Today's DailyOM Offerings...
October 5, 2009
Bernstein Century: Copland - Appalachian Spring...
Aaron Copland
1970
Nineteen years after his death Aaron Copland remains a musician and composer who carries immense significance in American musical history. Part of the wave of American expatriates who flocked to Paris in the 1920s, Copland ran with a crowd of intellectuals-writers, artists, and composers, European as well as ex-pats-who made significant cultural contributions. Upon returning to the United States, Copland also made his mark by ultimately creating a style of music that was uniquely American, composing music that drew from modern and American folk styles. Born to Lithuanian-Jewish parents in Brooklyn, Copland did not begin playing piano till the age of 13 but went on to study music in college, prior to his move to France to study composition and conducting at the American Conservatory.
His professional training is remarkably apparent on Appalachian Spring (a title derived from a poem having nothing to do with the ballet), which was commissioned by the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. Copland’s score for this ballet won the Pulitzer Prize for music and has since become immensely popular as an orchestral suite. The ballet tells the story of a spring celebration of the American pioneers in the 1800s after building a new farmhouse in Pennsylvania. The album is itself a story that is worth a continuous concentrated listen, and can also make a fantastic soundtrack for a long drive, due to its depth and motion. The album opens up, as any good story should, with an introduction of each of the characters. The first cautious steps can be found in the opening track ("Very Slowly"), which presents the cast in what Copland calls "a suffused light," allowing the audience and listener to become acquainted with them through delicate winds and quivering, risi! ng strings that glow with the promising warmth of a sunrise. It is sharply contrasted by the following track, a quick canter with an abrupt start that eventually leads back to a more moderate sound.
"Calm and Flowing" sets the scene for the daily activity of the bride and her farmer husband. The track is infused with brightness and joy, which comes from the strong, gilded sound of the solo clarinet. With stronger, more grandiose segments, the song highlights the beauty of a happy, simplistic lifestyle. The album also includes some of Copland’s other pieces, including "Billy the Kid." "Celebration After Billy’s Capture" is a grandiose, celebratory, almost militant tune celebrating the capture of a vagrant. Sharp trumpets and a brisk, trotting pace give the impression of a military celebration. The menacing strings in the background wordlessly tell of Billy the Kid’s impending danger, while the trumpets and drums symbolize a grandiose victory.
October 5, 2009
Natural Attraction
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel a need for attention and recognition today. Perhaps you have a desire to be in the spotlight and feel more accepted by those around you. This could cause you to try harder to impress others. While striving for recognition might draw some attention your way, it might also be self-defeating because you will feel greater pressure to keep up your efforts. It could benefit you to relax and focus on being authentic. This will allow your best qualities to shine through, and you will attract more positive attention without any effort. Focus on your most positive attributes and look for opportunities to express them today. Doing so in an unobtrusive way will allow others to naturally warm up to you.
Allowing our best qualities to shine forth in our interactions is what will attract people to us. The harder we strive for recognition, the more elusive that attention seems to become. If we can instead turn our focus inward, embrace our best qualities, and share them with others, we automatically attract the attention we are seeking. This puts us in a greater position of empowerment and confidence, because we don’t feel the need to keep up a charade. We can simply relax, be ourselves, and enjoy the process. Let others experience the real you today, and you will attract lots of positive attention.
October 5, 2009
Setting the Tone
Starting Your Day Well
The choices you make upon waking can have a profound impact on your day. If, still drowsy, you hit the ground running, rushing to prepare yourself to face your worldly obligations, you will likely feel fatigued and overwhelmed for most of your day. A leisurely and relaxing morning, on the other hand, can energize and excite you, as well as give you the courage to meet the challenges waiting for you. By beginning your day in a focused and centered fashion, you make it your own. You set the tone of your expectations and choose the mood you will use to respond to your circumstances. A gentle, reflective, and thoughtful morning will prepare you to create a gentle, conscious, and thoughtful day.
The simplest way to eliminate the rush from your morning routine is to rise earlier. Getting children into routines and getting themselves ready as much as possible will also give you more time. Though this may seem like a hardship at first, you will soon grow to love the extra minutes or hours that afford you an opportunity to really enjoy watching the sun come up or connect with your loved ones before you go in your separate directions. There are many more ways you can constructively use the time you gain. A mere half-hour of introspection in which you examine your goals, thank the universe for the richness in your life, and contemplate the blessings you will receive this day can lift your spirit and help you formulate lasting positive expectations. Likewise, you can solidify your day’s intention through spoken affirmations or the words you record in a journal. Or, if you want little more than to enjoy your day, devote a portion of your personal time to activities that bot! h ground and delight you, such as meditation, yoga, chanting, singing, reading, or listening to music. If you feel, however, that there is little room for change in your start-of-the-day routine, try to make each activity you engage in upon waking a ritual in its own right. The time you spend everyday savoring a soothing cup of tea or washing away tension in a hot shower can serve as a potent reminder of the need to care for yourself no matter what the hour.
Your morning is yours and should reflect not only your practical needs but also the needs of your soul. When you center yourself at the start of your day, you will likely find it easier to remain centered during subsequent work, play, and downtime because the overall sense of serenity you create through your choices will stay with you throughout the day.
Bernstein Century: Copland - Appalachian Spring...
Aaron Copland
1970
Nineteen years after his death Aaron Copland remains a musician and composer who carries immense significance in American musical history. Part of the wave of American expatriates who flocked to Paris in the 1920s, Copland ran with a crowd of intellectuals-writers, artists, and composers, European as well as ex-pats-who made significant cultural contributions. Upon returning to the United States, Copland also made his mark by ultimately creating a style of music that was uniquely American, composing music that drew from modern and American folk styles. Born to Lithuanian-Jewish parents in Brooklyn, Copland did not begin playing piano till the age of 13 but went on to study music in college, prior to his move to France to study composition and conducting at the American Conservatory.
His professional training is remarkably apparent on Appalachian Spring (a title derived from a poem having nothing to do with the ballet), which was commissioned by the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. Copland’s score for this ballet won the Pulitzer Prize for music and has since become immensely popular as an orchestral suite. The ballet tells the story of a spring celebration of the American pioneers in the 1800s after building a new farmhouse in Pennsylvania. The album is itself a story that is worth a continuous concentrated listen, and can also make a fantastic soundtrack for a long drive, due to its depth and motion. The album opens up, as any good story should, with an introduction of each of the characters. The first cautious steps can be found in the opening track ("Very Slowly"), which presents the cast in what Copland calls "a suffused light," allowing the audience and listener to become acquainted with them through delicate winds and quivering, risi! ng strings that glow with the promising warmth of a sunrise. It is sharply contrasted by the following track, a quick canter with an abrupt start that eventually leads back to a more moderate sound.
"Calm and Flowing" sets the scene for the daily activity of the bride and her farmer husband. The track is infused with brightness and joy, which comes from the strong, gilded sound of the solo clarinet. With stronger, more grandiose segments, the song highlights the beauty of a happy, simplistic lifestyle. The album also includes some of Copland’s other pieces, including "Billy the Kid." "Celebration After Billy’s Capture" is a grandiose, celebratory, almost militant tune celebrating the capture of a vagrant. Sharp trumpets and a brisk, trotting pace give the impression of a military celebration. The menacing strings in the background wordlessly tell of Billy the Kid’s impending danger, while the trumpets and drums symbolize a grandiose victory.
October 5, 2009
Natural Attraction
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel a need for attention and recognition today. Perhaps you have a desire to be in the spotlight and feel more accepted by those around you. This could cause you to try harder to impress others. While striving for recognition might draw some attention your way, it might also be self-defeating because you will feel greater pressure to keep up your efforts. It could benefit you to relax and focus on being authentic. This will allow your best qualities to shine through, and you will attract more positive attention without any effort. Focus on your most positive attributes and look for opportunities to express them today. Doing so in an unobtrusive way will allow others to naturally warm up to you.
Allowing our best qualities to shine forth in our interactions is what will attract people to us. The harder we strive for recognition, the more elusive that attention seems to become. If we can instead turn our focus inward, embrace our best qualities, and share them with others, we automatically attract the attention we are seeking. This puts us in a greater position of empowerment and confidence, because we don’t feel the need to keep up a charade. We can simply relax, be ourselves, and enjoy the process. Let others experience the real you today, and you will attract lots of positive attention.
October 5, 2009
Setting the Tone
Starting Your Day Well
The choices you make upon waking can have a profound impact on your day. If, still drowsy, you hit the ground running, rushing to prepare yourself to face your worldly obligations, you will likely feel fatigued and overwhelmed for most of your day. A leisurely and relaxing morning, on the other hand, can energize and excite you, as well as give you the courage to meet the challenges waiting for you. By beginning your day in a focused and centered fashion, you make it your own. You set the tone of your expectations and choose the mood you will use to respond to your circumstances. A gentle, reflective, and thoughtful morning will prepare you to create a gentle, conscious, and thoughtful day.
The simplest way to eliminate the rush from your morning routine is to rise earlier. Getting children into routines and getting themselves ready as much as possible will also give you more time. Though this may seem like a hardship at first, you will soon grow to love the extra minutes or hours that afford you an opportunity to really enjoy watching the sun come up or connect with your loved ones before you go in your separate directions. There are many more ways you can constructively use the time you gain. A mere half-hour of introspection in which you examine your goals, thank the universe for the richness in your life, and contemplate the blessings you will receive this day can lift your spirit and help you formulate lasting positive expectations. Likewise, you can solidify your day’s intention through spoken affirmations or the words you record in a journal. Or, if you want little more than to enjoy your day, devote a portion of your personal time to activities that bot! h ground and delight you, such as meditation, yoga, chanting, singing, reading, or listening to music. If you feel, however, that there is little room for change in your start-of-the-day routine, try to make each activity you engage in upon waking a ritual in its own right. The time you spend everyday savoring a soothing cup of tea or washing away tension in a hot shower can serve as a potent reminder of the need to care for yourself no matter what the hour.
Your morning is yours and should reflect not only your practical needs but also the needs of your soul. When you center yourself at the start of your day, you will likely find it easier to remain centered during subsequent work, play, and downtime because the overall sense of serenity you create through your choices will stay with you throughout the day.