The Magic of Music

The Emotional Power and Pull of Music

“Music gives access to regions in the subconscious that can be reached in no other way.” (Sophie Drinker). The more complicated our thoughts and emotions, the less effective is language as a tool of expression. Music is a form of communication that conveys meanings that cannot be expressed with ordinary words.

Music has the power to soothe (think of mothers singing lullabies to their babies), to captivate, to stimulate, to encourage, to rally or rouse, and evokes a deep emotional response in many people.

How can we explain this deep fascination with music, this impact of music on our emotions?  Our emotional response to music is highly complex—linked to our listening experience; memory and associations (a sound reminds us of an earlier experience, or sound can help us visualize some event); conditioning (we’ve come to think of major chords as being happy and minor chords as sad, for example); a rhythmic connection between ourselves and our world; mood at the moment; and expectations. And yet, it’s also true that composers through the ages have exploited the mathematical relationships among rhythms, melodies, harmonies and other aspects of music to create and change emotions.

Neuroscientists have tried to study the connection between auditory pleasure and a deep physiological response. Some researchers have also tried mathematically to quantify the emotional impact of music. They found that they could accurately quantify (only) a few of the basic elements in music’s ability to change our emotions. It is true that some music can pulse through one’s brain and body, mirroring and triggering some electrical impulses and patterns, thereby creating feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, or even fear.

I believe that ultimately this is unquantifiable, that certain music evokes a deep personal response that will vary from person to person; that the same piece of music may bring one person to tears and have no effect on another, regardless of the music’s mathematical composition.

How to explain the deep feeling of joy or sadness evoked by the haunting quality of a clarinet concerto, for example? That feeling that the sounds are entering into your very soul and becoming part of your consciousness, or perhaps sub-consciousness? I don’t think you can. It just IS.

Anyway, the main point here is that music of various kinds is very important for most people all around the world in some way, and our lives are vastly enriched by it.

What do you think?

Something Fishy. National Seafood Month

Something Fishy? Yes, please

October is National Seafood Month, at least in the USA. (I understand ‘seafood’ to include both shellfish and fresh fish).

Started in the 1940s by the National Fisheries Institute, National Seafood Month was originally a week-long event, but evolved into a month-long festival in the 1950s as a way of trying to encourage people to prepare more seafood.

It has long been realized that seafood is an important part of a healthy, well-balanced diet, but many people (especially in parts of the USA) seemed to have an aversion for fish, especially if it looked and tasted like fish. So, they would heavily coat it, deep fry it and serve it with highly flavored, high-calorie sauces, thereby negating most or all of the benefits. Recent studies confirm that eating fish or seafood helps lower the risk of heart disease, for example. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week as part of an overall healthy eating pattern. We are told facts such as: cold-water, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, lake trout and albacore tuna contain the highest concentration of healthful omega-3 fatty acids; and shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters and fresh water fish are another significant source. The Association is also trying to promote cooking the seafood in different, more healthy, ways. It’s important to use the best cooking methods—baking, broiling, grilling, microwaving and sautéing in just a little olive oil. Deep-frying adds calories and saturated fats, and extremely high cooking temperatures destroy omega-3s. Poaching and steaming are also good.

Many grocery stores have a special seafood feature during the month of October, with colorful informational boards, reduced prices on a lot of their seafood, and many delicious recipes. More and more restaurants around the country also offer seafood special dishes during October and some well-known chefs even hold classes, to show people how to achieve the best results using this bounty from the sea (and fresh water too). For example, you can steam fish or shrimp in beer or wine, and then add garlic and your favorite herbs. For an Asian-type dish add lemon grass, ginger and green onions. For a dish with European flair, poach the seafood in white wine and slices of lemon. These poaching or steaming methods add flavor without adding fat.

However, a relatively new issue linked with eating seafood is the question of sustainability. As more people become aware of the benefits of eating seafood, the number of species that are being over-fished and becoming endangered is increasing. So, many restaurants are trying to find the balance between offering good, healthy menu items and using sustainable species of seafood. Sometimes, they have to be creative in getting people to try other new dishes using seafood that is not endangered. I found an interesting blog about restaurants in the UK that think sustainably/or not. Go to www.fish2fork.com/blog

Our family loves seafood, so serving it two or three times a week is no problem. We find it very versatile and have discovered countless ways to prepare it. We love going to local markets that have fresh seafood, usually armed with a shopping bag and a camera. We had an especially wonderful time when we lived in Paris for 6 months, as our small neighborhood market carried a great selection of seasonal seafood. We discovered many different types of fish, all sizes of oysters (huitres), and the marvelous Coquilles St Jacques (large scallops with their sac still attached). I haven’t been able to find these scallops here in Illinois, but most recipes do fine with the sac-less scallops. I won’t give recipes here, but what about some of these ideas:

—Make fish tacos. Grill or steam your favorite fish, mix it with fresh cilantro, olives, vegetables such as green onions, sliced cucumber and tomatoes, and a light olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, then wrap it in a soft-shell tortilla;

—Use smoked salmon in sandwiches and in salads;

—Make more salads using tuna or shrimp, like the many wonderful French salads composées;

—Use leftover cooked fish in scrambled eggs, or in a quiche or a frittata for a tasty brunch.

Just Be Fishy!

Scottish Splendor in the sub-tropics of Zimbabwe

Scottish splendor in the sub-tropics of Zimbabwe.    Welcome to Nesbitt Castle.

(Written and published elsewhere a few years ago, but I want to put a spotlight on Zimbabwe again—as it needs all the TLC and attention it can get! The financial, economic and humanitarian crisis in the country is dire indeed.)

You wouldn’t think there were any similarities between the city of BULAWAYO in Zimbabwe, and the city of ABERDEEN in Scotland. In sharp contrast are southern hemisphere versus northern hemisphere; dry, dusty thornveld in clear sunlight, versus a soft, green and misty land; a land-locked area famous for cattle ranches and wildlife, versus mountains, dotted with woolly white sheep, overlooking the North Sea.

And yet…they are twin cities and each flies the other’s flag. And there’s another similarity, even more unexpected; they both have castles.

Nesbitt Castle in Bulawayo is based on an archetypal Scottish castle. Built in 1905 by mayor Theodore Holdengarde, it was converted in 1990 to an exclusive luxury hotel by the Nesbitt family.

Nestled in the quiet suburb of Hillside, Nesbitt Castle is a huge rambling stone building that really does look like a Scottish castle, with massive grey, hand-hewn stones, small towers and crenellations. It’s set in an enormous 14-acre garden, part green and landscaped, part bush with a number of ostriches and impala (antelope) in a fenced enclosure—a mini wild-life park.

The hotel is/was well-known as a conference and entertainment venue—what a beautiful setting for a wedding reception—and also offers lunches and dinners.

But perhaps the most spectacular offerings are the lavish afternoon teas, presented outside on the lush green front lawns, under huge jacaranda trees, fringed with flowering bushes. Guests sit on lacy, wrought-iron chairs with fat burgundy cushions, at a wrought-iron table graced with a cream colored tablecloth, burgundy cloth serviettes, and heavy silver cutlery. It’s the quintessential setting for a formal British Colonial afternoon tea, with the added touch of an African bush park and gorgeous indigenous African birds twittering in the trees above.

The tea menu usually offers scones with strawberry jam and cream, lemon cheesecake, chocolate cake, muffins, or flapjacks (small pancakes) with honey. They are all exquisitely served on white china plates, decorated with sprinkles of white powdered sugar, halved Cape gooseberries, and pink rose petals. A charming young Ndebele (the local tribe) waiter in formal black and white serves various teas, or freshly-brewed coffee in a large glass pot.

After a leisurely, relaxing tea you can take a tour of the Castle. The decorations are a mixture of old-English (splendid heavy oak furniture, brocade furnishings) and African, with wooden masks and hunting trophies—elephant, buffalo, and zebra heads—and cured skins. A beautiful zebra skin stands out. A similar hunting theme can be found in many Scottish castles, just with different mounted animals. The hunting theme is not obsolete, even today, as the hotel is also linked with the Nesbitt Safari, a Hunting Safari Adventure, in the Zimbabwe low-veld close to the town of Chiredzi.

Please note that Zimbabwe’s economy is experiencing extreme difficulties, and that the exchange rate changes almost daily. Hence, prices are liable to change. In fact, many place no longer accept Zimbabwe dollars and want foreign currency, so it’s best to check before going. Hotel rates are available on request.

The Nesbitt Castle Hotel, 6 Percy Avenue, Hillside, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Tel: +263-9-282726/282735

Fax: +263-9-281864

Email: castle@mweb.co.zw

Making Mystical Mandalas

During the week September 21-25 we were privileged to witness the creating of a Mandala Sand Painting here on our campus at the University of Illinois. The 5-day live exhibition was sponsored by the Asian American Cultural Center, the Illini Union, Buddhists for World Peace, and other university groups. It featured monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery, re-established in India after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 that closed monasteries and forced monks to flee.

Many of the monks from the Monastery in India went on Mystical Arts of Tibet tours to other countries. As a result of these, in 1991 the monks were invited to establish a seat in USA and Drepung Loseling Monastery, Inc came about in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1998 it also became affiliated with Emory University in Atlanta. The goal of this non-profit organization is to study and preserve the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and to promote transcultural understanding. The organization, in conjunction with Richard Gere Productions, co-ordinates the Mystical Arts of Tibet World Tours and oversees the Drepung Loseling Educational Fund to help monks in training.

It was fascinating to watch the young monks at work on the Mandala Sand Painting, a unique Tantric Buddhist artistic tradition. “Mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning “cosmogram” or “world in harmony”. Generally, all mandalas have outer, inner, and secret meanings. On the outer level they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they map how an ordinary human mind is transformed into an enlightened mind; on the secret level they depict the subtle energies of the body and the mind.

To make the mandala, millions of grains of colored sand are laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days. The monks destroy the mandala when it is finished, symbolizing the impermanence of all that exists. They sweep up the colored sands, giving some to those attending the deconstruction ceremony to aid in their purification. The rest are poured into nearby running water, so the healing energies can be carried all over the world.

In the first stage of the construction, the artist monks draw their design on the platform table, using a ruler, compass and white pencil. To apply the sand, the monks use a metal funnel. They fill the narrow funnel with colored sand and then rasp it to release a fine stream of sand. The artists begin at the center of the mandala design and work outward. In the otherwise silent room, we found the rasping sound strangely soothing.

Usually the artist monks use colored sands, but sometimes they use powdered flowers, herbs or grains, or even powdered and colored stone.

Many people passed through the Pine Lounge in the Illini Union to watch the monks at work and many students chatted to the monks too, so hopefully some cultural understanding was also taking place.

(above right: containers with colored sand, and the special funnels)

Another French Sign!

This one is courtesy of my friend Gill, who lives in Lozere (where we lived on sabbatical).

It’s hilarious (and self-explanatory to English speakers)!  Talk about potential cultural misunderstanding! They found it on a recent trip in the north part of France. Merci, Gill.

High Caffeine, or Coffee With a View

I wish I could be in Vienna for this event on October 1st. Vienna and coffee have long been linked but this is coffee with a twist. A makeshift café is being set up in one of the towers of St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom), and visitors can get a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. The café will offer sweeping views of the Austrian capital from the 72m/236ft-high tower.

The lofty café won’t be permanent. Vienna’s Coffeehouse Association announced it’s a one-day event to help mark the city’s annual Coffee Day on October 1^st.

This is what you might see from the tower: a view of the colored tiled cathedral roof; a long view down to the square below, more than likely lined with horse carriages; panoramic views across Vienna’s roof tops to the River Danube and the hills beyond.

And this is what your coffee and cake might look like. We had these delectable dishes in the famous Café Central. As they say in German, “Wunderbar!”

See below the pics for some background to Stephansdom and its towers.

Destroyed and rebuilt countless times over the last 800 years, St Stephen’s Cathedral in the heart of Vienna is the city’s most famous landmark and symbol. The area around it was cleared of its cemetery in the 18^th century and became St Stephen’s Square, the lively pedestrian area we know today. All that remains of the original 13^th-century Romanesque church are the Giants Doorway and Heathen Towers. The inside is a Gothic extravaganza, with its ribbed vaults and ornate pulpit.

The South Tower, the Steffl, is a 137-m high (450-ft) German Gothic spire. From the Sexton’s Lodge inside, visitors can climb 343 steps as far as a viewing platform at 73m/239ft.

The North Tower, or Adlerturm (eagles’ tower) was never completed, according to legend, because the master builder, Hans Puchsbaum, broke a pact he’d made with the devil, by pronouncing a holy name. The devil caused him to fall to his death and construction stopped in 1511. The North Tower now houses the Pummerin Bell, another potent symbol for the city, as it rings in the New Year as well as pealing on other occasions. The original bell was made from 180 melted-down bronze canons abandoned when the Turks fled Vienna in 1683 and was in the South Tower. That bell crashed down through the roof in 1945, during a fire in the cathedral, and a new, bigger one was cast using the remains of the old. A lift takes visitors to almost the top of the tower at 60m/196ft. After climbing some steps from there, they get to a viewing platform, where they can see the bell, and get a wonderful panoramic view out over the city across to the Vienna hills and the River Danube, and down into the roof.

The cathedral is also known for its beautiful tiled roof. The colorful zig-zag patterns are made up of almost a quarter million glazed tiles, which were carefully restored after damage at the end of WW2. The highlight is the imperial two-headed eagle on the southeast.

Fun Fests for Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day in the USA is the first Monday in September and is the unofficial end to the summer, heralding the beginning of the fall semester. Most places typically have all kinds of festivals and parades over this long weekend, all a lot of fun.

St Louis, in Missouri, hosts many wonderful events. Two of the most well-known are the Japanese Festival and the Greek Festival. The Japanese Festival takes place in the Missouri Botanical Gardens and this year—2009—is the 32^nd annual festival, sponsored by many Friends of the Japanese Festival. The Greek Festival takes place in the grounds of the Greek Orthodox Church in Central West End. Both of these seem to get bigger and better every year.

Here are a few pictures from the many activities this year. (I’m afraid that the site seems to have some issues right now and it’s impossible to line up the pictures and the text!)

“Koinobori” are carp (koi) banners that are typically flown on May 5^th in Japanese homes that have children, as they are an important symbol for children in Japan. During the festival in St Louis, these banners fly in various places in the gardens. Real koi fish are in the pond in the Japanese Garden, where kids of all ages enjoy feeding the (seemingly always hungry) fish with fish pellets.

Kids enjoy testing “Taiko”, or Japanese drums. Drumming has always been an integral part of Japanese celebrations.

A stall sells “Shibori”, which is cloth tie-dyed with Indigo dye. This art has flourished since the 8^th century BC, and is really lovely.

“Komo-Mawashi”, or Top Spinning, is a form of family entertainment relying on skill to manipulate plain toy tops. At the festival Dr. Hiroshi Tada has a routine that amazes the onlookers.

The Candyman is a typical street entertainer in Japan. Here, Masaji Terasawa is the Candyman—he does conjuring and magic acts and creates small sculptures with spun sugar.

One of the popular foods at the Greek Festivals is the gyros. Volunteers work on the rows of the revolving meat, slicing and assembling the gyros for all the hungry folks in the very long lines. But, the end product is worth the wait! Very tasty.

Marching Music Booms out from Vienna’s Rathaus

Vienna, Austria: Big Band Concert, a free Bonanza

Vienna’s Rathaus (City Hall) is an imposing building with a tall tower, pretty gardens and a large plaza in front. This plaza often hosts big city events, such as the annual Christmas markets in December, and a wine festival in summer. One Saturday afternoon in early June 2009, it was the scene of the Austrian Brass Band Festival.  It’s a popular event, with such huge crowds that the Ringstraase that runs between the Rathaus and the Burg Theatre opposite was totally blocked to all traffic for quite a while. In fact, we stood on the steps of the Burg Theatre to look out over the performance: Rousing tunes, with the band members, each team in a different uniform, playing and marching in (I imagine) pre-set formations. It was fun to listen to the bands playing and to watch the local people’s reactions—all excited and very complimentary.

It’s that sweet time of year…Sweetcorn Festival Time

URBANA’S 34^th SWEETCORN FESTIVAL, 2009

(Friday August 28, 5-11pm, and Saturday August 11am-11pm)

Many towns across the USA celebrate their sweet corn at this time of year, as part of end-of-summer festivities. Urbana’s festival has grown bigger and better over the years, which seems fitting in Illinois, the second-highest corn producer in the USA (and perhaps in the world).

A number of downtown streets are closed off to vehicle traffic, and workers set up two stages for a large variety of free musical events, featuring mostly local artists and groups. Booths and stalls line the streets, presided over by the newly-refurbished Clock and Bell Tower of the County Courthouse. Booths invite me to join the local yoga group, take part in a competition run by a radio station, or even join the Illinois Ski Club! I can buy handmade crystal jewelry and ornaments, silver jewelry, or wooden roses, and kids can ride small patient ponies, jump on various huge inflatable toys, or try their luck at fairground games. We can buy root beer, an American favorite, or Miller Lite Beer, or a number of Pepsi products to drink. Enticing smells waft over the air—funnel cakes, enchillads, tacos, icecream, Thai food, popcorn, Greek gyros and more—and the sound of music is everywhere. A steel band plays outside the Courthouse, some stalls have their own taped music, and much of the time someone performs on one of the stages.

But, the highlight is the sweet corn. At the end of one of the blocked-off streets an army of volunteers works. A long serving table across the street blocks the work area, where an old-time steam engine toots and blows steam (and produces hot water to cook all the corn). This year, the corn has just come in (normally it peaks at the end of July but is later this year due to weather conditions), so it should be more juice and tasty than usual. The festival sweet corn is all from in-state farms. About 30,000 ears of ripe corn arrived in a refrigerated truck, packed in wooden pallets. To have perfectly cooked corn, the cooking process must be regulated. So, the volunteers take corn out of the truck, and put it into the shucker, where they can shuck about 3,500 ears an hour. From shucking, ideally the corn should get into a vat of boiling water within 10 minutes, where they flash-cook it for about 5 minutes (so as not to overcook it). More volunteers remove the corn into other containers near the serving table, where customers can choose to have their corn with butter, or not.

A number of ticket tents are along the streets, and all transactions are with pre-bought tickets—one ticket costs $1. Corn is a real bargain at 2 ears of corn for one ticket. The lines for the corn are very long but move quickly, thanks to the efficient volunteers.

I walked to the festival for a while on both Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and the atmosphere was wonderfully friendly and festive. Crowds wander, chat and eat; kids run around holding bags of popcorn, licking icecreams or biting into corn in a paper holder; people gather in front of the stages and clap along with the music.  A noteworthy part of the musical lineup was the CUperstars (what a clever play on words) on Saturday afternoon. This is a group of local youth, aged 13-19, who sing, many of them really well, but all with gusto and confidence. A future star or two?

Another successful festival and a fun time.

140 years ago…Vienna State Opera opened

Another Commemoration, this one for the “First House at the Ring”, the Vienna State Opera (140 years old in 2009).

Come and share in the celebrations outdoors.

The Ring is a 19^th-century boulevard that circles old Vienna and is lined with grand and grandiose buildings. The Staatsoper is the oldest building on the Ring and the most important opera house of Vienna. It is also one of the most famous opera houses in the world, in which High Society meets when the fabulous Vienna Opera Ball takes place every February. Emperor Franz Josef opened the State Opera on May 25^th, 1869 and the inaugural performance was Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”.

It was badly damaged in an air raid in March 1945, when fire gutted the building and destroyed the auditorium and stage. It re-opened on November 5^th, 1955, after reconstruction, with a performance of “Fidelio” by Beethoven.

The Vienna State Opera has attracted eminent musicians over the years, among them Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, and Claudio Abbado.

To commemorate the Opera’s 140 years, Vienna has planned a number of celebrations.  Some of the Opera’s performances are being broadcast live on an LED video-wall on Herbert von Karajan Platz adjacent to the opera house during May, June, September and October 2009. These started with the performance on May 24, 2009, of Jules Massenet’s “Werther”, followed by a commemorative performance of “Don Giovanni” on May 25, 2009. During the interval of this special May 25^th performance, the Austrian post office unveiled a commemorative postage stamp, and after the performance, Vienna State Opera director Ioan Holender gave a festive speech marking the 140^th anniversary. He said that the purpose of these broadcasts is to win over people to opera, tourists and Viennese alike, who aren’t otherwise opera fans. “It’s not for dyed-in-the-wool opera fans, but those who wouldn’t otherwise venture into an opera house. We aim to awaken their interest.”

In Germany, Munich’s opera house regularly has ‘Opera for All’, where single operas are broadcast live on a giant screen during the city’s summer opera festival. But Holender predicts that Vienna will be the first city to organize these broadcasts on a regular or ’semi-permanent’ basis, with 50 to 60 screenings planned each season.

While in Vienna, we caught the tail-end of one of these screenings. Lots of people were enjoying the chance to experience an operatic performance ‘for free’, although it is sometimes possible to get cheap seats if you’re prepared to stand in a line for a few hours before the actual performance.

To learn more about its history you can visit the Vienna State Opera Museum, just a block away from the Opera House.

Photos, costumes, models of stage settings, programs, and interesting documents provide a journey through the times. The permanent exhibition, “Vienna State Opera: 140 Years of the House on the Ring, 1869 – 2009″, starts with the first director, Franz Freiherr von Dingelstedt, and ends with Ioan Holender, the current director. You can also find information on computers about every performance during the last 50 years: singers, conductors, directors, and stage and costume designers come to life, as do all the stage settings.

In addition, it’s possible to tour the Opera House, which I’ve done—a fun and very educational hour or so.

Address for the Museum: corner of Hanuschgasse and Goethegasse, opposite the Albertina Museum. 
Tel: 514 44-2100. 
Times: Tue – Sun 10am-6pm. 
Admission: 3 €, 
combination ticket with guided tour through the opera house: € 6.50