grandparents
Becoming a grandparent makes getting older something to look forward to - all the fun of parenting, without the hassle.
"Kennst due das land"
Artists often record pieces without appraising listeners of what a song may mean to them. This oversight usually occurs because of production demands that preclude verbal descriptions of what a given song may mean to an artist. Producing a polished CD or video is considerable, and producers are reluctant to spend their precious dollars on verbal tributes that can be made by recording artists during a concert. Once in the studio, artists are expected to record their music as quickly and efficiently. Reminiscing about the composition of a particular song is discouraged. Fortunately, the recording of this specific song did require the use of an expensive recording studio. When I recorded the piece, I had no neurotic producer hanging over my shoulder. I am therefore free to reflect on what the relatively unknown aria "kennst du das land." Those unfamiliar with opera are unlikely to recognize the piece. I first became familiar with the Aria after attending a performance of "Little Woman." An original operatic work, the production allowed me to hear a breath-taking musical score and the Aria Kennst du das Land. I became determined to master the Aria in question. My years of training had provided me with the technical tools needed to sing a variety of styles, but I had always reframed from singing pieces written in German. The sheer beauty of the piece overwhelmed my reservation and set to work on it with passion and zeal. The experience has been transformative, allowing me to connect with a part of my German heritage that had always felt peripheral. Having to master German required that I steep myself in a language that members of the Hurst family line had practiced for generations. Learning "Kennst du das land" became a transformative experience, allowing me to reintegrate a disowned aspect of my family heritage. I am not the first, or only, singer to have had such an experience. Singing is an inherently personal process. Few performers become successful by relying solely upon their technical prowess. Acclaim rarely occurs unless a performer has found a way to merge technique and emotional resonance. For this singer at least, mastering the complexities of the Aria Kennst du das land became an example of such a process. It is why this previously unfamiliar piece now feels profoundly connected to my body and soul.
By frederick Hurst6 years ago in Families
Old Aches and Pains
You could definitely say that my Nan is off her rocker. I think my whole family would agree. Today my Nan is literally off her rocker. She fell off her rocker, actually. Now, here I am, sitting with her in a sterile paper room on a squeaky clean chair with a cup of incredibly bitter coffee. Nan is leaning back into her brown cardigan on a hospital issued wheelchair with her left arm wrapped up in a strange muslin material. It has been around thirty minutes since she was offered codeine for the pain and it is starting to send her doolally. Despite the situation, she is complaining that she is missing Strictly.
By Tarryn Richardson6 years ago in Families
Folk Wisdom and the Problem of Raising Children - Chapter 2
Indeed, not all of the experiences that the folk has drawn or the grandparents' words are false and outdated. The ancients were very good at observing the phenomena in life, from nature to society, to make their life easier.
By chandra louisa6 years ago in Families
Part III : Ada Monetti Looks Back at her Life
The last we left Ada, she had a date to keep with Charlie, and the 22 year old followed through. They made for Broadway and Guys and Dolls brought the curtain up on their relationship. But things were moving a bit faster for one side of the pairing.
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Families
Part II : Ada Monetti Looks Back at her Life
On July 4th, 1951 Ada Cafueri spent the day at Yankee Stadium with the skinny guy from the around the corner. “He was older and got taller,” Ada said. But while the doubleheader amounted to a date, the pairing still fell under the umbrella of friendship, according to Ada. Even so, the unsupervised 18 innings had to meet with approval from above.
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Families
Pomegranate Seeds And Hardened Dirt
The dirt from the backyard of Guillermo's aunt Silvia's house was holistic and dense. It was hard to break apart and wasn’t mixing well with the water he had brought out in a coffee mug. Guillermo wanted to sculpt a small mud castle for his abuelita, or grandmother. Right before he started online schooling, Guillermo's art teacher was teaching the kids ceramics using mud. Guillermo had sculpted a turtle, which his teacher then baked in an oven to harden. Guillermo now wanted to sculpt a castle for his abuelita.
By Jose Antonio Soto6 years ago in Families
Where The Brolgas Dance
Crunch and rumble. That is a sound that I didn’t know that I missed. It is a sound that marks the end of the sealed road and the start of the dirt track that lines my Nan’s farm. The tyres of my car no longer securely placed on the asphalt but having to content with the variable landscape into which we venture. There is no crunch or rumble in the city it is all smooth and metallic, polished to a sheen to appease the mass hypochondria that settled upon the world in what felt like overnight. Don’t go outside into the big bad world, strangers with strange illnesses will infect your lungs, if they don’t infect your mind first. You must get your food delivered by a man who’s face you can’t see behind his safety mask. Crunch and rumble. Like the dust in my rear-view mirror, the rules of the city, once so abrasive to take in, are now behind me and begin to settle.
By Archibald Jacobs6 years ago in Families
Part I : Ada Monetti looks back on her Life
Ada Monetti was born on East 55th Street in Manhattan. Her father went to work everyday at Giovanni’s, and her mother and grandmother did the domestics before the family moved to the Bronx in 1941. But prior to departing, Ada did leave her mark on the Catholic School she attended.
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Families
