Partita No2 by Bach

My daughter usd to practise violin until the end of jr. high. For a practice piece, she was given by her teacher a piece from the Unaccompanied Sonata for Violin No3 by Bach. When she all of sudden started playing that piece at the practice room, I happened  to be there with her. The atmosphere has abruptly changed. Every note of this piece was quite different from the other works. It has struck my mind even though she was not far from perfect with violin at that time yet. Bach's music, whatever it might be, sounds different to me. It was a pleasure for me to listen my daughter playing it before me. No chance for me to listen to her playing Bach since then, though.

 

Bach has been a special composer to me ever since I got interested in classical music. It expresses a universe itself as well as tender emotion appealing deeply to our mind. There is no single note unnecessary for a music. 

 

This work, No2 Unaccompanied Partita for Violin, is one of the best musics not only among the other 5 unaccomapnied sonata/partita but also among his all works. The last piece, in the style of Chaconne, is very famous. The other pieces are, however, really great. This music convinces us that there is something valuable shining in our lives even when it seems to have lost its ray of hope.

 

Harn is a great performer especially for Bach. Needless to mention of her perfect technique with the instrument. She plays Bach in the way it should be. It sounds warm as well. Is it her or Bach who is whispering just close to us? You may listen the composer, through her, breathing  beside you.

 

This is the piece I would bring with me in my pilgrimage if it comes true.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall has deepened.

A couple of days ago, I went to a hot spa near by. It is only 40 minutes drive from here. It belongs to "a road station", where drivers stop by for meals or rest for a while. It was on a week day, so that most of the people dipping themselves in the hot spa were aged ones. When I told that to my wife in the evening, she laughed at me telling I was one of them. Sure it is.  

 

 

 

 

On the way back home, I purchased some vegetables being sold at that station. Very fresh and reasonable.

 

There was a large farm of Soba, whose flowers were fully out, along the street. I remembered of the same scenary on the way to the office. I commuted there listening the piano trio in a moll by Ropartz.

 

 Fall has deepened.

 

A memorable place will be gone soon

Some of you might have visited Akihabara Radio Store (ARS) in Akihabara, a downtown in Tokyo, famous for radio parts shops. That store has rows of small branch stores along narrow walkways beneath the railway of Chuo line. It has been established 64 years ago. Many hams have gathered there for radio parts. Whenever I went there, I found a lot of people around there. There have been such radio stores all around Akihabara. They have been downsized owing to the prevaing computer shops. 

In 1960s when I was a newcomer in ham radio, I used to go there once a month looking for some parts. I used to make a single 6BA5 receiver for the very first home made one in my life. When I turned it on, the tube suddenly exploded. What a scary event! I didn't know why. Maybe, the high voltage DC was wired to the heater of 6BA5. I have made all my equipments by myself later on. All the parts were purchased in Akihabara.

I have often attended the other radio store named Radio Department Store close to ARS in Akihabara. In my low teen days, I have known to one of the personnel, a young man, who has kindly helped me to collect the parts I needed. Almost twenty years later, when I was a postgraduate student at my mother school, I needed a radio part and went to the same store. I found that person working at the same branch there. He has not recognized me, of course. I felt it went back to my kid days then. That Radio Department Store was replaced to a computer shop not so long after that.

Recently, the news said that ARS would be finally closed by the end of this Nov. One of my memorable places, or I should say, the last place in my good old days will be gone away soon. Shall I visit there again before it is closed?

My paddles

Paddle is a big concern for CW operators.

 

I have 3 paddles so far. No intention to add anyone to them. Though each is not perfect yet, I am always using Chevron. From left to right in the photo below, Chevron, Mercury by Bencher, Profi by Schurr.

 



 

 

I believe there are 3 major factors which determine the quality of a paddle.

 

 

1) Contact:

The contacts between the lever and the fixed column side should be perfect. This won't be a major problem with these paddles. But Chevron sometimes has a contact problem between the column and the screwfixing the contact. Applying contact grease at the screw, I rarely have this problem. It is still sometimes annoying. Without this problem, this Chevron is the best.  Chevron has upgraded to a new model, which might have been solved with this issue. Another paddle I used to use years ago has had a contact problem at the pivots of the levers. When contact seems not perfect, we should suspect of not only the problem with the contacts surfaces themselves but also the other parts described here.

 

2)Weight and resistence:

The lever weight and the mechanical resistence at the pivots of the levers should be as light as possible. The tension should be maximized when the lever is pushed as well. The movement of the levers are most important for paddle function. It should be as smooth as our hand. Yes, it should be an extention of our fist. From this point of view, the lever and the associated structure should be as light weighed as possible. It will minimize the motion resistence as well as the inertia. This is, however, contradictory to the following factor. The magnets make the characteristics of the tension ideal. The spring for tension as with Schurr is not ideal. All 3 of my paddles are pretty satisfactory as for this point. 

 

3)Rebouncing sensation:

I was pretty happy to have Mercury at first. It won't take me long to realize that it causes an uncomfortable sensation of rebouncing with that paddle. I guess the lever is so light that it causes a fine vibrtion proper to the system due to its striking to the fixed contact. That vibration should be felt as a rebouncing sensation. Increasing the tension and narrowing the contact spaces, it could be diminished to some extent. But it is not perfect. I guess the light weight, whether it was designed or not, should be the cause of this problem.

 

I still love these paddles.

 

No, I won't buy any more. Possibly.

Murasaki-shikibu

Murasaki-shikibu is a woman novel writer in 10 to 11th century in Japan. She has written the famous "Genji Monogatari", a long epic of love romance among the aristocracy in the Heian era. There is a plant with her name here.

The original name meant piled purple fruits. Murasaki-shikibu was close to it in pronounciation and was converted to this plant's name. Her name seems suitable for this plant with not gorgeous but elegant beauty, like ladies in good old days in Japan. The academic name is Callicarpa japonica.

It has been drizzly today since a typhoon has been passing by in the Pacific ocean right now. No gardening today.

Murasaki shikibu naturally grown in our garden.

Expecting daughter coming home...

This is a special dinner for our daughter coming home tonight. Chirashi Sushi. Cooked rice is mixed with vinegar and various materials. Then fresh raw fish, boiled garden pea and fried egg are put on it.
When adding vinegar to rice, we should blow it with a fan. This is a key point to have rice look shiny.  It was me who mixed them while my wife blew it.  The rice grains on the wall of the wooden bucket doesn't mean we have already eaten it but it was due to mixing.

 

 

This is boiled pumpkin seasoned with sake etc. This pumpkin was a hravest in the garden farm. The other pumpkins were not very successful this year. A bit watery and less sweet. But this one tastes great like chestnut.

 

 

 

All the dishes are ready. But the guest won't show up here.

 

 

 

 

When I called her on the phone, she answered to me with vivid voice from her apartment. Yes, it is next week end when she has planed to come home.

 

 

The issue is whether two of us could finish all the dishes. I should have made less sushi...

Pilgrimage around Shikoku

 

Centuries ago, people have started pilgrimage around Shikoku. It was, they say, after a great teacher in Bhuddism named Kukai who had lived in ascetic discipline in Shikoku district in the 8th century. Pilgrims go around Shikoku worshipping 88 of the temples scattered all over.

 

In the beginning of its history, they say, pilgrims were those who could not live in the homeland due to various reasons, mostly ominous or criminal, or those with serious illnesses. They prayed for their relieves through the pilgrimage. Or they could not live in the other ways than this pilgrimage. Having been supported by people along the roads of pilgrimage, they have walked all the way on their feet. Doing charity for those pilgrims with giving foods, water or even accommodations has been believed  to mean doing something good in Bhuddism. 

 

At present, a number of people, young or old, are still going for this journey. They say most of the modern pilgrims want to know who they themselves are or would regain the power to live after having got tired from their own lives. A part of them still walk all the way on their feet as in old ages. It takes them longer than 2 months to walk through the entire pilgrimage for nearly 700 or 800 miles.

People along the roads are told to be still very helpful to those pilgrims.

 

The pilgrims wear white cloth with a wooden stick on a hand and a straw made hat on head. It was until I had heard about it from a taxi driver in Takamatsu city, one of the largest cities in Shikoku a few years ago, when I knew their dress meant they could die anywhere on the way of pilgrimage. I was almost shocked to hear that there had actually been many pilgrims lost theri lives on the way. The white cloth was for the funeral for themselves. It was not for fun but for a real discipline to look for the reality in life.

 

Recently, I have read a book about this pilgrimage written by a retired journalist. He used to walk all the way in his forties one time. It was for writing an article as a journalist. He said he wanted to walk for pilgrimage itself apart from his profession. He made it true at the age of 70 after retirement. He has described how it moved him through walking in the nature and meeting people on the way. It's a pity, as he said, some roads have been paved and have had much traffic with cars. It has ruined some parts of the pilgrimage. But, in the other portions, the great nature was still preserved and has reminded him of the ancient pilgrims who had walked the same way. He has also described a lot of impressive chance meeting with many people, Bhuddism priests, pilgrims and people doing charity for him. 

 

Giving every routine in my life aside, I would like to go for this journey by myself in the future, not far from now. It might be a good chance to reflect myself and to consider how to live the time left in my life.

 

This photo was taken on a beach in Shikoku, near to my wife's homeland, in this winter. There was a temple for this pilgrimage close to this place.