Kanon, contin'd-Schooling

Maestro Sevanian’s time at the conservatory and, later, touring with the folk ensemble expanded the kanon in a way no one had ever envisioned.

Before I joined the conservatory, no one thought this rural instrument, the kanon, capable of orchestral work.  I remember Mr. Ghevondian’s complaint, “Why do you play with just two fingers?  That’s a very rich instrument.  You can create harmony.”  Anushavan showed me how the kanon could be improved.  He asked me to play the melody line with one hand.  With the other, he wanted me to produce an accompaniment.

This turned me to composing, because no music was available for the change in instrumentation.  Ter Ghevondian taught musical theory, too, and he helped me expand the Armenian folk melodies I’d been playing by ear.  I started to produce written accompaniment for the folk tunes I wanted to play.  Since I love the sound of the kanon, I worked out harmonies that would highlight its characteristic sound.  With Ghevondian’s help, I was creating a new sound. 

I got so involved trying to write harmonies, my regular class studies suffered. Like all school children, I had to learn other subjects like math, language and history. When something didn’t interest me, I would doodle in the margins of my notebooks.  My teacher caught me making musical notations.  He warned me, and when I still didn’t mind, he called my father in.  He was stern. “Your son isn’t paying attention in class. He’s always writing music. Tell him to stop.”  Luckily, my father didn’t get angry.  He just insisted that I do well in all subjects.  I promised to listen to my teachers, but it didn’t stop me from scribbling music notes.

When melodies come to mind, a musician has to put them down right away, or he’d forget them.  There were so many new ideas in my head, and the more I thought about them, the more I wanted to get them on paper.  One popular melody that I worked out was written by a well-known sixteenth-century Armenian troubadour, Sayat Nova. It’s called “Tarametzav.”  Like memories of my childhood, it translates to “Faded.”  The music is sad, but I knew it would lend itself to the difficult passages that could show off the kanon’s technical range.  I wanted to use it for school functions.

Like most music schools, Yerevan Conservatory arranged concerts for students so that they could exercise their abilities before the public.  Audiences that came to school events were surprised to hear the kanon’s expanded range.  They wanted to hear more. The conservatory, as a result of students’ success, connected its promising musicians with professionals to further their education and public exposure.  Group work demands discipline.  In an orchestra, for example, you have to listen to cues and watch the conductor.  It takes work to maintain tone and rhythm and keep time with other instruments.  It’s an honor when a student is chosen for professional work.

A group of professional musicians who’d heard about my work with the kanon came to the conservatory looking for a kanonist.  They wanted the kanon in their folk ensemble.  My teachers encouraged me, “Go with them.”  The ensemble hired me and I started to work with them on weekends or during school holidays.  I had to leave Darachichak and family behind, because I toured with them all summer.

Discernment

People of prayer try to match their life to God. They ask themselves what is God's will and how can they serve him better? A couple of rules help us understand how to live for God. They are related to our vocation in life. 

If we are single, we are free to give ourselves fully to God.
If we are married, our service of God is connected to our service to our family.
If we gravitate toward art, or music, or science, or philosophy, use these gifts for service.

St. Francis de Sales puts it this way:
         "Is it proper for a bishop to want to lead the solitary life like a Carthusian or for married people to be no more concerned than a Capuchian about increasing their income, or for a working man to spend his whole day in church like a religious or on the other hand for a religious to be constantly exposed like a bishop to all the events and circumstances that bear on the needs of our neighbor. Is not this sort of devotion ridiculous, unorganized, and intolerable?"
http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/439/devotion_is_for_everyone_francis_de_sales.html


As regards gifts and talents, God has equipped us with abilities that help us serve in the unique call he has given us. A delightful story from the life of St. Peter Eymard, founder of the Priests of the Blessed Sacrament, illustrates this:

     The Artist

     The young novice stood before Reverend Pierre nervously picking at the clay still caked around his thumbnail. He didn't know why Father Superior, instead of the novice master, wanted to speak to him.
     "You're a bright young man, Auguste," the old priest began; "And you have great talent."
     The novice's throat tightened as he looked with worry at his idol. He recognized the priest as a saint. He longed to follow in the holy man's footsteps. Hardly a year had gone by yet his novice master was questioning his vocation.  Averting his eyes, he mumbled, "The novice master has spoken with you?"
     "You wish to give your life to God, don't you?" the saintly priest asked.
     "I know he is calling me, Father," Auguste blurted. He couldn't understand why there was a question about his becoming a priest. The call to serve was so clear to him.
     "Your clay work is marvelous," the old priest interjected. "How do you form faces like you do?"
     Relieved at the change of subject, the young novice began to explain his technique. Perhaps the superior wanted him to shape a new statue, and his worries about the novice master were groundless. He ran on, sharing excitedly how much he'd learned from friends at Ecole des Beaux-Artes, though he himself had failed entrance exams three times. "I'm grateful to serve the community with my art," he finished knowing the call of God often includes an avocation.
     "Have you thought, perhaps, that you can serve God as an artist instead of a priest?" An encouraging smile crept across the priest's face and his gentle grey eyes penetrated Auguste's soul.
     The novice's fear of being sent away returned. He searched his soul, remembering his failures and the death of his sister. He wondered if perhaps he might be running from them. "There will be time for art even as a priest," he said emphatically, wondering if he was trying to convince himself or Father Superior.
     "You know, of course, if Michelangelo had become a priest, there wouldn't be a Sistine Chapel," the old priest spoke on, as if certain of a talent untapped in the young man.
     The novice was taken aback. No one had ever likened his poor artistic attempts to such grandeur. He searched the old priest's eyes for a breach of honesty, and realized the reference to Michelangelo was meant to raise his view of the value of art. A surge of hope made his eyes sting. Never before had anyone equated work as an artist with work as a priest. The steady eyes of Father Eymard acknowledged his discovery. "Then you're asking me to leave the community?" said the young novice, no longer afraid.
     The old priest nodded affirmation adding, "I'll be looking for the name Auguste Rodin on the monuments of France."

Above all, pray to know God's will.

Rodin, Cast of Bust
St. Peter Julian Eymard,
New York, Eglise St. Jean Baptiste

http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/08/st-peter-julian-eymard-and-rodin.html

Ten Notes on Ground Work, continued

1. Confine your horse: the safest way to handle a horse is to confine it. Watch a rodeo. Bucking broncos stay locked inside a tight chute. Until the gate opens, that wild little beast can do nothing. Keeping your animal in a stall is helpful to your safety and your ability to work with it. Horses in pasture can play hard to catch. They prefer to stay close to their herd and will walk away from you, making it difficult for you to establish herd leadership. If you manage to catch it, you still must consider the other horses in the field as they crowd you to push past the gate. If you need help, get it! When you have separated your mount from the herd, bring it to an enclosed work space, a round pen or fenced arena to work with it.
2. Give the horse down time: nervous horses prefer moving off, sidling away from halter and saddle or walking out as you mount. This is dangerous behavior.  If you’re in a half mounted position and the horse moves, you will fall or get dragged. That's why brushing and saddling has value. It puts the horse’s mind on work. Take time getting acquainted and work slowly. When you are ready to mount, make sure the horse stands still. If your mount makes any move at all as you put your foot in the stirrup, take your foot out and wait till it stands perfectly still. Then remount. Never mount fully until your horse stands quietly. And don't let it walk off once you are in the saddle. Your horse must wait for your cues. If your horse avoids the halter or bridle, push its head down gently to gain control. Pressing gently between the ears gets the horse used to your touch. It will soon lower its head for you every time and you will be able to slip on both bridle and bit. Be aware it can take a while to gain your horse’s comfort zone.
3. Tie the horse up: when I first engaged Mr. Ferrante as trainer I asked, “What can I do to prepare my horse for you?” He said, “Tie it up.” Horses learn patience from being tied. Make sure that whatever you tie your horse to is strong enough to hold your thousand pound pet. A tree, a corral rail, or barn cross ties work well. Once tied, you can brush and saddle it. Tying also prepares your horse for rides that include stopping and getting off. Although your horse might stomp impatiently, wiggle back and forth, or pull back as far as the rope will allow, it will soon become less agitated. Some horses get so bored tied up that they fall asleep at the post. How long you leave the horse tied is up to you. Keep in mind that, depending on future plans for your mount, all day is not too long. Horse events, camping, a restaurant stop, can range from one to six or seven hours. Horses will stand that long, but a horse unused to long tie ups should be trained to them. Start with half an hour and work your way up. Be sure the horse is always visible to you so you can keep an eye on possible problems. My Shay managed to work herself loose once. I quietly walked up to her and retied her before she knew she was free.
4. Correct your horse:  correction doesn’t mean using whips and beating on or hitting a horse. Correction simply means you ask the horse to do what it doesn’t want to do. For example, when your horse fidgets while you are holding it, back it up. Backing is unnatural, and horses don’t like it. If a horse runs wild, put it to work. Horses don’t like work any more than you or I do. Sometimes when I try to mount Shay she tries to slip away from me. She'll even turn her butt toward me making it impossible to get on her. I use long reins and can force her to run circles around me. It takes only a few minutes of circling in both directions before Shay finally quiets down to stand still. Should she move off again, I run her some more. She tires of running tight circles around me pretty quickly.  
   
5. Reward your horse when it does what you ask: reward doesn’t mean petting a horse like you would a dog. A horse is more attuned to ending its work. Shay has already learned that when she does good work for me her reward includes a dismount and feeding. I time her work for the late afternoon before her regular feeding. Whether we’ve played in the ring or ridden on the trail, I dismount when we are done, take off that constricting saddle, and bring her to her warm stall for feeding. Certainly I give her an affectionate rub between the eyes or on the shoulder, mostly to keep her used to constant handling. If I go out on an early morning ride, the reward after I dismount includes turning her out to graze. There's a small patch of grass below my round pen that I open to her on such occasions. Reward is important. In the wild, horses affectionately nibble at each other, and although horses enjoy a release from negative pressure, they appreciate a playful pat on the shoulder and a tasty carrot, too.
6. Change the scenery: your horse will be going to different places and be subjected to different sights and sounds in the course of its life with you. It is unlikely that you will always work at home or in your neighborhood. Both your horse and you will want an occasional break from arena work. Trail riding is relaxing and welcome for both you and your mount, but a sudden change of scene can frighten a horse, especially if you haven't exposed it to a variety of impressions.  I live close to an interstate highway where noisy Semi’s pass daily. The first time I brought my horse near that road she shimmied and wiggled in terror. I dismounted and kept my riding crop visible. My horse quickly decided between the crop and the tractor-trailers. Sensing my firmness, she soon stood quietly and stopped her nervous pawing. I rewarded the good behavior by leading her home. Within days, repeat sessions enabled me to ride her near the highway as truckers roared by.
7. Introduce unfamiliar objects: any place you ride has its own frightening aspects for horses.  Expose your horse to the odd and unusual, from cars backfiring, to off road quads and motorcycle noises, or trash blowing across a trail. My gelding seems to think water is only for drinking. He tries to jump over or sidestep streams or runlets of water. The trail is not the best place to teach your horse to cross water, jump logs, or climb rocks. It’s easier to water an area inside the work ring heavily enough for the horse to notice wetness without undermining the dirt footing. I’ve introduced lightweight plastic 4x4 posts for the horse to walk and even jump over. Look for other things in your neighborhood that the horse should get used to. Neighborhoods are full of things that scare horses. Garbage cans, running hoses, small block fences, boulders, or overstuffed furniture and refrigerators standing at the driveway for trash pick-up. Men on the roof nailing down tiles can terrify horses because they look like predators lying in wait above them. Some backyard owners will even tie plastic bags to a stall to accustom the horse to the flapping, the noise, or the blowing away of trash.                             
8. Make consistent demands on your horse: horses may be shy about a particular area near the work pen. When I trimmed my bushes at the bottom of my hill, Shay was anxious passing the spot. Although the bush was part of her landscape, I had to bring her near it several times to show her there is nothing worrisome about its trimmed condition. Insist that your animal move calmly toward any ‘scary’ spot. New things to which you expose your horse will help it overcome fear and teach it to trust you. Dogs or dirt bike riders, often a nuisance on the trail, need not cause your horse to bolt. City police horses are constantly subjected to sirens, traffic, stray dogs and crowds.  They stay calm because they have been desensitized to these sights and sounds daily. 
9. Work your horse every day, if you can:  horses revert to the wild state when not exposed to routine. I’m saddened to see many backyard horses stand in their pens for years on end. The gelding I rescued from starvation was not rideable initially. Not having been saddled for eight years and improper feeding had turned him into an emaciated, nervous mount. After I purchased him, he was so glad to have room to run that he kicked up his heels and raced madly around his new half acre. Within weeks, good feed and frequent handling made Reagent the best mount a girl could ask for. It was obvious that he had once been a well trained animal.
10. Invest in training equipment: a lounge line is a fifteen to twenty foot tether helpful for working your horse from the ground. When attached to the horse’s halter at its chin, the lounge line allows you to stand still in the middle of an arena while the horse runs broad circles around you. Although a line isn’t a must when working in a ring, it is helpful when you are in open areas that don’t have walls. Forcing the horse away from you during this circling process tells it you are boss. Whenever a horse misbehaves or avoids training cues, making it run circles works wonders. If you are on a trail and your horse misbehaves, you can back the animal, or you can use the reins like a lounge line to demand the horse circle you. Step toward its flank (hip) and shoo it forward while holding the reins. It's a proven method. Other helps include hobbles, stud chains, and long reins for ground work. All these should be handled only by professionals who can teach you their proper use.

 Never rush to accomplish your goals. Your way of handling your horse might be different from that of its previous owner, so be kind to your animal. Impatience with a confused horse will amplify its fear; and fear explodes into flight. My Shay had always been cross-tied with chains for bridling. Today, I leave her totally free. At first, she thought she could avoid the bridle and bit by stepping back. I stepped back with her. Soon enough, Shay realized that this new method of bridling is safe and a lot more comfortable than being strung up between two poles. So be good to your horse, because ground work is a good thing for both of you.

Lost in Space

“This is such a cool planet,” I said looking up at Grandma. “It has such a pretty sky and I like hiking here.”

I followed her down Rusty Canyon walking fast. My brother Brandon is slow. He was behind us with my slow Mom.

“Grandma,” I said, “Can I go back and help them catch up?”

“Sure,” she said. She trusted me not to get lost. “It’s a canyon,” she said. “Only one way in and one way out; you’ll be fine.”

I looked behind me but didn’t see my Mom. The bend of the trail was full of tall rocky bluffs. Grandma knew I looked worried. “It’s OK,” she said. “Your brother is probably just around the bend.”

I walked past the jumble of rock, but Mom and Brandon weren’t there. I looked back for Grandma, but couldn’t see her anymore. The rock wall stuck out too far. I kept walking, thinking I would catch up to Mom. There was another bend in the trail, but Mom wasn’t there either. My knees got tired, because I got nervous. The trail was scary. Nobody was on it, not even Grandma. I started to run thinking Mom and Brandon would be around the next bend.

An alien bird that looked like a pterodactyl from my dinosaur book swooped over the canyon. I ducked, because I remembered that on Earth, Feifel got picked up by a hawk. I knew the ugly purple flying thing would pick me up and carry me away. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to cry because I felt so alone.

I sat down on a rock in the trail to raise my pointy walking stick like a gun. “I’ll get you, you nasty bird,” I said out loud. “I don’t like this planet anymore. I want to go home to Earth!” I thought the canyon walls were closing over me. I looked up at the rusty rocks shaking from fright.

A glow near the top of one wall lit up my shadowy trail. I looked at it and thought a ghost was up on the bluff. When I stared harder, I saw it was Obi-Wan Kenobi. He raised his lightsaber and blasted the alien bird. When he pointed his lightsaber back the way I had come and smiled, I knew he wanted me to go find Grandma.

I jumped off the rock. I ran as fast as I could. I ran around the first bend in the trail. Grandma wasn't there. Then I ran around the second bend and the third bend. Still there was no Grandma. When I got around the fourth bend, I found my Grandma. “Grandma,” I yelled. “I’m so scared.”

“Scared,” she asked. “Couldn’t you find your Mom and Brandon?”

“They’re gone,” I started to cry. “There was a big alien bird, and . . .”

“No, no,” Grandma said. “They're fine. Come on, we’ll find them together.”

I grabbed Grandma’s hand hard afraid to let go. Together we walked around the first bend, and the second bend, and the third bend, and even the fourth bend. But Mom and Brandon were nowhere in sight. “Where are they?” I asked Grandma.

“Maybe they went back to the hovercraft,” she said.

I was too scared to believe her, but when I saw the blue-white sky between the narrow rock walls, I knew we were almost at the trail-head.

Between the rocks Brandon’s head popped up. He scrambled back over the path yelling, “Caden, Grandma!” Right behind him came my Mom, reaching out her arms to hug me and saying, “Great hike, huh.” 

I let go of Grandma’s hand and fell into my Mommy’s arms.

Astroonomy Friday

Sometimes vacations provide an absolutely grand sky. When you're in a place like Death Valley, the sky's to die for. The two nights there caught the following:

The 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain, an old Dynamax with fabulous optics, captured:

1. Jupiter
2. Mars
3. M-42 in Orion
4. Cor Caroli
5. Split both Alcor and Mizar in the Big Dipper

10 x 50 Celestial Images Binocular gleaned:

1. M-81 and M-82 galaxies
2. The galaxies of Leo
3. Andromeda
4. Coma Bernicies
5. Open cluster M-41 in the Canis Major

Goes to show that even binoculars can "see" galaxies and other faint fuzzies

Death Valley

Flowers grow in the desert where rainfall is often less than 15" per year. Although this year was dry, these flowers prove the tenacity of desert plants.

The geology of Death Valley impresses.
 http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabriskie_Point
Zabriskie Point is jaw dropping. Tomorrow Badwater and environs will post to this page.  Views are to die for in Death Valley.

Zion Narional Park

Vacation trips make blog entries difficult. Apologies. Here are some scenes from Zion National Park.
In such locations internet access is difficult or non-existent. Nature separates us from the techno-filled world and brings peace.

Hiking is good for the soul and even better for kids. Rock climbing might be their future; but tomorrow it will be sliding down sand dunes.