February 5 - On the Edge of Darkness

We

must

make

the

most

of

beauty when we have it -- mid-morning review of Week 4 material with the Theoreticians, Dominant Seventh Resolutions in Owen's second-semester class (Fa resolving down to Mi, approached by step above or below, but by leap only from the latter), a sorry session in the lab, then looking in briefly on the day

band finely rehearsing Jaromir Weinberger's Schwanda the Bagpiper: Polka and Fugue -- homeward with darkness coming on,

rain (though certainly needed) commencing for who-knows-how-long (OK, perhaps the following four days...), dealing with pages 4 and 3 respectively re Abducted by Aliens: III. 1561 Nuremberg Celestial Phenomenon composition and Psalm 119 "Beati Immaculati" editing.

February 4 - Beacon, Beckoning

Up

and

out,

and another striking transit,

for the

Thomas of Celano Dies Irae as Dictation / Keyboard-Solfege / Board Harmony with the Theoreticians,

followed by Owen's class and a detailed look at Dominant-Tonic Harmony: specifically, treatment of Ti in a strict reading of the so-called Common Practice... resolving only to Do in the Soprano, the aforesaid + Sol in Alto, and both of these augmented by Mi in Tenor. 

Thereafter,

homeward-

bound

through the

glory,

to compose page 3 of Abducted by Aliens: III. 1561 Nuremberg Celestial Phenomenon, edit a second for Psalm 119 "Beati Immaculati", and grade papers --

before returning to the evening class, where we proceed through early Medieval Music, and its influences, heading towards later of same, as below:

G Major (F# in Key Signature)
G A B C D E F# G

G Dorian (All White Notes)
G A B C D E F G

G Dorian (Bb in Key Signature)
G A Bb C D E F G

G Minor (Bb and Eb in Key Signature)
G A Bb C D Eb F G

Intervals from Perfect Fifth to Perfect Octave - and # of Steps
P5 = 3 1/2 Steps
m6 = 4 Steps
M6 = 4 1/2 Steps
m7 = 5 Steps
M7 = 5 1/2 Steps
P8 = 6 Steps

Four Types of Wind Instrument
End-Blown (Flute)
Double-Reed (Oboe)
Single-Reed (Clarinet)
Lip-Buzz (Trumpet)

Three Types of Solid-Body Instruments
Metal (Bells)
Wood (Marimba)
Other (Earth / Glass / Stone)

Three Types of Strings
Suspended (Harp)
Box (Piano)
Neck (Violin)

Listening
[8170] France - Ductia
[8170] Perotin - Hec Dies (This Is the Day)
[8170] Walter von der Vogelweide - Palestinalied (Palestine Song)
[8220] Ars Antiqua Motet - Alle Psallite {"Alle" Sing It)
[8300] Guillaume de Machaut - La Messe de Nostre Dame (Notre Dame Mass): I. Kyrie
[8811] Franz Liszt - Totentanz (Death Dance)

***

Out with Owen following this, for too much food and drink and Music Theory, then home again to Harriet and Megan late.

February 3 - Line Up

Census day comes and goes at Diablo Valley College with no ill effects... still 22 enrolled in Music Theory (Dictation / Board-Harmony of the day being the Orkney Islands Hymn to St. Magnus + G Major, Mixolydian, Dorian, and Minor), and absolutely no issue with the Literature class, at 48, or

Owen's Lee's second-semester group (where one of the the topics continues to be the harmonization of somewhat unruly soprano lines)...

Fore

and

aft,

the

commute

(the latter

clearly more viewful, 

if the photographic chronicle is any indication) -- lunch,

errands 

(realized and

attempted),

still more score-study re Zoltan Kodaly Hary Janos: Battle and Defeat of Napoleon (page 7, concluding this), composition leaf 2 of Abducted by Aliens: III. 1561 Nuremberg Celestial Phenomenon, and editing first sheet of

Psalm 119 "Beati Immaculati" (after the two concluding movements of Igor Stravinsky's Requiem Canticles)--

part of these endeavors over Giuseppe Verdi's Otello with Harriet and Megan.

February 2 - (Cold Rain)

High 45 -- coldest day of the year so far, by far (with only 3 50's thus far -- January 11 [54], 8 [57, and February 1 [59]) -- and third of rain (.11, after 1/29-30's .02 and .13).

Mostly indoors, more score-study (Zoltan Kodaly - Hary Janos: Battle and Defeat of Napoleon, through page 6), composition (begin Abducted by Aliens: III. 1561 Nuremberg Celestial Phenomenon - an orchestration, informed by Arnold Schoenberg's A Survivor from Warsaw, of Jacopo da Bologna's Non al suo Amante),

editing (Psalm 118 "Haec Dies" - combining a variety of tropes on same),

video operas

(a run of Rossini) with

Harriet (who's out mid-day for another Giuseppe Verdi Il Trovatore) and Megan.

February 1 - Opera

Still recouping, continue score-study of Zoltan Kodaly's Hary Janos: Battle and Defeat of Napoleon, Op. 15 (through page 3), finish composition for Abducted by Aliens: II. 214 BC Livy / 94 BC Plutarch, Op. 222 (four pages total) and editing of  

Psalm 117 "Alleluja Laudate Dominum Omnes Gentes" (the shortest of the Psalms, and the briefest of settings, in only the first five words), and continue general catch-up --

a plurality of this over rather a lot of

opera and

opera-related video with

Harriet and Megan.