Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Heavy Eyes aka Falling Asleep

I've been listening to my now expanded library of classical music (a thank you to a certain cheap to his cheaper). I have rediscovered why it was a staple in my growing-up household (a (grudging?) thank you to a certain slight grump who extracted a promise at some point in time from a certain cheerful lady). Oh the days of heat and attic fan and early morning dishes soundtracked to Carl Grapentine. I always liked that window by the sink. I think I want that house back, please. Also, I have rediscovered the properties of said music to put me to sleep (Yes, yes, I know that this is no difficult feat for anything, really...Curse my wondrous sleeping abilities...On a side note, some will be glad to hear that I have not falling asleep while walking home yet :P ).

Today began the second of the three humanities classes. It is hard to believe that one class is already over for a few reasons that I will list for your delight and edification: a) I feel like I have wasted a lot of precious time here 2) I didn't think that it was possible to understand Rousseau and Hobbes as thoroughly as I do now in that short a time (not that I understand them perfectly, but better than before) 3) it is only 4th week 4) number 3 bears repeating.

So, Opera in the Ancien Regime. I already like the readings. I've missed reading 'silly' social history-it is so much fun to read the theories of historians who see more to opera than the music, who look for the connections to the political ongoings of the time, who uses funny stories about Louis XIV to demonstrate their theories. Fun. And Prof TC will be fun. The Center has given him a medium-quality keyboard to demonstrate the music to us on and it sounds tinny and doesn't make the music sound the way that it should. Ah well, you can only do so much, I suppose. It would be asking too much for a real piano. Also, where would they put it?

And now back to reading about the beginnings of French opera and the differences between that and its rival, Italian opera.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

E,

TC is quite simply an amazing guy. The one course I took from him was very much a highlight of my academic career. It's too bad for you that he left Kova (one of the cutest dogs I've ever met!!) back in HP with my friend CC as house- and dog-sitter.

Still, you do get to have an amazing mind teaching you really really cool music stuff.

Lots of love,
FRTRC

Elizabeth S said...

Yeah. This class is prett good. I'll have a lot to tell you when I get home. :)