Mozart had unusual powers of detachment. From his pupil Attwood’s account we know it in his creative activity as observed.
‘Mozart was observed at the end of a meal to begin folding and unfolding his napkin; with polite excuses he left the room and returned to the company in good spirits. Often when this happened he [...]
Archive for November, 2008
Mozart-the composer
Posted in music, tagged Beethoven, concentration, creative process, detatchment, Mozart, music on November 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’
Posted in humor, tagged art, black and white, cartoon, Half-Half, slogans on November 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The roar of a wit
Posted in anecdotes, tagged British politics, Harrow School, statesman, Winston S.Churchill on November 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
When Churchill was felicitated on his eightieth birthday by a grateful nation, he replied in the House thus, ”I have never accepted what many people have kindly said, namely that I inspired the nation. It was the nation and the race dwelling all round the globe that had the lion’s heart. I had the luck [...]
Interpreting History
Posted in history, philosophy, tagged parallax error, perspective, vanishing points on November 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
How do you interpret history then amid such changes taking place about you? History as I said at the outset is march of events in a perspective. How do we see two railways tracks as we look at them receding from us? These tracks seem to merge into one. Does it not?
Let me cite another [...]
History In A Flux
Posted in philosophy, tagged error, Greek thought, interpreting History, life as flux on November 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Heraclitus an ancient philosopher said: ‘On those stepping into rivers staying the same other and other waters flow’. If waters keep flowing even as you cross the river on one direction you are not on return touching the same waters twice. Much water has flowed by since you crossed it. You may have held frame [...]
Performing Blues-anecdotes
Posted in anecdotes, tagged Charles Laughton, Ragtime Baby, WC Handy on November 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
CHARLES LAUGHTON, Actor
Laughton was once asked in an interview if he would ever consider marrying again. The question was hypothetical in as much as he was happily married to Elsa Lanchester, but he answered that he would never contemplate such a step. Pressed for a reason he said that during his courtship a man puts [...]
Dizzy and Women
Posted in anecdotes, tagged British statesman, Earl of Beaconsfield, flattery, Mathew Arnold, Queen Victoria, romantic fool on November 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Disraeli’s attitude towards women was of a semi-platonic semi-amorous, half courtly and half familiar nature. At the end of his life he told Mathew Arnold:You have heard of me ,accused of being a flatterer. It is true.I am a flatterer.I have found it useful. Everyone likes flattery; and when you come to Royalty, you should [...]
What is History-2
Posted in history, tagged cause and effect, China, Cluster principle, Deng Xioping, historical necessity, Mao Tse Tung, Michael Collins, time and space on November 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Continuing from the previous post in order to make history one must have a correct sense of timing. Man follows certain trends and would know how to exploit them. Man makes history by his understanding of his world and to his time and place in particular. The latter is crucial. Mao Tse Tung in China [...]
What is History?
Posted in history, tagged Ancient Rome, Cleopatra, Republic, Socrates, the Grachii brothers, time and space on November 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
History is the march of events in a perspective.
1.
History is made in context of something else.
History is made by man on whom other life forms as well as inanimate objects can also work. Socrates ended his life drinking hemlock and Cleopatra by a bite of asp are but a few examples. A man like Caesar [...]
Man,his vision
Posted in history, philosophy, tagged Chinese Gordon, Li Hung-Chung, madness, Mao Tse Tung, Theocracy, Triad on November 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Hung Hsui-Chuan January 1, 1814 – June 1, 1864)
He was the son of a village headman of the Hung clan of the Hakka tribe. As a child he was precocious( he was able to recite the Four Classics after five or six years) but with no means to advance himself. He became a tutor to [...]