'Lost' music instrument recreated

© BBC News

..New software has enabled researchers to recreate a long forgotten musical instrument called the Lituus..

∗ Looks like a musical Lance to me :) ∗

Ode to Joy ~ Beaker style

Brilliant! haha! ;D

Wishing You Were Here

© Alison Moyet



∗ simply love this song ∗

BBC Singers Live performance on Radio 3 March 19th 2009

This evening I attended a live performance from the BBC SINGERS at St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge. Here's the order of preceedings...

STABAT MATER

BRUCKNER Locus iste; Ave Maria; Christus factus est

MENDELSSOHN Three Psalms, Op.78 - No 3: 'Mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen?'

BRAHMS Geistliches Lied, Op.30

DVORAK Stabat Mater (UK premiere of original 1876 version)

I've never been to a live recording before and thought this evening's show was amazing. They are such brilliant singers. My favourite parts were BRAHMS and DVORAK. The interior of St Pauls Church was pretty cool as well.

New Doctor Who Theme

∗ Get ready to cover your ears...I'm being serious here! lol ∗

Bayeux Tapestry...Animated With Music.

© David Newton

∗ Excellent stuff ∗

A Family Reunion Video

∗ it could of done with some more Harry pix but it's still very good ∗

Dr Who 1963 Theme Music Video

∗ Can't believe this version is 3 years older than me ∗

Ha Ha said the Clown!

∗ Apparently I used to love dancing to this tune as a toddler ∗ :P

Supervilliany video

**Can't get this song out of my mind now**

AHHHHHHHHHHH-H-H-H! lol :)

Theatre pecking order

Producer:

• Leaps Tall Buildings In A Single Bound
• Is More Powerful Than A Locomotive
• Is Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
• Walks On Water
• Gives Policy To God
  

Director:

• Leaps Short Buildings In A Single Bound
• Is More Powerful Than A Switch Engine
• Is Just As Fast As A Speeding Bullet
• Walks On Water If The Sea Is Calm
• Talks With God
  

Playwright:

• Leaps Short Buildings With A Running Start
• Is Almost As Powerful As A Switch Engine
• Is Faster Than A Speeding BB
• Swims Well
• Is Occasionally Addressed By God
  

Actor:

• Makes High Marks On The Wall When Trying To Leap Buildings
• Is Run Over By Locomotives
• Can Sometimes Handle A Gun Without Inflicting Self-Injury
• Dog Paddles
• Talks To Animals
  

Technicians:

• Runs Into Buildings
• Recognizes Locomotives Two Out Of Three Times
• Is Not Issued Ammunition
• Can Stay Afloat With A Life Preserver
• Talks To Walls
  

Chorus member:

• Falls Over Doorsteps When Trying To Enter Buildings
• Says, "Look At The Choo-Choo!"
• Wets Self With A Water Pistol
• Plays In Mud Puddles
• Mumbles To Self
  

Stage Manager:

• Lifts Buildings And Walks Under Them
• Kicks Locomotives Off The Track
• Catches Speeding Bullets In Teeth And Eats Them
• Freezes Water With A Single Glance
• IS God!

Stand up for Shakespeare Campaign

Stand up for Shakespeare campaign video...

.."The video clip above gives examples of children and young people living out the principles of the manifesto and interviews with actors who are key supporters of Stand up for Shakespeare, including David Tennant, Patrick Steward, Ian McKellen and Judi Dench. We hope it will inspire you and your students to support the manifesto!"..

Random facts about Art, Literature and Music

• Picasso could draw before he could walk and his first word was the Spanish word for pencil.
• The first history book, the Great Universal History, was published by Rashid-Eddin of Persia in 1311.
• A grand piano can be played faster than an upright (spinet) piano.
• Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote Meteorologica in 350 BC - it remained the standard textbook on weather for 2,000 years.
• The first illustrated book for children was published in Germany in 1658.
• The word "novel" originally derived from the Latin novus, meaning "new."
• It is said that if a statue of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, like the Zizkov Monument, the person died of natural causes.
• Music was sent down a telephone line for the first time in 1876, the year the phone was invented.
• To save costs, the body of Shakespeare's friend and fellow dramatist, Ben Jonson, was buried standing up in Westminister Abbey, London in 1637.
• Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist suffering from "locked-in" syndrome, wrote the book "The Driving Bell and the Butterfly" by blinking his left eyelid - the only part of his body that could move.
• The only guy without a beard in ZZTOP surname (last name) is Beard.
• The shortest stage play is Samuel Beckett's "Breath" - 35 seconds of screams and heavy breathing.
• The first colour photograph was made in 1861 by James Maxwell. He photographed a tartan ribbon.
• In 1952, John Cage composed and presented ' 4'33" ', a composition consisting of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence.
• Beethoven was the first composer who never had an official court position, thus the first known freelance musician. Born in 1770, he grew up poor, but published his first work at age 12. By age 20 he was famous. He often sold the same score to six or seven different publishers simultaneously, and demanded unreasonably large fees for the simplest work. He was short, stocky, dressed badly, didn't like to bath, lived in squalor, used crude language, openly conducted affairs with married women, and had syphilis. Beethoven was deaf when he composed his Ninth Symphony.

Harry's Game by Clannad

English Translation

I will go east and go west
[To the places] from whence came
The moon and the sun
The moon and the sun will go
And the young man
With his reputation behind him
I will go wherever he came from -
The young man with his reputation behind him

Harry's game (video)

A question of Costume Design

e.g Ngila Dickson's Lord of the Rings Costume Design Sketches

e.g A costume sketch I did recently

Costume Design - Wikipedia...
.."Costume design is the design of the appearance of the characters in a theater or cinema performance. This usually involves researching and designing or choosing clothing, footwear, hats and head dresses for the actors to wear, but it may also include designing masks, makeup, wigs, underwear or other unusual forms, such as the full body animal suits worn in the musical Cats"..

Gary Thorne (head of design at RADA) recently gave me some really good advice after I completed a short course in his class at Central Saint Martins Art College here in London. He said "MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS CARRY AROUND A NOTEBOOK!" Point taken. I look forward to catching up with him after I start at the Arcola. He's promised to pop in at some point. I hope he does. He's so humorous. He also knows the designer of the show I'm helping out with which is pretty cool too.

IN BLOOD: THE BACCHAE

Link for more info...
An Arcola theatre production

I will be helping out with this production in the costumes dept. It's going
to be a great show so please come along and see it if you dare! :)

**I'm avin a Maria kind of day**

Pavarotti singing Ave Maria (video)

Andre Bocelli-Ave Maria Live (video)

Ave Maria sung by Tarja Turunen

*wipes away a tear*

The Lord of the Rings Soundtrack ~ Howard Shore

A few links to some of my favourite tunes from the LOTR soundtrack.

♫ Soundtrack- The Lord of the Rings - Aníron (with lyric)

♫ Soundtrack - Lord of the Rings - Haldir's Lament (with lyric)

♫ Soundtrack - Lord of the Rings - Arwen's Song (with lyric)

♫ Soundtrack - Lord of the Rings - The Passing of the Elves

♫ Soundtrack - Lord Rings - Grace of Undómiel (with lyric)

♫Soundtrack - The Lord of the Rings - In Dreams (with lyric)


And this has got to be one of the best opening scenes ever...
Lord Of The Rings - The Prologue (video)

Galadriel: "History became Legend, Legend became Myth"

*sigh* How I miss going to the Howard Shore concerts.
Damn it. Maybe I should just go and buy ~ the Lotr the complete recordings.

Choir of London Trust Bursary Scheme Recital 2008

Adam Rafidi, Lina Khalil, Nirval Abu Shusheh, Naseem al-Atrash

At the end of July I was told about a Recital event that was due to take place during August here in London which was to feature a talented group of Palestinian kids and the Choir of London. Sam West would also be present to introduce it. On the day itself I made my way to the Wigmore Hall and found a seat a little way off from everyone else. The hall started to fill with people and then the Recital commenced. Sam appeared on stage and did his introduction which was interesting. The children then walked on and began playing their musical instruments. They played extremely well despite them only having about a week to learn everything. There was singing, solo pieces, group pieces. The whole thing was pretty impressive. The Violins were a favourite of mine. When I was a kid myself I used to always want to play the violin yet it was impossible at the time because I was left handed. I remember crying my heart out to my mother because I didn't understand why I was told no by my teachers. I loved classical music from a really young age and I still do to some extent. Even in the present day I am fascinated with watching people playing instruments. I think it's so clever to be able to master something like that, and to produce such beautiful music. So at the Wigmore Hall seeing those children perform in front of everyone was incredible. They were so talented. The last song of the afternoon was by far the best. This combined the children, the Choir of London and the guest singer Allan Clayton. It was fantastic. A very moving experience that will stay with me forever.

More info here...
Bursary Scheme 2008

New season 2009...
Includes Sam West's new Middle East Project