Slavonic dance OP76-2 by Dvorak

Another private memory. In sentimentalism.

As written elsewhere in this blog, my parents have met and married at a small sanatorium for tuberculosis during WW II, when my father demobilized the army after having spent harsh time as a soldier in China for several years. That sanatorium managed by our aunt was located at this place we are living at present. Tuberculosis was an absolutely serious illness those days. My aunt, my parents and a few workers, mother and aunt being nurse, used to care for the patients in poverty. Most of the patients had stayed there until they passed away. In '50s, aminoglycosides were developed as specific medicine for tuberculosis and such a small sanatorium has lost its meaning of existence in the society. My aunt has decided to close it down in mid' 50s. Oh, well, I think I have told about this story in a previous article. The rest of the story will be carried out in short.

My parents have decided to go to Tokyo for a new life with us, three children. They have got a place in a suburb of Tokyo, which their friend, known through the community of Christianity, has introduced them. A month or two prior to our departure to Tokyo, my father left for there and built a very tiny house by himself. This is it. He was in his late thirties of age. Energetic and willing to manage raising the family. I was 5 years of age then and still have occasional vague memories of the life there.

One time, playing on a swing, I fell down on the ground and had one leg broken. With it fixed firmly, I could not attend the kindergarten and spent a month or so at home. All I could do was to draw pictures on paper and to listen to radio. When sun was sinking and dusk was falling around, I might feel lonely at home. Around such a time, there was a program featuring a Slavonic Dance of Dvorak. The melody, sentimental as well as beautiful, was really impressive enough to be remembered by this young boy. Of course, I have never remembered of the title or its composer at that time. Later, when I started listening to classical music, I met it again. If I remember it right, I might have a chance to play it as a cellist for an encore to Dvorak's 8th symphony at the university orchestra, which is full of impressive melodies as well. Needless to say, my mind was full of nostalgia for that time.

I just happened to find this video in Youtube. It has brought me back to those old days again. Loneliness waiting for parents to come home in twilight. I also remembered of my parents who were working hard for us. Especially, my father. I have not esteemed his efforts and love for the family. At this age, I feel my heart filled with gratitude to him. So late but better than nothing.  

My parents and my sister at the sanatorium. 

Twenty years or so ago, we have had a celebration for my parents' anniversary. With their 3 children. 

Still wondering if I have thanked them enough to reward their love to us. Honestly, I feel I could have done or could have expressed gratitude to them.

Recalling them with this sentimental melody, I excuse them remembering them in this way is a return to them if not sufficient at all.

Don WB6BEE

 A couple of days ago, pretty late at night, I was called by Don WB6BEE on 40m. The band was very quiet without OTH radar typical for this season in a year. He was running with the old bug key as he had been in Colo. I could not recall any occasion with his this weak signal this time in the past. The same keying as from Pagosa Springs but really weak signal I have never heard of. I felt strange that he sounded that way. 

I am convinced again that he has moved to a real DX from our region in the world. the East Coast northern than South Carolina are always a very tough area to work with especially on 40 unless the station is equipped with a big beam. Of course, it is because the path is over the north pole. 

As soon as we finished the QSO as a proof of existence, he has given me a note telling he was running 300W into a wire set along a tree in the back yard. John K1JD has told me later the antenna setting was done in darkness. In stealth fashion. Again it was a real surprise for me to hear him with such a set up. 

As I told before, he has been a regular guy on 7026 plus or minus every morning in his time when he was in Colo. He always enjoyed yakking there for a while until he and his wife went out for a walk. His presence has been a normal daily routine for me and possibly for the others hanging out on that frequency. Having lost him as a regular core guy, I feel he was the main operator. I could recognize him with his bug key sending when I heard the first few dots/dashes. It was like his voice in fact.

Ok, this is never his obituary. We might meet on the higher bands in better conditions. Or if his project to set a wire array in the reserve forest next to the back yard goes successful, we might be able to chat a bit like before on 40m. I sure miss Don on 40m but am still hopeful for further QSOs in the future. Only wishing him and his wife good luck at the new place.

Johannes Passion

 Whenever I listen to Johannes Passion by Bach, I am always confounded by the beginning tune of this music. Honestly, it sounds too irritating and brings me to anxiety. I have been wondering if I was too much or erroneously sensitive to this music.

Recently, reading a book regarding this Passion by Tadashi Isoyama, whom I had mentioned as a renowned researcher in Bach in this blog before, I learned that my impression was not out of focus. The instrumental part in the 1st tune is composed of 3 melodies, the melody by the wood wind instruments, that of the strings and the basso continuo. The basso continuo may reflect, as Isoyama depicts, the world created by God. Slow melodies by the wood wind may represent the hardships brought by human Sin while the perpetuum mobile of the higher strings may express the strain toward Christ's death on the cross as the Atonement. They are characterized by usage of variable discordances. 

The discordances are featured in the melodies as well as the harmonies. It is amazing Bach has featured such discordances fighting and opposing each other in this music. It turned out to make me feel that anxiety whenever I listened to it.

From this point of discussion below, it is mainly a product of my speculation. Johannes Gospel was established in the end of the 1st century AD, when the Temple of Judaism was completely destroyed and the people was destined to disperse around the world. The Primitive Church of Christianity needed to theologically identify themselves with the New Testament. For the last Gospel among 4 of them, Johannes Gospel should be established to clarify the difference from the faction of John the Baptist. It is historically to be missioned world wide. This characteristic music of strain may reflect the situation of the Primitive Church those days. Of course, Bach was deeply influenced by Luther. I have not followed what Bach was taught by Luther's thoughts yet. 

I was a bit relieved to know that this Passion starts with strain and anxiety as I have felt. 

Isoyama has submitted the doctoral article on Johannes Passion for the degree in musicology and had the oral examination on it on 26th Jan 4 years ago. Of course, with his knowledge and academic capability, he could have obtained the degree long time before. That article was the base of this book later published. He has met an accident in a week or so after the examination. And eventually he has died with a serious damage to brain on Feb 22nd. Later, his family was given his doctoral degree by the university he submitted the article. It was a big loss in music society. But I always admire him finishing his life in this way even though it was not intended at all. 

This time in a year is the time for me to remember of this researcher and his works which have brightened and lead me to understanding of Bach.

Brain fog, a complication of SARS CoV2

Replacing the delta variant, the omicron variant of SARS CoV2 has become fiercely epidemic all over the world now. So far, the latter is more contagious but is seemingly less virulent than the delta and the former ones. The omicron variant is apt to be regarded as a mild form of SARS CoV2. The governments tend to be less enthusiastic implementing measures against this variant. Actually, our government seems to omit the PCR test for the diagnosis and not to have the infected people isolated from the society for certain period. Notwithstanding early diagnosis and isolation of the infected one is the basic rule to deal with such contagious infections.

It is well known that RNA viruses are liable to mutate frequently and, with certain mutation, are often evasive from the immunity. So called herd immunity must be hard to be acquired, I am afraid. Even though the fight against this pathogen would not last forever, no one knows when and how it ends up. 

There is another point with this species of virus to be be emphasized. It is so called the brain fog as a complication or a sequel of COVID 19. A kind of cognitive impairment which lasts months or even longer. A large scale review with metanalysis says it amounts up to 22% of all infected cases. It must depend on the diagnosis criteria and knowledge of this complication among clinicians how frequent it is recognized in the clinical sites. It is, however, so common that the patients, however serious their illnesses might be, often could not return to the social life due to it.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159121006516?via%3Dihub

It should not be looked down because of the rather large number of cases but also of its pathophysiology. An article in Nature last year has revealed it is due to endothelial cell apoptosis of the small vessels in the brain caused with the viral main protease. Pathologically, it takes the form of the string vessel. The viral main protease causes cleavage of NEMO which adjusts the function of nuclear factor k-B. It results in the inflammation and apoptosis of the endothelial cells. In an animal model, the apoptosis antagonist RIPK3 has blocked this process. This seems to be a process of permanent damage to the brain. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00926-1

An article in the recent issue of Eur. J. Neurol. says the brain fog won't be ever lasting but tends to recover in the span of months. It is an epidemiological finding. We should wait further study on its prognosis. The above mentioned pathophysiological research in Nature should be an important finding and tells us the brain fog should not be paid little attention.

There are a number of reports depicting the neurological sequelle by SARS CoV2 other than the above mentioned article on the brain fog. 

This must be related with the pathophysiology of the brain fog. It says the COVID 19 neurophysiology resembles cancer treatment related cognitive impairment.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.07.475453v1

Some patients of COVID19 show the Parkinson's syndrome like symptoms. This could be comparable to the pathophysiology of the brain fog. 

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.11.475947v1

Less is known about the long sequel by the omicron variant. We should keep eyes wide open for the further reports about it. It is, needless to say, important for us to take precautions against COVID19 however mild in the acute phase it may look like.

A sense of rhythm

 This morning, I have had a comfortable chat with Jack W8KR on 20m after a bit of interval.

He ran his old bug quite fascinatingly as usual. The polar flare, however, was terrible in the beginning of the QSO, which sometimes disturbed us to read each other. While I went QRS with my keyer, he started using a straight key. What beautiful Morse Code! I wondered if it was a straight key or the dash side lever of the bug he was sending with. He answered it was a straight key since his beginner's days. I was again impressed at his very beautiful keying with it.

His mentor W8QIX used to tell him at his age 13 years not to use a bug for a year. After having operated that straight key he got in 1955, he got the present bug for his birthday gift and began using it at age 15 years. I believe that training period for a year and plus with the straight key has made his keying so perfect. His decent keying might be thanks to his talent in rhythm but also to that training. Each letter sounds neat. Most impressively, the spaces between words were what they should be. The space lets us easily copy the sentence. Needless to say, we understand the message based on each word composing a sentence. If each word is not clearly distinguished from the other words, it might be quite tough for us to read the sentence and comprehend the message.

We believe sending Morse Code in proper spaces. Between dashes/dots as well as between words. In actual communication on Morse Code, the inter-words spaces are crucial to have the hearer understand the message due to the reason stated above. It is, however, quite a matter of subjectivity. It is a capability to objectively listen to own sending by him/herself. It requires us some training. In Jack's case, he might be blessed with a talent in that point. And his mentor has made it flowered. His flexibility in rhythm must has made it perfect in the period of training.

I should hook the straight key I got at age 13 years to the radio and sometimes practice with it. In my case, it is a discipline to endure my short temper.

I told Jack he could have been a musician if he had not grabbed a key but a musical instrument at age 13 years.

Preparing a farm ridge and prospect of food deficit

We have been in cold snaps coming successively since mid Dec. last year. It has been below the freezing point every day. In the daytime, I don't have so much to do in the garden/farm. The only work I have done in the farm was to clear the fallen leaves from the chestnut tree in the strawberry farm. Exactly, without caring for, it is a lot of strawberry plants grown wild beneath and close to the tree. There were a lot of chestnut fruits among them as well.

We could hardly find any sign of spring yet. But a ume tree is already in bud, even though they are still pretty small. In a week or two, it may start blooming. It is still rather late this year.

I thought it was the time to cultivate ridges for potatoes, which should be planted in the end of next month. Compost made from weeds was mowed into the bed. Natural farming I am interested in lately tells not to pull the weeds grown there. Weeds  should be used for mulching the plants. It sounds reasonable to me that the farm should be ecologically closed not taking things away so much and not adding there things like artificial fertilizer to the farm. I wonder if I could follow their way of farming. So far, I would be friendly to weeds or worms there. They are not enemies for ecological farming.

I would prepare such ridges for various vegetables for summer. It begins with potatoes.　

I have had back pain even with this amount of work. Aging and disuse syndrome. I should exercise a bit more before it comes the season of farming. 

As you know, there was a big eruption of submarine volcano near Tonga yesterday. It has caused Tsunami in Japan without almost any damages. I am afraid it has brought certain size of damages in various countries/islands in the South Western Pacific. International society should give a hand of help to them as soon as possible.

Another point of concern is what effect it would cause the world weather for the coming years ahead. This eruption was comparable to that caused by Mt. Pinatubo in Phillipines in 1991. The latter has brought about the cold climate for a year or two which lead to the poor crop especially in the northern hemisphere. Our country has had to emergently import rice from abroad due to poor harvest of rice. In caloric base, our country is only 40% self-sufficient as for food provision. The food self-sufficiency rate in this country has been gradually dropping since 2 or 3 decades ago. To subsidize the farmers by the government is really necessary in our country. But the program the related governmental office appeals seems only a series of slogans. Our government is really enthusiastic for expansion of armaments against Chine in Okinawa and related islands there. But before such military security works, our country could be devastated due to food deficit in the near future, I am afraid.

So that is partially why I would work hard to grow such as potatoes and sweet potatoes in order to survive in such an occasion.

A pirate in the East Coast and a factor which determines ham radio activity

 Yesterday, Don WB6BEE has sent me an e mail with a couple of photos. One was his new shack in the basement. No radio yet. But it could be a storage of a lot of radios. The only issue for him is how to set an outdoor antenna. I am sure he will get it done soon.

The other photo showed the map of signals his skimmer had received. He said it had captured "my signal" on 40m. Strange enough. It was when I was not on. "My signal" was too loud at the skimmers in the East Coast. And I could never carry on such QRS as 17WPM "my signal" sender was going with. Evidently, it was my pirate possibly in the East Coast.

Nowadays, very few are enjoying the ordinary old fashioned QSOs. But there are still such pirates pretending even me. I sure would like to see "me" and to ask if "he" could put up with such slow sending/receiving for his navigation speed. I am too short tempered to stay slow in that way.       

With Done gone away from Colo. to Va., 7026 KHz has become more empty than ever. He used to hang out there in his early morning hours before going for morning walk. There were quite some guys gathering on that spot around him. Without him, that spot sounds like a candle that is about to extinguish its fire. The over all activity in ham radio, especially in this small world of CW, might be determined by such a guys' activity. It must be important to have someone like him activate certain spot on the bands. 

Langsamer Satz by Belcea String quartet

Just for a memorandum.

 I have written about Webern and this piece, one of his early works, in a previous post.  Here.

This performance by Belcea String Quartet, a British ensemble debuted in 2000, attracts me most. It starts quietly with the melody by the 1st violin. The beginning won't indicate the lively drama coming up later. The 1st violin player renders exquisitely moving passages. It could not be more romantic. I believe she is positioned as the center in this ensemble. This quartet is named after her family name. I am most indulged in her song with the instrument. I wish they would have released this piece with CD. Not yet. 

Last night thinking over about this piece when going to sleep, I felt this piece is not only a romantic piece but also expressing the sorrow of existence. As with deeply emotional music, it expresses both pleasure from romanticism as well as sorrow at the same time. It is strange enough but sure reflects two aspects of a life event. That may be why such a piece of music fascinates us so much. 

A psychological research regarding reception of Morse Code

 When I found this article among abstracts in PubMed, I could not suppress a grant of admiration at it, or more exactly, was deeply impressed at the fact that such a theme as this is epistemologically investigated.

I could hardly mention or evaluate about the content of this research due to lack of knowledge about the concept in psychology. I should understand about the methodology of this investigation, which is not described in this short abstract. 

I could point out that they have not paid much attention on the function of prediction as for what will follow next in the context of the message sent on CW. This is the important point to achieve reading by ears on CW as in the ordinary verbal conversation as I repeatedly emphasized in some articles in this blog. In this research, the short term memory function is regarded vital, which I could not fully approve.

Secondly, the terminology such as item memory is now related with function at certain area in the brain. They should relate such concept with brain physiological findings. Nowadays, such relationship of certain psychological concepts with anatomical/functional findings could be investigated with such as functional MRI.

The laboratory the 2nd author belongs to is in University of Pittsburgh, where, I remember, there were researchers as for reception system of CW. This theme could never be an object of research which attracts academic attention. But if CW, the simplest form of communication is investigated with modern technology in brain science, it might be flourishing in an field of experimental epistemology. CW won't become extinct at least.    

Quote;

Comprehension of Morse Code Predicted by Item Recall From Short-Term Memory

Sara Guediche 1, Julie A Fiez 2

Affiliations 

• PMID: 34491811
 
• PMCID: PMC8642092 (available on 2022-03-01)
 
• DOI: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00042

Abstract

Purpose Morse code as a form of communication became widely used for telegraphy, radio and maritime communication, and military operations, and remains popular with ham radio operators. Some skilled users of Morse code are able to comprehend a full sentence as they listen to it, while others must first transcribe the sentence into its written letter sequence. Morse thus provides an interesting opportunity to examine comprehension differences in the context of skilled acoustic perception. Measures of comprehension and short-term memory show a strong correlation across multiple forms of communication. This study tests whether this relationship holds for Morse and investigates its underlying basis. Our analyses examine Morse and speech immediate serial recall, focusing on established markers of echoic storage, phonological-articulatory coding, and lexical-semantic support. We show a relationship between Morse short-term memory and Morse comprehension that is not explained by Morse perceptual fluency. In addition, we find that poorer serial recall for Morse compared to speech is primarily due to poorer item memory for Morse, indicating differences in lexical-semantic support. Interestingly, individual differences in speech item memory are also predictive of individual differences in Morse comprehension. Conclusions We point to a psycholinguistic framework to account for these results, concluding that Morse functions like "reading for the ears" (Maier et al., 2004) and that underlying differences in the integration of phonological and lexical-semantic knowledge impact both short-term memory and comprehension. The results provide insight into individual differences in the comprehension of degraded speech and strategies that build comprehension through listening experience. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16451868.

An e mail from an old friend of mine since med student days

On the New Year's Day, I have received an e mail for the New Year Greeting from an old friend of mine, Ms. U. 

I have first known her more than 40 years ago. It was at a backstage of a concert hall when we, the university orchestra, have finished a concert. It was the only opportunity when I played the role of the cello top. A violinist, Ms. K, took her there. They have proposed to me to play a piano trio. Both of them were students of music education at a famous women's university. Both of them were freshmen of the university which has been the cooperative school for orchestral activity with our mother school. I was more than happy to have had such a proposal from such not only lovely but also proficient musicians like them. It was the Archduke trio by Beethoven we have played. Apparently, both of them, who would be professional musicians in the future, were much more skillful at their instrument than me with cello. That was why I have enjoyed playing with them. I still remember like events yesterday that we have practiced at the old rehearsal room of the university or even at its big hall. In half a year or so, we have finished all the movements of that trio. Ms. U has performed grand music with absolutely reliable technique. 

This photo was taken at a summer camp of the orchestra. Ms. U, the person in the middle of the photo, has joined the orchestra for a year as a cellist. She quit the club in order to concentrate on piano then. What lovely girls!

Ms. U used to visit us at the dorm for the residents at a med school where I and my wife served residency. She went for a postgraduate school majoring in piano performance. Later, she went to the US with her husband, a medical researcher, and studied further piano at a university there. It seemed she had worked as an accompanying pianist for the other musicians as well as a practice pianist for the Saito Kinen orchestra chorus organized by Seiji Ozawa.

It has been for more than a couple of decades we talked to play each other in some occasion only in the New Year's greeting cards. Both of us have been too busy and involved too much in own work and family affairs.

When I started my own practice and recalled playing cello for a hobby in late '90s, it was her name that brought up in my mind as a pianist. I would like to play chamber music with her. At my request to play something together, she kindly accepted it and came to see me in Tokyo. She looked all the same as in the student days. We have played the 1st movement of Mendelssohn's 1st piano trio for the first time. The violinist was a younger friend of ours, an alumni of the med university. For the next few years, we have played various chamber music together. One day, we have gathered with other players in Nagano for chamber ensemble. A lot of pieces were performed in that event. Drinking and talking a lot as well. In the end, we have played the famous d minor piano concerto by Mozart in chamber music arrangement, of course, with her as the soloist. I could not forget her playing really demonish cadenza for the 1st movement. Her son, aged around 11 or 12 years, was beside me as a cellist then.   

This photo was taken at a small concert we played that Mendelssohn's trio. Twenty three years have passed!

Several years again have elapsed without any contact with her. I have received an invitation to her concert of Schubert's Winterreise with a baritone singer. I and my wife have gone to listen to them. It was 2010 a year before the big earthquake. A memorable concert. Her piano sounded mellowly beautiful like water droplets on leaves. It seemed she was busy talking to the audience. We went back home without greeting her. On the way, she has noticed our visit and has given me an e mail for gratitude. This piece was, as she said, a music which her father had loved most.

Again, there has been a long interval without any correspondence etc with her. And the New Year's greeting e mail has broken that long absence. You may understand how pleased I was to have it. She is still teaching at a college while caring for her old parents. I have almost quit playing cello with a right arm issue. We won't have any chance to play together. I am still so glad to have her as a friend since student days.