The Schiller Institute would like to extend our condolences to the family, friends snd associates of former United States Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who passed away at the age of 93 on Friday, April 9. Clark stood for the true Constitution of the real United States, and was consistently opposed to the hijacking of the […]
Statement from the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites: Mozambique Project—Medical Supplies, Food Aid & Seeds for the Future April 11 (Schiller Institute) “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”—Rev. Martin […]
Members of the Schiller Institute’s Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites interviewed Dr. James Hildreth on February 1 on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Hildreth is the president and CEO of Meharry Medical College, oldest and largest predominantly black Medical School in the country. He sits on the committee that reviews vaccines for approval, the FDA […]
Beethoven Opus 119 Bagatelles Notes by Margaret Scialdone The Opus 119 Bagatelles appeared in London in 1823 as “Trifles for the Piano Forte, Consisting of Eleven pleasing Pieces Composed in Various Styles by L. Van Beethoven”. They are quite accessible to non-celebrity but accomplished pianists, and it’s possible to hear brilliant interpretations by people you […]
Beethoven’s Final Sonata Opus 111 Notes by Margaret Scialdone After completing his 32nd and final piano sonata, Beethoven is said to have made the astonishing remark that the piano is “after all, an unsatisfactory instrument”. This work does indeed strain the limits of both piano and performer, the latter spiritually as well as technically. The […]
Beethoven’s “Der Erlkönig” Notes by Margaret Scialdone Goethe’s poem “Der Erlkönig” tells the story of a boy riding home on horseback in his father’s arms. He is frightened when he hears the seductive voice of the Erl King, a powerful and creepy supernatural being. The Erl King attempts to lure the child into joining him, […]
Beethoven’s humor—“The Test of Kisses” Notes by Fred Haight This song, “Prüfung des Küssens, WoO 89” (The Test of Kissing), was composed between 1790–1791, for Bonn’s Electoral singer, Joseph Lux. It is for a bass and orchestra. The author of the text is unknown, but this song, in the Italian opera buffa style, is skillfully […]
Beethoven : Creatures of Prometheus Notes by Margaret Scialdone In 1801 the ballet master Salvatore Viganó was commanded to prepare a performance for Empress Maria Theresa. He chose the subject of Prometheus giving science and the arts to Mankind, and turned to Beethoven to compose a score for his libretto. “Creatures of Prometheus” is Beethoven’s […]
When Beethoven Becomes Hilarious! Notes by Fred Haight We have had several episodes on Beethoven’s sense of humor. Today, we cross over into utter hilarity. Beethoven composed folk songs in many languages, including English, Italian, Danish, and Russian. The first piece today is not a folk song but a setting of Goethe’s The Flea from […]
Goethe and Beethoven: “Getting Along with Girls” Notes by Fred Haight The Classics are often associated with imagery of stuffy-old-white-male who have nothing relatable for the contemporary youth generation. We beg to differ. Goethe’s Mit Mädeln sich Vertragen (Getting Along with Girls), written in 1787, is a poem that makes hilarious fun of the “machismo” […]