by Richard K Munro
If I had a freeway billboard I would post this famous quotation by EPICTETUS. For many years I had this quote reproduced in many languages including Spanish, Arabic and Chinese (made for me by students).
― Epictetus, The Discourses
By Richard Munro
“Quando me’n vo’“, also known as “Musetta’s Waltz“, is a famous soprano aria a waltz in Act II of Puccini’s 1896 opera LA BOHEME. VICTORIA DE LOS ANGELES MADE A FAMOUS RECORDING circa 1959 (see below) Maria Callas made a famous recording circa 1958 (See below). There are also beautiful arrangements and instrumental versions.
It is sung by Musetta, in the presence of her friends, hoping to reclaim the attention of her occasional boyfriend Marcello.
This scene takes place at the Cafe MOMUS. Shortly after Mimì, Rodolfo, and their friends have taken seats for a drink. Mussetta grabs the spotlight, musically speaking, for a short self-promoting aria (Quando me’n vo’). It is a song directed at the people in the café as much as at the audience in the theater. Here we have the limits of art. Whatever Mussettals character her goddesslike beauty and charm overwhelm us.
Quando me’n vo’
Quando me’n vo’ soletta per la via,
la gente sosta e mira
e la bellezza mia tutta ricerca in me
da capo a piè …
Ed assaporo allor la bramosia
sottil, che da gli occhi traspira
e dai palesi vezzi intender sa
alle occulte beltà.
Così l’effluvio del desìo tutta m’aggira,
felice mi fa!
E tu che sai, che memori e ti struggi
da me tanto rifuggi?
So ben:
Le angoscie tue non le vuoi dir,
ma ti senti morir!
When I walk
When I walk all alone in the street,
people stop and stare at me
and look for my whole beauty
from head to feet …
And then I taste the slight yearning
which transpires from their eyes
and which is able to perceive from manifest charms
to most hidden beauties.
So the scent of desire is all around me,
it makes me happy!
And you, while knowing, reminding and longing,
you shrink from me?
I know it very well:
you don’t want to express your anguish,
but you feel as if you’re dying!
Lovely Swiss-Italian song. My father would call this an Italian Lollipop. I first heard this sung my KENNETH MCKELLAR about 1970. McKellar made many recordings of Italian songs as well as operatic arias though he was best known for songs of Burns, Scottish songs and Irish songs. He made a wonderful recording of the MESSIAH (see below)
Quattro cavai che trottano
sotto la timonella,
vuoi tu venir mia bella,
vuoi tu venir mia bella?
Quattro cavai che trottano
sotto la timonella,
vuoi tu venir mia bella
in su la riva del mar?
Che bella notte che fa,
in barchetta si va
a far l’amore con te.
Che bella notte che fa,
in barchetta si va
a far l’amore con te.
In riva al mar si pescano,
si pescano le sardelle,
sono lucenti e belle,
sono lucenti e belle…
In riva al mar si pescano,
si pescano le sardelle,
sono lucenti e belle
come i tuoi occhi per me.
Che bella notte che fa,
in barchetta si va
a far l’amore con te.
Che bella notte che fa,
in barchetta si va
a far l’amore con te.
Vieni alla tua finestra,
bruna, o mia bella bruna
che al chiaro della luna,
che al chiaro della luna…
Vieni alIa tua finestra,
bruna, o mia bella bruna
che al chiaro della luna
andremo a fare l’amor.
Che bella notte che fa,
in barchetta si va
a far l’amore con te.
Che bella notte che fa,
in barchetta si va
a far l’amore con te.
Four trotting horses
which draw the carriage
do you want to come with me, my dear?
do you want to come with me, my dear?
Four trotting horses
which draw the carriage
do you want to come with me, my dear?
Do you want to come to the seaside?
What a beautiful night,
by boat we go
to do love with you.
What a beautiful night,
by boat we go
to do love with you.
On the seaside we can fish
we can fish the sardines
they are shiny and beautiful
they are shiny and beautiful.
On the seaside we can fish
we can fish the sardines
they are shiny and beautiful
like your eyes for me.
What a beautiful night,
by boat we go
to do love with you.
What a beautiful night,
by boat we go
to do love with you.
Look out the window,
my dark-haired darling,
because at the moonlight
because at the moonlight…
Look out the window,
my dark-haired darling,
because at the moonlight
we’ll go to do love.
What a beautiful night,
by boat we go
to do love with you.
What a beautiful night,
by boat we go
to do love with you.
Commentary by Richard K Munro
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45108/sonnet-130-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun
Damasked means DEEP PINK interesting contrast of PERFUME with REEKS. Once again a good way to study word contrasts is by synonyms.
| Pejorative (negative) | Neutral | Positive |
| reek | odor | Fragrance |
| stink | Aroma | scent |
| stench | aroma | |
| Smell |
IT is interesting that Shakespeare uses PERFUME and REEK as contrasts.
I suppose the lady’s breath smells of garlic or beer. This usage certainly seems humorous today though it may not have been as pejorative in Shakespeare’s time. Of course in Scots English it merely means “smoke”“ ”as the soldier turned to peer through the reek” Before Edinburgh was being lauded as the ‘Athens of the North,’ it was given the nickname The Auld Reekie, which means Old Smokey
SONNET 130
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
ESSAY #5
BY RICHARD K. MUNRO
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoly_Liberman
Very interesting essay on CHIDE SEE ANTHOLY LIEBERMAN which is a word of unknown origin though it seems to be of Germanic or Anglo-Saxon origin. The words are synymns but they have different nuances.
| Anglo-Saxon Or Germanic Or Other (unknown) | Latin (French or Romance) | Greek |
| CHIDE SYNONYM | Reprimand STRONGEST SYNONYM | criticize SYNONYM |
| 1)to criticize mildly for a fault or an offense; To correct (mildly) | 1)to write an official report; make an official documented censure | 1) to find fault with |
| 2)”to knock”; to “rap” “to slap on the wrist”(minor punishment) | 2) to rebuke (to criticize sharply; originally to strike with busche firewood) | 2) |
| 3)to scold | 3) admonish | 3) |
| ANTONYM To praise To speak well of | ANTONYM To commend To laud | ANTONYM |
| With a smile and with encouragement he chided the boy for his sloppy writing. | The Major reprimanded the corporal for not following orders. | |
I listen to a fair amount of rock music (as well as some country, folk, pop, electronica), but the majority of the time I listen to classical and jazz. I rarely buy new classical albums, as I have my favorites and very little modern classical appeals to me.
But I am constantly listening to new jazz releases, sometimes several a day. Yet, despite that, it seems as if I barely scratched the surface, as 2023 saw numerous exceptional releases. Here are my favorites.’But I am constantly listening to new jazz releases, sometimes several a day.
Yet, despite that, it seems as if I barely scratched the surface, as 2023 saw numerous exceptional releases. Here are my favorites.
• Shuteen Erendenbaater—Rising Sun. Born in Mongolia, this 25-year-old composer, pianist and arranger has quietly (or so it appears to me) produced one of the finest debut albums in jazz in recent years. It is, in a word, impeccable. If that sounds too clinical, add lyrical, melodic, captivating, brilliant, and really, really great.
Erendenbaater certainly has “chops,” but what’s most impressive here is the songwriting and ensemble playing; she is obviously a mature and confident band leader. Anton Mangold, who plays soprano and alto saxophones and flute, is very much a co-star; his playing is perfectly suited to the songs and provides an edge and rawness that mixes sublimely with Erendenbaater’s elegant, beautiful lines. Yes, impeccable and impressive. The opening song, “In a Time Warp,” is a great place to start; here it is being performed live for Bavarian National Radio.
• Veronica Swift—Veronica Swift. It’s a real shame that the other Swift gets all the attention and fame, because this Swift has all the talent, versatility, and real swagger. Her 2019 album Confessions was top-notch and her 2021 Bitter Earth was brilliant and stunning. This self-titled album is eclectic, sophisticated, cocky, wild, and often startling; while not as poignant or emotionally wrenching as the edgy Bitter Earth, this is a chance for Swift to have some fun and to show that she can sing—well, let’s see—jazz (of course), rock, hard rock, pop, punk, R&B, Broadway, opera, and whatever else.
In fact, the idea behind the album is to rework songs in a style far removed from their original character. So, for example, the raw (okay, vulgar) Nine Inch Nails song “Closer” gets turned into a (PG-rated) face-melting funk/R&B tune with a scorching section of scatting (Swift is the finest scat singer around today and I think she rivals the great, including Ella and Mel Tormé). The Broadway tune “I Am What I Am” is reworked into a swinging jazz song that also features scatting—including a minutes of so of Swift scatting Bach. A favorite of mine is “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, from the 1964 musical Funny Girl and famously performed by a young Barbra Streisand, which Swift morphs into a Green Day-ish punk tune that is both smirky and joyous.
The presence of Freddie Mercury can be felt throughout, as two songs are Queen hits—”The Show Must Go On” and “Keep Yourself Alive”—reimagined, respectively, as a bossa nova-meets-Tin Alley tune and a bombastic blues number. Mercury would amused, I think, and impressed. I know that I am.
• Espen Ericksen Trio and Andy Shepperd—As Good As It Gets. The 2018 collaboration of the stellar Norwegian jazz trio and UK sax giant Andy Sheppard, titled Perfectly Unhappy, was a gorgeous, haunting work. This new release continues the Scandinavian-meets-Britain brilliance, with a strong fire underneath the inherent melancholy. In many ways, this reminds me of the great Keith Jarrett European group with Jan Garbarek: the shimmering piano work undergirds the longing saxophone journeys, everything propelled by a certain leisurely restlessness that is distinctly Nordic in tone and British in character.
• Benjamin Lackner—Last Decade. The legendary label ECM is both quite eclectic and yet almost immediately identifiable in terms of sound and aesthetic. The Germain-American pianist Lackner, joined by the fine Norwegian trumpet player Mathias Eick, has created a quintessential ECM album: slightly dark and pensive, perfectly played and with lots of space, featuring melodies that unfold with calm sureness. Lackner and Eick converse with attentive respect, like old friends discussing the mysteries of life, the songs expanding like sunlight slowing breaking through clouds, with moments of thoughtful intensity. One of the most beautiful albums of the year.
• Joe Locke—Makram. The vibraphonist Locke has long established himself as one of the finest players around. I’ve enjoyed many of his albums, but this is surely my favorite. The compositions are consistently great, the playing is the same, and the production is 10/10; the detail in each tune is impressive and captures the richness of the playing. A reader on Locke’s Bandcamp page says that the album “is almost overwhelming in its multitude of colors, moods and sheer energy. The joy of playing music on a very high level with virtuosic musical excursions by all musicians of this coherent band is exciting and just infectious.” Perfectly stated. A underrated jazz gem for 2023.
• Mohini Dey—Mohini Day. The Indian bass virtuoso, now in her late twenties, has been performing professionally since the age of 10. Little wonder: her technique, feel, playing, and musicality are simply stunning. She has played with a wide range of jazz, fusion, rock, funk, and world music groups, and seems to absorb and produce ideas and music like most people breathe air. Her debut album is, well, quite stunning. There is (of course) jazz, fusion, rock, funk, and world music. There is lots of energy (this is not background music); there are really good songs—this isn’t just a jam album. And the guest artists are of the highest order with, for example, Simon Phillips on drums and Guthrie Govan on guitar. There isn’t a dull or ordinary moment to be found.
Also recommended:
• Kurt Rosenwinkel—Undercover (Live at the Village Vanguard)
• Tingvall Trio—Birds
• Emil Brandqvist Trio—Layers of Life
• Joey Alexander—Continuance
• Yussef Dayes—Black Classical Music
• Jeremy Pelt—The Art of Intimacy, Vol 2: His Muse
• Walter Smith III—return to casual
• Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter—SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree
• Pat Metheny—Dream Box
• Affinity Trio—Hindsight
• Eric Alexander—A New Beginning: Alto Saxophone with Strings
By Richard K Munro
Essay #4
The old world BODY has many uses and meanings and is clearly the oldest word. Body snatcher is a funny term. I remember a character in Dickens who was a body snatcher called himself a “resurrectionist!”. Then there are many Latin/Romance synonyms related to the latin word “CORPUS” (body). Many of these are medical, legal or military. The Greek works are technical and academic most people will not readily know these word unless they are in the medical field.
| Anglo-Saxon Or Germanic Or Other (unknown) | Latin (French or Romance) | Greek |
| BODY SYNONYM | Corporeal (bodily) SYNONYM | somatic SYNONYM |
| 1) physical part of a person | 1)corpse (dead body)or cadaver; carcass: dead body of an animal | 1)relating to the body |
| 2)group of individuals(organization) | 2) corpus delicti (body of a crime) 3) Corps Diplomatic Corps Medical Corps Marine Corps (silent s from French) 4) corporal punishment 5) corporal (rank in army) | Many scientific and medical terms: Somatotherapy Somatotype Somotology=study of the body Anatomy=study of body structure. |
| 3)main part of a book or essay | Corporation (legal person) | |
| ANTONYM Spirit/soul | ANTONYM Mental/not physical | ANTONYM |
| 1)Body of water(mass of water)masa de agua 2)He earns enough money to keep body and soul together. Gana lo justo para vivir 3)Body snatcher (ladrón de cadavers) | ||
By Richard K. Munro
Essay #3 Of course, most our words having to do with education or schools are Latin or Greek in origin but there are curiosities. A “Lore” house was originally a gloss on the Latin word school in other words a place where traditions were taught. And a “School of fish” is not, of course, a school at all but a shoal or group of fish. I would think the expression “shoal of fish” is the original expression.
| Anglo-Saxon Or Germanic Or Other (unknown) | Latin (French or Romance) | Greek |
| School “lore”* house (originally Lat/Gr) (Grammar school/primary school) Or elementary school –k-6) SYNONYM | College SYNONYM | #1Academy* SYNONYM |
| k-12 education Elementary school middle school High School escuela | 1)undergraduate division of a university Universidad/colegio universitario | 1)a school for special instruction such as the military academies. academia |
| 2)all colleges and universities in general | 2) in France or Spain an secondary school NOT supported by the state. Public schools are called lycée “ lyceum” could be a place where public lectures are presented | 2) secondary school esp. a private one |
| 3)SCHOOL OF ATHENS a group of people, esp. writers,philosophers,artists Whose thought,work or style demonstrates a common origin,belief or influence. | politics/religion; Electoral College /College of Cardinals | 3) can mean university life or higher education in general “academe”* |
| ***4) a shoal or large group of aquatic animals swimming together : *“a school of fish” GRUPO/BANCO | The Lyceum of Aristotle | Plato’s Academy |
| There are several schools of thought on this issue Sobre este tema hay varias Corrientes de opinión | ||
| Often translated as ‘colegio’ Escuela primaria | Liceo/instituto=high school escuela secundaria |
By Richard K Munro
97% of English words come from three language sources.
Essay #2
Normally, Latin and French words are more educated or cultured than Anglo-Saxon words. However, sometimes the old English word has become archaic or literary itself as in the example of FOE or FOEMAN. Today ENEMY or ADVERSARY are probably more common words. NEMESIS or ANTAGONIST are definitely literary or academic words.
They are organized by SYNONYMS
| 40% ANGLO- SAXON (or Germanic) Basic English. Includes Norse and some native Celtic words. | 30% LATIN Includes French and Romance languages ACADEMIC WORDS | 30% GREEK Or Hellenic words. ACADEMIC WORDS | ||
| 1) Foe*; foeman Expression: “Friend or foe?” “Who goes there?” | 1) Enemy, adversary* Qui vive? (French) | 1) Nemesis*; antagonist | ||
| 1)Madman, crazy man (“amadan” :Anglo-Irish); Mad-dog; “berserker”* (Viking warrior) 2) madness; craziness 3) crazy; mad; berserk*; daft* daffy | Lunatic lunacy Non compos mentis *(legal) “loco” (western slang) 3) insane; demented, rabid | 1)Maniac *(person) 2)Mania * (many compound words) 3) maniacal * | ||
Spirit of Cecilia 
You must be logged in to post a comment.