eat Drink Man Woman," a Taiwanese film.

Nature By Numbers

Being a bit of a math geek, I couldn't help but appreciate the beautiful patterns that are showcased in this video.

The Lark Ascending: The Painting

I was also inspired by The Lark Ascending - both the poem and the violin piece.  I wanted to add my own expression, so when I had the opportunity to do a chalk painting for SparkCon, I knew exactly what my subject would be.

My concept sketch

We get started on our chalk drawing.

We were so proud of our finished product!  That's me on the left.

We drew the lark soaring high above a valley.

The Lark Ascending: The Music

Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote The Lark Ascending for violin and orchestra after being inspired by the poem of the same name by George Meredith.  Here, Janine Jansen, a Dutch violinist plays with the BBC Concert Orchestra.  Believe me, this delicate, inspiring piece is worth listening to for the whole 16 minutes.

Part 1:


Part 2:

The Lark Ascending: The Poem

This rather long poem has been a prime example of the spirit of Gesamtkunstwerk.  The poem inspired a beautiful and innovative violin concerto by Ralph Vaughan Williams.  In turn, the poem and concerto inspired me to do a chalk painting.  (Posts of the music and art coming soon)

Quotations from The Lark Ascending
by George Meredith

He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake,
...
As up he wings the spiral stair,
A song of light, and pierces air
With fountain ardor, fountain play,
To reach the shining tops of day,
And drink in everything discern’d
An ecstasy to music turn’d,
Impell’d by what his happy bill
Disperses; drinking, showering still,
Unthinking save that he may give
His voice the outlet, there to live
Renew’d in endless notes of glee,
So thirsty of his voice is he,
For all to hear and all to know
That he is joy, awake, aglow,
...
For singing till his heaven fills,
’T is love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup,
And he the wine which overflows
To lift us with him as he goes:
...
Was never voice of ours could say
Our inmost in the sweetest way,
Like yonder voice aloft, and link
All hearers in the song they drink
...
Read the whole poem.

America in Color

The Denver Post Photo Blog has shared a wonderful collection of photographs from 1939-1943 which capture American life from many points of view.  Country folk and factory workers are celebrated in beautiful, rich colors.

A Song for the New Year

One of my favorite bands, The Wailin Jennys has a song that seems appropriate for moving forward into a new year.  Enjoy their exquisite harmonies and lovely lyrics.