(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Zhang Litian was a 36-year-old Falun Gong practitioner in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province. After Mr. Zhang was illegally detained in Jinzhou Prison for over a month, Cheng Jun, the head of Division 20, and Zhang Baozhi, the assistant head of Division 20, instigated four inmates to beat Zhang Litian to death on November 17, 2008. Recently, some goodhearted people hung wreaths and banners near Jinzhou Prison to commemorate Mr. Zhang and publicize the fact that he was tortured to death. We hope conscience and justice will prevail, and the persecution will end.

 

 

Mr. Zhang Litian was born in Laizhou City, Shandong Province. He previously worked at the Chaoyang Fine Steel Plant in Liaoning Province. After practicing Falun Gong, he followed the principals of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He became more tolerant and generous and more diligent at work. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong, he was harassed and persecuted by local police officers many times. In April 2008, while he was in Shandong Province, officers from the Jinzhou City Police Department and Taihe District Police Department arrested him and took him to Jinzhou City. He was then detained in the Jinzhou First Detention Center. In August 2008, he was sentenced to a five-year prison term. In October he was taken to Jinzhou Prison, Division 20. On November 17, he was tortured to death. Zhang Litian has a father over 70 years old who is often ill. He also has a nine-year-old daughter in elementary school.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

The internet has overtaken newspapers as a source for national and international news for Americans, according to survey.

Here is the performance on YouTube, Herbert Von Karajan conducting:

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2AEaQJuKDY

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSEqQsAXbJw&feature=related

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the last complete symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the choral Ninth Symphony is one of the best known works of the Western repertoire, considered both an icon and a forefather of Romantic music, and one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces.

Symphony No. 9 incorporates part of An die Freude ("Ode to Joy"), a poem by Friedrich Schiller written in 1785 (first published in 1786 in the poet's own literary journal, Thalia), with text sung by soloists and a chorus in the last movement. It is the first example of a major composer using the human voice on the same level with instruments in a symphony, creating a work of a grand scope that set the tone for the Romantic symphonic form.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 plays a prominent cultural role in the world today. In particular, the music from the fourth movement (Ode to Joy) was rearranged by Herbert von Karajan into what is now called the Anthem of Europe. Further testament to its prominence is that an original manuscript of this work sold in 2003 for $3.3 million USD at Sotheby's, London. Stephen Roe, the head of Sotheby's manuscripts department, described the symphony as "one of the highest achievements of man, ranking alongside Shakespeare's Hamlet and King Lear."

Composition

The Philharmonic Society of London originally commissioned the symphony in 1817. Beethoven started work on his last symphony in 1818 and finished it early in 1824. This was roughly twelve years after his eighth symphony. However, he was interested in the Ode to Joy from a much earlier time, having set it to music as early as 1793; that setting is lost.

The theme for the scherzo can be traced back to a fugue written in 1815. The introduction for the vocal part of the symphony caused many difficulties for Beethoven. It was the first time he—or anyone—had used a vocal component in a symphony. Beethoven's friend, Anton Schindler, later said: "When he started working on the fourth movement the struggle began as never before. The aim was to find an appropriate way of introducing Schiller's ode. One day he [Beethoven] entered the room and shouted 'I got it, I just got it!' Then he showed me a sketchbook with the words 'let us sing the ode of the immortal Schiller'". However, that introduction did not make it into the work, and Beethoven spent a great deal of time rewriting the part until it had reached the form recognizable today.

 Premiere

Beethoven was eager to have his work played in Berlin as soon as possible after finishing it. He thought that musical taste in Vienna was dominated by Italian composers such as Rossini. When his friends and financiers heard this, they urged him to premiere the symphony in Vienna.

The Ninth Symphony was premiered on May 7, 1824 in the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna, along with the overture Die Weihe des Hauses and the first three parts of the Missa Solemnis. This was the composer's first on-stage appearance in twelve years; the hall was packed. The soprano and alto parts were interpreted by two famous young singers: Henriette Sontag and Caroline Unger.

Although the performance was officially directed by Michael Umlauf, the theatre's Kapellmeister, Beethoven shared the stage with him. However, two years earlier, Umlauf had watched as the composer's attempt to conduct a dress rehearsal of his opera Fidelio ended in disaster. So this time, he instructed the singers and musicians to ignore the totally deaf Beethoven. At the beginning of every part, Beethoven, who sat by the stage, gave the tempos. He was turning the pages of his score and was beating time for an orchestra he could not hear.

There are a number of anecdotes about the premiere of the Ninth. Based on the testimony of the participants, there are suggestions that it was under-rehearsed (there were only two full rehearsals) and rather scrappy in execution. On the other hand, the premiere was a big success. In any case, Beethoven was not to blame, as violist Josef Bohm recalled, "Beethoven directed the piece himself; that is, he stood before the lectern and gesticulated furiously. At times he raised, at other times he shrunk to the ground, he moved as if he wanted to play all the instruments himself and sing for the whole chorus. All the musicians minded his rhythm alone while playing".

When the audience applauded - testimonies differ over whether at the end of the scherzo or the whole symphony - Beethoven was several measures off and still conducting. Because of that, the contralto Caroline Unger walked over and turned Beethoven around to accept the audience's cheers and applause. According to one witness, "the public received the musical hero with the utmost respect and sympathy, listened to his wonderful, gigantic creations with the most absorbed attention and broke out in jubilant applause, often during sections, and repeatedly at the end of them." The whole audience acclaimed him through standing ovations five times; there were handkerchiefs in the air, hats, raised hands, so that Beethoven, who could not hear the applause, could at least see the ovation gestures. The theatre house had never seen such enthusiasm in applause.

At that time, it was customary that the Imperial couple be greeted with three ovations when they entered the hall. The fact that five ovations were received by a private person who was not even employed by the state, and moreover, was a musician (a class of people who had been perceived as lackeys at court), was in itself considered almost indecent. Police agents present at the concert had to break off this spontaneous explosion of ovations. Beethoven left the concert deeply moved.

The repeat performance on May 23 in the great hall of the Fort was, however, poorly attended.

 Editions

The Breitkopf & Härtel edition dating from 1864 has been used widely by orchestras. In 1997 Bärenreiter published an edition by Jonathan Del Mar. According to Del Mar, this edition corrects nearly 3000 mistakes in the Breitkopf edition, some of which were remarkable. Professor David Levy, however, criticized this edition in Beethoven Forum, saying that it could create "quite possibly false" traditions. Breitkopf also published a new edition by Peter Hauschild in 2005.

While many of the modifications in the newer editions make minor alterations to dynamics and articulation, both editions make a major change to the orchestral lead-in to the final statement of the choral theme in the fourth movement (IV: m525-m542). The newer versions alter the articulation of the horn calls, creating syncopation that no longer relates to the previous motive. The new Breitkopf & Härtel and Bärenreiter make this alteration differently, but the result is a reading that is strikingly different than what was commonly accepted based on the 1864 Breitkopf edition. While both Breitkopf & Härtel and Bärenreiter consider their editions the most accurate versions available--labeling them Urtext editions--their conclusions are not universally accepted. In his monograph "Beethoven--the ninth symphony", Professor David Levy describes the rationale for these changes and the danger of calling the editions Urtext.

 Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for the following orchestra. These are by far the largest forces needed for any Beethoven symphony; at the premiere, Beethoven augmented them further by assigning two players to each wind part.

Woodwinds Piccolo (fourth movement only) 2 Flutes 2 Oboes 2 Clarinets in A, B-flat and C 2 Bassoons Contrabassoon (fourth movement only)

Brass 2 Horns (1 and 2) in D and B-flat 2 Horns (3 and 4) in B-flat (bass), B-flat and E-flat 2 Trumpets in D and B-flat 3 Trombones (alto, tenor, and bass, second and fourth movements only) Percussion Timpani Bass Drum (fourth movement only) Triangle (fourth movement only) Cymbals (fourth movement only)

Voices (all voices fourth movement only) Soprano solo Alto solo Tenor solo Bass solo SATB Choir (Tenor briefly divides) Strings Violins I, II Violas Violoncellos Double Basses

 Form

The symphony is in four movements, marked as follows:

1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
2. Scherzo: Molto vivace - Presto
3. Adagio molto e cantabile - Andante Moderato - Tempo I - Andante Moderato - Adagio - Lo Stesso Tempo
4. Recitative: (Presto – Allegro ma non troppo – Vivace – Adagio cantabile – Allegro assai – Presto: O Freunde) – Allegro assai: Freude, schöner Götterfunken – Alla marcia – Allegro assai vivace: Froh, wie seine Sonnen – Andante maestoso: Seid umschlungen, Millionen! – Adagio ma non troppo, ma divoto: Ihr, stürzt nieder – Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato: (Freude, schöner Götterfunken – Seid umschlungen, Millionen!) – Allegro ma non tanto: Freude, Tochter aus Elysium! – Prestissimo: Seid umschlungen, Millionen!

Beethoven changes the usual pattern of Classical symphonies in placing the scherzo movement before the slow movement (in symphonies, slow movements are usually placed before scherzos). This was the first time that he did this in a symphony, although he had done so in some previous works (including the quartets Op. 18 no. 5, the "Archduke" piano trio Op. 97, the "Hammerklavier" piano sonata Op. 106). Haydn, too, had used this arrangement in a number of works.

 First movement

The first movement is in sonata form, and the mood is often stormy. The opening theme is played pianissimo over string tremolos. This first subject later returns fortissimo at the outset of the recapitulation section, in D major, rather than the opening's D minor. The coda employs the chromatic fourth interval.

 Second movement

The second movement, a scherzo, is also in D minor, with the opening theme bearing a passing resemblance to the opening theme of the first movement, a pattern also found in the Hammerklavier piano sonata, written a few years earlier. It uses propulsive rhythms and a timpani solo. At times during the piece Beethoven directs that the beat should be one downbeat every three bars, perhaps because of the very fast pace of the majority of the movement which is written in triple time, with the direction ritmo di tre battute ("rhythm of three bars"), and one beat every four bars with the direction ritmo di quattro battute ("rhythm of four bars").

Beethoven had been criticised before for failing to adhere to standard form for his compositions. He used this movement to answer his critics. Normally, Scherzos are written in triple time. Beethoven wrote this piece in triple time, but it is punctuated in a way that, when coupled with the speed of the metre, makes it sound as though it is in quadruple time.

The contrasting trio section is in D major and in duple (cut) time. The trio is the first time the trombones play in the work.

 Third movement

The lyrical slow movement, in B flat major, is in a loose variation form, with each pair of variations progressively elaborating the rhythm and melody. The first variation, like the theme, is in 4/4 time, the second in 12/8. The variations are separated by passages in 3/4, the first in D major, the second in G major. The final variation is twice interrupted by episodes in which loud fanfares for the full orchestra are answered by double-stopped octaves played by the first violins alone. A prominent horn solo is assigned to the fourth player. Trombones are tacet for the movement.

 Fourth movement

The famous choral finale is Beethoven's musical representation of Universal Brotherhood and has been characterized by Charles Rosen as a symphony within a symphony. It contains four movements played without interruption. This "inner symphony" follows the same overall pattern as the Ninth Symphony as a whole. The scheme is as follows:

• First "movement": theme and variations with slow introduction. Main theme which first appears in the cellos and basses is later "recapitulated" with voices.
• Second "movement": 6/8 scherzo in military style (begins at "Alla marcia," words "Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen"), in the "Turkish style." Concludes with 6/8 variation of the main theme with chorus.
• Third "movement": slow meditation with a new theme on the text "Seid umschlungen, Millionen!" (begins at "Andante maestoso")
• Fourth "movement": fugato finale on the themes of the first and third "movements" (begins at "Allegro energico")

The movement has a thematic unity, in which every part may be shown to be based on either the main theme, the "Seid umschlungen" theme, or some combination of the two.

The first "movement within a movement" itself is organized into sections:

• An introduction, which starts with a stormy Presto passage. It then briefly quotes all three of the previous movements in order, each dismissed by the cellos and basses which then play in an instrumental foreshadowing of the vocal recitative. At the introduction of the main theme, the cellos and basses take it up and play it through.
• The main theme forms the basis of a series of variations for orchestra alone.
• The introduction is then repeated from the Presto passage, this time with the bass soloist singing the recitatives previously suggested by cellos and basses.
• The main theme again undergoes variations, this time for vocal soloists and chorus.

 Vocal parts

Words written by Beethoven (not Schiller) are shown in italics.

German original	English translation
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen, und freudenvollere. Freude! Freude!	Oh friends, not these tones! Let us sing more cheerful songs, And more joyful. Joy! Joy!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.	Joy, beautiful spark of God Daughter of Elysium, We enter drunk with fire, Heavenly one, your sanctuary! Your magic binds again What custom sternly parts. All men become brothers, Where your gentle wing rests.
Wem der große Wurf gelungen, Eines Freundes Freund zu sein; Wer ein holdes Weib errungen, Mische seinen Jubel ein! Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!	Whoever has had the great fortune To be a friend's friend, Whoever has won a devoted wife, Join in our jubilation! Indeed, whoever can call even one soul, His own on this earth! And whoever was never able to, must creep Tearfully away from this band!
Freude trinken alle Wesen An den Brüsten der Natur; Alle Guten, alle Bösen Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Küße gab sie uns und Reben, Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod; Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.	Joy all creatures drink At the breasts of nature; All good, all bad Follow her trail of roses. Kisses she gave us, and wine, A friend, proven in death; Pleasure was to the worm given, And the cherub stands before God.
Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen Durch des Himmels prächt'gen Plan, Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.	Glad, as His suns fly Through the Heaven's glorious design, Run, brothers, your race, Joyful, as a hero to victory.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen. Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt! Über Sternen muß er wohnen.	Be embraced, millions! This kiss for the whole world! Brothers, above the starry canopy Must a loving Father dwell. Do you bow down, millions? Do you sense the Creator, world? Seek Him beyond the starry canopy! Beyond the stars must He dwell.
Finale repeats the words: Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen. Seid umschlungen, Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium, Freude, schöner Götterfunken	Finale repeats the words: Be embraced, you millions! This kiss for the whole world! Brothers, beyond the star-canopy Must a loving Father dwell. Be embraced, This kiss for the whole world! Joy, beautiful spark of God, Daughter of Elysium, Joy, beautiful spark of God

 Influence

The Ninth Symphony struck the changing and newly Romantic world of Western music with force. Partially due to the scope, ambition, and import of this work, Beethoven is considered the forefather of Romantic music. His Symphony No. 9 was to prove extremely influential on the Western tradition, not just in specific compositional form (and length), but in much more general ways, for its forging of new ground beyond the Classical symphonic mould of purely "absolute music". It is an early icon and declaration of the Romantic idealistic tradition of Bildung.

Many later composers of the Romantic period and beyond were influenced specifically by Beethoven's final symphony:

At Easter 1831 Richard Wagner completed a piano arrangement of Beethoven's 9th symphony. Wagner had to decide which instrumental lines in the original had to be omitted since the pianist cannot play all the orchestral parts, thus giving his reduction a personal signature.

An important theme in the finale of Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in C minor is related to the "Ode to Joy" theme from the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth symphony. When this was pointed out to Brahms, he is reputed to have retorted "Any ass can see that!", which suggests the imitation was intentional. Brahms's first symphony was, at times, both praised and derided as "Beethoven's Tenth".

Anton Bruckner used the chromatic fourth in his third symphony in much the same way that Beethoven used it in the first movement's coda.

In the opening notes of the third movement of his Symphony No. 9 (The "New World"), Antonín Dvořák pays homage to the scherzo of this symphony with his falling fourths and timpani strokes.

The hymn, "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee", with words written in 1907 by Henry van Dyke, is sung to the "Ode to Joy" tune and is included in many hymnals.

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony may also have influenced the development of the compact disc. Philips, the company that had started the work on the new audio format, originally planned for a CD to have a diameter of 11.5 cm, while Sony planned a 10 cm diameter needed for one hour of music. However, according to a Philips website, Norio Ohga insisted in 1979 that the CD be able to contain a complete performance of the Ninth Symphony:

“

The longest known performance lasted 74 minutes. This was a mono recording made during the Bayreuther Festspiele in 1951 and conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler. This therefore became the playing time of a CD. A diameter of 12 centimeters was required for this playing time.

”

However, Kees Immink, Philips' chief engineer, who developed the CD, denies this, claiming that the increase was motivated by technical considerations, and that even after the increase in size, the Furtwängler recording was not able to fit onto the earliest CDs.

 Curse of the ninth

Using modern numbering, several composers besides Beethoven have completed no more than nine symphonies. This has led certain subsequent composers, particularly Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler, to be superstitious about composing their own ninth or tenth symphonies, or to try to avoid writing them at all. This phenomenon has become known as the "curse of the ninth".

 Performance challenges

 Duration

Lasting more than an hour, the Ninth was an exceptionally long symphony for its time. Like much of Beethoven's later music, his Ninth Symphony is demanding for all the performers, including the choir and soloists.

 Metronome markings

As with all of his symphonies, Beethoven has provided his own metronome markings for the Ninth Symphony, and as with all of his metronome markings, there is controversy among conductors regarding the degree to which they should be followed. Historically, conductors have tended to take a slower tempo than Beethoven marked for the slow movement, and a faster tempo for the military march section of the finale. Conductors in the historically informed performance movement, notably Roger Norrington, have used Beethoven's suggested tempos, to mixed reviews.

 Ritard/a tempo at the end of the first movement

Many conductors move the "a tempo" in m.511 of the first movement to measure m.513 to coincide with the "Funeral March".

 Re-orchestrations and alterations

A number of conductors have made alterations in the instrumentation of the symphony.

 Mahler's Retouching

Gustav Mahler revised the orchestration of the Ninth to make it sound like what he believed Beethoven would have wanted if given a modern orchestra. For example, since the modern orchestra has larger string sections than in Beethoven's time, Mahler doubled various wind and brass parts to preserve the balance between strings on the one hand and winds and brass on the other.

 Horn and trumpet alterations

Beethoven's writing for horns and trumpets throughout the symphony (mostly the 2nd horn and 2nd trumpet) is often altered by performers to avoid large leaps (those of a 12th or more).

 Flute and first violin alterations

In the first movement, at times the first violins and flute have ascending 7th leaps within mostly descending melodic phrases. Many conductors alter the register of these passages to create a single descending scale (examples: measure 143 in the flute, m. 501 in the first violins).

 2nd bassoon doubling basses in the finale

Beethoven's indication that the 2nd bassoon should double the basses in measures 115-164 of the finale was not included in the Breitkopf parts, though it was included in the score.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Clearwisdom.net) December 10th, 2008, was International Human Rights Day and also the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Falun Gong practitioners from the UK went to the Chinese Embassy in London and Manchester to peacefully protest against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s prolonged persecution of Falun Gong. The practitioners, who follow the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, want people to know about this human rights calamity that is happening in China. The activities called upon the international community to uphold civilized values and take concrete action as soon as possible to defend human rights and stop the persecution.   Falun Gong practitioners protesting in London stood for more than two hours in the darkness and frigid wind. The English and Chinese banners that they held out were eye-catching under the street lights and attracted attention from passers-by. The banners read: "Falun Gong Practitioners are Being Tortured to Death in China," "Organs Ripped from Living Falun Gong Practitioners," "Stop persecuting Falun Gong," etc. Practitioners handed out leaflets throughout the event.

When interviewed, practitioners attending this event expressed a common hope: to fully expose the CCP's tyranny and trampling on human rights, and to help everyone in the world see through the CCP's lies and help stop the persecution of Falun Gong.

A British practitioner, Sean, said, "Serious persecution of human rights still exists in many countries of the world, especially in China. People have been brutally persecuted for their religious beliefs in history, such as the Christians who were fed to lions. Today, the tragedy of being persecuted for one's beliefs is still happening, which is a sad and serious fact. A totalitarian regime is persecuting its own people while governments of democratic countries turn a blind eye. This should not continue."

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Bi, who just came from mainland China, said, "In China, people are deprived of human rights, deprived of the freedom to cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Those who do so are being tortured. Today is International Human Rights Day. I came here to call for human rights. After the CCP started the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, I went to Beijing to peacefully appeal, to demand freedom of belief and the basic rights of a good citizen. As a result, I was immediately thrown into jail and brutally tortured. Police at the jail once told me, 'Here we do not allow you any human rights. You appealed to have freedom of belief. But we don't have it here.' In fact, the CCP philosophy is that as long as you want to defend your religious rights or do not give up your belief, it will continue to persecute you, even to death. Today, at the Chinese Embassy, I demand the CCP immediately stop persecuting Falun Gong and give people back their freedom to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be good people."

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zheng, who often "clarifies the truth" to Chinese people in London's Chinatown, also participated in the protest. She said that she came to speak out on behalf of Chinese people, and to fight the CCP's human rights violations, especially the persecution of Falun Gong. Also, she would like to tell her fellow countrymen from mainland China that the CCP's disintegration is imminent. Only after the CCP dissolves can there be human rights or freedom of belief in China. During recent months in London's Chinatown, she found that having learned the truth, more and more Chinese people have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. The Sichuan earthquake and poisonous milk formula incidents helped more Chinese people see through the true nature of the CCP and give up thinking the CCP might improve its human rights. Nowadays the number of those who have quit the CCP is increasing rapidly.

When the event was about to be over, a young policeman who was on duty for the event went by. When asked whether he would like to be interviewed, he said that his work did not allow him to be interviewed, but that personally, he very much supported the event.

(wikipedia)

Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812. Beethoven fondly referred to it as "my little Symphony in F", distinguishing it from his Sixth Symphony, a longer work also in F.

The Eighth Symphony is generally light-hearted, though not lightweight, and in many places is cheerfully loud, with many accented notes. Various passages in the symphony are heard by some listeners to be musical jokes. As with various other Beethoven works such as the Opus 27 piano sonatas, the symphony deviates from Classical tradition in making the last movement the weightiest of the four.

Composition and premiere

The work was begun in the summer of 1812, immediately after the completion of the Seventh Symphony. At the time Beethoven was 41 years old. As Antony Hopkins has noted, the cheerful mood of the work betrays nothing of the grossly unpleasant events that were taking place in Beethoven's life at the time, which involved his interference in his brother Johann's love life. The work took Beethoven only four months to complete. Unusually, he attached no dedication to the completed work.

The premiere took place on February 27, 1814, at a concert at which the mighty Seventh Symphony (which had been premiered two months earlier) was also played. Beethoven was growing increasingly deaf at the time, but nevertheless led the premiere. Reportedly, "the orchestra largely ignored his ungainly gestures and followed the principal violinist instead"^[5].

Critics immediately noted that the Eighth did not reach the heights of its predecessor, launching a long tradition of complaining that the Eighth Symphony is not something different (more heroic, more emotive) from what it is.^{[citation needed]} However, many listeners seem to be able to enjoy the symphony anyway, and it appears frequently today on concert programs as well as on recordings. When asked by his pupil Carl Czerny why the Eighth was less popular than the Seventh, Beethoven is said to have replied "because the Eighth is so much better."^[6]

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B flat, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in F and B flat(bass), 2 trumpets in F, timpani and strings.

 Form

The Eighth Symphony consists of four movements:

1. Allegro vivace e con brio
2. Scherzando: Allegretto
3. Tempo di Menuetto
4. Allegro vivace

It is approximately 26 minutes in duration.

First movement

This movement is in the home key of F major and is in fast 3/4 time. As with most of Beethoven's first movements of this period, it is written in sonata form, including a fairly substantial coda. As Antony Hopkins has noted, the movement is slightly unusual among Beethoven's works in that it reaches its dramatic climax not during the development section, but at the onset of the recapitulation. To this end, the concluding bars of the development form a huge crescendo, and the return of the opening bars is marked fff (fortississimo), which rarely appears in Beethoven's works, but has precedents in the 6th and 7th Symphonies. This extravagance is made up for however, in the quiet closing measures of the movement.

The opening theme is in three sections of four bars each, with the pattern forte-piano-forte. At the onset of the recapitulation, the theme is made more emphatic by omitting the middle four bars.

Second movement

This movement is an affectionate parody of the metronome, which had only recently been invented (or more accurately, merely improved) by Beethoven's friend Johann Maelzel. Machine-created rhythm had already been parodied by Haydn in his "Clock" Symphony; Beethoven pursued the same impulse for the faster rhythm of the new metronome.

The metronome parody starts at the very beginning of the movement with even staccato chords in 16th notes (semiquavers) played by the wind instruments, and a basic 16th note rhythm continues fairly steadily through the piece. The tempo is unusually fast for a symphonic "slow movement".

The key is B flat major, the subdominant of F, and the organization is what Charles Rosen has called "slow movement sonata form"; that is, at the end of the exposition there is no development section, but only a simple modulation back to B flat for the recapitulation; this also may be described as sonatina form.

The second subject includes a motif of very rapid 64th notes (hemidemisemiquavers), suggesting perhaps a rapidly unwinding spring in a not-quite-perfected metronome. This motif is played by the whole orchestra at the end of the coda.

 Third movement

A nostalgic invocation of the old minuet, obsolete by the time this symphony was composed. (A similar nostalgic minuet appears in the Piano Sonata Opus 31 no. 3, from 1802). The style of Beethoven's minuet is not particularly close to its 18th century models, as it retains a rather coarse, thumping rhythm. Thus, for example, after the initial upbeat Beethoven places the dynamic indication sforzando (sf) on each of the next five beats. This makes the minuet stylistically close to the other movements of the symphony, which likewise rely often on good-humored, thumping accents.

Like most minuets, this one is written in ternary form, with a contrasting trio section containing prized solos for horns and clarinet. The clarinet solo is of significant importance in that it was the first major example of a solo clarinet playing a written G6.

 Fourth movement

This is the most substantial movement, in very fast tempo.It is written in a version of sonata rondo form in which the opening material reappears in three places: the start of the development section, the start of the recapitulation, and about halfway through the coda. This is the first symphonic movement in which the timpani are tuned in octaves, foreshadowing the similar octave-F tuning in the scherzo of the Ninth Symphony.

The fourth movement imitates the first in that the move to the second subject first adopts the "wrong" key, then moves to the normal key (exposition: dominant, recapitulation: tonic) after a few measures.

The coda section is felt by many listeners to be extraordinary, being one of the most substantial and elaborate codas in all of Beethoven's works. The coda has two particularly striking events. The harmonically out-of-place loud C# that interrupts the main theme in the exposition and recapitulation finally gets an "explanation": it turns out to be the root of the dominant chord of the remote key of F# minor, and the main theme is loudly played in this key. A few measures later, there is a stunning modulation in which this key is "hammered down" by a semitone, arriving instantaneously at the home key of F major.

The symphony ends in good humor on a very long passage of loud tonic harmony.

 

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Malaysia

(Clearwisdom.net) On December 10, 2008, International Human Rights Day, Falun Gong practitioners held an appeal activity in front of the Chinese Embassy and delivered a letter to the Embassy, calling for the end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China. The persecution violates the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights passed sixty years ago, which clearly stated that men and women of any age, without any limitations of race, nationality or religion, are entitled to basic rights, including life, freedom, security, speech, peaceful assembly and association.

A representative of Falun Gong practitioners gives a speech

Local media reporters conducted interviews at the activity. Local police, including the Superintendent, Deputy Inspector and Assistant Inspector, inquired about the persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong practitioners displayed banners in the Chinese, English and Malay languages. The banners read, "Immediately Stop the Genocidal Persecution," "International Human Rights Day - Disintegrate the CCP - Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong," "Falun Dafa Is Great!" and "Falun Gong Teaches Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." Many passersby slowed down to read the banners.

Falun Gong practitioners gave speeches in Chinese and Malay. Mr. Guo Yongqiang said that more than three thousand Falun Gong practitioners have died from the persecution. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) denies the persecution, similar to how it covered up the SARS epidemic in 2003. Many Chinese people have been deceived. Nonetheless, the United Nations Human Rights Commission has condemned the CCP for its human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners in its reports of the past eight years.

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Zijian said that due to Falun Gong practitioners' persistent truth-clarification, many people have learned the true story and supported Falun Gong. Many western governments and politicians have asked the CCP to stop the persecution. The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong gathered signatures from 131 countries calling for an end to the persecution before the Olympic Games. The signature campaign was supported by government officials, and people in law, business, medicine, and the arts. Mr. Zhang said that the CCP would eventually be punished. More and more people have seen clearly the nature of the CCP. Since the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published four years ago, 46 million people have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. The CCP's days are numbered.

 

 

 

(Clearwisdom.net) Note: The following is a shortened version of a longer and more detailed article that appeared on the Minghui.org website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net).

 

 

 

 

wikipedia

Ludwig van Beethoven began concentrated work on his Symphony No. 7 in A major (Op. 92) in 1811, while he was staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health. It was completed in 1812, and was dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.

Premiere

The work was premiered in Vienna on December 8, 1813 at a charity concert for soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau, with Beethoven himself conducting and double featured with the patriotic Wellington's Victory symphony. The orchestra was led by Beethoven's friend, Ignaz Schuppanzigh, and included some of the finest musicians of the day: violinist Louis Spohr^[1], Johann Hummel, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Antonio Salieri, Anton Romberg, and the Italian double bass virtuoso, Domenico Dragonetti, who Beethoven himself described as playing "with great fire and expressive power". The piece was very well received, and the second movement, the allegretto had to be encored.^[1] Spohr made particular mention of Beethoven's antics on the rostrum ("as a sforzando occurred, he tore his arms with a great vehemence asunder ... at the entrance of a forte he jumped in the air"), and the concert would inevitably be repeated due to its immense succe

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for strings, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in A, E and D, 2 trumpets in D, and timpani.

Form

The Seventh Symphony is in four movements:

• I. Poco sostenuto — Vivace
• II. Allegretto
• III. Presto: Assai meno presto (trio)
• IV. Allegro con brio

Performance time lasts approximately 34 minutes.

After a a long, expanded introduction in Poco sostenuto, the first movement is in sonata form and is dominated by lively dance-like rhythms.

The second movement, in A minor, is "slow", although the tempo marking is Allegretto ("a little lively"), making it slow only in comparison to the other three movements. This movement was encored at the premiere and has remained popular since. The ostinato (repeated rhythmic figure) of a quarter note, two eighth notes and two quarter notes is heard repeatedly.

The third movement is a scherzo and trio. Here, the trio (based on an Austrian pilgrims' hymn,^[2] yet another example of applying poetry to music) is played twice rather than once. This expansion of the usual A-B-A structure of ternary form into A-B-A-B-A was quite common in other works of Beethoven of this period, such as his Fourth Symphony and String Quartet Op. 59 No. 2.

The last movement is in sonata form. Donald Francis Tovey, writing in his Essays in Musical Analysis, commented on this movement's "Bacchic fury". The coda contains an example, rare in Beethoven's music, of the dynamic marking ƒƒƒ (called fortississimo in Italian).

The work is known for its use of rhythmic devices. It is also tonally subtle, making use of the tensions between the key centres of A, C and F. The second movement is in A minor with episodes in A major, and the scherzo is in F major.

Reception

Critics and listeners have often felt stirred or inspired by the Seventh Symphony. For instance, one program-note author writes:^[3]

... the final movement zips along at an irrepressible pace that threatens to sweep the entire orchestra off its feet and around the theater, caught up in the sheer joy of performing one of the most perfect symphonies ever written.

Composer and music author Antony Hopkins says of the symphony:^[4]

The Seventh Symphony perhaps more than any of the others gives us a feeling of true spontaneity; the notes seem to fly off the page as we are borne along on a floodtide of inspired invention. Beethoven himself spoke of it fondly as "one of my best works". Who are we to dispute his judgment?

Another admirer, Richard Wagner, referring to the lively rhythms which permeate the work, called it the "apotheosis of the dance".^[2]

On the other hand, admiration for the work has not been universal. Carl Maria von Weber considered the chromatic bass line in the coda of the first movement evidence that Beethoven was "ripe for the madhouse"^[5] and the 20th century conductor Thomas Beecham was similarly uncharitable, saying "What can you do with it? It's like a lot of yaks jumping about.

 

 

9 December 2008

HASTINGS - Some 100,000 current and former hourly employees of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in Minnesota – and the state of Minnesota itself – will share up to $54 million from the giant retailer under a settlement announced Tuesday.

The agreement is the final stage in a wage-and-hour class action suit that put a spotlight on Wal-Mart's practice of having employees work through their rest and meal breaks. In July, Dakota County District Judge Robert King ruled the company committed more than 2 million violations of the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act and ordered it to pay $6.5 million in back pay. The judge then scheduled a jury trial to determine the amount of civil penalties and punitive damages. By reaching a settlement, the parties avoided going to trial. People eligible for the settlement worked at Wal-Mart Stores and Sam's Clubs locations in Minnesota from Sept. 11, 1998, through Nov. 14, 2008. The agreement also includes "a substantial payment to the State of Minnesota," according to a joint statement released by Wal-Mart and Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, one of the law firms representing the workers. "We are satisfied with this settlement, gratified that these hourly workers will now be paid after seven years of litigation, and happy that the State of Minnesota will receive the largest wage and hour civil penalty in its history," said Justin Perl, one of the attorneys for the workers. "Wal-Mart is pleased that the court in Minnesota ruled in its favor on many claims," said Wal-Mart spokesperson David Tovar. "Our policies are to pay every associate for every hour worked and to make rest and meal breaks available for associates. Any manager who violates these policies is subject to discipline, up to and including termination. We remain committed to providing good jobs with real career opportunity to the 1.45 million U.S. associates who choose to work for Wal-Mart and serve our customers every day." In his ruling in July, Judge King found that Wal-Mart repeatedly and willfully violated Minnesota labor laws or its contract with its employees on the issues of contractual rest breaks, statutory meal breaks, shaving time from paid rest breaks and failure to maintain accurate records. In the decision, the judge found that Wal-Mart was aware that employees were not receiving breaks to which they were entitled. "In essence, they put their heads in the sand," King stated. In testimony before Judge King, former Wal-Mart workers described being forced to miss breaks so they could keep up with the work, even to the point of not having time to go to the bathroom. As part of the settlement, Wal-Mart has agreed to maintain various electronic systems, surveys, and notices that will further compliance with wage and hour policies and Minnesota laws. The settlement is subject to approval by the trial court, and the exact amount paid to class members will depend on the court's approval as well as on the number and amount of claims that are submitted by class members, the parties said. A hearing for preliminary approval of the settlement has been scheduled for Jan. 14, 2009.

Falun Gong Practitioners Pass Away in Anhui, Liaoning, and Hebei Provinces as a Result of Persecution

(Clearwisdom.net)

Mr. Zhang Liangming from Tongling, Anhui Province passed away

Mr. Zhang Liangming, about 47 years old, lived in apartment No. 16 of Building No. 9 in Changjiang Village, Henggang, Tongling City, Anhui Province. Since July 20, 1999, he has been frequently harassed and detained several times by local police, the Security Department of the phosphorus ammonia plant, and the Residence Management Committee.

In 2000, Zhang Liangming was illegally sent to a forced labor camp by the local police because he want to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. He was then sent to Nanhu Forced Labor Camp in Anhui Province. The clinic in the forced labor camp gave him unknown injections and he suffered a mental breakdown. His family later bailed him out for medical treatment. He never recovered and passed away on June 12, 2008.

Ms. Ma Shuyun, a Falun Gong practitioner from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, passed away

Ms. Ma Shuyun, a Falun Gong practitioner from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, 56 years old, began to practice Falun Gong in 2007 after seeing her sons Cong Ming and Cong Liang's changes after practicing. On August 10, 2008, her son Cong Liang was arrested. She was unable to bear the trauma and passed away on October 29, 2008.

On October 31, the day her funeral was held, CCP staff in Shenyang City scheduled a hearing in Dadong District Court for Cong Liang's case so that no one from his family could attend.

In the past nine years, Ms. Ma's family has suffered the CCP's persecution only because they wanted to practice Falun Gong and be good people. The twin brothers Cong Ming and Cong Liang began practicing Falun Gong while they were working at a restaurant in Shenyang. After they practiced Falun Gong, they required themselves to be good people by following the principles of "Truth-Compassion-Forbearance".

In May 2001, Cong Ming was sentenced to 9 years and was first detained at the Dalian Wafangdian Prison. On July 12, 2007, he was transferred to the Dalian Nanguanling Prison. In July 2001, Cong Liang was forced by the police in Dongling District Nanta Police Station to fall from a sixth floor building. He was severely injured, with multiple broken bones, and in a coma for 11 days. Later on he recovered miraculously after practicing Falun Gong.

Their father could not understand why his sons were sent to prison merely for being good people. He often spent his time drinking and died from a heart attack in 2002.

On the evening of August 10, 2008, Cong Liang was arrested by police from a branch station in Dadong District. A policeman from Chang'an police station drove his mother from her home so that he could stake out the place for arresting other practitioners. She was forced to rent an apartment that had no heat and was very cold at night. She fell ill from the trauma of her sons being arrested and kicked out of her home, and could not get up from bed. The landlord was afraid that she might die in the rented room and asked her to leave.

Under such persecution, Ms. Ma Shuyun passed away on October 29, 2008.

Ms. Li Ximei passed away in Li County, Hebei Province

Ms. Li Ximei, 67 years old, from Linbao Village, Linbao Township, Li County, Hebei Province, began to practice Falun Gong in 1998. She became healthy and recovered from her illnesses after starting the practice. In 1999, she was illegally sent to a brainwashing session several times to suffer persecution. One day in October 2000, she was arrested and taken to the township government office by the police to suffer persecution. She was released after being extorted out of 5,000 yuan. After that, the police and local township staff members went to her home to harass her several times. In the end of 2002, the township staff members took her to the township government and detained her in a small room for persecution.

Due to constant persecution from the CCP's staff members, she could not practice Falun Gong on a regular basis. In 2005, she fell ill and passed away on February 28, 2008.

 

Child Prodigy brings heart to a Korean talent-contest TV program!

 

 

 

By a practitioner from Chicago

(Clearwisdom.net) The Mid-USA Falun Dafa Association was again invited to perform at the 75^th Annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago on November 27, 2008. They were the only Chinese group in the parade. Falun Gong practitioners decorated a large float to promote the Divine Performing Arts New Year shows, which will be held on December 27 and 28 in Chicago. More than 400 thousand people watched the parade.

The annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade is one of the biggest parades in the mid-USA area. Falun Gong practitioners have participated in this parade since 2003. This year, the Falun Gong entry was led by the Tang-Flag Team, and also consisted of a celestial maidens' dance group and a float promoting the Divine Performing Arts shows.

WGN TV Station broadcast the parade, and almost one million families watched it on TV. Twenty-five bands from ten other states, including Texas, Minnesota, Ohio and Michigan, performed during the parade.

 

 

Washington, D.C. - Genetically modified crops reached 9 percent of global primary crop production in 2007, bringing the total GM land area up to 114.3 million hectares, according to Worldwatch Institute estimates published in the latest Vital Signs Update. The United States continues to be the global leader in production, accounting for half of all GM crop area.

GM production has been on the rise since the crops were first introduced more than a decade ago, and it now includes 23 countries. But controversy over the benefits of genetic modification continues, including questions about the technology's ability to deliver on promises of enhanced yields and nutrition. 

"GM crops are definitely not a silver bullet," said Alice McKeown, a researcher for the Worldwatch Institute. "They sound good on paper, but we have yet to see glowing results."

Even as GM crop area expands, tensions are building. The European Union is expected to offer new guidance on the crops by the end of the year.  Meanwhile, a new scientific study funded by the Austrian government suggests that a popular variety of GM corn reduces fertility in mice, raising questions about the technology's safety.

"There are still many unanswered questions about GM crops," said McKeown. "But the good news is that we have solutions to food security and other problems available today that we know work and are safe for humans and the environment, including organic farming."