David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


14 February 2012

Pierr/oT Lunaire

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Yesterday's white-on-white post featured a postcard with letter dated 13 February 1904. Same day 108 years ago.

Today, 14th February is St. Valentine's Day, established as such by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD and now, since the time of Chaucer, an occasion for the celebration of romantic love.

This year, 2012, is the 100th anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg's love melodrama Pierrot Lunaire.
Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' ("Three times Seven Poems from Albert Giraud's 'Pierrot lunaire'"), commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 ("Moonstruck Pierrot" or "Pierrot in the Moonlight"), is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg. It is a setting of twenty-one selected poems from Otto Erich Hartleben's German translation of Albert Giraud's cycle of French poems of the same name. The première of the work, which is between 35 and 40 minutes in length, was at the Berlin Choralion-Saal on October 16, 1912, with Albertine Zehme as the vocalist.

from Wikipedia ( full article here )
Pierrot Lunaire is a 20th century favorite in the offices of bLOGOS/HA HA. We regularly play a downloaded version from the thoughtful and generous High Pony Tail ( here ), from an early '70s Hungaraton LP with Erika Sziklay as Pierrot.

Below, for you today, is a performance of Pierrot Lunaire by Pierr/oT of the SLAVE GUITARS.

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