I got myself talked into participating in a concert at the high school tomorrow night. It is some musical phantasm thing with a world music emphasis. I am glad to help the kids, but some members of our music department have GOT to get some taste.
When I was in my high school and college concert choirs, we performed timeless works of great majesty. Now, the emphasis is on pop tunes. It seems that music teachers don't want to stretch their students musically. Too bad, because, in some communities, the public schools are the only places where they get any music education.
The piece that I am participating in is a thing from an Alan Parsons Project album. This selection is called "The Raven" and is an adaptation of Poe's famous poem of the same title. The part that I am reading was originally read by Orson Wells. I think it was recorded live. They wheeled Orson out and had him recite this monologue-I presume Poe's own words-in which he says essentially that there are some ideas that he can't put into words.
This passage must be one of those ideas, because I couldn't figure it out and I have a Masters in English. UF came over during lunch one day and we looked at it and figured the above translation.
I wonder, if Poe and Shakespeare could have ever gotten together, what would they talk about? I like Poe (well, sometimes), but have to think that Shakespeare would give up and sail back to England.
ASB wants UF and I to perform at a teacher's tea at the end of the year. I would prefer to keep alive the illusion that my musicianship is as good as UF's, but I will perform anyway. The idea is that we will take turns playing songs we know and then play a few together. Could be fun.
Like I said, UF is the better player.
But I have a much more charming stage persona.
7 comments:
I don't think you're alloweed to call me Nuff. I haven't thought about this before, but I think you have to ask permission of the one who named me thus.
After the concert tonight, I have got it in my head that we should perform "One Night in Bangkok." Maybe get someone to play bongos.
Can we all come up with nicknames for you and then give each other permission to call you by them?
How 'bout NuffSaid. A little more formal than the familiar nick and removes the need for quotation marks when responding to a post.
Multitasking, ya know.
Har!
How about Nuff's Head? Less formal and it conjures an image.
Actually, it conjures a couple of images.
Ummm Donita, I don't think I'll go there.
Hee, Hee! Sorry.
Hey Nuff Shed, Just chiming in here with a story. I chose to memorize and recite Poe's "The Bells" for a speech contest at Sierra, long ago. Didn't go over too well, too much clanging and whanging and tintinnabulation of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, I guess. I thought Poe's writing was pretty cool back then, but Mr Teacher's right; it's kind of adolescent, like King. I tend more towards Mutts and their ilk nowadays; easier for my decaying eyes to see.
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