There have been a couple of old cassette tapes in a corner of the book shelf. While getting things arranged there, I have found them. Memorable ones for me.
One, shown above a tape in my med school days. I have written about it before elsewhere in this blog. When we have finished the concert of Beethoven 7th, a violinist, a first year student of the women's college our university held the orchestra as an intercooligiate activity, has taken her friend pianist to see me at a wing of the stage. Both of them were majoring in music education and both very proficient at their instruments. Yes, I know I have boasted about it before. They have asked me to play piano trio. As a chamber music lover, it was a really pleasant proposal.
We have practised the famous piano trio, Archduke, by Beethoven. Repeated rehearsals for several times, we have played the 1st movement at the college's festival in fall. Later, we played all of the movements. Not a very difficult piece but a great sense of achievement when we completed all the movements. We decided to record it at the hall of the college. It is a very old hall made of wood and brought a great accoustic sound with proper amount of reverberation. What a fun to play it with them at such a hall! I have listened to it for a few times. But never recently. One reason was that I have lost any cassette tape player. The other, more plausible, was that I was not very happy at own performance. Maybe, I won't dare to listen to it again any longer. It is still a treasure for me. It is dated in Oct. 1977. Forty six years ago.
The 2nd one shown below is a recording of a concert of the high school orchestra which the pianist friend used to join. I was invited to a memorial concert by the alumni of the orchestra. I also have mentioned about it before. Before this concert, after a long interval, I have asked her to play chamber music together. She kindly came to Tokyo at certain interval for practice. Together with different violinists, we have enjoyed various pieces of chamber music. Mendelssohn, Brahms or Faure etc. I came down to Tokyo for the practice once a month or so. Most pleasant days. Oh, this is what I have posted here in the past. This was dated in 2000. Twenty three years ago.
These cassette tapes testify those happy times in my life. I may keep them and ask family to dispose them when I pass away. They are meaningless to the other people but a treasure for me. The 1st was made 46 years ago and the 2nd 23 years ago.
I have posted this photo in the past. With the company of piano trio.
It's been quite chilly since the end of last year. Lately, it gets as low as minus 10 degrees C early in the morning in this area. It rises only up to several degrees C even in the day time. It has been windy as well for the past few days. I have never experienced this weather ever since we were settled down here some 40 years ago.
Someone may doubt of the global warming in this aberrant weather seemingly on the contrary to it. I am not quetioning that myself but wondered what was causing this cold wave.
In Face Book, a researcher of farming has given an answer to such a question.As the illustration below shows, there is the polar vortex in the north pole, that is, a strong band of winds. The global warming has disrupted it and has caused cold atmosphere flow down in the north hemisphere. It is the cause of this cold snap. On the other hand, the north pole is warmed and the ice is thawed there, which might cause another disturbance in weather/ocean physics so far as I understood.
This might explain what has caused cold snap in the North East US and a part of Europe.
The global warming brings about extreme changes in the weather. Such as typhoons in the summer may get overwhelmingly big and strong. It might disturb farming as well as fihsery. Some areas may suffer from dry heat in the summer. Mother Nature may revenge what human beings have done for the past century or the past decades. We should make efforts to stop deranging the nature and to reverse it to normal. I hope we have not gone over the point of no return.
I could not help having a wry smile when I found the same kind of post around this time in the last year. I have plowed some portions of garden for farm ridges where I would plant vegetables in a month or two. Exactly, it was a week or so earlier last year. Possibly, the delay is due to the cold snap which has lasted since the end of last year. Terribly cold. It is much below the freezing point every morning and the ground is always frozen early in the morning.
I still need to make the ridges for spring potatoes. They should be planted by the end of next month or the potatoes won't grow large before it gets hot. This year, together with compost made from pulled weeds and vegetable remnants, rice bran has been put into the soil. It is believed to work not only as a fertilizer but also as a soil conditioner. As you may know, there are a lot of spicies of bacteria in soil, which help the vegetables grow well. Rice bran augments growth of such bacteria flora in soil. Some farmers use fermented rice bran which works rapidly compared with raw rice bran. When raw rice bran is put into the farm, it will be spontaneously fermented and become easier to be absorbed by the vegetables/bacteria.
The agricultural ecology is a profound science. Interesting to study.
In this winter, it has been too cold for any vegetables to grow as expected. Fava beans plants have been damaged by the low temperature. They have been covered with non woven fabric sheets in addition to grass mulching. Any beans are rather resilient against cold snap. But I don't know if they will survive or not yet since I have never experienced this aberrant weather as a farmer. The forecast says this cold wave may persist until next month. This extreme of weather may be a phenomenon due to the climate change, I am afraid.
No much work in the garden yet. Spending a lot of time surfing the internet and making some comments/posts mainly regarding medical system and politics. Even more time watching youtube clips purposelessly. I am interested in journey to the places I have ever been to in the past. Not very productive way of life.
Listening to music known or unknown to me as well. I happened to come across with Brahms Nr2 piano concerto played by Pollini with accompaniment of Wien philharmony. The conductor was Abbado. I was immersed with the works by Brahms in my student days, whether chamber or orchestral works. I was attracted by his two piano concertos those days. This performance was recorded in late 70s. i can't remember it right but this must be one of the performances I liked then. Both Pollini and Abbado were young, needless to say. They have lived their lives as successful musicians. Abbado has died years ago while Pollini is still alive at age 81 years now. I felt as if I met old friends after a long absence in fact. The cello solo in the 3rd movement is hauntingly beautiful. I used to practice that phrase for myself those days. I would go on a journey to look for music like old friends.
The author insists that, in writing method, writing down the letter/word on a paper or on a mental black board could limit the speed of reception. Instead, copying them with pronounciation improves it. I believe phonic method in English study compares the pronounciation of a part of a word, that is, the phoneme with its orthography, which is used for education in English. Phoneme reminds them of the spelling. It is said it is superior to writing down.
I still have a few questions of this phonic method.
One is that pronouncing certain word could be involved in motor function in speech. It is not essential for comprehension of the message. Morse Code is a slow mode of communication. If pronouncing a phoneme in a word could help the receiver understand what word is sent, it is not a necessary process in comprehension. In the real communication of Morse Code on HF bands coould be disturbed with QRM or QSB. Therefore, it is often difficult for us to complete a phoneme. For a non native speaker of English, it is also often difficult to contrast pronoounciation to semantics.
The author's advice regarding how to improve reception skill with phonic method is, i believe, out of the point. Even if we would try to do different things at the same time, for example, reading a book or speaking to a person nearby together with copying Morse Code message, it won't take long to realize it is quite difficult due to the limited capacity of our consciousness. Especially when we try to copy with phonic method. Distraction to another thing is a misleading advice.
In a word, pursuing phoneme is useless in Morse Code communication.
What I believe important in it is comprehending the message itself. It is done in a longitudinal way, that is, a dynamic intellectual process between reflection from the message sent immediately before and prediction of the message being sent juct next to the present word/sentence. It is not the end of this short note to advocate my head copy style. If you are interested in it, please refer to this article in the past;
This dynamic process in head copying might be related with cerebellar function. Recent studies show cerebellum, which has been believed to be involved in involuntary movements and/or posture, may work in predicting difficult linguistic task.
Maybe, beginners are asking me how to practice head copy as I write here. I have not established any formula. Just concentrating on comprehending the message sent at every moment. Be conscious to understand the context. If you are skillful enough and may come across with an unknown word, you may look up into a dictionery for its meaning as I used to do. It is not a distraction but closely related with comprehending the message. There should be a various ways of training. I just would emphasize it is important to practice it on the air with certain elmer.
These days, sets of CDs for classic music are often at sacrifice sales. I have found a box set of 15CDs, the whole organ works by Bach, which were played by Marie Claire Alan, a renowned organist in the latter half or the 20th century. I was not an eager listener for organ music but still remembered of her name. It cost only 20 or 30USD. No choice, I have ordered it in the internet.
When I got it and played one of them, it sounded a bit harsh in the high range of audio to me. It sounded like too much exaggeration in the high range. I have given up listening the others and left it on a shelf among the other CDs I won't listen to.
In a few months, I thought I would try it again before I abandon them completely.
Randomely taking one of the set, I started listening to it. The high range did not hurt my ears so much as before. Has my hearing ability detelorated? The polyphony flew out like an ancient Gothic architechture. Such polyphony, especially the style of fugue, always fascinates me. I have been wondering what attracts me so much in the polyphonic music. I have written about it before. Not proven musicologically, I believe, it might be related with the structure of consciousness. Consciousness is functionally like multiple layers. The structure of fugue may reflect how consciousness works in us. The multiple layered structures won't help stimulating my mind.
That CD contained several pieces of organ work. All of sudden, it started lighter touch of music. Sure it was like moving from deep woods in Germany to the sunny coast in Italy. It was BWV596 as the brochure said, which had been arranged from a famous concerto grosso OP3-11 of Vivaldi. I knew Bach used to arrange some Vivaldi's works. It was, however, still a big surprise to hear that piece in a totally unexpected manner. It has brought me back to my med school orchestra days.
When I could play cello at the level for ensemble in 2 or 3 years after starting it, I organized a small ensemble and played small pieces before patients etc at hospitals or other related facilities. I have written bringing the famous aria "Er Barme Dich, mein Gott" from Matthew's Passion to the facility my father used to work at in another post. It was an activity of such an ensemble. It was a big fun for me to play such pieces with small number of friends.
With this concerto grosso, we played at the inpatient ward of the Dept. of Psyhiatry of our university hospital. It was around Christmas. If I remember it right, in addition to this piece, we have played the famous Pastral of Christmas Concerto by Corelli. In a not big room for day acitivity use for the inpatients, some 10 or 12 players stood side by side. Packed in like canned sardines. The piece is a concerto for two violins and a cello. I was playing that solo cello. I am not sure I could take that part for myself. But I was not more serious at it than anything else. Luckily or unluckily, we have not recorded that performance and no means to confirm how we played it. Pleasantly enough, we have got a big applause when we finished it. Everything is only in my memory.
Finishing the performance, we started putting up things like music stand. At that moment, a guy aged around 40 years came to me with smile. He has introduced himself to me and said he had loved classic music so much. It was only for a minute or two long conversation. I don't know why but that scene was firmly left in my memory.
In a few years, having graduated my mother school, I have started serving residency at a medical school hospital in this area. Soon after getting used to training as a resident, I joined the small orchestra in the school. It had only a dozen of members. Most of them were male students at the school. At the school festival in fall, we have played something, I can't recall, before audience. That same guy I met at the performance at my mother school has again come to see me when everything was over. He told me he had moved to the hospital as an inpatient. The professor and the main staff of the Psychiatry Dept. were from my mother school. Maybe, he has moved there with his doctor in charge. He told he was glad to see me again. It was again a meeting for brief time. It was still so impressive.
Candidly, I had a feeling of embarrassment seeing him again there. I was not only so surprised to see him after that interval but also felt vague pain in my mind. Why wasn't he in my position? What has destined us to meet in this manner at quite different positions? Of course, there is no answer to these questions. I realized there were things I could not understand in my life. What has he felt at our encounter? How has he lived after that? He should be around 80 years or older if he is still alive. We ran across twice in a unexpected coincidence. But we may not meet again any longer and would end our journey of life without knowing of the questions I held as above.
Unfortunately, this is not Alain's performance. It is much more modern. Brisk tempo and model of a polyphonic world of Bach. I am not good at organ music. But I believe it is an authentic performance.
I have started writing up this post several days ago. But I was hesitating to finish it. It sure sounds like an old man's talk of old private memory. Is it worth publishing it here?, that was the question. My wife used to work as a resident as well at the Dept. of the Psychiatry at the medical school where I met him for the 2nd time. I asked about him to her. She answered no. Nothing she could recall. Without telling this story here, the fact we had accidentally met twice through the music would be lost in eternity, even though it was only a trivial occurence. If I would publish it here, the memory might be lost in a few years. It is still worth writing it down here, I believe.
On Jan. 7th, we have a tradition to eat porridge of seven weeds. The porridge contains 7 kinds of weeds, including raddish, which bud out in this season in a year. A simple porridge seasoned only with salt. It is a seasonal festival handed down from ancient people. It is to rest our stomach after having had a lot of gorgeous foods in the New Year's Day holidays.
I have never been interested in such a tradition. But maybe, getting older, I would try it tonight. Porridge used to be a dish my mother, as the other mothers in Japan, prepared for us when we got sick in oour childhood. Nostalgic as well as gentle taste.
I had to confess to my wife that I had happened to find the freeze dried material of this porridge at a supermarket. I would not have bought such an item when I was young.
It is not bad for us to try such a humble dish as porridge from time to time recalling old days.
Kondratiev wave says that there is non linear change or an inflection point in the history of certain social system in 40 or 60 year interval. It mainly refers to the economical system. Between those points, there are stable period fo growth or development. The generations are replaced in the stable period during that period, which causes the wave. It is a drastic change of contraction involed with a lot of systems at the same time, so far as I know.
This Kondratiev wave could be applied to the history of Morse Code. It was invented in 1837. The industrial revolution has expanded the range of people's activity, which required telecommunication by Morse Code in the mid of 19th century. By the end of that century, wireless system has been invented to communicate further. In the first half of the 20th century, communication with Morse Code has dominated the world, unhappily for the purpose of military actions. Morse Code communication has slowly extingushed in the latter half of the century. As you know, it was replaced to satellite communication and later by internet. By 1980s through 1990s, Morse Code has disappeared in the commercial communication except for rare instances. It was destined to live further in amateur ham radio. Amateur ham radio has various aspects of enjoyment, such as DXing, contesting and ragchewing. It's amazing each drastic change in Morse Code communication has occurred in 40 to 60 years interval. It could be just a phenomenal coincidence but, thinking of each inflection point, we know there have been reasons and causes for the drastic change in its history.
In my point of view, knowing other people through this hobby/communication mode always gives us much pleasure. The relationship is real and is continuous for decades, that is, for life long. Such way of enjoyment is, sadly, extinguishing now. It might be replaced to digital mode and/or contesting and DXing. I know the latter is still a fun but is like a game. I am afraid only few young people would spend thousands of bucks for radio equipment/antenna. Don't misunderstand I am not running them down here. But I am describing what is going on in reality.
At this point of inflection we are facing now, there could be two possibilities coming ahead. One is complete extinction of Morse Code and the other is survival among those who appreciated its characteristics of ragchewing. This inflection must be done with conscientization of the pleasure and benefits intrinsic to this mode of communication. It was often told "Let's try it together. Then you will know that.". But, in my view, we should verbalize what attracts us so much enough to spend our precious time for studying and training it.
In order to have Morse Code survive among young people, I would write an article regarding this issue. Hopefully, I would concentrate to depict the pleasure and benefits in our lives of this old fashioned communication mode. If you are interested in this project, give me any idea or join me to investigate about it.
So what would people say about this drastic inflection point by the Kondratiev wave of Morse Code in a century? Total extinction or complete survival?
Last month, I happened to know a medical journal in neurology had featured a number of the movies whose theme was regarding illnesses of mainly neurological entity. I was astonished to see so many movies had handled a variety of diseases, whether fatal or not. Those diseases must bring about drama to people and they could not help being concerned about them. Most diseases the movie handled were serious or life long ones. There were a few diseases which I had never known of. Despite of the progress in medical science, there are so many diseases which medical doctors hardly could do with. Especially, hereditary ones or diseases related with aging.
For the patients, their illness should be their lives themselves and be an absolute absurdity in their life. I know a lot of people with such diseases are living with courage. They are even encouraging us with their positive attitude.
Our aging and death are themselves the absolute absurdity for us as well. We have been born to achieve something in the world, which are seldom accoplished. If death is brought about with political power, that is, with in war etc, thoughts he/she is in a abusrdity is beyond our imagination. Aging and death are becoming inevitable theme of concern for me.
We could keep distance from things in our lives as we get older. It enables us to view things objectively but not clinging to them. It won't be easy to do with the absurdity in life.
Keeping distance and independence from things in the world may let us live more freely and less worried. It should be my resolution this year. Could I get closer to wisdome of elderly?
As this sentences say;
Leonard Cohen said his teacher once told him that, the older you get, the lonelier you become, and the deeper the love you need. This is because, as we go through life, we tend to over-identify with being the hero of our stories.
This hero isn’t exactly having fun: he’s getting kicked around, humiliated, and disgraced. But if we can let go of identifying with him, we can find our rightful place in the universe, and a love more satisfying than any we’ve ever known.
People constantly throw around the term “Hero’s Journey” without having any idea what it really means. Everyone from CEOs to wellness-influencers thinks the Hero’s Journey means facing your fears, slaying a dragon, and gaining 25k followers on Instagram. But that’s not the real hero’s journey.
In the real hero’s journey, the dragon slays YOU. Much to your surprise, you couldn’t make that marriage work. Much to your surprise, you turned forty with no kids, no house, and no prospects. Much to your surprise, the world didn’t want the gifts you proudly offered it.
If you are foolish, this is where you will abort the journey and start another, and another, abusing your heart over and over for the brief illusion of winning. But if you are wise, you will let yourself be shattered, and return to the village, humbled, but with a newfound sense that you don’t have to identify with the part of you that needs to win, needs to be recognized, needs to know. This is where your transcendent life begins.
So embrace humility in everything. Life isn’t out to get you, nor are your struggles your fault. Every defeat is just an angel, tugging at your sleeve, telling you that you don’t have to keep banging your head against the wall. Leave that striver there, trapped in his lonely ambitions. Just walk away, and life in its vastness will embrace you.
