Monday, May 11, 2015

The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone.  It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place using illusion and skilful manipulation.  He conjures up a storm, to lure his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island.  There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio's lowly nature, the redemption of the King, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso's son, FerdinandThe Tempest has more music than any other Shakespeare play.  Two settings of songs from The Tempest which may have been used in performances during Shakespeare's lifetime have survived.  These are "Full Fathom Five" and "Where The Bee Sucks There Suck I" in the 1659 publication Cheerful Ayres or Ballads, in which they are attributed to Robert Johnson, who regularly composed for the King's Men.  Versions of "Full Fathom Five" were recorded by Marianne Faithfull for Come My Way in 1965 and by Pete Seeger for Dangerous Songs!? in 1966.  The Decemberists' song "The Island:  Come and See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel The Drowning" is thought by many to be based on the story of Caliban and Miranda.  Michael Nyman's Ariel Songs are taken from his score for the film Prospero's Books.  Among those who wrote incidental music to The Tempest were Arthur Sullivan.  His graduation piece, completed in 1861, was a set of incidental music to "The Tempest".  Revised and expanded, it was performed at The Crystal Palace in 1862, a year after his return to London, and was an immediate sensation.  Ernest Chausson:  in 1888 he wrote incidental music for La tempête, a French translation by Maurice Bouchor.  This is believed to be the first orchestral work that made use of the celestaJean Sibelius:  his 1926 incidental music was written for a lavish production at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen.  At least forty-six operas or semi-operas based on The Tempest exist.  Frederic Reynolds produced an operatic version in 1821, with music by Sir Henry Bishop.  Choral settings of excerpts from The Tempest include Amy Beach's Come Unto These Yellow Sands (SSAA, from Three Shakespeare Songs), Matthew Harris' Full Fathom Five, I Shall No More to Sea, and Where the Bee Sucks (SATB, from Shakespeare Songs, Books I, V, VI), Ryan Kelly's The Tempest (SATB, a setting of the play's Scene I),Jaakko Mäntyjärvi's Full Fathom Five and A Scurvy Tune (SATB, from Four Shakespeare Songs and More Shakespeare Songs), Frank Martin's Songs of Ariel (SATB), Ralph Vaughan Williams' Full Fathom Five and The Cloud-capp'd Towers (SATB, from Three Shakespeare Songs), and David Willcocks' Full Fathom Five (SSA).  Orchestral works for concert presentation include Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's fantasy The Tempest (1873), Fibich's symphonic poem Bouře (1880), John Knowles Paine's symphonic poem The Tempest (1876), Benjamin Dale's overture (1902), Arthur Honegger's orchestral prelude (1923), and Egon Wellesz's Prosperos Beschwörungen (five works 1934–36).  Ballet sequences have been used in many performances of the play since Restoration times.  Stage musicals derived from The Tempest have been produced.  Find references to The Tempest in literature, art and film at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempest

State-of- the-art was first called status of the art.
Stud poker was first called stud-horse poker.

Swiss chard was identified by a Swiss botanist and is a variety of Beta vulgaris.  The plant is also called silverbeet, Roman kale, and strawberry spinach.  A member of the goosefoot family,  other members are beets and spinach.  

Beet greens buzz  Grown in the Mediterranean region as far back as 2,000 B.C., beet cultivation spread to Babylonia in the eighth century, then to China around 850 A.D.  Within the botanical family, Chenopodiaceae , beet greens are factored alongside spinach, Swiss chard, quinoa, lamb's quarter, and a number of other wild plants, which means that beet greens can be placed in the “dark, leafy” category.  It’s best to use beet greens within two or three days after refrigeration.  Enjoy beet greens by themselves as a salad or with other leafy vegetables, or sauté them in a bit of olive oil or balsamic vinegar and salt for a delicious side dish.  If you find yourself with too many beet greens, don’t throw them away.  Freeze them and use for soup stock.

Ryan Hardy of Charlie Bird called scapece “perhaps the most genius of all Italian marinades.”  Like its Spanish cousin escabeche, scapece was originally designed for preserving fried fish.  “This combination of sweet and sour, garlic and mint makes zucchini or butternut squash shine even more brilliantly,” said Mr. Hardy.  “Use it with some whipped ricotta and toast.”  Recipe at  http://www.wsj.com/articles/scapece-recipe-1429799922  Recipe of Giada De Laurentiis instructs to marinate vegetables overnight and serve at room temperature with bread, fish or chicken.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/zucchini-and-carrot-a-scapece-recipe2.html

Principal (noun, adjective) referring to someone or something which is highest in rank or importance, non-interest portion of a loan  Principle ( noun) law. tenet, or doctrine
Stationery(noun) paper that you use for writing letters or notes.  Stationary (adjective) not moving, fixed in one place, still
Compliment (noun, verb) kind or flattering remark.  Complement (noun, verb) full crew or a set-- they go well together

Nearsightedness (myopia) is a very common condition in which the light coming into the eye is not focused properly onto the retina, making it difficult to see objects far away.  The condition is usually caused by an elongation of the eyeball that occurs over time.  Farsightedness (hyperopia) is the opposite of myopia, and is usually caused by shortening of the eyeball.  Astigmatism is an imperfection of the cornea preventing part of it from focusing light onto the retina.  The result is a blurred area within an otherwise clear image.  This problem may occur along with either myopia or hyperopia.  These frequent conditions are termed "refractive errors."

The National Audubon Society is designating Lake Erie’s western and central basins as two of Earth’s most significant ecosystems.  Gary Langham, the society's chief scientist, announced the decision at the May 8, 2015 kickoff for the Biggest Week in American Birding.  He told hundreds of birders at the Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center in Oregon, Ohio that the society’s board has voted to designate the islands and shoreline in those basins as “globally important bird areas” and plans to make a formal announcement soon.  The Biggest Week in American Birding, a 10-day birding festival from Lucas to Lorain counties, is expected to draw 80,000 binocular-toting visitors through May 17.   http://www.toledoblade.com/news/2015/05/09/Event-kicks-off-with-honor-for-habitat.html  See also http://www.mageemarsh.org/ and http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2015/05/10/A-birding-paradise%28copy%29.html


http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1295  May 11, 2015  On this date in 868, a copy of the Diamond Sutra was printed in China, making it the oldest known dated printed book.  On this date in 1820,  HMS Beagle, the ship that would take Charles Darwin on his scientific voyage, was launched.

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