Skin lightening is a procedure practiced by many Asian cultures, which involve the use of various cosmetic methods in the attempt to lighten the skin of Asian females. Having fair skin is a desired characteristic for Asian women not only superficially but culturally as well. Skin lightening has extensive history in Asia, and stems back to traditions of China and Japan. Their saying “One white covers up three ugliness” was passed on generation to generation. However the color of a woman’s skin did not only affect the perception of her beauty, but her marital prospects, job prospects, social status and income potential. Having a light complexion was regarded as aristocratic and noble because only wealthy people could afford to stay indoors and avoid performing intense outdoor labor, while the lower classes baked under the sun in the fields. It also Men preferred pale women because their fairness symbolized that they were pure and innocent, untouched and unseen by other men. In earlier days Chinese women would ground pearls from seashells into powder, and digest it in order to lighten their skin, while across the Yellow sea in Japan, Geishas would power their faces chalk white. However, there is also the ideology that Asian women desired pale skin to imitate western women. Although time has passed, the concept that pale skin is better than tanned skin still remains. There are various products in the market today which help to lighten skin including topical creams, diamond peels, soaps, oral medication and even surgeries.
Questions 1. Do you think skin products and the desire to have light skin is purely superficial? 2. Do you think that having fair skin affect a woman’s marital prospect, job prospect, social status and potential income in modern day Asia?
The Five Commandments of a Good Musician
Many people have different opinions on what makes a truly good musician. You can have two performers with closely similar technical ability who play the exact same piece, but yet receive completely different feedback from the audience. However, you have the other kind of performers, who could either be technically good or not, but they always deliver. So what is the key element that makes this difference?
1) Technique is not the only key to successful delivery. One must invest the right emotion in their performance, depending on the mood of the piece. If the performer can captivate the right mood, it invites the audience to do so with them.
2) Be aware of your audience. Certain pieces work well with certain audiences. Make sure that you're piece is suitable in the given surrounding.
3) >Be original. Ask yourself, what makes you stand out from other performers of your generation? What do YOU have, that other musicians don't? You have to define yourself as a musician and place yourself amongst others.
4) Speed isn't everything. Playing fast can be impressive but it doesn't come up high on my scale of what is impressive about any musician. Try and ask them to play slowly and precisely and you will see how skillful they really are.
5) Tell a story. Remember that you're not just playing a piece, but you're telling a story. Although you need to master your piece in order to have the ability to play it freely , practice expressing your emotions theatrically as well. This strongly enhances the audiences’ understanding of your piece.
6:03 AM
Monday, February 22, 2010
200 years years ago today, one of the great masters of Romantic music was born! His home country Poland will be rolling around. Special events and an opening of a newly renovated Chopin museum in Warsaw are planned. The city of Warsaw will be holding concerts, exhibitions and special events to honour his contribution to music all year long.
Ever notice how Chopin's first name is always spelled differently in different sources? This is due to the fact that his mother was French and his Father was Polish and therefore the spelling "Frédéric" is the French spelling and "Fryderyk" is the Polish spelling.
Personally, I think Chopin is most intriguing, because of the simple lyrical melodies that clearly pertain to certain moods. His music benefits from his effective use of essentuated "Rubato" (borrowed time).
I find Chopin's relationship with composer John Field to be quite interesting. Field was a great influence on Chopin, although much older. In his early years Chopin was often told that he sounded much like Field, and Field was also told he sounded "Chopinesque". Dissapointingly, Field wasn't quite a fan of Chopin and had even said that he was a “sickroom talent.” That however, didn't affect Chopin's view of John Field. He still admired his works and continued to take inspiration from him.
7:33 PM
Sunday, February 21, 2010
While watching the Men's Figure Skating Long Program in the Olympic games, one competitor's song choice came to my attention. Florent Amodio skated to a mash up of several songs including Amelie soundtrack, composed by Yann Tiersen, mostly hip hop and techno tracks.
One short excerpt of his program, was skated to a remix of Chopin's Nocturne no.21 in C# Minor. I myself, not knowing the popularity of this piece found this to be quite interesting. I did some research and found the piece to be a remix by "The Re: Mind Orchestra" of which I could find no background information about.
I did however find a full track of this piece. The expressive, lyrical melodies in the original composition have a unique blend with the track behind it. Enjoy!
7:06 PM
The Olympic Games opened with the Canadian national anthem, sung bilingually by Montreal jazz prodigy, Nikki Yanofsky. The arrangement sung by Yanofsky was in cut time and incorporated jazz embellishments. Although the quality and power of Yanofsky's voice is outstanding, the arrangement was frowned upon as it was altered from the original standard.
National anthems are a huge deal. Especially for the Olympic games, with people around the world watching, it's a real emotional moment and therefore should always remain in it's original form. National anthems could instill pride to their citizens, or create controversy if not sung well.
8:49 AM
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
From the late 16th century to the mid-19th century, castrati were a unique phenomenon in Western music. Although the practice of castrating young boys and training them to sing was not approved by the Church, authorities turned a blind eye. The only castrato, to have every been recorded was Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922). He entered the the Sistine Chapel in 1883 and became conductory of the Choir in 1898.
The voice is clearly in the soprano range. It is obviously not a great voice, and the technique is below average. It's blemished by the habits of the time. However, take note that it's timbre is striking and unique, and it is most intriguing in the high notes.
The objective of the Castrato was to obtain a high voice, because the higher the voice was, the closer they were to God. I personally, don't dig this kind of stuff, but I do find it quite fascinating, looking at it from a historical perspective.
1:56 PM
Sunday, February 7, 2010
So I recently came across this new application which lets you notate stuff on your page. Who knows, it may come in handy in one of my posts.
