Introduction and Welcome

Welcome to All Things Bright and Beautiful. If you are new to this site, I would recommend that you read my very first entry - which is an introduction and welcome to this blog. You can view it here

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Robert Bateman - Great Blue Heron,

The Blue Heron is one of my favorite birds.  Here is a lovely painting of one by our artist for this season, Robert Bateman.
Great Blue Heron - © Robert Bateman

Following is a link to the paintings we will be viewing this summer:   Picassa Web Album of Robert Bateman Paintings. Though they are copyrighted we have been given permission to copy them for educational use.  

 I'd like to revisit Franz Joseph Haydn, partly because I'd like my children to experience again the wonderful oratorio - The Creation, but I like his other works as well and think that they are worth studying more than once.  
Here is a nice children's biography by Opal Wheeler, Joseph Haydn - the Merry Little Peasant.



 Franz Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer during the Classical Period.  He is often called the "Father of the Symphony".  One of my favorites works by Haydn is his oratorio "The Creation".  This oratorio is long and you may want to watch a bit each day for the next two or three weeks.   Much of this is taken directly from scripture and some comes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost". The music itself beautifully parallels the words and describes the creation with sound.  From the very beginning sounds, starting with chaos until God says "Let there be light," you can almost hear the light burst forth.  When we listened I photocopied an enlarged copy of the words from the booklet in the CD for my children so they could follow along.  I tried unsuccessfully to find the words online. The Following link is an overview of this oratorio.  It includes detailed descriptions of this oratorio  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation_(Haydn).  If you don't plan to listen to the whole thing I would recommend Part 3 as a sample.  It is from Day 3 of Creation or you might enjoy Part 7 which has lots of animals.  This video intersperses the musicians with beautiful and fitting photography.  You can listen to the whole oratorio in about 10 minutes a day for twelve days.  I will be featuring this oratorio for four weeks to give time to listen to the whole thing (three sessions per week).


Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8omYmytYvlo&feature=related
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S03cwGuw43s&feature=related  there are two places with nude artwork that you may want to minimize the screen for and just listen, from 04:28-05:15 and 06:33-06:48.  
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=JYvdjGzlNYc
Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ucr4VikNxQw
Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=WFs18ayIg5Y
Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=-ul_KX2AV1U
Part 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fQ0_HnJYuc
Part 8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=JZFeA-INyV4 (Part 8 does include lots of nude artwork depicting Adam and Eve from about 00:32-04:15. You may want to minimize the screen and just listen.  Also footage of a Lion attacking a Wildebeast which might be too graphic for young or sensitive children - you could minimize when the lions start stalking at about 07:45 and continue to listen until this part is past- about 08:12).
Part 9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRlL_0rTgsM&feature=related
Part 10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIYumIqvBQ&feature=related  (01:55-02:12 includes a piece of artwork of a person without clothes)
Part 11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=5lhp86YCQUQ (Part 11 from minute 06:52-08:05 focuses on a drawing of Adam and Eve without clothes - if this bothers you, just minimize for that minute....)
Part 12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJXb2H4J268&feature=related


The following are short biographical sketches of Franz Joseph Haydn's life:
Composer Franz Joseph Haydn
8Notes Franz Joseph Haydn
Wikipedia Hanz Joseph Haydn


The following is a link to an article that discusses the difficulties that came because this work which was originally done in German has been translated into English by someone who didn't know English very well. http://www.neiljenkins.info/documents/thecreation.pdf

Our new poet is Phillis Wheatley - following are a couple of biographical sketches:
Phillis Wheatley - Bio
Phillis Wheatley - Wikipedia
The Famous People - Phillis Wheatley

    On Virtue

By Phillis Wheatley
O thou bright jewel in my aim I strive
To comprehend thee. Thine own words declare
Wisdom is higher than a fool can reach.
I cease to wonder, and no more attempt
Thine height t’explore, or fathom thy profound.
But, O my soul, sink not into despair,
Virtue is near thee, and with gentle hand
Would now embrace thee, hovers o’er thine head.
Fain would the heaven-born soul with her converse,
Then seek, then court her for her promised bliss.


Auspicious queen, thine heavenly pinions spread,
And lead celestial Chastity along;
Lo! now her sacred retinue descends,
Arrayed in glory from the orbs above.
Attend me, Virtue, thro’ my youthful years!
O leave me not to the false joys of time!
But guide my steps to endless life and bliss.
Greatness, or Goodness, say what I shall call thee,
To give an higher appellation still,
Teach me a better strain, a nobler lay,
O Thou, enthroned with Cherubs in the realms of day!

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