Ode to Joy

Just got back from hearing the Bozeman Symphony perform Ode to Joy - Beethoven's 9th.  Amazing is the only word that comes to mind.

Bozeman definitely has its share of talented people and the orchestra that perform is no exception.  I've always been a great fan of Beethoven's 9th anyway and this was such a neat way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

What's even more remarkable is the fact that Beethoven wrote this when he was almost completely deaf.  When it was first performed in Vienna in 1824 Beethoven had to be turned around at the end to see the applause and joy he'd given the audience.  This is a photo of one page of the original manuscript.

I grew up singing Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee to the tune of Ode to Joy.  I've always loved the words Henry Van Dyke wrote in 1907 to be sung to Ode to Joy. It starts out:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

What a day of praise!  I feel completely re-energized for the week to come.

I'll leave you with this wonderful flash mob video.

Joshua Bell and my trip to Colorado

For those of you who have never heard the name Joshua Bell, I have to enlighten you.

 Joshua Bell is an amazing violinist and I had the great opportunity to hear him play in Ft. Collins, CO last week. I was not disappointed.  Mr. Bell is considered a "classical music superstar."  He was recently named the Music Director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and has earned numerous awards and debuted when he was just 14.



 Here's a little example of his amazing artistry on the violin - which by the way is a 1713 Huberman Stradivarius.

 


I heard about Joshua Bell about 20 years ago and since then have wanted very much to see him in concert, but he was never in a place close enough for me to drop what I was doing and go.

This time he was and my friend and I were able to heard him play. Here we are dressed up for the occasion.  Okay - we were really just playing around in a thrift store.

 I wish everyone could attend one of his concerts as the man is pure poetry in motion.






Now I have to also give high praise for the pianist who accompanied Mr. Bell. Sam Haywood is a British pianist who has won many of his own accolades.

One of the most amazing things I read about him was that to celebrate Chopin's bicentennial year, he made the world premiere recording on Chopin's own Pleyel piano which is part of the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands.





 It was amazing the way these two performed together and it brought tears to my eyes and all I could do was praise God was giving such talent. Thankfully I have a few CDs and continue to enjoy the music now that I'm back home. But, there was nothing quite so grand as hearing him play in person. Yes, that was a heavy sigh you just heard from a very contented heart.

Blue Jeans Friday

I don't know about you, but I love blue jeans.  This was probably born out of my being a teenager in the 70's when jeans were the standard of living for most of us teens.

But, since I write historical novels, I thought it would be fun to share some of the history of blue jeans on this Friday - which for many offices is a casual dress day.

Levi Strauss is credited with the actual creation of what would become blue jeans.

His creation started in 1853 and by the 1870's Levi's were common fashion for men.

So why were jeans created? Strauss saw men, particular hardworking miners who were in need of heavy-duty work pants, Strauss took brown canvas tent material to make the first pairs of what he called "waist overalls".  These were simple pants without belt loops or pockets.  So how did the men keep them up?  There was a cinch strap in the back.

Here are a couple of fellows sporting their jeans.

Using duck canvas material was gradually shifted to denim.  Denim got its name from the French region where it was created - Nimes, France.  Serge de' Nimes was a heavy twill cloth that Strauss dyed indigo for his workpants.  Some sources say that calling this material "denim" goes all the way back to 1577.

Keep in mind also, that long before this, Genoa, Italy had sailors who wore blue pants and the French called these, "bleu de' Genes" with Genes being a version of Genoa.

Another interesting side note is that in the British colony of India there were similar pants called dungarees. These were a casual pants made from a heavy cloth the Hindi's called dungri.  It was used for sales and tents, but when transformed into pants, it was often blue in color.

So while some called them denims, dungarees and bleu de' Genes, most sources say that the term of jeans in America wasn't really coined until about 1901.  Other sources even stretch that to say that blue jeans is a term that was born out of the 1950's.  No matter, they were popular pants that served workmen well.

Levi Strauss is definitely created with birthing this new fashion in America.  As the father of "Levi's" this Bavarian immigrant continues to be highly regarded for his ingenious creation.  For years he sold these pants in brown duck canvas or denim and after a time came to realize that the denim was far more popular.

Denim changed with age, making it softer and more conformed to the frame of the wearer and thus became the preferred material.  As for the color, indigo was one of those dyes that was good for hiding stains and dirt.  However, it was also a dye that didn't permeate the threads of the fabric like other dyes, so in time molecules chipped away and the jeans faded with use.

It's estimated today that over 450 million - yes million -  pairs of jeans are sold each and every year and the average American owns seven pairs in a variety of styles and colors.

Prices range all over the board with designer jeans going for as much as $1.3 million due to having diamonds sewn onto them for decoration.

This page of antique Levi's sold for $60,000.00

Maybe the most amazing thing is that Levi Strauss created a fashion that has lasted over 150 years and has no indication of ending any time soon.  Now, if you'll excuse me - I'm off to go count my jeans and see if I really have 7 pairs.