What are you reading now?

[Quijote]

Jander makes the interesting suggestion that Kanne was the "learnèd theologist" who helped Beethoven on the Missa solemnis.

[Bonn1827]

Am reading Joseph Conrad's "Nostromo".

[Michael]

In between ghost stories, I am reading another weird novel by a writer called Dan Simmons. It is simply called "Drood" and the main characters are no less than Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. It's a lengthy mystery thriller which presupposes that the eponymous protagonist of Dickens' unfinished last novel was an actual real-life person. The writer (who is extremely good and a favourite of mine) really knows his Dickens and the whole thing is intriguing.
It has shades of "Jack the Ripper" but that would take it out of Dickens' time frame but anything can happen in fiction.
Thankfully, the author does not attempt a nineteenth-century literary style but remains neutral and leaves the flavour of the period to the dialogue. I have no idea where this novel is going and I may pitch it out the window before I'm halfway through but it does look promising.

[Michael]

At present, I am reading Sir Walter Scott's , Epic poem, Lady of the Lake.
His songs and poetry have had a big cultural impact on European Art and Literature. Walter Scott revived an interest in chivalry which was taken up by classical composers.

Which reminds me on an old joke which really should be in the humour thread:

Two students in a library, frantically cramming for an English Literature exam.
First student: "Great Scott! My mind's gone blank. I can't remember who wrote 'Ivanhoe'!"
Second Student: "I've the same problem. Who the dickens wrote 'David Copperfield?' "

(There are probably more but I have mercifully forgotten them)

[Megan]

At present, I am reading Sir Walter Scott's , Epic poem, Lady of the Lake.
His songs and poetry have had a big cultural impact on European Art and Literature. Walter Scott revived an interest in chivalry which was taken up by classical composers.

[Michael]

Well it's certainly a good one at a party Michael! Thankfully the Neapolitan 6th comes to the rescue!

Personally, I prefer vanilla or banana.

[Bonn1827]

Does the Neopolitan Sixth sing as well as Paravotti did?

[Peter]

I have suspected as much for many years, but could never gather up enough courage to come right out and say it.

Well it's certainly a good one at a party Michael! Thankfully the Neapolitan 6th comes to the rescue!

[Michael]

Did you know, Michael (and Peter too, come to think of it) that the German 6th cannot proceed to V without producing consecutive 5ths? .

I have suspected as much for many years, but could never gather up enough courage to come right out and say it.

[Sorrano]

Well worth getting, Joy, if you like ghost stories. Quite a few of the stories are actually folk tales but the book is so large that there is still room for a large amount of fiction. The term "Irish" is loosely applied: some are by British writers but the story may be set in Ireland, others are by Irish authors but not necessarily set in Ireland.
The first story in the book "Green Tea" will give you the flavour of the book. Don't be put off by the first page of pseudo-scientific gobbledygook; Le Fanu is just trying to present the story as an actual occurrence that may have a rational explanation. He does this with most of his tales.
The only thing missing from this book is information about the authors but you can get all that online.

Le Fanu is a good writer of horror (was?) and I've been able to pick up several of his books, some online (free!) and others in a more conventional format (not so free). But regardless of the format they are worth reading.

[Sorrano]

Likewise with the "triplet" opening of B's 5th : Peter suggests we are not hearing correctly the quaver rest. I say this : play this piece to any literate musician (without the score) and who has NEVER heard the work before, and I would bet that they imagine a triplet for the first 4 bars. Its rhythmic vagueness is only clarified in the following measures. And I would wager this was exactly intended by Beethoven.

I remember distinctly, as a child, that that is precisely how I heard those opening notes to the 5th Symphony. As I learned to read music I was quite surprised to find that they were eighth notes and not triplets.

[Peter]

And the above posting makes me think about Peter's comments to Preston about certain dissonances in the Eroica, and further how Peter lamented that one of his piano students could not really hear the different notes of a dissonant chord when each note was emphasized. Well, this was in part precisely my point when I mentioned that Peter (in the Eroica passage in question) heard (or rather, "read") an F major triad with added seventh, and my ears told me something quite different : an A minor chord with added 6th, which is much more clashing, or "poignant", if you will, and far better suits the progression to the dominant of E minor.

Likewise with the "triplet" opening of B's 5th : Peter suggests we are not hearing correctly the quaver rest. I say this : play this piece to any literate musician (without the score) and who has NEVER heard the work before, and I would bet that they imagine a triplet for the first 4 bars. Its rhythmic vagueness is only clarified in the following measures. And I would wager this was exactly intended by Beethoven.

Surely a contradiciton as any 'literate' musician who hasn't heard those 4 bars hardly merits the term? As for your wager, a pretty safe bet since we can't ask the person in question!

[Bonn1827]

That's a big wager, Philip and yes, size does matter!!

[Michael]

It's (Irish Ghost Stories) on Amazon.com and it's price ranges from $4.99-$10.00 so a very reasonable price tag for such a lengthy and obviously good read. Our library might even have it too.

Well worth getting, Joy, if you like ghost stories. Quite a few of the stories are actually folk tales but the book is so large that there is still room for a large amount of fiction. The term "Irish" is loosely applied: some are by British writers but the story may be set in Ireland, others are by Irish authors but not necessarily set in Ireland.
The first story in the book "Green Tea" will give you the flavour of the book. Don't be put off by the first page of pseudo-scientific gobbledygook; Le Fanu is just trying to present the story as an actual occurrence that may have a rational explanation. He does this with most of his tales.
The only thing missing from this book is information about the authors but you can get all that online.

[Peter]

Reading the Peloponnesian war by Donald Kagan - fascinating to see the parallels with modern times, how true it is that we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of history.