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The good morning, good night thread

Started by Ed, October 22, 2007, 03:49:05 AM

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digitaldeath

I feel sorry for Beethoven, deaf so although he had the tune in his head he didn't know if people were doing it justice. Hell, listening to the Pastoral you can almost imagine pictures

Geoff_N

Beethoven was only completely deaf for his last symphony, the ninth. His hearing started to deteriorate in the 1790s so he would have lost some of it by the time the pastoral was written. Quite an achievement to have written many works in the completely deaf period of his life - apparently he could detect beats by placing a long reed on the piano and to the bone behind his ear. Apparently it is true that after he'd finished conducting the ninth symphony with the famous Ode to Joy choral, he had to be turned to see that the audience were giving him a standing ovation!

Ed

I didn't know that. I had assumed he was deaf for most of his life.

Del - thanks for the note - I reckon he'll be chuffed when he sees it. I know what you mean about that moment when something clicks and everything falls into place. It's a great feeling, and one I haven't had in a long time. I really should get on and learn something new in my spare time.
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

delph_ambi

The composer Janacek not only went deaf, he suffered bad tinnitus, which meant he heard a specific high pitched note all the time (which he later included in one of his string quartets).

Plenty of professional musicians have to stop for one reason or another. I'm one. Can't play any more due to disability. Do I let it get me down? Not for a moment. I write and I illustrate, with reasonable success, and getting better at it all the time. And I can still teach violin, even if I can't stand up and play in a concert hall any more.

Years ago, I went to a master class given by Jaqueline Du Pre, when she was wheelchair-bound due to MS. She couldn't half teach still, even though she had no way of playing a cello. I learnt a lot from just that one session (and I'm not even a cellist).

Btw Ed, your sons are impressive, both playing the guitar and filming a very watchable video. Innate musicality and great visual sense combined. They should go far. 


Ed

I was quite impressed that they cooked up the scheme between them to make a video and then post it on YouTube. It was all done unprompted, and the only bit I gave them any help with was getting an e-mail account to use for the YouTube account. When I saw the camerawork I thought it was great fun to watch. Much better than I had expected.
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Ed

Dunno if it's the weather or just the past few weeks catching up with me, but I feel absolutely knackered. I slept like a baby Friday night, then woke up late Saturday morning. Felt sleepy again after lunch and slept the afternoon until about 4:30, went to bed at eleven and slept right through again, until mid morning. Maybe I'm just getting old :scratch:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Caz

It occurred to me that when I write a story I have to be there, be part of it. Oh well, gotta start somewhere. :cool:
Some may say slaughtered is too strong a word...but I like the sound of it.

delboy

Well, it's still pouring down here. Was hoping to get out on the bike at the weekend, but the weather put paid to that. Ended up going Christmas shopping...both days.  >:(  Still, a few brownie points accumulated.

Must be something in the air, Ed. I'm struggling to get the old motor up to speed these last few weeks. This morning is no exception. Maybe it's the body adapting to the coming cold season, reducing the call on reserves, getting ready to hibernate, all that.

Del
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Ed

I vaguely remember reading about the adding and taking of an hour at the beginning and end of summertime takes several weeks to adapt to, during which time your body feels something like jetlag. Not sure how true it is, but it would seem to fit with how I'm feeling. Could be down to the crappy weather though. Seems like endless rain at the moment ::)
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

delboy

It seems like the monsters are changing! The kids were off to see the latest in the Twilight saga last night, and they were telling me all about the books, which are, apparantly awesome. There are werewolves and vampires... and as they explained the plot I said, I thought werewolves only came out on a full moon...and: surely vampires die in the daylight? "No, " said Max. "These glow in the day. They're more real than the old vampires."

Excellent!

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Ed

Bram Stoker's Dracula could walk in daylight, but had diminished powers, so they're just going back to the beginning again, I suppose. Them busting into flames when sunlight touches them is convenient for some writers, but I prefer the original idea.


Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

delboy

There's me showing my ignorance again. Long time since I read the original. For me,  Dracula is those first three Hammer films with peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Three of the greatest horror films of all time.

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

desertwomble

I think you'll find that the 'diminished powers' scenario was put into Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 'Dracula' for cinematic purposes.

As far as I know, vampire, the Count included, frazzle in sunlight according to Bram Stoker.

DW :cheesy:
http://chaucers-uncle.weebly.com/

www.paulfreeman.weebly.com
 
Read my most recent winning Global Short Story Competition entry:
http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/assets/october-ebook.pdf

delboy

A quick look at the interweb is full of interesting articles on this subject, and lots of snippets of information that could breathe new life into many a vampire story. Maybe that's what's happened in the Twilight story - certainly it's taking the teenage readership by storm.

Wikipedia has an excellent article and even explains the genesis of the term Penny Dreadful ("...a story by delboy. The term captures both the quality and the likely renumeration of this author's work.").

Regards,
Del
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Ed

Quote from: desertwomble on November 26, 2009, 12:33:26 AM
I think you'll find that the 'diminished powers' scenario was put into Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 'Dracula' for cinematic purposes.

As far as I know, vampire, the Count included, frazzle in sunlight according to Bram Stoker.

DW :cheesy:

I'm searching the text for the passage where the count is wandering around London in daylight, but I haven't found it yet. I found this bit, though:

Quote
The next instant, with a sinuous dive he swept under Harker's arm, ere his blow could fall, and grasping a handful of the money from the floor, dashed across the room, threw himself at the window. Amid the crash and glitter of the falling glass, he tumbled into the flagged area below. Through the sound of the shivering glass I could hear the "ting" of the gold, as some of the sovereigns fell on the flagging.

We ran over and saw him spring unhurt from the ground. He, rushing up the steps, crossed the flagged yard, and pushed open the stable door. There he turned and spoke to us.

"You think to baffle me, you with your pale faces all in a row, like sheep in a butcher's. You shall be sorry yet, each one of you! You think you have left me without a place to rest, but I have more. My revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side. Your girls that you all love are mine already. And through them you and others shall yet be mine, my creatures, to do my bidding and to be my jackals when I want to feed. Bah!"

With a contemptuous sneer, he passed quickly through the door, and we heard the rusty bolt creak as he fastened it behind him.

***shortened***

Godalming and Morris had rushed out into the yard, and Harker had lowered himself from the window to follow the Count. He had, however, bolted the stable door, and by the time they had forced it open there was no sign of him. Van Helsing and I tried to make inquiry at the back of the house. But the mews was deserted and no one had seen him depart.

It was now late in the afternoon, and sunset was not far off. We had to recognize that our game was up.
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]