Thursday, April 23, 2015

Für Elise

Please click on each of the web-links below with your speakers on:- 

Beethoven - Für Elise - Piano & Orchestra
https://youtu.be/e4d0LOuP4Uw

Piano version
The Story Behind Für Elise

Für Elise (which is German for For Elise) was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven around 1810 when he was 40 years old and firmly established as one of the greatest composers in history. It is named "Für Elise" because a Beethoven researcher named Ludwig Nohl claimed to have seen this dedication on the original autograph which has been missing since, and this has been the cause of some speculation. The piece was not published until 1865 well after Beethoven's death in 1827, and no distinct records, letters, or accounts from people at the time make mention of an "Elise" in the composer's life. Beethoven was in love with a woman named Therese Malfatti around the time he created the work, and one of the theories that has circulated for a long time has been that Ludwig Nohl misread the composer's poor handwriting which then would have said "Für Therese". That's quite a stretch in my own humble opinion. It is also unreasonable to expect that all aquaintances from 200 years ago can be accounted for, especially when the subject is a man who increasingly withdrew himself from the world because of his hearing loss.
In 2009 a Beethoven researcher named Klaus Martin Kopitz made the claim that "Elise" may have been the nickname of opera singer Elisabeth Röckel whom the composer met a few years prior to writing the piece. The two enjoyed a close friendship according to stories told by Röckel herself, but she would later marry Beethoven's on-and-off friend and rival Johann Nepomuk Hummel. According to Kopitz, the church records for the christening of Röckel's first child in 1814 give her own name as Maria Eva Elise. He found the records in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, suggesting that Röckel may indeed have been known as "Elise" at least in Viennese circles.
After researching this piece I also came across other theories to explain the dedication, although I am personally quite intrigued by the recent discoveries of Kopitz. One less well documented theory claims that the name "Elise" was used as a general term for "sweetheart", but I have been unable to substantiate this claim despite seeing it a few places. In my own opinion it would not fit well with Beethoven's composing and dedication history. However, whether Elise was misread, a known or unknown love or a woman who simply inspired Beethoven to write this piece, it remains one of many unsolved mysteries left to ponder.
It is interesting to note that Ludwig van Beethoven re-visited the piece in 1822, but it remained as sketches that were never released in his lifetime. The intentions behind picking up the work more than decade later are not known. While the revised version appears somewhat incomplete there are significant changes to the accompaniment as well as new material added.

Free Für Elise MIDI File Download

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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Jim Reeves.

James Travis "Jim" Reeves (August 20, 1923 – July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville sound (a mixture of older country-style music with elements of popular music). Known as "Gentleman Jim", his songs continued to chart for years after his death. Reeves died in the crash of a private airplane. He is a member of both the Country Music and Texas Country Music Halls of Fame.



Please click on the following web-sites  with your speakers on :-

Jim Reeves 25 Greatest Hits
https://youtu.be/RpK6vFc86r0

Jim Reeves Sings The Greatest Gospel and Christian Music Ever
https://youtu.be/8Sqr_JgfvbI

Christmas Song (12 songs) - Jim Reeves (1923 1964)
https://youtu.be/A7_yyrr8ojQ



Sri Lankan ‘Balangoda man' dated to 37,000 years ago.

 - National Paeleontology | Examiner.com


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Bernard Desilva bdesbdes@icloud.com

05:43 (35 minutes ago)
to desilvabmPattyme

PS
Three sites in central Sri Lanka have drawn attention to Pre-historic cave dwellings. They are :-
1. Beli Lena near Deraniyagala.
2. Batadomba Lena near Kuruwita.
3. Fa Hsien Lena near Horana.
All the above have had radio-active dating results ranging around 30,000 years before the present era.
There are also urn burial sites at Pomparippu near Chilaw and various places in the North of Sri Lanka.
There are also human remains dated around 100,000 years ago at Sithulpawwa in the South of Sri Lanka.
Philip G V