Theodore Dubois and his Fantasie Triomphale

François-Clément Théodore Dubois (August 24, 1837–June 11, 1924) was a French composer, organist, and music teacher known for his technical treatises on harmony, counterpoint, and sight-reading.  Dubois was born in Rosnay in Marne, France. He studied first under Louis Fanart, the choirmaster and cathedral organist at Reims Cathedral, and later at the Paris Conservatoire under Ambroise Thomas. He won the Prix de Rome in 1861. In 1868, he became choirmaster at the Church of the Madeleine, and in 1871 took over from César Franck as choirmaster at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde. In 1877, Dubois returned to the Church of the Madeleine, succeeding Camille Saint-Saëns as organist there. From 1871 he taught at the Paris Conservatoire, where his pupils included Pierre de Bréville, Guillaume Couture, Gabrielle Ferrari, Gustave Doret, Paul Dukas, Achille Fortier, Xavier Leroux, Albéric Magnard, Édouard Risler, Guy Ropartz, Spyridon Samaras, and Florent Schmitt.

Dubois was director of the Conservatoire from 1896, succeeding Thomas upon the latter’s death, to 1905. He resigned two months before the refusal to award the Prix de Rome to Maurice Ravel; this created, nonetheless, a substantial public outcry against him, which was increased by an open letter from the novelist and musicologist Romain Rolland. Gabriel Fauré took over from Dubois as director.

Although he wrote many religious works, Dubois had considerable hopes for a successful career on the operatic stage. His fascination with Near-Eastern subjects lead to the composition to his first staged work, La guzla de l’émir (1873), and his first four-act opera, Aben-Hamet (1884), which broke no new ground. His other large-scale opera, Xavière (1895), has a wildly dramatic tale set in the rural Auvergne. The story revolves around a widowed mother who plots to kill her daughter, Xavière, with the help of her fiancé’s father to gain the daughter’s inheritance. However, Xavière survives the attack with the help of a priest, and the opera finishes with a conventional happy ending.

The music of Dubois also includes ballets, oratorios, cantatas, masses, other religious compositions, three symphonies, other orchestral works, chamber music, and piano pieces.  His best known work is the oratorio Les sept paroles du Christ (“The Seven Last Words of Christ” [1867]), which continues to be given an occasional airing.  From this a hymn, “Christ, We Do All Adore Thee” (Adoremus te Christe) is found.  His Toccata in G (1889), for the organ, is a recital staple, by no means solely in France. The rest of his large output has almost entirely disappeared from view. He has had a more lasting influence in teaching, with his theoretical works Traité de contrepoint et de fugue (on counterpoint and fugue) and Traité d’harmonie théorique et pratique (on harmony) still being sometimes used today.  Dubois died on June 11, 1924, in Paris, France.

The following work by Theodore Dubois is contained in my collection:

Fantasie Triomphale (1889).

—material selected, adapted, and edited from several different sources

Anthony Holborne and his consort music

Anthony [Antony] Holborne [Holburne or Olborner] (c. 1545 –November 29, 1602) was one of the most acclaimed and prolific composers of English consort music during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.  We know almost nothing of the life of Holborne.  A shadowy figure before the late 1590s, an ‘Anthony Holburne’ entered Pembroke College at Cambridge University in 1562, and it is possible that this person is the same as the composer. A Londoner of the same name was admitted to the Inner Temple Court (London) in 1565, and again this may have been the same person. It is certain, however, that the composer was the brother of William Holborne, and that he married Elisabeth Marten on June 14, 1584, in St Margaret’s Church Westminster, the parish church of the House of Commons.  In the 1590s he entered the service of Sir Robert Cecil, the 1st Earl of Salisbury.

Holborne’s first known book was the Cittarn Schoole of 1597, consisting of compositions for the cittern. The preface indicates the pieces were composed over a number of years. He writes that the musical compositions are “untimely fruits of my youth, begotten in the cradle and infancy of my slender skill.”  It contained 58 of his own compositions, and is considered to be one of the most important sources of music for cittern.  Six of his brother William’s madrigals were included in the Cittarn Schoole.  Holborne contributed introductory poems to publications by Robert Morley and Giles Farnaby during the next couple of years, but no more music appeared until a collection of consort music, The Pavans, Galliards, Almains and other short Aeirs, both grave and light, in five parts, for Viols, Violins, or other Musicall Winde Instruments was published in 1599 and consisted of 65 of his own compositions. It is the largest surviving collection of its kind. Most are of the pavan-galliard combination. Other pieces are of the allemande style. The rest are unclassified.  This collection constitutes the only known dance ensemble music by Holborne, his work otherwise being mainly for solo lute, cittern and bandora. Furthermore, the size of the collection and the quality of the part-writing makes this publication a milestone in the development of English chamber music.

On the title page of both his books Holborne claimed to be in the service of Queen Elizabeth in some fashion, although it is uncertain what his exact duties were. He does not appear in any of the registers or accounts of the Chapel Royal.  In January of 1599 he travelled as a letter courier ‘for her Maiesties service.’. He was held in the highest regard as a composer by contemporaries. John Dowland dedicated the first song I saw my lady weepe in his Second Booke of lute songs printed in London in 1600 to Holborne. Lute arrangements of three of Holborne’s dances were published in Germany in 1600, but employment as a courier seems to have distracted him from much further composition and apparently even hastened his death.  His patron was the Countess of Pembroke, Mary Sidney.  According to a letter written by his wife, he suffered from a bad cold in November, 1602, which was the cause of his death at the end of that month.  He died of this ‘cold’ in sometime between November 29 and December 1, 1602.

My collection includes the following works by Anthony Holborne:

Amoretta.

The Cradle.

The Fruit of Love.

The Honie-suckle.

The Honie-suckle II.

The Image of Melancholy.

Muy Linda.

—material selected, adapted, and edited from several different sources

July, 2016, New Testament Story

July, 2016

New Testament Stories My Daddy Told Me

SHIPWRECK (Acts 27:21-44)

By Wayne S. Walker

     Following his arrest in Jerusalem and trials in Caesarea, Paul was sent to Rome to appear before Caesar.  While on his way, the ship on which he was traveling was caught in a terrible windstorm when the captain tried to make it from one end of Crete to the other.  For fourteen days, they were tossed to and fro on the Mediterranean Sea.  After a long abstinence from food, Paul finally spoke up and told them that they should have listened to him when he warned them against sailing from Crete.  However, he said that an angel of the Lord promised him that he would make it to Rome and that there would be no loss of life but only of the ship, although they would run aground on a certain island.

Eventually, one night about midnight, the sailors sensed that they were nearing some land.  They took some soundings, finding it at first twenty fathoms and then later at fifteen fathoms.  Afraid of running aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors and waited for daylight.  Some of the sailors tried to escape by letting down the skiff and pretending to put out more anchors.  But Paul, knowing that their skill would be needed, warned the Centurion, who had the soldiers cut the ropes off the skiff and let it float away.  The next morning, Paul encouraged everyone to eat.  There were 276 people on the ship.

After eating, they lightened the ship by throwing all the wheat overboard.  They did not recognize the land but saw a bay in which they hoped to run the ship.  So they cut the anchors, loosened the rudder, hoisted the mainsail, and made for shore.  However, the ship ran into some kind of bank or reef at the mouth of the bay; the prow stuck fast while the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.  The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to keep them from escaping, but the Centurion wished to save Paul and stopped them.  He told everyone to jump into the sea and either swim to land or float on boards and other parts of the ship to safety.  Thus, everyone was saved.  (And who says that the Bible is not an exciting book?)

Questions

1. How long was Paul’s ship tossed to and fro on the sea?
2. From where had Paul warned them against sailing?
3. Who spoke to Paul promising that he would make it to Rome?
4. At what time of day did the sailors sense that they were nearing land?
5. How did some of the sailors try to escape?
6. How many people were on board the ship?
7. After they ate, how did they lighten the ship?
8. What happened to the ship when it reached the mouth of the bay?
9. What did the soldiers plan to do to the prisoners?
10. What did the Centurion tell everyone to do to get to land?

Faust Park Historical Village Schoolhouse

Faust Park

15185 Olive Boulevard

Chesterfield, MO 63017

Alt School House

Faust Park is located on a tract of land that once belonged to the second governor of Missouri, Frederick Bates. Bates acquired 1,000 acres on the southern bank of the Missouri River in 1808 and 1809. At that time, Bates was the Secretary for the Upper Louisiana Territory. Bates named his estate Thornhill and built a house on the grounds between 1817 and 1819. Bates was elected Missouri’s second Governor in 1824 and died in office a year later. Much of the Thornhill estate was eventually acquired by Leicester Busch Faust and his wife Mary who donated the first 100 acres of the park in 1968. The park was dedicated and opened to the public in 1973. The Thornhill complex, including the main house, the two barns, granary, and other outbuildings, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Restoration of Thornhill proceeded over several phases in the 1980s and was completed in 1990. Thornhill is open to the public by reservation or on special occasions, although visitors may walk the grounds of the estate during park hours.  Through the bequest of Mary Plant Faust, the park was doubled in size following her death in 1996 at the age of 95. Faust Park is also the site of the St. Louis Carousel, the Faust Historical Village, and the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House.  Faust Village preserves the area’s vernacular architecture and history. The village consists of four homes and multiple other structures including a schoolhouse, carriage house, and blacksmith shop, along with period gardens.

http://www.greatriverroad.com/stlouis/faust.htm

http://www.stlouisco.com/parksandrecreation/parkpages/faust

July, 2016, Monthly Meditation

July, 2016

Monthly Meditation

INSTRUMENT OF YOUR CHOICE?

By Wayne S. Walker

     “Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and the harp” (Psalm 149:3).  We understand that many things were allowed and even commanded in worship under the old covenant, such as burning incense, offering animal sacrifices, dancing before the Lord, and instrumental music in worship, which are not authorized for the church under the new covenant.  An otherwise good book of devotions on the Psalms made the following comment about Psalm 149:

“What’s the right way to praise the Lord?  Do you use a stringed instrument or a tambourine?  Do you sing a beautiful melody or recite an eloquent speech?  Do you bow your head or raise your hands?…David himself praised God on an instrument, with dancing, and through writing psalms.  He didn’t limit the creative ways he could express his adoration for God.  Neither should you.”

Well, the fact is that David did limit himself.  He didn’t try to praise God by committing ritual fornication, which was characteristic of many ancient religions of his day.  He didn’t seek to praise God by offering his children as burnt offerings, like many of the nations around Israel.  He limited himself to praising God only in ways that were authorized by the covenant under which he lived.

Therefore, we need to be very careful that when we strive to praise and worship God, we do only those things which God has said in His new covenant are acceptable to Him, and do them only in the way that He has authorized.  Just because something makes us feel good or expresses our exuberance does not necessarily make it right with God.  “There is a way that seems right [i.e., feels good or sounds fine] to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).  Let us be most concerned with God’s choice.

Nemo, SD, Guest Ranch School

NEMO Guest Ranch

12737 Guest Ranch Loop

PO Box 77

Nemo, SD 57759

Nemo is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, SD. The population was 546 at the 2010 census.  Early settlers came to the Nemo area in the late 1800’s. Many of them located mining claims or took their chances on squatter’s rights to get some land to call their own. Later, they would use the Homestead Act to legalize their claim to ownership.  The area was eventually timbered out by 1940, the sawmill operation at Nemo was shut down and Homestake employees moved away. The sawmill was torn down and some of the structures were either razed or moved.  In 1946, Nemo was purchased by the Frank Troxell family and developed into a guest ranch.  The Nemo Guest Ranch is a quiet, rustic, western resort nestled in the pine trees along a trout stream in the northern Black Hills of South Dakota.  Many of the cabins are original Nemo buildings and are rustic.  Originally Nemo’s one-room school house, now the 4-T cabin, is a newly remodeled, fully-winterized cabin, a favorite for Christmas vacationers, snowmobilers and hunters. It has three bedrooms downstairs, a loft, one large bathroom, living area with gas fireplace and kitchen.

http://nemoguestranch.com/

Controlling the TV in Your Home

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine’s “The Homeschool Minute” for August 17, 2011, was about “Controlling the TV in Your Home.” TOS Senior Editor Deborah Wuehler began:

“We have been married 27 years. We had television reception for maybe two of those, and we haven’t missed anything at all (contrary to what everyone else in the public sector keeps telling us). What is shocking is what we see now when we go to a hotel or someone else’s house. The strangest thing is that folks would never allow the behavior they witness on television in their own house, but they will allow the viewing of those kinds of behaviors right in their own living room. Besides, its history is revisionist, its science is evolutionary, its news is distorted and biased, its lasciviousness is abhorrent, and its worldview is anti-Christ.

“On the other hand, televisions can be used for good.”

Read more at:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101381905269/archive/1107155883549.html

Nathan Hale School, New London, CT

Nathan Hale School

Atlantic St.

New London, CT 06320

Connecticut state hero, Nathan Hale, taught in this school after leaving the quiet of Moodus in 1774 and stayed until 1775, when the Revolutionary War started.  It was built as the Union School by the city leaders as they wanted a proper school for their children.  The site is now maintained by the Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution.

http://www.connecticutsar.org/sites/2009/07/nathan-hale-schoolhouse-in-new-london.html

7/2016 Home School Book Review news

Home School Book Review Blog (https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com/ ) is the place to go for book reviews, primarily of children’s and youth literature, from a Biblical worldview.

Books reviewed in June of 2016 include:

June 26, 2016–The Concept

June 25, 2016–25 Favorite Stories From the Bible

June 24, 2016–Huguenot Garden: A Children’s Story of Faith

June 23, 2016–Oola the Owl Who Lost Her Hoot!

June 19, 2016–The Sense Of Humor: Let Humor Fast Track You to Healthier, Happier Living

June 18, 2016–Is Everything Permitted?: Moral Values in a World Without God

June 14, 2016–The Tripods, Book 3: The Pool of Fire

June 12, 2016–The Prophet’s Kid

June 8, 2016–A Birthday Cake for George Washington

June 7, 2016–The Tripods, Book 2: The City of Gold and Lead

June 6, 2016–Harry and Eddie: The Friendship That Changed the World

June 4, 2016–The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby

June 1, 2016–Danny Orlis and the Hunters

The winner of our Book of the Month Award for June is:

A TIE!

The Prophet’s Kid by  Jim Ware

and

Huguenot Garden by Douglas Jones

Books that we are currently reading and will review in the near future are:

The Pioneering Adventures of Parson John by Earl Kimbrough

Won by the Sword by G. A. Henty

When the Tripods Came by John Christopher

Escape Underground by Clint Kelly

The Mighty Odds by Amy Ignatow

Nathan Hale Schoolhouse – East Haddam, Connecticut

Nathan Hale Schoolhouse – East Haddam, Connecticut

The Nathan Hale Schoolhouse is a historic site in East Haddam, Connecticut. In the winter of 1773, Nathan Hale briefly taught in this one-room schoolhouse before leaving East Haddam for another teaching position in New London, Connecticut. The schoolhouse is owned and operated by the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.  The original schoolhouse was built in 1750 and served as the “First Society School” until 1799.  Hale accepted the position as schoolmaster in East Haddam after graduating from Yale University in 1773. Hale’s tenure in East Haddam lasted from roughly October 1773 to March 1774. In 1800 the building was moved north on Main Street to land which is currently the site of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. During this time, it was the private residence of Captain Elijah Atwood and his family. In 1899 the building was turned over, in trust, to Colonel Richard Henry Greene and the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution. In 1900, the New York Society deeded the schoolhouse to the Connecticut Society Sons of the Revolution. By 1900, the schoolhouse was moved up the hill to a location behind St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on property overlooking the Connecticut River. Since 1974, the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution have maintained and overseen the schoolhouse with the support of the Nathan Hale Memorial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Hale_Schoolhouse_(East_Haddam)