The Ideas, Opinions and Musings of Steven T Will. My most frequent topics are movies, games and learning. Oh, and I like to share photos. But since I try to post most weekdays when I'm not on vacation, I delve into other things too: religion, words, news items, quotes. And then, on occasion, I post snippets and wisps. Welcome, and enjoy!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Passacaglia and "Dido's Lament"
An excellent reason to listen to Great Courses is to learn things like:
Passacaglia (don't pronounce the "g") & "Dido's Lament"
What's even better is when something I learned in one course (Classical Mythology) helps me appreciate something I learn in another course (How to Listen to and Understand Great Music.) Queen Dido, you see, was in love with Æneas, but decided to kill herself when Æneas -- who also loved Dido -- followed the will of the gods and left Dido to go found Rome. And in one of the early English operas, Dido sings of her feelings just before the end. [Yes, I'm learning about opera. Amazing. Never thought I would.]
Having two courses connected in this way is not unusual, of course. Having attended a liberal arts school like Luther College, I grow to expect it. And it's nice when it happens. Those connections solidify learning.
What is strange is to find out that "Dido's Lament" is a passacaglia, which is a word I just learned during the course, and that another word for it is "chaccone" which, coincidentally, is the name of this week's song recommendation from my friend David Peter! I didn't know either of these words until this week, and now I know both of them. And I have two pieces of music to which they relate. That is cool. That is learning.
[And no, I don't know whatever minor technicality might make a pessacaglia different from a chaccone. I'm not a music major and never intend to be one.]
If you want to learn what a passacaglia is (or what a chaccone is) I suggest the Naxos online dictionary of musical terms. OK, honestly, having heard an example of a passacaglia (such as Dido's Lament) and then having someone explain it would give you a better understanding. But the definition is a good start.
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1 comment:
If you've ever heard Marshall Anderson say "Queen Dido" you can never take her seriously again.
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