Classical Music

Today, Granny (Tan Lucy Pez; I guess she’s a Nox since her daughter is) bought me some classical music CDs that I asked for because I was inspired to get some after the Penn State band camp (Thanks again, Granny Nox! Hey! That sounds kind of cool...). I haven’t listened to all of them, but what I have listened to so far (bits and pieces), I like a lot! I got four of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies: No. 1, No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6. I have currently listened to the whole first, and I really like it! Though, I don’t like the parts were there is singing as much, but it’s okay. It would be nice if I could understand it, but it’s in German...

I guess you guys deserve to know a little more about Gustav Mahler!

(From the Wikipedia)




"Mahler was born into a Jewish family in Kalischt, Bohemia. His parents moved to Jihlava, Moravia, where Mahler spent his childhood, in the first year of his life. Having noticed the boy's talent at an early age, his parents arranged piano lessons for him when he was six years old. In 1875, Mahler, then fifteen, was admitted to the Vienna Conservatoire where he studied piano under Julius Epstein. Three years later, Mahler attended Vienna University, where Anton Bruckner was lecturing. While at the university, he worked as a music teacher and made his first major attempt at composition with Das klagende Lied; the opera, which he later turned into a cantata, was entered in a competition, in which he was ultimately unsuccessful..."

You can read on if you like, but basically it talks about how he wrote more symphonies, and how he had to convert from Judaism to Roman Catholic because of his fears of anti-semistism. Despite the fact that he converted, he had to "resign from the Opera, in part forced by a largely anti-semitic press". The teacher who taught Orchestral Listening at Penn State band camp said he died thinking his music was a failure. Quite sad, eh?

Ow! I think I got a bug bite on my eyebrow during marching practice...or at least there is some weird bump that hurts there...we had a tough day today...learned the entire second part of the drill. Then we did the entire show! I am so tired from it...poor Tok’ra, though. It was technically her first day marching with the whole band, but the staff showed her no slack whatsoever. Oh! And our band director only gave us one water break! I hope he gives us more next practice...