T S Eliot The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Essay

T S Eliot The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock - Essay Example Prufrock is depicted as a damned person who seeks to woo a woman. The world seen in the poem through the epigraph is dull and boring. Prufrock is not hopeful that the surroundings will offer his the conditions that he wants to win the love of a woman. His inability to perceive the world as a better place is seen in the second verse where he says, â€Å"Like a sole patient etherized upon a table† (Eliot 1). The allusion to a historical prophet is evident and reinforces the theme of inadequacy with the world. He sees himself as a person who cannot achieve the goals he had visualized in the beginning. Allusion has been used to convey Prufrock as a character who does not believe in himself because of his wretched situation. The title of the poem symbolizes the love concerns in the poem. The reader expects Prufrock to pursue his love interest after setting the environment in the first verse. However, he is portrayed as a man who cannot act on feelings because of the questionable mindset. The strong attraction of love does not grow in the process because Prufrock does not act on his infatuation with the woman. He has fears rejection, obsessions, and anxieties he has about the world. The title is anchored on the theme of love, but Prufrock does not succeed because of the people in the world who prevent him from interacting maximally. Prufrock ends up being condemned in a world of loneliness isolation. The speaker struggles with the self-identity in the poem. Use of repetitive questions, for example, â€Å"Do I dare disturb the universe?†(Eliot 5) has been used to depict a person who is struggling with finding himself and his real identity as a man. Eliot was a modernist who was concerned with addressing issues that revolved around self-identity but within the larger universal context. Questions of finding meaning in the speaker are evident and the speaker wants the universe to walk

University blackboard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

University blackboard - Essay Example If we consider the traditional definition of blackboard, it says, "A blackboard is a rectangular shaped, smooth, surface hard, dark-colored panel for writing on with white colored chalk". Such type of boards are still used in classrooms the world-over. White board has replaced the blackboard, with the writing material now multicolored sketch pens instead of chalks. But now we are living in the IT era. Blackboard is now known as something of a community portal. In the university environment students use it to interact with each other or with the tutor. In the formative years of IT era this concept was brought up initially within a LAN environment and this type of sharing was known as Bulletin Board arrangement. Now the term 'blackboard' encompasses many more dimensions including the worldwide web. Now it can be defined as a web-based software system which is used to for face to face teaching/ learning or distance education programmes and supports flexible teaching and learning. The bl ackboard also provides tools and facilities for managing the courses online, for managing and sharing the contents, for some online collaboration and communication with peer academicians and of course the assessment management. In a nutshell Blackboard can be defined as a system that facilitates and manages electronic communication and access to materials or information. Tutors use a blackboard for supporting our learning.Students are the saplings of a healthy society. ... iii. Students don't miss out on the days' lectures even if they could not attend the days' lecture. They can access the lecture-bank later. iv. Students can write back their doubts and messages for professors and fellow students. v. The student community can share valuable learning resources like module outlines, lecture notes, assignment briefs etc. vi. Blackboard can very well become a broadcast media for all students in communicating general announcements, emails etc. vii. The student community can make good use of the chat rooms. viii. Students can undertake online 'private group work, create e-portfolios and take short-answer tests and surveys. 3. Blackboard and the Staff Role of support staff in this teaching learning process is very crucial. For example if we take out the paramedical staff from hospital services, the hospital is no longer able to work, though doctor is considered to be the man responsible for curing the patient. Similarly the support staff provides the backbone to the teaching-learning processes. i. The IT staff has be very prompt in its reflexes for the network to work properly ii. In fact in blackboard learning experiences the roles and responsibilities of other support staff becomes secondary. iii. Making extensive use of University blackboard will make it convenient for the university staff to handle the students. iv. There will be least face to face interactions with students. At times students become very demanding, creating unpleasant scene for the staff. v. Management task becomes comparatively hassle-free. vi. Role of the course coordinator becomes very important as he is responsible for planning and coordinating the delivery of

Financial Aid Appeal Essay Example for Free

Financial Aid Appeal Essay Dear Office of Financial Aid, My name is and I am writing to appeal my suspension from financial aid. I hope that you will reconsider your decision and grant my financial aid. I would like to begin thanking you in advance for taking the time to read this letter and consider my request to reinstate my financial aid at Metropolitan State University at Denver. I admit, I took so many credit hours in college, but I would like to explain the reason. As Spanish person, and because I speak English as a second language, I had to take ESL(English as a Second Language) classes for my first two years (four semesters) at CCD (Community College of Denver). The ESL program was not something that I had chosen, but something that I had to get done in order to follow my general education. I did not mean to spent so much time in college and take so many credit hours, but I did not have other options. Now that I have completed the ESL program, I feel so excited and motivated about taking regular classes. I love being student at Metropolitan State University at Denver and it would mean so much to me if I was able to finish my degree and graduate at this school. I already had completed most of general course, I’m done with my Math and some major course. I am currently registered for next spring 2013 classes and a few classes for the upcoming to get done with my degree. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and I assure you that my education is, and will continue to be, my main priority. I just hope you’d help me achieve my goals quicker by reinstating my Financial Aid. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Overview Of Vowels And Consonants

Overview Of Vowels And Consonants Language is an organization of sounds, of vocal symbols-the sounds produced from the mouth with the help of various organs of speech to convey some meaningful message. Language has a very important social purpose, because it is mainly used for linguistic communication. It is the most powerful, convenient and permanent means and form of communication. A language can be used in two ways for the purposes of communication. It can be spoken or written but the medium of speech is more important than writing. This is because speech comes first in the history of any language community in fact, it came centuries before writing in the history of any language community. Secondly, speech comes first in the history of any individual. We started speaking long before we started writing. Speech as a medium of communication is used much more than the medium of writing. I n every language, a letter of the alphabet represents a particular sound. Lastly, modern technology has contributed tremendously t o the importance of speech- modern inventions like the telephone, the radio, the tape recorder and several such devices have raised problems of communication primarily concerned with speech. Linguistics is a systematic study of language. Phonetics is a branch of linguistics and it is the branch dealing with the medium of speech. It deals with the production, transmission and reception of the sounds of human speech. For the production of speech sounds, we need an air-stream mechanism. There are three main air-stream mechanisms, such as, pulmonic, glottalic and velaric air-stream mechanisms. When the air-stream mechanism is used to push out, it is called egressive and when it is used to draw air in, it is called ingressive. Most sounds of most languages in the world are produced with a pulmonic egressive air-stream mechanism. The author described in detail the various organs that are responsible for converting the lung-air into speech sounds before it escapes into the outer atmosphere. For instance, if we say a prolonged ssss, a prolonged zzzz, a prolonged ffff and a prolonged vvvv, we see at once two things. We recognize these as speech sounds because these sounds occur i n the various words we use in our English speech. The other thing we notice is that each one of these sounds is different from the others. Speech sounds are very broadly divided into two categories, namely, Vowels and Consonants. If we say the English word shoe, we realize that this word is made up of two sounds, one represented by the letters sh and the other represented by the letters oe. When we produce the sound represented by the letters sh slowly, we realize that during the production of this sound, the air escapes through the mouth with friction. On the other hand, when we produce the sound represented by the letters oe, the air escapes through the mouth freely and we do not hear any friction. The sound is represented by the letters sh in the word shoe is a consonant and the sound represented by the letters oe in the word shoe is a vowel. All sounds during the production of which we hear friction are consonants, but not all consonants are produced with friction. If we say the words, she, shoe, shy, show, ship and shout, we will realize that when we produce the sounds represented by the letters e, oe, y, ow, i and ou in these words, the air escapes through the mouth freely without any friction. All these sounds are therefore vowels but each one of them sounds different from the others. These sounds should therefore be sub-classified. Similarly, if we say the words shoe, see, zoo and who, we will hear friction during the production of the sounds represented by the letters sh, s, z and wh. All these sounds are therefore consonants. But once again, we will see that each of them sounds different from the others. The sounds that are called consonants also need to be sub-classified. Description of Consonants: The word consonant has been derived from the Greek word consonautem, which means the sound produced with the help of some other sound (vowel). A consonant is usually described, taking into account whether it is voiceless or voiced, its place of articulation and its manner of articulation. Manner of articulation refers to the stricture involved and plosive, affricate, nasal, fricative, etc; are labels given to consonants according to their manner of articulation. Place of articulation just means the two articulators involved in the production of a consonant. Consonants can be described according to their places of articulation. The label used is normally an adjective derived from the name of the passive articulator. The places of articulation that we frequently come across are bilabial, labio-dental, dental, alveolar, post-alveolar, palato-alveolar, retroflex, palatal, velar, uvular and glottal. The classification of sounds into vowels and consonants is customary irrespective of phonetic, phonological, or orthographic references. The current classification following Pike divides the sounds into vocoids (vowel sounds), contoids (consonant sounds) and semi-vocoids or semi-contoids (for example; /w/ and /j/ in English). The terms contoids and vocoids refer to phonetic form only, without any reference to phonological function. A vocoid, according to Pike, is a segment formed with an open approximation of the articulators, with or without a velic closure, and with central passage or air-stream. All other segments are contoids. In English, there can be syllabic vocoids, non-syllabic vocoids, syllabic contoids and non-syllabic contoids. Syllabic vocoids are all vowel sounds; they function as syllable nuclei. Phonetically, the vocoids are vowels and their phonological function is that of a syllabic vocoid. Non-syllabic vocoids are the sounds which are phonetically vocoids but phonologically are contoids. Syllabic contoids are the sounds which are phonetically contoids but their phonological function is that of syllabic nucleus, that is, they represent the V element in the structure of a syllable. Non-syllabic contoids are the sounds that phonetically are contoids and phonologically represent the C element in the structure of a syllable. A description of consonantal sounds, according to A.C.Gimson, must provide answers to the following questions:- Is the air-stream set in motion by the lungs or by some other means (pulmonic or non-pulmonic)? Is the air-stream forced outwards or sucked inwards (egressive or ingressive)? Do the vocal cords vibrate or not (voiced or voiceless)? Is the soft palate raised or lowered? Or, does the air pass through the oral cavity (mouth) or the nasal cavity (nose)? At what point or points and between what organs does the closure or narrowing take place (Place of articulation)? What is the type of closure or narrowing at the point of articulation (Manner of articulation)? Thus, the description of a consonant will include five kinds of information: 1.) The nature of air-stream mechanism, 2.) The state of the glottis, 3.) The position of the soft palate, 4.) The articulators involved- the active articulator and the passive articulator and 5.) The nature of stricture involved regarding its production. The Nature of Air-Stream Mechanism: All English sounds, vowels as well as consonants, are produced with a Pulmonic egressive air-stream mechanism, that is, the lung-air pushed out. The State of the Glottis: Speech sounds can be classified as voiceless or voiced, depending upon whether the vocal cords are wide apart and the glottis is wide open (voiceless) or the vocal cords are kept loosely together and they vibrate (voiced). The Position of the Soft Palate: Speech sounds can be classified as oral or nasal, depending upon whether the soft-palate is raised so as to shut off the nasal passage of air (oral) or it is lowered to open the nasal passage of air simultaneously with an oral closure (nasal). Sounds can also be nasalised. The Articulators Involved-the Active and Passive Articulators: Of the various articulators described in the chapter, at least two are required for the production of any speech sound; some articulators move during the production of speech sounds. These are termed as active articulators. Certain other articulators remain passive and the active articulators move in the direction of these. These are termed as passive articulators. The Nature of Stricture Involved: The term stricture refers to the way in which the passage of air is restricted by the various organs of speech. The stricture may be one of complete closure, that is, the active and passive articulators come into firm contact with each other, thus preventing the lung-air from escaping through the mouth. Simultaneously, there is a velic closure, that is, the soft palate is raised, thereby shutting off the nasal passage of air. Thus, the lung-air is blocked in the mouth. When the oral closure is released, that is, when the active articulator is suddenly removed from the passive articulator, the air escapes with a small explosive noise. Sounds produced with a stricture of complete closure and sudden release are called plosives. If the active articulator is removed slowly from the passive articulator, instead of the explosive noise that is characteristic of plosive consonants, friction will be heard. Description of Vowels: Vowels may be defined with an open approximation without any obstruction, partial or complete, in the air passage. They are referred to as vocoids in phonetics. They can be described in terms of three variables: Height of tongue. Part of the tongue which is raised or lowered. Lip-rounding. So vocoids are normally classified according to these three criteria: tongue-height (high, mid, low, or close, half-close, half-open and open), tongue-advancement (front, central, back) and lip-rounding (rounded and unrounded). In order to describe the vowels, we usually draw three points in the horizontal axes: front, central and back, referring to the part of the tongue which is the highest. So, we have : Front vowels, during the production of which the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate. For example; / i, i: , e: , a / in Hindi, and / i, i: , e , à ¦ / in English as in sit, seat, set, and sat respectively. Back vowels, during the production of which the back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate. For example; / o: , u , u: ,/ in Hindi, and / a: , Ɇ , ɆÃƒâ€¹Ã‚  , u , u: / in English as in cart, cot, caught, book and tool respectively. Central vowels, during the production of which the central part of the tongue ( the part between the front and the back) is raised. For example; / Éâ„ ¢ / in Hindi, and / Éâ„ ¢ , Éâ„ ¢: , ÊŒ / in English as in about, earth and but respectively. O n the vertical axis, we usually draw four points: close, half-close, half-open, and open. They are also referred to as high, high mid, mid (middle), low mid, and low by some phoneticians, especially the American phoneticians. On the basis of the vertical axes, we have the following types of vowels. A close vowel is one for which the tongue is as close to the roof of mouth as possible. For example; / i: / in sea and / u: / in zoo. An open vowel is one which is produced with the tongue as low as possible and the jaws are wide open. For example, / a: / in card and / Ɇ / in hot. We can describe a vowel by using a three term label, indicating the height, the direction (advancement) of the tongue, and the position of the lips. For example; / a: / in the English word, arm, back, open, unrounded vowel. / Ɇ / in the English word, hot, back, open, rounded vowel. / i: / in the English word, need, front, close, unrounded vowel. / u / in the English word, tooth, back, close, rounded vowel. To describe the vowel sound, we mention whether it is open or close, half-close or half-open, front or back or central, long or short, whether the tongue is tense or lax while the vowel is being pronounced, and whether lips are spread, neutral, open rounded, or close rounded. All English vowels are voiced. So, for every vowel, we must state that it is voiced. Hence, to sum up, the main point of a language is to convey information. Nowadays, language can take various forms. It can be spoken or written. Peter Ladefoged also talked in his book that speech is the common way of using language. Another aspect of speech that is not part of language is the way speech conveys information about the speakers attitude to life, the subject under discussion and the person spoken to. The final kind of non-linguistic information conveyed by speech is the identity of the speaker. You can often tell the identity of the person who is speaking without looking at them. But then again, we may be wrong. Whenever we speak, we create a disturbance in the air around us, a sound wave, which is a small but rapid variation in air pressure spreading through the air. Speech sounds such as vowels can differ in pitch, loudness and quality. We can say the vowel a as in father on any pitch within the range of our voice. We can also say it softly or loudly without altering the pitch. And we can say as many different vowels as we can, without altering either the pitch or the loudness. The pitch of the sound depends on the rate of repetition of the changes in air pressure. The loudness of the sound depends on the size of the variations in air pressure. The third way in which sounds can differ is in quality, sometimes called timbre. The vowel in see differs in quality from the first vowel in father., irrespective of whether it also differs in pitch or loudness. Thus, Peter Ladefoged in his book has discussed the principal constraints on the evolution of the sounds of the worlds languages, which are ease of articulation, auditory distinctiveness, and gestural economy. He also discussed the differences between speech and language, and has also outlined some of the main acoustic distinctions among sounds; and how one of the acoustic distinctions, that corresponding to pitch, is used in the worlds languages.

Carnal Knowledge by Boyle Essay -- Carnal Knowledge Boyle Essays Paper

Carnal Knowledge by Boyle In the story â€Å"Carnal Knowledge†, by T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jim is the main character who loves to eat meat. He would love nothing more than to enjoy a dinner of â€Å"Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs†. (1107) However, Jim’s cravings for â€Å"Kentucky Fried or Chicken McNuggets† were no match for Alena Jorgensen. (1108) Alena is an obsessive animal rights activist whom Jim met while laying on the beach feeling sorry for himself. When a person has feelings of depression and loneliness it can be very easy for another person to come into their life and change their whole persona. Jim had just turned 30 and was feeling depressed for not having anyone in his life. After dozing on the beach awhile Jim awoke to an â€Å"unmistakable odor†, he’d been pissed on.(1108) He first heard Alena’s voice after cursing the dog. Alena is a very attractive girl and Jim fell for her immediately. Alena and Jim left the beach to go clean the piss off his clothes at Alena’s house. While waiting for the clothes to dry, they began a conversation about animal rights. Animal rights are a huge issue in Alena’s life. Jim never paid much attention to the issue but because of Alena’s beauty and kindness he was willing to listen. Jim’s feeling of loneliness has a big impact on his view of Alena. If Jim met another girl that day on the beach, and who was not as attractive he would have acted very different. Jim was very vulnerable at that moment and needed som... Carnal Knowledge by Boyle Essay -- Carnal Knowledge Boyle Essays Paper Carnal Knowledge by Boyle In the story â€Å"Carnal Knowledge†, by T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jim is the main character who loves to eat meat. He would love nothing more than to enjoy a dinner of â€Å"Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs†. (1107) However, Jim’s cravings for â€Å"Kentucky Fried or Chicken McNuggets† were no match for Alena Jorgensen. (1108) Alena is an obsessive animal rights activist whom Jim met while laying on the beach feeling sorry for himself. When a person has feelings of depression and loneliness it can be very easy for another person to come into their life and change their whole persona. Jim had just turned 30 and was feeling depressed for not having anyone in his life. After dozing on the beach awhile Jim awoke to an â€Å"unmistakable odor†, he’d been pissed on.(1108) He first heard Alena’s voice after cursing the dog. Alena is a very attractive girl and Jim fell for her immediately. Alena and Jim left the beach to go clean the piss off his clothes at Alena’s house. While waiting for the clothes to dry, they began a conversation about animal rights. Animal rights are a huge issue in Alena’s life. Jim never paid much attention to the issue but because of Alena’s beauty and kindness he was willing to listen. Jim’s feeling of loneliness has a big impact on his view of Alena. If Jim met another girl that day on the beach, and who was not as attractive he would have acted very different. Jim was very vulnerable at that moment and needed som...

life :: essays research papers

I felt the warmth of my mother’s hands on my soft skin while she held my face. Her soft voice whispered in my ear â€Å"good night†. It was a cold winter night after Christmas as my mother tucked me in to bed, like she always had. After telling me good night her lips hit my cheek to give me the last kiss she ever would. As she walked out, I told her â€Å"I love you with all my heart and always will.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the, morning the warmth of the sun hit my face and woke me up like any other morning, but something was different, something just wasn’t right. I lay in my warm bed, trying to ascertain why I wasn’t feeling right. I jumped out of bed and woke my little brother up to go eat breakfast. As we walked down the hall, I heard my dad pouring a cup of hot coffee. â€Å"Daddy is mom still sleeping,† I asked. Mom will be gone for a while but baby, don’t worry he told my brother and me in a sad voice. We will be just fine. I didn’t understand why my mom would be gone though. I asked myself â€Å" will she ever come back?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Seven years have gone by and still my mom is gone, and my life has changed more than I thought it would. â€Å" Jess, get Drew’s clothes ready for school tomorrow,† my dad would admonish me every night before going to bed. Making sure my brother would be ready for school every morning, making sure he ate breakfast before he left for school, and making sure his homework was done everyday was what my mother used to do every morning and day; but now she is gone. Now that she is gone I have to take that place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now that I am the only lady in the house, I have to be the mother. No more going out on Friday nights with my friends, no more doing whatever I want. Every Friday, my friends would go out to the movies, and have fun without me. I had to stay home and make sure everything was right for my family. Now I have responsibilities like my brother who is now like my son. He thinks of me as not only a sister but a mother too. When you hear an eight year old boy call you mom and you are as young as me, it’s the scariest feeling you can have.

Music Appreciation Essay

The concert was at the Thayer Hall, a beautiful state of the art facility that is home for the school’s concerts, recitals, and other events. It holds up to 200 people, theater row seating, and the stage is set up fairly close to the first row seats which gives the performance a more personable feel to the audience. The wooden floor stage had a beautiful grand Steinway and Sons Piano set off to the side, that was moved later in the middle for the performance of Clarinet Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 167. The first piece on the program was Ricochet, composed by Kerry Turner. It was one of Turner’s chamber music ensemble, performed by a brass quintet; two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. The composition was energetic, skillfully played by the quintet in a manner that depicts life journey fast paced to get to the desired place and upon reaching it there is a slowing down pace of life either in peace or dismay. The second piece was Clarinet Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 167 by Camille Saint-Saens. This piece was performed with two instruments namely clarinet and piano. It had a slow movement, opening with tender, melodies that seemed effortless, up and down tempo, whispering softly. This was a short piece compared to other pieces in the program. It had a romantic voice and more consonance, harmonious, and cantabile movement. Camille Saint-Saens was born in Paris on October 9, 1835. His father died when he was a baby, after only having been married to his mother, Clemence a year and a day. His great aunt, Charlotte Mason, who was a learned person, also became a widow. The two ladies reared and provided for Camille Saint-Saens. He received his introduction to keyboarding from his great aunt at the age of two and a half. He was playing sonatas by the age of five years old. He was writing dance music at the age of 15. According to his auto biography (p.7) â€Å" Liszt had to show by his Galop Chromatique the  distinction that genius can give to the most commonplace themes My waltzes were better. As has always been the case with me I was already composing the music directly on paper with working it out on the piano.† http://books.google.com/books?id=MOcPAAAAYAAJ&dq=camille%20saint-saens&pg=PA8#v=onepage&q=camille%20saint-saens&f=false As Camille later in his life looked over his composition, there wa s no error in it technically, which is quite significant considering he did not have the basic knowledge of the â€Å"science of harmony.† Camille Saint-Saens, by the age of ten, gave concert played Beethoven’s Concerto in C minor and also Mozart’s concertos in B flat. He became the organist at the Church of Madeleine, which was a highly regarded post. He was well known in Paris. A virtuoso who had won prizes for his compositions; Introduction et rondo capriccioso (1863) as well as the Second Piano Concerto (1868). He held a post at Ecole Niedermayer during 1861 and 1865 as a piano professor. He had built life-long friendship with one of his students Gabriel Faure, one of the great composers of the 19th century and early 20th century. He would be what we would call a renaissance man, for his many gifts and interests. He was interested in Science and also a mathematician. During his later years, an avid traveler and writer wrote about his travels, poetry, and philosophical work. His work continued to be inspired by Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner, composed symphonic poems including Danse Macabre in 1874. He is also known for his opera Samson et Dalila. He died in 1921, in Algeria. https://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/saint-saà «ns-camille Sou rces: The following websites retrieved on November 29, 2014. The third piece was composed by Giacomo Miluccio, Rhapsody for Clarinet (ca. 1979). This beautiful and technically difficult piece was a solo for clarinet. This piece started off slow, with low pitch then increased in tempo with increasing pitch as well, that continues to a call and response type music, transitioning to dissonance, to slow – low melancholy notes, then picks up to a livelier mood. This piece evoked an uncomfortable feeling inside me, sort of giving a music background to my emotions when I am uneasy, frantic, loosing my sense of direction. I personally would not select this music to unwind after a long day at work. The fourth was selections from Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1927) composed by Erwin Schulhoff, three movements were played. The Charleston: Allegro began with a brigh tone, upbeat rhythm, producing dance to the beat of the music. The second movement, Romancero: Andantino sounded playful, with the individual instruments playing consecutively in the introduction playing the same note. The tempo is more andantino, relaxed and mezzo forte. The last movement was the Rondo-Finale: Molto Allegro con fuoco, it featured a lively theme, faster tempo (prestissimo), many repeated tones playful notes with all instruments, and concluded fortissimo rushing at the end. The fifth piece was Suite d’aprà ©s Corrette, by Darius Milhaud. This had four movements included in the program, Entree et Rondeau, Tambourin, Musette and Le Coucou. Each of the four movements had very playful melody. Darius Milhaud, One of France’s leading composer of the 20th century. He was born to a Jewish family in Aix-en-Provence. His parents’ Jewish family line came from the Comtadin sect that has been well established in France for hundreds of years and the Italian Sephardim. http://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-03766.html Both of his parents had musical talents and had been playing music with his parents from his early childhood. He learned to play the violin at age 4. At the age of 17, Milhaud went to school at Paris Conservatoire where he ended up focusing on piano and composition, having the musical influence of top French composers like Paul Dukas, Charles Marie Widor (fugue), Andre Gedalge (counterpoint, composition, and orchestration) Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel, George Enesco, Jacques Ibert were his students. http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/milhaud.php Milhaud and poet, Paul Claudel established a long collaborative relationship where Milhaud would compose incidental music, while Claudel will produce libretti for Milhaud’s works. Their friendship began when he served as a French attache in Rio de Janeiro in the First World War. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/darius-milhaud-mn0001175393/biography He became part of â€Å"Les Six†, a group of popular French composers under the supervision of Jean Cocteau. The group did not last very long, and had only been able to put together some piano pieces together as a whole group namely, L’Album des Six. http://www.classicalarchives.com/composer/3012.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Six During his tours to foreign countries such as the U.S.A., Brazil, Vienna, London and the U.S.S.R., where he had quickly absorbed the various musical influences of these regions like jazz and Brazilian music. In 1939, he left France after the Nazi installed the Vichy Regime and many of his Jewish relatives were murdered by the Nazi Germans. An invitation to conduct at the Chicago Symphony, had given his family a timely exit visa. Through a friend of his, a famous French conductor then at the San Francisco Symphony as a conductor, Pierre Monteux, organized a teaching post for Milhaud at Mills College in Oakland, California. He is â€Å"often perceived as the champion of polytonality.† He may not be the inventor of this technique, he was able to use the technique to its possibilities. He produced at least 440 music pieces, including 12 ballets, nine operas, 12 symphonies, six chamber symphonies, 18 string quartet. He also continued to show his identity with France and the Jewish religion though his music. He later returned to France and kept a similar teaching post at Paris Conservatoire until 1971 along with his post in Mills College. http://www.classicalarchives.com/composer/3012.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about He died in 1974. http://www.milkenarchive.org/people/view/all/574/Darius+Milhaud Sources: All websites retrieved on November 30, 2014 The final piece was Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon by Jean Franà §aix. The first movement was allegretto assai, it had a fast beat and very playful. This piece had a lot of dissonance. The Elegie had low pitch, the bassoon was setting the tone to a mournful sound, played in  harmony by the clarinet and oboe. The Scherzo, was the last movement played, it had a lot of energy, moving very fast. It sounded like a music for dancing, with contrasting tone color. Jean Franà §aix was born to a family of musicians on May 23, 1912. His father, Alfred Franà §aix spent sixteen years as the director for the Le Mans Conservatory of Music. His mother was a teacher and choir director also at the Conservatory. He had an early music influence, started learning piano at four, at ten he was taking music lessons with Isidor Philipp,whose long list of students were significant pianists, composers, and conductors, who was also a long time friend of Claude Debussy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidor_Philipp Franà §aix, also studied music with Nadia Boulanger, who was a French composer, conductor, who also had a long list of well known students of musicians and composers of the 20th century. Jean Franà §aix at ten years old, composed â€Å"Pour Jacqueline† in honor of his cousin, and was published after two years. http://www.classicalarchives.com/composer/2535.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about He met Maurice Ravel in 1923, who had encouraged the young Franà §aix, to pursue his path that he is currently taking. He won the first prize at the Paris Conservatoire when he was 18. In 1932, he successfully gained popularity at the premiere performance of his Concertino for Piano and Orchestra at the Baden-Baden Chamber Music Festival, in Germany. He became sought after after this that he was commissioned to write music for sixteen ballets. He had completed and extensive collection of works including orchestral works, film music, vocal works as well as chamber music. He served at Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris teaching from 1959 to 1962. According to Schott music website, although Jean Franà §aix had exposure, influence, and fondness for the French Impressionism and the Neoclassicism, and his close relationship with Francis Pulenc and the â€Å"Groupe Des Six,† â€Å"Jean Franà §aix never felt committed to any particular musical ideology.† http://www.schott-music.com/shop/persons/featured/jean-francaix/ Jean Franà §aix died in 1997, his major work, written in 1939, The Apocalypse of Saint John, first performed in 1942, and was later played at his memorial  service at Le Mans Cathedral in 1999. http://www.classicalarchives.com/composer/2535.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about (Sources: all websites retrieved on November 30, 2014) The center stage’s design seemed very intimate to me in terms of the close proximity of the audience to the performers. From where I was sitting (left side, third row from the stage), I noticed that the instrumentalist were exchanging glances, waiting or taking the lead with each melody. I noticed that the instrumentalist had to tune their instruments before they start their pieces. They also seem to be constantly licking their lips. One striking event that I noticed, that I probably will not notice at a different venue where the stage is at a farther distance to the audience, is that the instrumentalists that played as a group, had a way of communicating with each other by glances and nods, whether to play solo, duo or trio. They played their musical instruments with such grace and poise. The moment the instrumentalist started performing the audience were very enthralled with the sound of the music. It was quite a life enriching experience. There was certain beauty and somewhat felt spiritual as I watch the instrumentalist play fantastic sounds with each of their instruments. The Colburn Conservatory School director welcomed the audience to the concert and with pride mentioned that most of their students have won the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition. Jay,  I am hoping if you would be able to help me describe the following. I don’t exactly know how to go about writing description of this final music pieces. If you can, I would really appreciate it. 7. A full description of the final musical piece on the concert – 10 points Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon by Jean Franà §aix, 1912-1997 Prelude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQywosBYkac Allegretto Assai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W682MdjDb4o