INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (3049,71,'2012-11-26 23:38:52','2012-11-27 05:38:52','I submit for inclusion in our time capsule, Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in June of 1967. This album is one of the most important works of its time because of its sonic brilliance, the lyrics and the messages within, as well as the band\'s immaculate crafting of a concept album.<!--more-->\n\nSgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is an album comprised of 13 tracks for a combined 40 minutes. The sound of the album compared to the band previous releases is a decidedly more experimental sound and more mature take on some of the same topics that the group had already explored, along with a few new questions to ponder thrown in as well. The album was in line with its contemporaries in a time of psychedelic sentiments and sounds that reflected the culture of the 60\'s and the 1967 \'Summer of Love\' in particular. The thing that set this work apart from the others of its time were the brilliant  musicality that the band displayed as well as the compelling songwriting, mostly by band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Tony Hicks, in an article for the Contra Costa Times, wrote, “The music inside mixed in classical psychedelia sounds, electronic effects, was full of offbeat instrumentation and arrangements, and somehow heightened the band’s personality and songwriting genius while sill being easy to follow. The record connected the listener to a perceived continuous performance, powerfully sequenced for one great moment to set up the next.” The result was apart from a musical masterpiece, a quintessential concept album. The Beatles were huge stars in the eyes of the world, and their popularity along with the quality of the music and the mood of the time made for a cultural phenomenon in the form of what is widely considered the greatest rock and roll album of all time.\n\nThe 1967 \'Summer of Love\' revolved around the expanding of the hippie counter culture, experimental drug use, and the general abandonment of the straight laced attitude of the 1950\'s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and Jimi Hendrix along with The Beatles sang songs that provided the background for this shift in attitudes and documented the growth of new ideas and the questioning of authority of this era. In the July issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Mikal Gilmore recalled that \"Sixties rock, along with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and a mass willingness to experiment with marijuana and LSD, had given young people a new sense of empowerment.\" The possibilities of how one could go about living life were expanding as boundaries of resisting established forms of authority were pushed. Gilmore goes on to state, \"The Beatles had been introduced to marijuana by Bob Dylan in 1964 and had used the drug steadily since. But psychedelics -- which they were now taking -- proposed chancier, more intense possibilities. [...] Lennon felt his songwriting initially benefited from psychedelic experience.\" Former psychologist turned 1960s counterculture icon, Timothy Leary coined the catchphrase \"Turn on, tune in, drop out\" (Collis, Brunner, Halperin, Johnson, and McCaffery 1). He was a fixture in the culture that now was what the adolescent, teenybopper audience that The Beatles had begun to distance themselves from, has evolved into. The young people of this era had begun to grow up and experiment with new ideas which is part of what made the Sgt. Pepper\'s album such a huge phenomenon. The Beatles, the largest mainstream rock and roll act of the time, put out a classic album, expertly navigating the most pressing social issues of the time, at the exact time that their audience was ready to hear it.\n\nThe era of the 1960\'s revolved around the hippie counter culture and the ideas of free love. Along with these events came experimental drug use, an almost childish rebelliousness, and a spacey, hypnotic aesthetic related to the music of some of the most popular artists of the era. The band grasp of music and their ability and willingness to step outside of the normal boundaries of expression helped set them apart from their peers. In the studio, the band employed many innovative forms of technology into their creative process to expand the pallet of sounds that they used to create the Sgt. Pepper\'s album. They employed the idea of a concept to build the albums sound around that gave them even more room to experiment. In their book, The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney says, “We would be Sgt. Pepper’s band, and for the whole of the album we’d pretend to be someone else. So, when John walked up to the microphone to sing, it wouldn’t be the new John Lennon vocal, it would be whoever he was in this new group, his fantasy character. It liberated you - you could do anything when you got to the mike or on your guitar, because it wasn’t you.”\n\nThe work was received with wide acclaim, with many in the music media deeming it an instant classic. Sgt. Pepper\'s was a true studio album, as the band had stopped performing live, and dedicated themselves to making a meaningful work of art, and separate themselves from the Beatlemania that had dominated their careers from the inception. That\'s where the complexity of sounds in the album stem from. Today the album is widely believed to be the best rock and roll album of all time and is generally considered the band\'s seminal work. Today most of the novelty of Beatlemania has worn off, and their work is appreciated a little more than it was then. The albums detractors usually attributed the praise of the album to the hype surrounding the band, but the albums legacy has persevered through the years and still stands as one of the most popular musical works of all time.\n\nI bought this album about a year ago because I had stumbled upon Rolling Stone\'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. I wanted to start my way down the list and experience all of these acclaimed albums over time. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the number one album on the list and I had always meant to get into The Beatles, so I decided to start there. On the first listen I loved a few songs, but as a person that favors listening to albums in their entirety, I wasn\'t impressed. Eventually, after acquiring a higher quality set of headphones, I went back to it, and it pulled me in quickly. Lately I\'ve been listening to it at least a couple times a week, and while its still not my favorite album, I have begun to understand how this album as well as The Beatles as a band influenced the culture of their time, as well as many of the other artist that I enjoy from that era. This album inspired an era of musical artists that were only then being introduced to the recording technology that is standard today.\n\nIn 1967, as The Beatles were arguably at the top of their success, The Doors made their debut. Both bands were successful at crafting music that both centered around and centered on the biggest societal issues of the time. Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s lyrical artistry was rivaled by Jim Morrison’s psychedelic intellectualism. In a May 2003 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Parke Puterbaugh writes an article about The Doors’ debut album in which he states, “The Doors arrived in 1967, the same year as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; both were psychedelic touchstones and among the first major rock discs that truly stood as albums, rather than collections of songs. But whereas The Beatles took a basically sunny view of humanity, the Door’s debut offered the dark side of the moon.” In my opinion, The Doors debut was just as important as far as the impact of the album itself. I strongly considered submitting The Doors’ album for consideration to be included in our time capsule. The thing that put The Beatles over the top for me was the mainstream success that they were at the time and the accessibility that their notoriety had given them. In a TIME Magazine article titled “The Messengers”, the an unnamed author writes, “All the successes of the past two years were a foreshadowing of Sgt. Pepper, which more than anything dramatizes, note for note, word for word, the brilliance of the new Beatles.” Their popularity gave them access to as wide of a channel of listeners as any band had ever garnered. This made their album that much more impactful. They brought their new sounds and ideas to the large audience that they already had, as well as pulling in a more mature and enlightened audience that had dismissed them before.\n\nFuture generations should look back on this work and primarily view it as a seminal example of a complete musical work of art. The musicality of the band as well as the lyricism and the messages that they convey show how an album should ultimately be approached. Not matter how different the music might be, the ambition to express thoughts in a unique and sonically beautiful way should be held by all musical artists. Future generations should also note how successful Sgt. Pepper’s was as a concept album. Personally, I have heard and enjoyed many concept albums, Sgt. Pepper’s stands out, because of the musicality it possesses as well as the stylistic variance of the songs therein. The songs stand well on there own, and possess their own unique sounds that go together well as an album. That is a balance that is hard to achieve for any artist or band that is trying to convey a message or tell a story though a collection of songs, especially in an industry that even in 1967 was driven by singles. In an article titled <em>Rereading: Sgt. Pepper’s Words</em>, David Michaelis stated, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band revolutionized pop music as the airplane revolutionized warfare. Until Sgt. Pepper, the pop single dominated the recording industry.” There were many cases of radio stations playing the album in its entirety after its release. Every song on the album received radio play either by itself or in succession with other tracks from the album. This signifies how Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band contains some of the most important music of one of the most important musical eras, and deserves to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.\n\n&nbsp;\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\nBeatles, The. <em>The Beatles Anthology</em>. San Francisco: Chronicle Books Llc, 2002. Print.\n\nMichaelis, David. \"Rereading: Sgt. Pepper\'s Words.\" <em>American Scholar</em>. 2002: 130. Print.\n\nHicks, Tony. \"\'Sgt. Pepper\'s\' Still Turns Us On: Beatles Album Forever Changed Way Music Made, Played.\" <em>Contra Costa Times</em> [Walnut Creek] 28 05 2007, n. pag. Print.\n\nGilmore, Mikal. \"Making Sgt. Pepper.\" <em>Rolling Stone</em>. 12 2007: n. page. Print.\n\nCollis, Clark, Rob Brunner, Shirey Halperin, Beth Johnson, and Damien McCaffery. \"Summer of Love Revisited.\" <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>. 06 2007: n. page. Print.\n\n\"The Messengers.\" <em>Time</em>. 22 1967: n. page. Print.','Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles','','inherit','open','open','','3047-revision','','','2012-11-26 23:38:52','2012-11-27 05:38:52','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3049',0,'revision','',0),(3050,71,'2012-11-26 23:42:27','2012-11-27 05:42:27','&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI submit for inclusion in our time capsule, Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in June of 1967. This album is one of the most important works of its time because of its sonic brilliance, the lyrics and the messages within, as well as the band\'s immaculate crafting of a concept album.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nSgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is an album comprised of 13 tracks for a combined 40 minutes. The sound of the album compared to the band previous releases is a decidedly more experimental sound and more mature take on some of the same topics that the group had already explored, along with a few new questions to ponder thrown in as well. The album was in line with its contemporaries in a time of psychedelic sentiments and sounds that reflected the culture of the 60\'s and the 1967 \'Summer of Love\' in particular. The thing that set this work apart from the others of its time were the brilliant  musicality that the band displayed as well as the compelling songwriting, mostly by band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Tony Hicks, in an article for the Contra Costa Times, wrote, “The music inside mixed in classical psychedelia sounds, electronic effects, was full of offbeat instrumentation and arrangements, and somehow heightened the band’s personality and songwriting genius while sill being easy to follow. The record connected the listener to a perceived continuous performance, powerfully sequenced for one great moment to set up the next.” The result was apart from a musical masterpiece, a quintessential concept album. The Beatles were huge stars in the eyes of the world, and their popularity along with the quality of the music and the mood of the time made for a cultural phenomenon in the form of what is widely considered the greatest rock and roll album of all time.\r\n\r\nThe 1967 \'Summer of Love\' revolved around the expanding of the hippie counter culture, experimental drug use, and the general abandonment of the straight laced attitude of the 1950\'s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and Jimi Hendrix along with The Beatles sang songs that provided the background for this shift in attitudes and documented the growth of new ideas and the questioning of authority of this era. In the July issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Mikal Gilmore recalled that \"Sixties rock, along with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and a mass willingness to experiment with marijuana and LSD, had given young people a new sense of empowerment.\" The possibilities of how one could go about living life were expanding as boundaries of resisting established forms of authority were pushed. Gilmore goes on to state, \"The Beatles had been introduced to marijuana by Bob Dylan in 1964 and had used the drug steadily since. But psychedelics -- which they were now taking -- proposed chancier, more intense possibilities. [...] Lennon felt his songwriting initially benefited from psychedelic experience.\" Former psychologist turned 1960s counterculture icon, Timothy Leary coined the catchphrase \"Turn on, tune in, drop out\" (Collis, Brunner, Halperin, Johnson, and McCaffery 1). He was a fixture in the culture that now was what the adolescent, teenybopper audience that The Beatles had begun to distance themselves from, has evolved into. The young people of this era had begun to grow up and experiment with new ideas which is part of what made the Sgt. Pepper\'s album such a huge phenomenon. The Beatles, the largest mainstream rock and roll act of the time, put out a classic album, expertly navigating the most pressing social issues of the time, at the exact time that their audience was ready to hear it.\r\n\r\nThe era of the 1960\'s revolved around the hippie counter culture and the ideas of free love. Along with these events came experimental drug use, an almost childish rebelliousness, and a spacey, hypnotic aesthetic related to the music of some of the most popular artists of the era. The band grasp of music and their ability and willingness to step outside of the normal boundaries of expression helped set them apart from their peers. In the studio, the band employed many innovative forms of technology into their creative process to expand the pallet of sounds that they used to create the Sgt. Pepper\'s album. They employed the idea of a concept to build the albums sound around that gave them even more room to experiment. In their book, The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney says, “We would be Sgt. Pepper’s band, and for the whole of the album we’d pretend to be someone else. So, when John walked up to the microphone to sing, it wouldn’t be the new John Lennon vocal, it would be whoever he was in this new group, his fantasy character. It liberated you - you could do anything when you got to the mike or on your guitar, because it wasn’t you.”\r\n\r\nThe work was received with wide acclaim, with many in the music media deeming it an instant classic. Sgt. Pepper\'s was a true studio album, as the band had stopped performing live, and dedicated themselves to making a meaningful work of art, and separate themselves from the Beatlemania that had dominated their careers from the inception. That\'s where the complexity of sounds in the album stem from. Today the album is widely believed to be the best rock and roll album of all time and is generally considered the band\'s seminal work. Today most of the novelty of Beatlemania has worn off, and their work is appreciated a little more than it was then. The albums detractors usually attributed the praise of the album to the hype surrounding the band, but the albums legacy has persevered through the years and still stands as one of the most popular musical works of all time.\r\n\r\nI bought this album about a year ago because I had stumbled upon Rolling Stone\'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. I wanted to start my way down the list and experience all of these acclaimed albums over time. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the number one album on the list and I had always meant to get into The Beatles, so I decided to start there. On the first listen I loved a few songs, but as a person that favors listening to albums in their entirety, I wasn\'t impressed. Eventually, after acquiring a higher quality set of headphones, I went back to it, and it pulled me in quickly. Lately I\'ve been listening to it at least a couple times a week, and while its still not my favorite album, I have begun to understand how this album as well as The Beatles as a band influenced the culture of their time, as well as many of the other artist that I enjoy from that era. This album inspired an era of musical artists that were only then being introduced to the recording technology that is standard today.\r\n\r\nIn 1967, as The Beatles were arguably at the top of their success, The Doors made their debut. Both bands were successful at crafting music that both centered around and centered on the biggest societal issues of the time. Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s lyrical artistry was rivaled by Jim Morrison’s psychedelic intellectualism. In a May 2003 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Parke Puterbaugh writes an article about The Doors’ debut album in which he states, “The Doors arrived in 1967, the same year as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; both were psychedelic touchstones and among the first major rock discs that truly stood as albums, rather than collections of songs. But whereas The Beatles took a basically sunny view of humanity, the Door’s debut offered the dark side of the moon.” In my opinion, The Doors debut was just as important as far as the impact of the album itself. I strongly considered submitting The Doors’ album for consideration to be included in our time capsule. The thing that put The Beatles over the top for me was the mainstream success that they were at the time and the accessibility that their notoriety had given them. In a TIME Magazine article titled “The Messengers”, the an unnamed author writes, “All the successes of the past two years were a foreshadowing of Sgt. Pepper, which more than anything dramatizes, note for note, word for word, the brilliance of the new Beatles.” Their popularity gave them access to as wide of a channel of listeners as any band had ever garnered. This made their album that much more impactful. They brought their new sounds and ideas to the large audience that they already had, as well as pulling in a more mature and enlightened audience that had dismissed them before.\r\n\r\nFuture generations should look back on this work and primarily view it as a seminal example of a complete musical work of art. The musicality of the band as well as the lyricism and the messages that they convey show how an album should ultimately be approached. Not matter how different the music might be, the ambition to express thoughts in a unique and sonically beautiful way should be held by all musical artists. Future generations should also note how successful Sgt. Pepper’s was as a concept album. Personally, I have heard and enjoyed many concept albums, Sgt. Pepper’s stands out, because of the musicality it possesses as well as the stylistic variance of the songs therein. The songs stand well on there own, and possess their own unique sounds that go together well as an album. That is a balance that is hard to achieve for any artist or band that is trying to convey a message or tell a story though a collection of songs, especially in an industry that even in 1967 was driven by singles. In an article titled <em>Rereading: Sgt. Pepper’s Words</em>, David Michaelis stated, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band revolutionized pop music as the airplane revolutionized warfare. Until Sgt. Pepper, the pop single dominated the recording industry.” There were many cases of radio stations playing the album in its entirety after its release. Every song on the album received radio play either by itself or in succession with other tracks from the album. This signifies how Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band contains some of the most important music of one of the most important musical eras, and deserves to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\r\nBeatles, The. <em>The Beatles Anthology</em>. San Francisco: Chronicle Books Llc, 2002. Print.\r\n\r\nMichaelis, David. \"Rereading: Sgt. Pepper\'s Words.\" <em>American Scholar</em>. 2002: 130. Print.\r\n\r\nHicks, Tony. \"\'Sgt. Pepper\'s\' Still Turns Us On: Beatles Album Forever Changed Way Music Made, Played.\" <em>Contra Costa Times</em> [Walnut Creek] 28 05 2007, n. pag. Print.\r\n\r\nGilmore, Mikal. \"Making Sgt. Pepper.\" <em>Rolling Stone</em>. 12 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\nCollis, Clark, Rob Brunner, Shirey Halperin, Beth Johnson, and Damien McCaffery. \"Summer of Love Revisited.\" <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>. 06 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\n\"The Messengers.\" <em>Time</em>. 22 1967: n. page. Print.','Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles','','inherit','open','open','','3047-revision-2','','','2012-11-26 23:42:27','2012-11-27 05:42:27','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3050',0,'revision','',0),(3051,1,'2012-11-26 23:02:48','2012-11-27 05:02:48','<div>\r\n\r\nTheory of relativity\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nAlbert Einstein\r\n\r\nBetween 1907 and 1915<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/tumblr_m3phbxkhaR1r3si8so1_r1_12801.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3044\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/tumblr_m3phbxkhaR1r3si8so1_r1_12801-300x228.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"228\" /></a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>It is uncommon knowledge  to know why we orbit our sun in a vacuum, or how light cannot escape a black hole, but the concepts given to us by Einstein\'s Theory(s) of Relativity gives us be best insight on explaining these amazing powers of this universe. Special relativity states that laws of physics are the equal  for all non-accelerating observers, and that the speed of light is constant. General relativity states that The larger the object is, the larger its distortion in space time which is what we call as gravity. His theories of special and general relativities correlate in that it explains the effects and differences between stationary bodies and bodies in motion. It also explains how light is affected by gravity via gravitational lensing, which gravity\'s ability to bend light. Without such an incredible idea we would be forever ignorant about such things, and would be severely detrimental to our growth as a species. My proposal to preserve this concept, apart from it allowing us to travel in space, is because it is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest human achievements of all time. It is the foundation by which all explanations in physics and cosmology are based on, and thus, allows us to further our knowledge of the vast universe around us. I believe that we must preserve this because it is everything in our universe operates upon given a few known exceptions, and gives a foothold into our continued progress towards discovery. Ultimately, however, we don\'t need to preserve it, because it will always exist.</div>\r\n<div><!--more--></div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nIn the age of curiosity and trying to understand the cosmos, a singular individual spearheaded physics and cosmology, and every major science of the time, and would forever change the way we view the universe. This individual was named Albert Einstein, a theoretical physicist. His ideas revolutionized the way we explain how things work, and helped answer some of the big questions. His ideas  and theories went along with many others such as Robert Oppenheimer and Niels Bohr. Many were driven, given the rapid evolution of technology, to find out and discover everything they could, as quickly as they could because they were finally able to.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nFor it\'s time, it\'s significance is beyond it. It was theoretical physics that accounted for many unknowns in the universe that wouldn\'t be discovered until after Einstein\'s death. It had predicted a great many concepts such as black holes and dark matter, the things that make up most of the gravity in our universe. He was ahead of his time, and this theory leap-frogged us into proving it. We looked for the black holes and the dark matter, and there they are. Theoretical physics, cosmology, astrophysics, the sciences most people have a hard time understanding, and all the others as well, operate upon this foundation, so it\'s importance is beyond understanding. Allaboutscience.org best summarizes it\'s importance after many occurrences where the general theory could be applied, \"Einstein’s theories of both special and general relativity have been confirmed to be accurate to a very high degree over recent years, and the data has been shown to corroborate many key predictions...general relativity proved itself accurate to better than a trillionth of a percent precision, thus making it one of the best confirmed principles in all of physics.\"\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nUpon it\'s birth, the theory was met with varied beliefs. Many thought it was in correct because it conflicted with other theories at the time, but the majority grew to accept it very quickly. The more study that was done with it as the basis, the more it made sense to the rest of the scientific community. And though Einstein is the accepted creator of this theory, many others are credited to its culmination, such as <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Michelson\">Albert Michelson</a>, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Lorentz\">Hendrik Lorentz</a>, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Poincar%C3%A9\">Henri Poincaré</a>. This was a huge undertaking, to explain the fundamental laws of the universe, and to say with almost certainty that this what the basic laws of the universe operate on would be a bold statement. So of course many disbelieved at first, but as we know now it is very widely accepted. It best explained space-time in relation to gravity, a Space.com put it, \" [he] worked out the equations for his general theory of relativity, Einstein realized that massive objects caused a distortion in space-time. Imagine setting a large body in the center of a trampoline. The body would press down into the fabric, causing it to dimple. A marble rolled around the edge would spiral inward toward the body, pulled in much the same way that the gravity of a planet pulls at rocks in space\"\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nIt is so widely accepted, in fact, that you will not find a single educated adult who does not know E = mc2, Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared, as it\'s and explanation to special relativity. In fact, most young people today could even recognize it and who it\'s accredited to, it is that relevant and important to our culture. And though it was met with mixed acceptances upon its creation, it is almost universally accepted today. This, however, does not mean that everyone understands it. Typically it\'s explanation is left to advanced high school physics and higher level learning.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nTo me it is a grand idea to be in wonder of. No one ever thinks about how even though we\'re floating on a huge rock in the vacuum of space, we\'re affected by an invisible, immeasurable force, thousands of miles away, and that we\'re also being affected by the rock we\'re standing on itself. We call this gravity, and we know it exists because we know the difference between it\'s pull, and no gravity at all. Or that light takes eight minutes to travel from the sun to us, and yet that speed at which it travels is incomprehendable. I\'ve always had a huge wonder of astrophysics and what lies beyond this planet, beyond what we know and are comfortable with. When we discovered the Higgs-Boson, aka the God Particle, earlier this year no one could care less about it\'s importance and it\'s relevance to even the basic laws of physics. But for those reading I\'ll summarize. It is the particle, or set of particles, that give everything mass and essentially, existence. Thus, giving something mass essentially gives it gravity and a foot-hold in our dimension/reality. The science behind it is very in-depth and complicated. Interestingly, Einstein stated that it is impossible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light, but when we smashed the atoms at the The Hadron Collider and Detector at Fermilab to find the Higgs Boson, we found it to be traveling a bit faster than light. We don\'t know how to classify this in the known laws of physics, but I believe we\'re stepping into a whole new universe of science, almost literally.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nJ<a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=maxwell%27s%20electromagnetic%20theory&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;cad=rja&amp;ved=0CDwQFjAB&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FJames_Clerk_Maxwell&amp;ei=1byzUOLGOc-s0AGj7YHICA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEhnZ2Hy0Jkra3niTYhOS2kL8bc2w\">ames Clerk Maxwell</a> was working in parallel to Einstein in trying to explain the framework of such laws, but only came as far as showing a relation between energy and mass.  Thebigview.com gives a good synopsis on Einstein\'s E=MC2 versus Maxwell\'s E/c2, \"Einstein derived this relation in an attempt to reconcile Maxwell\'s electromagnetic theory with the conservation of energy and momentum. Maxwell said that light carries a momentum, which is to say that a wave carries an amount of energy. Due to the principle of conservation of momentum, if a body emits energy in the form of radiation, the body loses an equivalent amount of mass that is given by E/c². This describes the relation between energy and mass. \"\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nThe most significant thing future generations should be aware of is that first is that it is almost the law on how our universe operates, and secondly, that there are things in our universe that this law/theory does not apply to. Future generations must work off what we discover by using this theory.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nThis work has become one of the greatest testaments to human knowledge and curiosity. It has given us great insight into what exists and more importantly, how it exists. It the fundamental basis for the guidelines the universe and relative physics operate by. There is still so much to learn, but Einstein gave us a way to help point us in the right direction. And it\'s because of these things that we must preserve it, for our culture at least.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nThe things that helped me most was just having a curious mind and an openness to the things I didn\'t know. There is a multitude of information out there on any given subject, so when you find something of interest, pursue it and learn all you can about it, learn all its aspects and what have been taken from it.\r\n\r\nhttp://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs/763130_o.gif\r\n\r\nRedd, Nola T. \"Einstein\'s Theory of General Relativity.\" <em>Space.com</em>. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nKnierim, Thomas. \"Special and General Relativity Theory (Albert Einstein).\" <em>Special and General Relativity Theory (Albert Einstein)</em>. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.thebigview.com/spacetime/relativity.html&gt;.\r\n\r\n\"Theory Of Relativity.\" <em>AllAboutScience.org</em>. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.allaboutscience.org/theory-of-relativity.htm&gt;.\r\n\r\n</div>','Albert Einstein\'s Theory of relativity','','inherit','open','open','','3041-revision-4','','','2012-11-26 23:02:48','2012-11-27 05:02:48','',3041,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3051',0,'revision','',0),(3052,1,'2012-11-26 23:44:09','2012-11-27 05:44:09','&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI submit for inclusion in our time capsule, Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in June of 1967. This album is one of the most important works of its time because of its sonic brilliance, the lyrics and the messages within, as well as the band\'s immaculate crafting of a concept album.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nSgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is an album comprised of 13 tracks for a combined 40 minutes. The sound of the album compared to the band previous releases is a decidedly more experimental sound and more mature take on some of the same topics that the group had already explored, along with a few new questions to ponder thrown in as well. The album was in line with its contemporaries in a time of psychedelic sentiments and sounds that reflected the culture of the 60\'s and the 1967 \'Summer of Love\' in particular. The thing that set this work apart from the others of its time were the brilliant  musicality that the band displayed as well as the compelling songwriting, mostly by band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Tony Hicks, in an article for the Contra Costa Times, wrote, “The music inside mixed in classical psychedelia sounds, electronic effects, was full of offbeat instrumentation and arrangements, and somehow heightened the band’s personality and songwriting genius while sill being easy to follow. The record connected the listener to a perceived continuous performance, powerfully sequenced for one great moment to set up the next.” The result was apart from a musical masterpiece, a quintessential concept album. The Beatles were huge stars in the eyes of the world, and their popularity along with the quality of the music and the mood of the time made for a cultural phenomenon in the form of what is widely considered the greatest rock and roll album of all time.\r\n\r\nThe 1967 \'Summer of Love\' revolved around the expanding of the hippie counter culture, experimental drug use, and the general abandonment of the straight laced attitude of the 1950\'s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and Jimi Hendrix along with The Beatles sang songs that provided the background for this shift in attitudes and documented the growth of new ideas and the questioning of authority of this era. In the July issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Mikal Gilmore recalled that \"Sixties rock, along with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and a mass willingness to experiment with marijuana and LSD, had given young people a new sense of empowerment.\" The possibilities of how one could go about living life were expanding as boundaries of resisting established forms of authority were pushed. Gilmore goes on to state, \"The Beatles had been introduced to marijuana by Bob Dylan in 1964 and had used the drug steadily since. But psychedelics -- which they were now taking -- proposed chancier, more intense possibilities. [...] Lennon felt his songwriting initially benefited from psychedelic experience.\" Former psychologist turned 1960s counterculture icon, Timothy Leary coined the catchphrase \"Turn on, tune in, drop out\" (Collis, Brunner, Halperin, Johnson, and McCaffery 1). He was a fixture in the culture that now was what the adolescent, teenybopper audience that The Beatles had begun to distance themselves from, has evolved into. The young people of this era had begun to grow up and experiment with new ideas which is part of what made the Sgt. Pepper\'s album such a huge phenomenon. The Beatles, the largest mainstream rock and roll act of the time, put out a classic album, expertly navigating the most pressing social issues of the time, at the exact time that their audience was ready to hear it.\r\n\r\nThe era of the 1960\'s revolved around the hippie counter culture and the ideas of free love. Along with these events came experimental drug use, an almost childish rebelliousness, and a spacey, hypnotic aesthetic related to the music of some of the most popular artists of the era. The band grasp of music and their ability and willingness to step outside of the normal boundaries of expression helped set them apart from their peers. In the studio, the band employed many innovative forms of technology into their creative process to expand the pallet of sounds that they used to create the Sgt. Pepper\'s album. They employed the idea of a concept to build the albums sound around that gave them even more room to experiment. In their book, The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney says, “We would be Sgt. Pepper’s band, and for the whole of the album we’d pretend to be someone else. So, when John walked up to the microphone to sing, it wouldn’t be the new John Lennon vocal, it would be whoever he was in this new group, his fantasy character. It liberated you - you could do anything when you got to the mike or on your guitar, because it wasn’t you.”\r\n\r\nThe work was received with wide acclaim, with many in the music media deeming it an instant classic. Sgt. Pepper\'s was a true studio album, as the band had stopped performing live, and dedicated themselves to making a meaningful work of art, and separate themselves from the Beatlemania that had dominated their careers from the inception. That\'s where the complexity of sounds in the album stem from. Today the album is widely believed to be the best rock and roll album of all time and is generally considered the band\'s seminal work. Today most of the novelty of Beatlemania has worn off, and their work is appreciated a little more than it was then. The albums detractors usually attributed the praise of the album to the hype surrounding the band, but the albums legacy has persevered through the years and still stands as one of the most popular musical works of all time.\r\n\r\nI bought this album about a year ago because I had stumbled upon Rolling Stone\'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. I wanted to start my way down the list and experience all of these acclaimed albums over time. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the number one album on the list and I had always meant to get into The Beatles, so I decided to start there. On the first listen I loved a few songs, but as a person that favors listening to albums in their entirety, I wasn\'t impressed. Eventually, after acquiring a higher quality set of headphones, I went back to it, and it pulled me in quickly. Lately I\'ve been listening to it at least a couple times a week, and while its still not my favorite album, I have begun to understand how this album as well as The Beatles as a band influenced the culture of their time, as well as many of the other artist that I enjoy from that era. This album inspired an era of musical artists that were only then being introduced to the recording technology that is standard today.\r\n\r\nIn 1967, as The Beatles were arguably at the top of their success, The Doors made their debut. Both bands were successful at crafting music that both centered around and centered on the biggest societal issues of the time. Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s lyrical artistry was rivaled by Jim Morrison’s psychedelic intellectualism. In a May 2003 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Parke Puterbaugh writes an article about The Doors’ debut album in which he states, “The Doors arrived in 1967, the same year as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; both were psychedelic touchstones and among the first major rock discs that truly stood as albums, rather than collections of songs. But whereas The Beatles took a basically sunny view of humanity, the Door’s debut offered the dark side of the moon.” In my opinion, The Doors debut was just as important as far as the impact of the album itself. I strongly considered submitting The Doors’ album for consideration to be included in our time capsule. The thing that put The Beatles over the top for me was the mainstream success that they were at the time and the accessibility that their notoriety had given them. In a TIME Magazine article titled “The Messengers”, the an unnamed author writes, “All the successes of the past two years were a foreshadowing of Sgt. Pepper, which more than anything dramatizes, note for note, word for word, the brilliance of the new Beatles.” Their popularity gave them access to as wide of a channel of listeners as any band had ever garnered. This made their album that much more impactful. They brought their new sounds and ideas to the large audience that they already had, as well as pulling in a more mature and enlightened audience that had dismissed them before.\r\n\r\nFuture generations should look back on this work and primarily view it as a seminal example of a complete musical work of art. The musicality of the band as well as the lyricism and the messages that they convey show how an album should ultimately be approached. Not matter how different the music might be, the ambition to express thoughts in a unique and sonically beautiful way should be held by all musical artists. Future generations should also note how successful Sgt. Pepper’s was as a concept album. Personally, I have heard and enjoyed many concept albums, Sgt. Pepper’s stands out, because of the musicality it possesses as well as the stylistic variance of the songs therein. The songs stand well on there own, and possess their own unique sounds that go together well as an album. That is a balance that is hard to achieve for any artist or band that is trying to convey a message or tell a story though a collection of songs, especially in an industry that even in 1967 was driven by singles. In an article titled <em>Rereading: Sgt. Pepper’s Words</em>, David Michaelis stated, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band revolutionized pop music as the airplane revolutionized warfare. Until Sgt. Pepper, the pop single dominated the recording industry.” There were many cases of radio stations playing the album in its entirety after its release. Every song on the album received radio play either by itself or in succession with other tracks from the album. This signifies how Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band contains some of the most important music of one of the most important musical eras, and deserves to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\r\nBeatles, The. <em>The Beatles Anthology</em>. San Francisco: Chronicle Books Llc, 2002. Print.\r\n\r\nMichaelis, David. \"Rereading: Sgt. Pepper\'s Words.\" <em>American Scholar</em>. 2002: 130. Print.\r\n\r\nHicks, Tony. \"\'Sgt. Pepper\'s\' Still Turns Us On: Beatles Album Forever Changed Way Music Made, Played.\" <em>Contra Costa Times</em> [Walnut Creek] 28 05 2007, n. pag. Print.\r\n\r\nGilmore, Mikal. \"Making Sgt. Pepper.\" <em>Rolling Stone</em>. 12 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\nCollis, Clark, Rob Brunner, Shirey Halperin, Beth Johnson, and Damien McCaffery. \"Summer of Love Revisited.\" <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>. 06 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\n\"The Messengers.\" <em>Time</em>. 22 1967: n. page. Print.','Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles','','inherit','open','open','','3047-revision-3','','','2012-11-26 23:44:09','2012-11-27 05:44:09','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3052',0,'revision','',0),(3053,71,'2012-11-26 23:50:22','2012-11-27 05:50:22','','sgtpepperscover','http://www.beatlesagain.com/btsgtppr.html','inherit','open','open','','sgtpepperscover-2','','','2012-11-26 23:50:22','2012-11-27 05:50:22','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/sgtpepperscover1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3054,71,'2012-11-26 23:51:17','2012-11-27 05:51:17','','sgtpepperscover','','inherit','open','open','','sgtpepperscover-3','','','2012-11-26 23:51:17','2012-11-27 05:51:17','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/sgtpepperscover2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3055,1,'2012-12-15 12:54:05','2012-12-15 18:54:05','&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/sgtpepperscover2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3054\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/sgtpepperscover2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI submit for inclusion in our time capsule, Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in June of 1967. This album is one of the most important works of its time because of its sonic brilliance, the lyrics and the messages within, as well as the band\'s immaculate crafting of a concept album.<!--more-->\n\nSgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is an album comprised of 13 tracks for a combined 40 minutes. The sound of the album compared to the band previous releases is a decidedly more experimental sound and more mature take on some of the same topics that the group had already explored, along with a few new questions to ponder thrown in as well. The album was in line with its contemporaries in a time of psychedelic sentiments and sounds that reflected the culture of the 60\'s and the 1967 \'Summer of Love\' in particular. The thing that set this work apart from the others of its time were the brilliant  musicality that the band displayed as well as the compelling songwriting, mostly by band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Tony Hicks, in an article for the Contra Costa Times, wrote, “The music inside mixed in classical psychedelia sounds, electronic effects, was full of offbeat instrumentation and arrangements, and somehow heightened the band’s personality and songwriting genius while sill being easy to follow. The record connected the listener to a perceived continuous performance, powerfully sequenced for one great moment to set up the next.” The result was apart from a musical masterpiece, a quintessential concept album. The Beatles were huge stars in the eyes of the world, and their popularity along with the quality of the music and the mood of the time made for a cultural phenomenon in the form of what is widely considered the greatest rock and roll album of all time.\n\nThe 1967 \'Summer of Love\' revolved around the expanding of the hippie counter culture, experimental drug use, and the general abandonment of the straight laced attitude of the 1950\'s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and Jimi Hendrix along with The Beatles sang songs that provided the background for this shift in attitudes and documented the growth of new ideas and the questioning of authority of this era. In the July issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Mikal Gilmore recalled that \"Sixties rock, along with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and a mass willingness to experiment with marijuana and LSD, had given young people a new sense of empowerment.\" The possibilities of how one could go about living life were expanding as boundaries of resisting established forms of authority were pushed. Gilmore goes on to state, \"The Beatles had been introduced to marijuana by Bob Dylan in 1964 and had used the drug steadily since. But psychedelics -- which they were now taking -- proposed chancier, more intense possibilities. [...] Lennon felt his songwriting initially benefited from psychedelic experience.\" Former psychologist turned 1960s counterculture icon, Timothy Leary coined the catchphrase \"Turn on, tune in, drop out\" (Collis, Brunner, Halperin, Johnson, and McCaffery 1). He was a fixture in the culture that now was what the adolescent, teenybopper audience that The Beatles had begun to distance themselves from, has evolved into. The young people of this era had begun to grow up and experiment with new ideas which is part of what made the Sgt. Pepper\'s album such a huge phenomenon. The Beatles, the largest mainstream rock and roll act of the time, put out a classic album, expertly navigating the most pressing social issues of the time, at the exact time that their audience was ready to hear it.\n\nThe era of the 1960\'s revolved around the hippie counter culture and the ideas of free love. Along with these events came experimental drug use, an almost childish rebelliousness, and a spacey, hypnotic aesthetic related to the music of some of the most popular artists of the era. The band grasp of music and their ability and willingness to step outside of the normal boundaries of expression helped set them apart from their peers. In the studio, the band employed many innovative forms of technology into their creative process to expand the pallet of sounds that they used to create the Sgt. Pepper\'s album. They employed the idea of a concept to build the albums sound around that gave them even more room to experiment. In their book, The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney says, “We would be Sgt. Pepper’s band, and for the whole of the album we’d pretend to be someone else. So, when John walked up to the microphone to sing, it wouldn’t be the new John Lennon vocal, it would be whoever he was in this new group, his fantasy character. It liberated you - you could do anything when you got to the mike or on your guitar, because it wasn’t you.”\n\nThe work was received with wide acclaim, with many in the music media deeming it an instant classic. Sgt. Pepper\'s was a true studio album, as the band had stopped performing live, and dedicated themselves to making a meaningful work of art, and separate themselves from the Beatlemania that had dominated their careers from the inception. That\'s where the complexity of sounds in the album stem from. Today the album is widely believed to be the best rock and roll album of all time and is generally considered the band\'s seminal work. Today most of the novelty of Beatlemania has worn off, and their work is appreciated a little more than it was then. The albums detractors usually attributed the praise of the album to the hype surrounding the band, but the albums legacy has persevered through the years and still stands as one of the most popular musical works of all time.\n\nI bought this album about a year ago because I had stumbled upon Rolling Stone\'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. I wanted to start my way down the list and experience all of these acclaimed albums over time. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the number one album on the list and I had always meant to get into The Beatles, so I decided to start there. On the first listen I loved a few songs, but as a person that favors listening to albums in their entirety, I wasn\'t impressed. Eventually, after acquiring a higher quality set of headphones, I went back to it, and it pulled me in quickly. Lately I\'ve been listening to it at least a couple times a week, and while its still not my favorite album, I have begun to understand how this album as well as The Beatles as a band influenced the culture of their time, as well as many of the other artist that I enjoy from that era. This album inspired an era of musical artists that were only then being introduced to the recording technology that is standard today.\n\nIn 1967, as The Beatles were arguably at the top of their success, The Doors made their debut. Both bands were successful at crafting music that both centered around and centered on the biggest societal issues of the time. Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s lyrical artistry was rivaled by Jim Morrison’s psychedelic intellectualism. In a May 2003 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Parke Puterbaugh writes an article about The Doors’ debut album in which he states, “The Doors arrived in 1967, the same year as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; both were psychedelic touchstones and among the first major rock discs that truly stood as albums, rather than collections of songs. But whereas The Beatles took a basically sunny view of humanity, the Door’s debut offered the dark side of the moon.” In my opinion, The Doors debut was just as important as far as the impact of the album itself. I strongly considered submitting The Doors’ album for consideration to be included in our time capsule. The thing that put The Beatles over the top for me was the mainstream success that they were at the time and the accessibility that their notoriety had given them. In a TIME Magazine article titled “The Messengers”, the an unnamed author writes, “All the successes of the past two years were a foreshadowing of Sgt. Pepper, which more than anything dramatizes, note for note, word for word, the brilliance of the new Beatles.” Their popularity gave them access to as wide of a channel of listeners as any band had ever garnered. This made their album that much more impactful. They brought their new sounds and ideas to the large audience that they already had, as well as pulling in a more mature and enlightened audience that had dismissed them before.\n\nFuture generations should look back on this work and primarily view it as a seminal example of a complete musical work of art. The musicality of the band as well as the lyricism and the messages that they convey show how an album should ultimately be approached. Not matter how different the music might be, the ambition to express thoughts in a unique and sonically beautiful way should be held by all musical artists. Future generations should also note how successful Sgt. Pepper’s was as a concept album. Personally, I have heard and enjoyed many concept albums, Sgt. Pepper’s stands out, because of the musicality it possesses as well as the stylistic variance of the songs therein. The songs stand well on there own, and possess their own unique sounds that go together well as an album. That is a balance that is hard to achieve for any artist or band that is trying to convey a message or tell a story though a collection of songs, especially in an industry that even in 1967 was driven by singles. In an article titled <em>Rereading: Sgt. Pepper’s Words</em>, David Michaelis stated, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band revolutionized pop music as the airplane revolutionized warfare. Until Sgt. Pepper, the pop single dominated the recording industry.” There were many cases of radio stations playing the album in its entirety after its release. Every song on the album received radio play either by itself or in succession with other tracks from the album. This signifies how Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band contains some of the most important music of one of the most important musical eras, and deserves to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.\n\n&nbsp;\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Works Cited</p>\nBeatles, The. <em>The Beatles Anthology</em>. San Francisco: Chronicle Books Llc, 2002. Print.\n\nMichaelis, David. \"Rereading: Sgt. Pepper\'s Words.\" <em>American Scholar</em>. 2002: 130. Print.\n\nHicks, Tony. \"\'Sgt. Pepper\'s\' Still Turns Us On: Beatles Album Forever Changed Way Music Made, Played.\" <em>Contra Costa Times</em> [Walnut Creek] 28 05 2007, n. pag. Print.\n\nGilmore, Mikal. \"Making Sgt. Pepper.\" <em>Rolling Stone</em>. 12 2007: n. page. Print.\n\nCollis, Clark, Rob Brunner, Shirey Halperin, Beth Johnson, and Damien McCaffery. \"Summer of Love Revisited.\" <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>. 06 2007: n. page. Print.\n\n\"The Messengers.\" <em>Time</em>. 22 1967: n. page. Print.','Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles','','inherit','open','open','','3047-autosave','','','2012-12-15 12:54:05','2012-12-15 18:54:05','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3055',0,'revision','',0),(3056,71,'2012-11-26 23:44:53','2012-11-27 05:44:53','&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI submit for inclusion in our time capsule, Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in June of 1967. This album is one of the most important works of its time because of its sonic brilliance, the lyrics and the messages within, as well as the band\'s immaculate crafting of a concept album.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nSgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is an album comprised of 13 tracks for a combined 40 minutes. The sound of the album compared to the band previous releases is a decidedly more experimental sound and more mature take on some of the same topics that the group had already explored, along with a few new questions to ponder thrown in as well. The album was in line with its contemporaries in a time of psychedelic sentiments and sounds that reflected the culture of the 60\'s and the 1967 \'Summer of Love\' in particular. The thing that set this work apart from the others of its time were the brilliant  musicality that the band displayed as well as the compelling songwriting, mostly by band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Tony Hicks, in an article for the Contra Costa Times, wrote, “The music inside mixed in classical psychedelia sounds, electronic effects, was full of offbeat instrumentation and arrangements, and somehow heightened the band’s personality and songwriting genius while sill being easy to follow. The record connected the listener to a perceived continuous performance, powerfully sequenced for one great moment to set up the next.” The result was apart from a musical masterpiece, a quintessential concept album. The Beatles were huge stars in the eyes of the world, and their popularity along with the quality of the music and the mood of the time made for a cultural phenomenon in the form of what is widely considered the greatest rock and roll album of all time.\r\n\r\nThe 1967 \'Summer of Love\' revolved around the expanding of the hippie counter culture, experimental drug use, and the general abandonment of the straight laced attitude of the 1950\'s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and Jimi Hendrix along with The Beatles sang songs that provided the background for this shift in attitudes and documented the growth of new ideas and the questioning of authority of this era. In the July issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Mikal Gilmore recalled that \"Sixties rock, along with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and a mass willingness to experiment with marijuana and LSD, had given young people a new sense of empowerment.\" The possibilities of how one could go about living life were expanding as boundaries of resisting established forms of authority were pushed. Gilmore goes on to state, \"The Beatles had been introduced to marijuana by Bob Dylan in 1964 and had used the drug steadily since. But psychedelics -- which they were now taking -- proposed chancier, more intense possibilities. [...] Lennon felt his songwriting initially benefited from psychedelic experience.\" Former psychologist turned 1960s counterculture icon, Timothy Leary coined the catchphrase \"Turn on, tune in, drop out\" (Collis, Brunner, Halperin, Johnson, and McCaffery 1). He was a fixture in the culture that now was what the adolescent, teenybopper audience that The Beatles had begun to distance themselves from, has evolved into. The young people of this era had begun to grow up and experiment with new ideas which is part of what made the Sgt. Pepper\'s album such a huge phenomenon. The Beatles, the largest mainstream rock and roll act of the time, put out a classic album, expertly navigating the most pressing social issues of the time, at the exact time that their audience was ready to hear it.\r\n\r\nThe era of the 1960\'s revolved around the hippie counter culture and the ideas of free love. Along with these events came experimental drug use, an almost childish rebelliousness, and a spacey, hypnotic aesthetic related to the music of some of the most popular artists of the era. The band grasp of music and their ability and willingness to step outside of the normal boundaries of expression helped set them apart from their peers. In the studio, the band employed many innovative forms of technology into their creative process to expand the pallet of sounds that they used to create the Sgt. Pepper\'s album. They employed the idea of a concept to build the albums sound around that gave them even more room to experiment. In their book, The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney says, “We would be Sgt. Pepper’s band, and for the whole of the album we’d pretend to be someone else. So, when John walked up to the microphone to sing, it wouldn’t be the new John Lennon vocal, it would be whoever he was in this new group, his fantasy character. It liberated you - you could do anything when you got to the mike or on your guitar, because it wasn’t you.”\r\n\r\nThe work was received with wide acclaim, with many in the music media deeming it an instant classic. Sgt. Pepper\'s was a true studio album, as the band had stopped performing live, and dedicated themselves to making a meaningful work of art, and separate themselves from the Beatlemania that had dominated their careers from the inception. That\'s where the complexity of sounds in the album stem from. Today the album is widely believed to be the best rock and roll album of all time and is generally considered the band\'s seminal work. Today most of the novelty of Beatlemania has worn off, and their work is appreciated a little more than it was then. The albums detractors usually attributed the praise of the album to the hype surrounding the band, but the albums legacy has persevered through the years and still stands as one of the most popular musical works of all time.\r\n\r\nI bought this album about a year ago because I had stumbled upon Rolling Stone\'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. I wanted to start my way down the list and experience all of these acclaimed albums over time. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the number one album on the list and I had always meant to get into The Beatles, so I decided to start there. On the first listen I loved a few songs, but as a person that favors listening to albums in their entirety, I wasn\'t impressed. Eventually, after acquiring a higher quality set of headphones, I went back to it, and it pulled me in quickly. Lately I\'ve been listening to it at least a couple times a week, and while its still not my favorite album, I have begun to understand how this album as well as The Beatles as a band influenced the culture of their time, as well as many of the other artist that I enjoy from that era. This album inspired an era of musical artists that were only then being introduced to the recording technology that is standard today.\r\n\r\nIn 1967, as The Beatles were arguably at the top of their success, The Doors made their debut. Both bands were successful at crafting music that both centered around and centered on the biggest societal issues of the time. Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s lyrical artistry was rivaled by Jim Morrison’s psychedelic intellectualism. In a May 2003 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Parke Puterbaugh writes an article about The Doors’ debut album in which he states, “The Doors arrived in 1967, the same year as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; both were psychedelic touchstones and among the first major rock discs that truly stood as albums, rather than collections of songs. But whereas The Beatles took a basically sunny view of humanity, the Door’s debut offered the dark side of the moon.” In my opinion, The Doors debut was just as important as far as the impact of the album itself. I strongly considered submitting The Doors’ album for consideration to be included in our time capsule. The thing that put The Beatles over the top for me was the mainstream success that they were at the time and the accessibility that their notoriety had given them. In a TIME Magazine article titled “The Messengers”, the an unnamed author writes, “All the successes of the past two years were a foreshadowing of Sgt. Pepper, which more than anything dramatizes, note for note, word for word, the brilliance of the new Beatles.” Their popularity gave them access to as wide of a channel of listeners as any band had ever garnered. This made their album that much more impactful. They brought their new sounds and ideas to the large audience that they already had, as well as pulling in a more mature and enlightened audience that had dismissed them before.\r\n\r\nFuture generations should look back on this work and primarily view it as a seminal example of a complete musical work of art. The musicality of the band as well as the lyricism and the messages that they convey show how an album should ultimately be approached. Not matter how different the music might be, the ambition to express thoughts in a unique and sonically beautiful way should be held by all musical artists. Future generations should also note how successful Sgt. Pepper’s was as a concept album. Personally, I have heard and enjoyed many concept albums, Sgt. Pepper’s stands out, because of the musicality it possesses as well as the stylistic variance of the songs therein. The songs stand well on there own, and possess their own unique sounds that go together well as an album. That is a balance that is hard to achieve for any artist or band that is trying to convey a message or tell a story though a collection of songs, especially in an industry that even in 1967 was driven by singles. In an article titled <em>Rereading: Sgt. Pepper’s Words</em>, David Michaelis stated, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band revolutionized pop music as the airplane revolutionized warfare. Until Sgt. Pepper, the pop single dominated the recording industry.” There were many cases of radio stations playing the album in its entirety after its release. Every song on the album received radio play either by itself or in succession with other tracks from the album. This signifies how Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band contains some of the most important music of one of the most important musical eras, and deserves to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\r\nBeatles, The. <em>The Beatles Anthology</em>. San Francisco: Chronicle Books Llc, 2002. Print.\r\n\r\nMichaelis, David. \"Rereading: Sgt. Pepper\'s Words.\" <em>American Scholar</em>. 2002: 130. Print.\r\n\r\nHicks, Tony. \"\'Sgt. Pepper\'s\' Still Turns Us On: Beatles Album Forever Changed Way Music Made, Played.\" <em>Contra Costa Times</em> [Walnut Creek] 28 05 2007, n. pag. Print.\r\n\r\nGilmore, Mikal. \"Making Sgt. Pepper.\" <em>Rolling Stone</em>. 12 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\nCollis, Clark, Rob Brunner, Shirey Halperin, Beth Johnson, and Damien McCaffery. \"Summer of Love Revisited.\" <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>. 06 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\n\"The Messengers.\" <em>Time</em>. 22 1967: n. page. Print.','Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles','','inherit','open','open','','3047-revision-4','','','2012-11-26 23:44:53','2012-11-27 05:44:53','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3056',0,'revision','',0),(3058,62,'2012-11-27 08:35:13','2012-11-27 14:35:13','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"486\" height=\"324\" /></strong></strong>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html</p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater</a>&gt;.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','publish','open','open','','frank-lloyd-wrights-fallingwater','','','2012-11-30 00:43:39','2012-11-30 06:43:39','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3058',0,'post','',10),(3057,71,'2012-11-26 23:52:18','2012-11-27 05:52:18','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/sgtpepperscover2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3054\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/sgtpepperscover2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">http://www.beatlesagain.com/btsgtppr.html</p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI submit for inclusion in our time capsule, Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in June of 1967. This album is one of the most important works of its time because of its sonic brilliance, the lyrics and the messages within, as well as the band\'s immaculate crafting of a concept album.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nSgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is an album comprised of 13 tracks for a combined 40 minutes. The sound of the album compared to the band previous releases is a decidedly more experimental sound and more mature take on some of the same topics that the group had already explored, along with a few new questions to ponder thrown in as well. The album was in line with its contemporaries in a time of psychedelic sentiments and sounds that reflected the culture of the 60\'s and the 1967 \'Summer of Love\' in particular. The thing that set this work apart from the others of its time were the brilliant  musicality that the band displayed as well as the compelling songwriting, mostly by band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Tony Hicks, in an article for the Contra Costa Times, wrote, “The music inside mixed in classical psychedelia sounds, electronic effects, was full of offbeat instrumentation and arrangements, and somehow heightened the band’s personality and songwriting genius while sill being easy to follow. The record connected the listener to a perceived continuous performance, powerfully sequenced for one great moment to set up the next.” The result was apart from a musical masterpiece, a quintessential concept album. The Beatles were huge stars in the eyes of the world, and their popularity along with the quality of the music and the mood of the time made for a cultural phenomenon in the form of what is widely considered the greatest rock and roll album of all time.\r\n\r\nThe 1967 \'Summer of Love\' revolved around the expanding of the hippie counter culture, experimental drug use, and the general abandonment of the straight laced attitude of the 1950\'s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and Jimi Hendrix along with The Beatles sang songs that provided the background for this shift in attitudes and documented the growth of new ideas and the questioning of authority of this era. In the July issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Mikal Gilmore recalled that \"Sixties rock, along with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and a mass willingness to experiment with marijuana and LSD, had given young people a new sense of empowerment.\" The possibilities of how one could go about living life were expanding as boundaries of resisting established forms of authority were pushed. Gilmore goes on to state, \"The Beatles had been introduced to marijuana by Bob Dylan in 1964 and had used the drug steadily since. But psychedelics -- which they were now taking -- proposed chancier, more intense possibilities. [...] Lennon felt his songwriting initially benefited from psychedelic experience.\" Former psychologist turned 1960s counterculture icon, Timothy Leary coined the catchphrase \"Turn on, tune in, drop out\" (Collis, Brunner, Halperin, Johnson, and McCaffery 1). He was a fixture in the culture that now was what the adolescent, teenybopper audience that The Beatles had begun to distance themselves from, has evolved into. The young people of this era had begun to grow up and experiment with new ideas which is part of what made the Sgt. Pepper\'s album such a huge phenomenon. The Beatles, the largest mainstream rock and roll act of the time, put out a classic album, expertly navigating the most pressing social issues of the time, at the exact time that their audience was ready to hear it.\r\n\r\nThe era of the 1960\'s revolved around the hippie counter culture and the ideas of free love. Along with these events came experimental drug use, an almost childish rebelliousness, and a spacey, hypnotic aesthetic related to the music of some of the most popular artists of the era. The band grasp of music and their ability and willingness to step outside of the normal boundaries of expression helped set them apart from their peers. In the studio, the band employed many innovative forms of technology into their creative process to expand the pallet of sounds that they used to create the Sgt. Pepper\'s album. They employed the idea of a concept to build the albums sound around that gave them even more room to experiment. In their book, The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney says, “We would be Sgt. Pepper’s band, and for the whole of the album we’d pretend to be someone else. So, when John walked up to the microphone to sing, it wouldn’t be the new John Lennon vocal, it would be whoever he was in this new group, his fantasy character. It liberated you - you could do anything when you got to the mike or on your guitar, because it wasn’t you.”\r\n\r\nThe work was received with wide acclaim, with many in the music media deeming it an instant classic. Sgt. Pepper\'s was a true studio album, as the band had stopped performing live, and dedicated themselves to making a meaningful work of art, and separate themselves from the Beatlemania that had dominated their careers from the inception. That\'s where the complexity of sounds in the album stem from. Today the album is widely believed to be the best rock and roll album of all time and is generally considered the band\'s seminal work. Today most of the novelty of Beatlemania has worn off, and their work is appreciated a little more than it was then. The albums detractors usually attributed the praise of the album to the hype surrounding the band, but the albums legacy has persevered through the years and still stands as one of the most popular musical works of all time.\r\n\r\nI bought this album about a year ago because I had stumbled upon Rolling Stone\'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. I wanted to start my way down the list and experience all of these acclaimed albums over time. Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the number one album on the list and I had always meant to get into The Beatles, so I decided to start there. On the first listen I loved a few songs, but as a person that favors listening to albums in their entirety, I wasn\'t impressed. Eventually, after acquiring a higher quality set of headphones, I went back to it, and it pulled me in quickly. Lately I\'ve been listening to it at least a couple times a week, and while its still not my favorite album, I have begun to understand how this album as well as The Beatles as a band influenced the culture of their time, as well as many of the other artist that I enjoy from that era. This album inspired an era of musical artists that were only then being introduced to the recording technology that is standard today.\r\n\r\nIn 1967, as The Beatles were arguably at the top of their success, The Doors made their debut. Both bands were successful at crafting music that both centered around and centered on the biggest societal issues of the time. Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s lyrical artistry was rivaled by Jim Morrison’s psychedelic intellectualism. In a May 2003 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Parke Puterbaugh writes an article about The Doors’ debut album in which he states, “The Doors arrived in 1967, the same year as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; both were psychedelic touchstones and among the first major rock discs that truly stood as albums, rather than collections of songs. But whereas The Beatles took a basically sunny view of humanity, the Door’s debut offered the dark side of the moon.” In my opinion, The Doors debut was just as important as far as the impact of the album itself. I strongly considered submitting The Doors’ album for consideration to be included in our time capsule. The thing that put The Beatles over the top for me was the mainstream success that they were at the time and the accessibility that their notoriety had given them. In a TIME Magazine article titled “The Messengers”, the an unnamed author writes, “All the successes of the past two years were a foreshadowing of Sgt. Pepper, which more than anything dramatizes, note for note, word for word, the brilliance of the new Beatles.” Their popularity gave them access to as wide of a channel of listeners as any band had ever garnered. This made their album that much more impactful. They brought their new sounds and ideas to the large audience that they already had, as well as pulling in a more mature and enlightened audience that had dismissed them before.\r\n\r\nFuture generations should look back on this work and primarily view it as a seminal example of a complete musical work of art. The musicality of the band as well as the lyricism and the messages that they convey show how an album should ultimately be approached. Not matter how different the music might be, the ambition to express thoughts in a unique and sonically beautiful way should be held by all musical artists. Future generations should also note how successful Sgt. Pepper’s was as a concept album. Personally, I have heard and enjoyed many concept albums, Sgt. Pepper’s stands out, because of the musicality it possesses as well as the stylistic variance of the songs therein. The songs stand well on there own, and possess their own unique sounds that go together well as an album. That is a balance that is hard to achieve for any artist or band that is trying to convey a message or tell a story though a collection of songs, especially in an industry that even in 1967 was driven by singles. In an article titled <em>Rereading: Sgt. Pepper’s Words</em>, David Michaelis stated, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band revolutionized pop music as the airplane revolutionized warfare. Until Sgt. Pepper, the pop single dominated the recording industry.” There were many cases of radio stations playing the album in its entirety after its release. Every song on the album received radio play either by itself or in succession with other tracks from the album. This signifies how Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band contains some of the most important music of one of the most important musical eras, and deserves to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\r\nBeatles, The. <em>The Beatles Anthology</em>. San Francisco: Chronicle Books Llc, 2002. Print.\r\n\r\nMichaelis, David. \"Rereading: Sgt. Pepper\'s Words.\" <em>American Scholar</em>. 2002: 130. Print.\r\n\r\nHicks, Tony. \"\'Sgt. Pepper\'s\' Still Turns Us On: Beatles Album Forever Changed Way Music Made, Played.\" <em>Contra Costa Times</em> [Walnut Creek] 28 05 2007, n. pag. Print.\r\n\r\nGilmore, Mikal. \"Making Sgt. Pepper.\" <em>Rolling Stone</em>. 12 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\nCollis, Clark, Rob Brunner, Shirey Halperin, Beth Johnson, and Damien McCaffery. \"Summer of Love Revisited.\" <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>. 06 2007: n. page. Print.\r\n\r\n\"The Messengers.\" <em>Time</em>. 22 1967: n. page. Print.','Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles','','inherit','open','open','','3047-revision-5','','','2012-11-26 23:52:18','2012-11-27 05:52:18','',3047,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3057',0,'revision','',0),(3059,62,'2012-11-27 08:32:52','2012-11-27 14:32:52','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"632px;\" height=\"422px;\" />\n\n\n\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.\n\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\n\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\n\n\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\n\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\n\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\n\n\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\n\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n</strong></strong>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\n<strong><strong>\n</strong></strong>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater&gt;.</p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\n<strong><strong>\n</strong></strong>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\n<strong><strong>\n</strong></strong>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\n<strong><strong>\n</strong></strong>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\n<strong><strong>\n</strong></strong>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\n<strong>\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print\n\n\n\n\n\n</strong>','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision','','','2012-11-27 08:32:52','2012-11-27 14:32:52','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3059',0,'revision','',0),(3060,62,'2012-11-27 08:32:53','2012-11-27 14:32:53','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"632px;\" height=\"422px;\" />\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater&gt;.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong>','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision-2','','','2012-11-27 08:32:53','2012-11-27 14:32:53','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3060',0,'revision','',0),(3061,62,'2012-11-27 08:32:59','2012-11-27 14:32:59','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"632px;\" height=\"422px;\" />\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater&gt;.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong>','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision-3','','','2012-11-27 08:32:59','2012-11-27 14:32:59','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3061',0,'revision','',0),(3062,62,'2012-11-27 08:33:01','2012-11-27 14:33:01','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"632px;\" height=\"422px;\" />\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater&gt;.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong>','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision-4','','','2012-11-27 08:33:01','2012-11-27 14:33:01','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3062',0,'revision','',0),(3063,62,'2012-11-27 08:33:51','2012-11-27 14:33:51','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"632px;\" height=\"422px;\" />\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></strong></p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong></p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater&gt;.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong></p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong></p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong></p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong></p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></p>','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision-5','','','2012-11-27 08:33:51','2012-11-27 14:33:51','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3063',0,'revision','',0),(3064,62,'2012-11-27 08:34:59','2012-11-27 14:34:59','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"632px;\" height=\"422px;\" />\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater</a>&gt;.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong>','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision-6','','','2012-11-27 08:34:59','2012-11-27 14:34:59','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3064',0,'revision','',0),(3065,1,'2012-11-27 08:35:13','2012-11-27 14:35:13','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"632px;\" height=\"422px;\" />\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater</a>&gt;.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong>','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision-7','','','2012-11-27 08:35:13','2012-11-27 14:35:13','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3065',0,'revision','',0),(3066,62,'2012-11-27 09:51:21','2012-11-27 15:51:21','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"567\" height=\"378\" /></strong></strong>\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater</a>&gt;.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-revision-8','','','2012-11-27 09:51:21','2012-11-27 15:51:21','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3066',0,'revision','',0),(3067,62,'2012-11-27 13:31:07','2012-11-27 19:31:07','<p dir=\"ltr\">Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright</p>\r\n<strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals\r\nJ. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p. m.<img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kAF60-zB79FQzRFyfpU3QxCiSvLvmiE-jjFcscQlw6cEVeHcRISmHTxKik8squsrdoQmC3Kyrfko6dQ69FQG5_XM8whSfJyl3KNQUfQ1e8aCpdkYQnk\" alt=\"\" width=\"567\" height=\"378\" /></strong></strong>\r\n\r\nHttp://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFrank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century\'s greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work, Falling Water is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of modern times and rightly deserves to be preserved and remembered for generations to come. Fallingwater was born from the needs of a wealthy department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann who was looking to replace some deteriorating cabins he owned in the Pennsylvania woods his son, Kaufmann Jr. briefly studied architecture under Mr. Wright and suggested him as the architect. With almost nine months to work on the plans when Kaufmann phoned and said he was making the two hour drive to Wrights country estate, without a plan ever have been drawn Mr. Wright sat down amidst a flurry of frantic apprentices and penned what many consider to be the greatest architectural masterpiece of all time.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIn the throws of the Great Depression as many families were forced out of their homes with work being a commodity many were unable to come by, and as the country tried to reclaim the infrastructure it once had the face of architecture began to change. During this part of the twentieth century modern buildings from modern schools were gradually becoming commonplace and the large curtain walled rectangular masses with skeletons of steel and concrete gradually began to replace the craftsman and art deco stylings of the more prosperous decades that preceded it. Buildings such as Mies Van der Rohe’s, German Pavilion in Barcelona and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye championed this industrial and machine like quality buildings were starting to possess. Machines for living as many modernists called them, this new style did bring the machine age into architecture for the masses however many thought that a certain natural quality was lost on these buildings and being stark forms of steel and concrete never seemed to be conducive to a place for people to live, it may have been a glorious design but a certain human characteristic was lost. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, having already enjoyed an illustrious career as an accomplished architect and as he entered his seventh decade he began to once again change the face of american and international architecture with his new “usonian” designs of which Fallingwater is the genesis.\r\n\r\nFalling Water breaks from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it does not seek to show off it’s new modern materials, but instead strives to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there. Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form.\r\n\r\nA book in itself could be filled with tales and controversies of the construction from the engineers saying it could not be built, to the concrete cantilevers beginning to sag the day the formwork was removed. Moisture and mold were a constant problem to a structure perched over the unending stream below but as was typical with many of Wright\'s designs the outside was invariably brought in, weather from the great expanses of glass looking into the forest or of the drip drip from one of the ceilings many cracks. However despite these practical shortcomings Falling Water was widely regarded as a masterpiece in its own time. In fact Time magazine heralded it as Wrights “most beautiful job” (Hoffman) and effectively reemerged Wright as a prominent figure in modern american architecture. Fallingwater was the catalyst that sparked most of his latter commissions as well, masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his numerous “usionion” designs to follow. Without this work, we would have none of his amazing latter commissions as well as its influence to the Mid-century modernists who would often cite Fallingwater as their inspiration to follow the field of architecture.\r\n\r\nToday is it considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century if not of all time. It was placed on the National Landmark in 1966 and is on Smithsonian\'s list of “Places to visit before you die” of which there are only 28 on the list. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Awarded it the “best all-time work of american architecture” Falling water remains a popular tourist attraction despite it remote location in the Pennsylvania woods. It has recently undergone a complete refit and repair of the concrete cantilevers as well as having many vapor barriers and moisture protection that was now available in the nineteen-thirties.\r\n\r\nI remember clearly the first time I saw Fallingwater, it was on a calendar of fancy houses in the office of my parents business. I can not specifically remember the year but I think I was around seven or eight, I was already tearing thru legos for children of any age and was beginning to discover my lifelong passion for design and architecture. I remember seeing the house there on the calendar and thinking for the first time that that building was destined to be there it had the air of a millionaires retreat and a castle ruin at the same time, there\'s almost nothing that dates this house and it truly has a timeless quality, I clearly recall thinking that everything about it made sense, from the central monolith with numerous volumes jutting out. Still having the illusion it was all grown from the site, to the way it seemed to continue the line of the cliffs below it creating a cave like interior space that was still open and airy yet sheltering. Fallingwater literally inspired me to study architecture, and although I will probably end up in the Industrial design sector not a day will go by that I do not think of the man who inspired me to create.\r\n\r\nFalling Water is considered Mr. Wright\'s greatest commission and in that sense we should logically compare it then to his european counterpart the great, Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye is considered by many to be Le Corbusier\'s best work in the field of residential architecture and like falling water Villa Savoye is also a retreat home for a wealthy benefactor. However the two contrast sharply as to materials, location and composition. As previously stated the European Modern style of the time was defined by large “floating” compositions whose large featureless expanses of stucco were punctuated by thoughtfully placed horizontal bands of windows and curtain walls, which was a huge contrast to the natural and harmonious melting of materials at Fallingwater. Villa Savoye consists of multiple pilings (round columns) supporting a large two story rectangular block overlooking a large flat expanse of french meadow and prairie. Like Fallingwater they are both elevated compositions but Le Corbusier uses stilts whereas Wright set his over the ledge of a waterfall merging the house and nature into one. Villa Savoye and Falling water were built within a decade of each other and both architects were aware to the comparison of each others work to their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright, Phaidon) However despite the difference in design both accomplish their fundamental roles of providing a relaxing weekend house albeit in different ways and for different clients.\r\n\r\nThis house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature, not in todays sense of “green” this and frivolous lawsuits for having the wrong door knobs installed but in the sense of using local and plentiful materials and in a way so as to make the occupant become closer to nature by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from is hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of this great land.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Works Cited</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cohen, Jean-Louis. \"Villa Savoye.\" Le Corbusier. Germany: Tashcen Gmbh, 2004. 43-47. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\"Fallingwater.\" Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. &lt;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater</a>&gt;.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. New York: DK, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kuhn, Chuck. Fallingwater. Digital image. Http://chuckkuhnimages.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-lloyd-wright-falling-water.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Phaidon, 1997. Print.</p>\r\n<strong><strong>\r\n</strong></strong>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nuttgens, Patrick, and Richard Weston. The Complete Architecture Handbook: From the First Civilizations to the Present Day. New York: Collins Design, 2006. Print.</p>\r\n<strong>\r\nPfeiffer, Bruce Brooks. \"Fallingwater.\" Wright. Germany: Taschen, 2004. 53-54. Print</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Frank Lloyd Wright\'s Fallingwater','','inherit','open','open','','3058-autosave','','','2012-11-27 13:31:07','2012-11-27 19:31:07','',3058,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3067',0,'revision','',0),(3068,64,'2012-11-27 23:47:30','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','Auto Draft','','auto-draft','open','open','','','','','2012-11-27 23:47:30','0000-00-00 00:00:00','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3068',0,'post','',0),(3069,61,'2012-11-28 00:14:05','2012-11-28 06:14:05','<strong>AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>TCP-4 PLATOON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>J. Lauer – 1302 – 207 # 13622</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>PHILIP ROBINSON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>11/17/2012</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"//www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3070\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"412\" />&lt;iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;<strong>\r\n</strong></a>\r\nAs long as there has been combat there has been an attempt to understand its effects. Mankind has dark and light forces that lock in combat over every decision involving our conscience; struggling for dominance over the soul. There are several views when it comes to war, some for and some against. What we have here is a fictional film based on the stark realities of combat as told from a realist point of view. <em>Platoon</em> should be preserved for future generations as an unflinching look at real life accounts of combat and the internal struggle to maintain humanity during the Vietnam War; told by someone who lived through it at the ground level.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWritten and directed by Oliver Stone, <em>Platoon</em> is the first of three movies about Vietnam; following with <em>Born on the Fourth of July</em> and <em>Heaven and Earth</em>. Released in 1986, <em>Platoon</em> is one of many attempts to adequately illustrate the insanity known as the Vietnam War. After many years of combat, being exposed to unimaginable tragedy multiple times daily, it begins to wear on the soul. Two of the three principle characters have been in country for a long time and demonstrate different fractural effects as a result of prolonged engagement. Our third principle character is an educated man from a family of means that wants to do his duty to country, so he drops out of college and volunteers to come to Vietnam. This movie follows two small infantry groups into the bush as they attempt to live through their time without getting lost in the death and destruction that surrounds them. This film is dark and disturbingly real, the only exception being that reality of combat in Vietnam was much darker. Few men and women will speak of the horrors that were not shown in this film, and the studio would never have released it if he had. The cast and crew for this film could not have been cast better.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLooking at historical context; we had just come back from defeating a tyrant named Hitler, and while there was human loss it was honorable. This nation lost one of the greatest presidents to have served when someone shot Kennedy, and shortly after shot his brother. This debacle in Vietnam was polarizing within the populace in the US; as it was viewed as a civil conflict that we had no business in, or as defending against communism. The anti-war anti-violence movements spanned the nation, as did those people who fought communism. Demonstrations ranged from peaceful gatherings to angry mobs. As a nation we had not been this diametrically opposed since the civil war. During this war that lasted more than fifteen years that cost almost 60,000 American soldiers, morale dropped, drug use and dependence spiked, and the will to fight dissipated. With the average lifespan of a green recruit going from one day to two months during the rush, I understand the frustration and desire to escape however you can. Temper all of this with commanding officers that couldn’t lead or fight their way out of a paper bag, getting brothers in arms killed because of their stupidity. The term is fragging when someone of higher rank is intentionally injured or killed by “friendly” forces. Then when you finally come home from the worst hell imaginable, having served your country and lost parts of your soul and parts of your body, you get spit on and called baby killer. We had lost a war, and that was a hard lesson for a nation with a really big stick. This film simply was not possible any earlier that when it came, there had to be healing and time.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHaving grown up in the eighties, everything became about excess. Fast cars, The Headlines: Reaganomics, Lennon shot, Star Wars Defense Initiative, Challenger explodes, Iran Contra scandal, Chernobyl accident, Bush, Berlin Wall comes down, end of cold war, and AZT slows AIDS progression. As a nation we got lost, escaping the reality of life through sex, drugs, alcohol, games, movies, and books. While the sixties and early seventies had drug use in its culture, the later seventies and forward brought a proliferation of “harder” drugs. The Vietnam War had devastated many families through loss; and through those that never quite came back. Communication with family became more difficult after returning from combat with addictions and nightmares that would not leave. We were all looking for answers and understanding, and a huge piece of the puzzle came from the effects of the war. The timing of this movie seemed to fall in with other works of the time that were also shedding light on the darkness. The difference between Stone’s vision and other films about Vietnam was the “boot camp” that the cast was required to endure to establish and maintain character emersion. The movie was well received at the time if box office totals mean much. IMDB tells us that the box office and rental revenue from <em>Platoon </em>broke the 200 million mark by December of 1987 and only cost 6 million. There is a list of awards at the end of the paper. Canby also writes, “Mr. Stone\'s control over his own screenplay is such that \'\'Platoon\'\' seems to slide into and out of crucial scenes without ever losing its distant cool. He doesn\'t telegraph emotions, nor does he stomp on them. The movie is a succession of found moments. It\'s less like a work that\'s been written than one that has been discovered, though, as we all probably know, screenplays aren\'t delivered by storks. This one is a major piece of work, as full of passion as it is of redeeming, scary irony.(Canby)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis film was made in direct contrast to the film ­<em>Green Berets </em>with John Wayne. The only similarities between these two films are that they are both about the Vietnam War, and both did well in the box office. <em>Green Berets </em>explained the Vietnam War like Disney explained Grimm’s Tales. This film attempts to glorify the war as the right and noble fight against communism. What comes across is an attempt at cowboys and Indians in the jungle. I realize that most films are fictional, but this is one of the most propaganda filled, sugar coated, pieces crap that I have ever seen. Other films released at the time actually deserve to be mentioned in the same breath, but not all. One reviewer says this of <em>Platoon </em>and its relation to other films<em>, “</em>-certainly not like those revisionist comic strips \'\'Rambo\'\' and \'\'Missing in Action.\'\' Nor does it have much in common with either Francis Coppola\'s epic \'\'Apocalypse Now,\'\' which ultimately turns into a romantic meditation on a mythical war, or Michael Cimino\'s \'\'Deer Hunter,\'\' which is more about the mind of the America that fought the war than the Vietnam War itself. (Canby)”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Platoon </em>remains to be popular today if the 87% ratings from rotten tomatoes are any clue. <em>Platoon </em>is still on IMDB top 250 movies, and on American Film Institute’s top 100. Givin that our nation is still in combat, and there is still a need for understanding, this film is still resonates with a lot of people. This film maintains as a compass for films that follow. Having grown up in the eighties with my father and his brother having served during Vietnam, this film gives me more insight to the man I didn’t know. He took me to see this movie when I was 12, and I had no clue at the time as to why; and now I do not have as many questions. My personal opinions about this film fall in with my belief that this film should be preserved. Just as the cover says “One of the first casualties of war is innocence”. There are freedoms and liberties that are worth defending, but there is a cost. How many atrocities can one person witness and still maintain humanity. The future generations need to know that becoming a soldier and killing another person not all that different from ourselves, is not like the video games. Soldiers are real people with real struggles.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3075\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"717\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3076\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"769\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3077\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"707\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3078\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"329\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>WORKS CITED</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCanby, Vincent. \"The Vietnam War in Stone’s “Platoon”.\" <em>New York Times</em> (12-19-1986): Film. Web. 17 Nov 2012.<a href=\"http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes\">http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes</a> (Canby Film) – Extremely helpful review.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Internet Movie Database</em> n.pag. <em>Internet Movie Database</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;</a>. – Helpful movie database\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Reviews</em> (1986): n.pag. <em>Rotten Tomatoes</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;</a>. -- Helpful movie reviews\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nStone, Oliver, dir. <em>Platoon</em>. 1986. Film. 27 Nov 2012.','TCP-4 Platoon','','publish','open','open','','tcp-4-platoon','','','2012-12-08 11:12:52','2012-12-08 17:12:52','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3069',0,'post','',11),(3070,61,'2012-11-28 00:01:53','2012-11-28 06:01:53','','Platoon Cover','','inherit','open','open','','capture-2','','','2012-11-28 00:01:53','2012-11-28 06:01:53','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3071,61,'2012-11-28 00:07:57','2012-11-28 06:07:57','','Platoon awards 1','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-1','','','2012-11-28 00:07:57','2012-11-28 06:07:57','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3072,61,'2012-11-28 00:08:01','2012-11-28 06:08:01','','Platoon awards 2','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-2','','','2012-11-28 00:08:01','2012-11-28 06:08:01','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3073,61,'2012-11-28 00:08:02','2012-11-28 06:08:02','','Platoon awards 3','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-3','','','2012-11-28 00:08:02','2012-11-28 06:08:02','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3074,61,'2012-11-28 00:08:03','2012-11-28 06:08:03','','Platoon awards 4','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-4','','','2012-11-28 00:08:03','2012-11-28 06:08:03','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-4.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3075,61,'2012-11-28 00:08:55','2012-11-28 06:08:55','','Platoon awards 1','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-1-2','','','2012-11-28 00:08:55','2012-11-28 06:08:55','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3076,61,'2012-11-28 00:09:29','2012-11-28 06:09:29','','Platoon awards 2','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-2-2','','','2012-11-28 00:09:29','2012-11-28 06:09:29','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3077,61,'2012-11-28 00:09:57','2012-11-28 06:09:57','','Platoon awards 3','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-3-2','','','2012-11-28 00:09:57','2012-11-28 06:09:57','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3078,61,'2012-11-28 00:10:19','2012-11-28 06:10:19','','Platoon awards 4','','inherit','open','open','','platoon-awards-4-2','','','2012-11-28 00:10:19','2012-11-28 06:10:19','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3079,61,'2012-11-28 00:10:03','2012-11-28 06:10:03','<strong>AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE</strong>\n\n<strong>TCP-4 PLATOON</strong>\n\n<strong>J. Lauer – 1302 – 207 # 13622</strong>\n\n<strong>PHILIP ROBINSON</strong>\n\n<strong>11/17/2012</strong>\n\n<strong> </strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3070\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"717\" height=\"564\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.findfreegraphics.com/wallpaper-background-1/platoon+wallpaper.htm\"><strong>[youtube]Insert video URL or ID here[/youtube]&lt;iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;\n</strong></a><strong> </strong>\n\n<strong> </strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs long as there has been combat there has been an attempt to understand its effects. Mankind has dark and light forces that lock in combat over every decision involving our conscience; struggling for dominance over the soul. There are several views when it comes to war, some for and some against. What we have here is a fictional film based on the stark realities of combat as told from a realist point of view. <em>Platoon</em> should be preserved for future generations as an unflinching look at real life accounts of combat and the internal struggle to maintain humanity during the Vietnam War; told by someone who lived through it at the ground level.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWritten and directed by Oliver Stone, <em>Platoon</em> is the first of three movies about Vietnam; following with <em>Born on the Fourth of July</em> and <em>Heaven and Earth</em>. Released in 1986, <em>Platoon</em> is one of many attempts to adequately illustrate the insanity known as the Vietnam War. After many years of combat, being exposed to unimaginable tragedy multiple times daily, it begins to wear on the soul. Two of the three principle characters have been in country for a long time and demonstrate different fractural effects as a result of prolonged engagement. Our third principle character is an educated man from a family of means that wants to do his duty to country, so he drops out of college and volunteers to come to Vietnam. This movie follows two small infantry groups into the bush as they attempt to live through their time without getting lost in the death and destruction that surrounds them. This film is dark and disturbingly real, the only exception being that reality of combat in Vietnam was much darker. Few men and women will speak of the horrors that were not shown in this film, and the studio would never have released it if he had. The cast and crew for this film could not have been cast better.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLooking at historical context; we had just come back from defeating a tyrant named Hitler, and while there was human loss it was honorable. This nation lost one of the greatest presidents to have served when someone shot Kennedy, and shortly after shot his brother. This debacle in Vietnam was polarizing within the populace in the US; as it was viewed as a civil conflict that we had no business in, or as defending against communism. The anti-war anti-violence movements spanned the nation, as did those people who fought communism. Demonstrations ranged from peaceful gatherings to angry mobs. As a nation we had not been this diametrically opposed since the civil war. During this war that lasted more than fifteen years that cost almost 60,000 American soldiers, morale dropped, drug use and dependence spiked, and the will to fight dissipated. With the average lifespan of a green recruit going from one day to two months during the rush, I understand the frustration and desire to escape however you can. Temper all of this with commanding officers that couldn’t lead or fight their way out of a paper bag, getting brothers in arms killed because of their stupidity. The term is fragging when someone of higher rank is intentionally injured or killed by “friendly” forces. Then when you finally come home from the worst hell imaginable, having served your country and lost parts of your soul and parts of your body, you get spit on and called baby killer. We had lost a war, and that was a hard lesson for a nation with a really big stick. This film simply was not possible any earlier that when it came, there had to be healing and time.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHaving grown up in the eighties, everything became about excess. Fast cars, The Headlines: Reaganomics, Lennon shot, Star Wars Defense Initiative, Challenger explodes, Iran Contra scandal, Chernobyl accident, Bush, Berlin Wall comes down, end of cold war, and AZT slows AIDS progression. As a nation we got lost, escaping the reality of life through sex, drugs, alcohol, games, movies, and books. While the sixties and early seventies had drug use in its culture, the later seventies and forward brought a proliferation of “harder” drugs. The Vietnam War had devastated many families through loss; and through those that never quite came back. Communication with family became more difficult after returning from combat with addictions and nightmares that would not leave. We were all looking for answers and understanding, and a huge piece of the puzzle came from the effects of the war. The timing of this movie seemed to fall in with other works of the time that were also shedding light on the darkness. The difference between Stone’s vision and other films about Vietnam was the “boot camp” that the cast was required to endure to establish and maintain character emersion. The movie was well received at the time if box office totals mean much. IMDB tells us that the box office and rental revenue from <em>Platoon </em>broke the 200 million mark by December of 1987 and only cost 6 million. There is a list of awards at the end of the paper. Canby also writes, “Mr. Stone\'s control over his own screenplay is such that \'\'Platoon\'\' seems to slide into and out of crucial scenes without ever losing its distant cool. He doesn\'t telegraph emotions, nor does he stomp on them. The movie is a succession of found moments. It\'s less like a work that\'s been written than one that has been discovered, though, as we all probably know, screenplays aren\'t delivered by storks. This one is a major piece of work, as full of passion as it is of redeeming, scary irony.(Canby)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis film was made in direct contrast to the film ­<em>Green Berets </em>with John Wayne. The only similarities between these two films are that they are both about the Vietnam War, and both did well in the box office. <em>Green Berets </em>explained the Vietnam War like Disney explained Grimm’s Tales. This film attempts to glorify the war as the right and noble fight against communism. What comes across is an attempt at cowboys and Indians in the jungle. I realize that most films are fictional, but this is one of the most propaganda filled, sugar coated, pieces crap that I have ever seen. Other films released at the time actually deserve to be mentioned in the same breath, but not all. One reviewer says this of <em>Platoon </em>and its relation to other films<em>, “</em>-certainly not like those revisionist comic strips \'\'Rambo\'\' and \'\'Missing in Action.\'\' Nor does it have much in common with either Francis Coppola\'s epic \'\'Apocalypse Now,\'\' which ultimately turns into a romantic meditation on a mythical war, or Michael Cimino\'s \'\'Deer Hunter,\'\' which is more about the mind of the America that fought the war than the Vietnam War itself. (Canby)”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Platoon </em>remains to be popular today if the 87% ratings from rotten tomatoes are any clue. <em>Platoon </em>is still on IMDB top 250 movies, and on American Film Institute’s top 100. Givin that our nation is still in combat, and there is still a need for understanding, this film is still resonates with a lot of people. This film maintains as a compass for films that follow. Having grown up in the eighties with my father and his brother having served during Vietnam, this film gives me more insight to the man I didn’t know. He took me to see this movie when I was 12, and I had no clue at the time as to why; and now I do not have as many questions. My personal opinions about this film fall in with my belief that this film should be preserved. Just as the cover says “One of the first casualties of war is innocence”. There are freedoms and liberties that are worth defending, but there is a cost. How many atrocities can one person witness and still maintain humanity. The future generations need to know that becoming a soldier and killing another person not all that different from ourselves, is not like the video games. Soldiers are real people with real struggles.\n\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3075\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"717\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3076\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"769\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3077\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"707\" /></a>\n\n<strong>WORKS CITED</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCanby, Vincent. \"The Vietnam War in Stone’s “Platoon”.\" <em>New York Times</em> (12-19-1986): Film. Web. 17 Nov 2012.<a href=\"http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes\">http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes</a> (Canby Film) – Extremely helpful review.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Internet Movie Database</em> n.pag. <em>Internet Movie Database</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;</a>. – Helpful movie database\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Reviews</em> (1986): n.pag. <em>Rotten Tomatoes</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;</a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nStone, Oliver, dir. <em>Platoon</em>. 1986. Film. 27 Nov 2012.','TCP-4 Platoon','','inherit','open','open','','3069-revision','','','2012-11-28 00:10:03','2012-11-28 06:10:03','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3079',0,'revision','',0),(3080,61,'2012-11-28 00:11:44','2012-11-28 06:11:44','<strong>AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE</strong>\n\n<strong>TCP-4 PLATOON</strong>\n\n<strong>J. Lauer – 1302 – 207 # 13622</strong>\n\n<strong>PHILIP ROBINSON</strong>\n\n<strong>11/17/2012</strong>\n\n<strong> </strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3070\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"717\" height=\"564\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.findfreegraphics.com/wallpaper-background-1/platoon+wallpaper.htm\"><strong>[youtube]Insert video URL or ID here[/youtube]&lt;iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;\n</strong></a><strong> </strong>\n\n<strong> </strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs long as there has been combat there has been an attempt to understand its effects. Mankind has dark and light forces that lock in combat over every decision involving our conscience; struggling for dominance over the soul. There are several views when it comes to war, some for and some against. What we have here is a fictional film based on the stark realities of combat as told from a realist point of view. <em>Platoon</em> should be preserved for future generations as an unflinching look at real life accounts of combat and the internal struggle to maintain humanity during the Vietnam War; told by someone who lived through it at the ground level.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWritten and directed by Oliver Stone, <em>Platoon</em> is the first of three movies about Vietnam; following with <em>Born on the Fourth of July</em> and <em>Heaven and Earth</em>. Released in 1986, <em>Platoon</em> is one of many attempts to adequately illustrate the insanity known as the Vietnam War. After many years of combat, being exposed to unimaginable tragedy multiple times daily, it begins to wear on the soul. Two of the three principle characters have been in country for a long time and demonstrate different fractural effects as a result of prolonged engagement. Our third principle character is an educated man from a family of means that wants to do his duty to country, so he drops out of college and volunteers to come to Vietnam. This movie follows two small infantry groups into the bush as they attempt to live through their time without getting lost in the death and destruction that surrounds them. This film is dark and disturbingly real, the only exception being that reality of combat in Vietnam was much darker. Few men and women will speak of the horrors that were not shown in this film, and the studio would never have released it if he had. The cast and crew for this film could not have been cast better.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLooking at historical context; we had just come back from defeating a tyrant named Hitler, and while there was human loss it was honorable. This nation lost one of the greatest presidents to have served when someone shot Kennedy, and shortly after shot his brother. This debacle in Vietnam was polarizing within the populace in the US; as it was viewed as a civil conflict that we had no business in, or as defending against communism. The anti-war anti-violence movements spanned the nation, as did those people who fought communism. Demonstrations ranged from peaceful gatherings to angry mobs. As a nation we had not been this diametrically opposed since the civil war. During this war that lasted more than fifteen years that cost almost 60,000 American soldiers, morale dropped, drug use and dependence spiked, and the will to fight dissipated. With the average lifespan of a green recruit going from one day to two months during the rush, I understand the frustration and desire to escape however you can. Temper all of this with commanding officers that couldn’t lead or fight their way out of a paper bag, getting brothers in arms killed because of their stupidity. The term is fragging when someone of higher rank is intentionally injured or killed by “friendly” forces. Then when you finally come home from the worst hell imaginable, having served your country and lost parts of your soul and parts of your body, you get spit on and called baby killer. We had lost a war, and that was a hard lesson for a nation with a really big stick. This film simply was not possible any earlier that when it came, there had to be healing and time.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHaving grown up in the eighties, everything became about excess. Fast cars, The Headlines: Reaganomics, Lennon shot, Star Wars Defense Initiative, Challenger explodes, Iran Contra scandal, Chernobyl accident, Bush, Berlin Wall comes down, end of cold war, and AZT slows AIDS progression. As a nation we got lost, escaping the reality of life through sex, drugs, alcohol, games, movies, and books. While the sixties and early seventies had drug use in its culture, the later seventies and forward brought a proliferation of “harder” drugs. The Vietnam War had devastated many families through loss; and through those that never quite came back. Communication with family became more difficult after returning from combat with addictions and nightmares that would not leave. We were all looking for answers and understanding, and a huge piece of the puzzle came from the effects of the war. The timing of this movie seemed to fall in with other works of the time that were also shedding light on the darkness. The difference between Stone’s vision and other films about Vietnam was the “boot camp” that the cast was required to endure to establish and maintain character emersion. The movie was well received at the time if box office totals mean much. IMDB tells us that the box office and rental revenue from <em>Platoon </em>broke the 200 million mark by December of 1987 and only cost 6 million. There is a list of awards at the end of the paper. Canby also writes, “Mr. Stone\'s control over his own screenplay is such that \'\'Platoon\'\' seems to slide into and out of crucial scenes without ever losing its distant cool. He doesn\'t telegraph emotions, nor does he stomp on them. The movie is a succession of found moments. It\'s less like a work that\'s been written than one that has been discovered, though, as we all probably know, screenplays aren\'t delivered by storks. This one is a major piece of work, as full of passion as it is of redeeming, scary irony.(Canby)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis film was made in direct contrast to the film ­<em>Green Berets </em>with John Wayne. The only similarities between these two films are that they are both about the Vietnam War, and both did well in the box office. <em>Green Berets </em>explained the Vietnam War like Disney explained Grimm’s Tales. This film attempts to glorify the war as the right and noble fight against communism. What comes across is an attempt at cowboys and Indians in the jungle. I realize that most films are fictional, but this is one of the most propaganda filled, sugar coated, pieces crap that I have ever seen. Other films released at the time actually deserve to be mentioned in the same breath, but not all. One reviewer says this of <em>Platoon </em>and its relation to other films<em>, “</em>-certainly not like those revisionist comic strips \'\'Rambo\'\' and \'\'Missing in Action.\'\' Nor does it have much in common with either Francis Coppola\'s epic \'\'Apocalypse Now,\'\' which ultimately turns into a romantic meditation on a mythical war, or Michael Cimino\'s \'\'Deer Hunter,\'\' which is more about the mind of the America that fought the war than the Vietnam War itself. (Canby)”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Platoon </em>remains to be popular today if the 87% ratings from rotten tomatoes are any clue. <em>Platoon </em>is still on IMDB top 250 movies, and on American Film Institute’s top 100. Givin that our nation is still in combat, and there is still a need for understanding, this film is still resonates with a lot of people. This film maintains as a compass for films that follow. Having grown up in the eighties with my father and his brother having served during Vietnam, this film gives me more insight to the man I didn’t know. He took me to see this movie when I was 12, and I had no clue at the time as to why; and now I do not have as many questions. My personal opinions about this film fall in with my belief that this film should be preserved. Just as the cover says “One of the first casualties of war is innocence”. There are freedoms and liberties that are worth defending, but there is a cost. How many atrocities can one person witness and still maintain humanity. The future generations need to know that becoming a soldier and killing another person not all that different from ourselves, is not like the video games. Soldiers are real people with real struggles.\n\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3075\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"717\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3076\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"769\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3077\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"707\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3078\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"329\" /></a>\n\n<strong>WORKS CITED</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCanby, Vincent. \"The Vietnam War in Stone’s “Platoon”.\" <em>New York Times</em> (12-19-1986): Film. Web. 17 Nov 2012.<a href=\"http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes\">http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes</a> (Canby Film) – Extremely helpful review.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Internet Movie Database</em> n.pag. <em>Internet Movie Database</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;</a>. – Helpful movie database\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Reviews</em> (1986): n.pag. <em>Rotten Tomatoes</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;</a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nStone, Oliver, dir. <em>Platoon</em>. 1986. Film. 27 Nov 2012.','TCP-4 Platoon','','inherit','open','open','','3069-revision-2','','','2012-11-28 00:11:44','2012-11-28 06:11:44','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3080',0,'revision','',0),(3081,61,'2012-11-28 00:13:55','2012-11-28 06:13:55','<strong>AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>TCP-4 PLATOON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>J. Lauer – 1302 – 207 # 13622</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>PHILIP ROBINSON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>11/17/2012</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3070\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"717\" height=\"564\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.findfreegraphics.com/wallpaper-background-1/platoon+wallpaper.htm\"><strong>[youtube]Insert video URL or ID here[/youtube]&lt;iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;\r\n</strong></a><strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs long as there has been combat there has been an attempt to understand its effects. Mankind has dark and light forces that lock in combat over every decision involving our conscience; struggling for dominance over the soul. There are several views when it comes to war, some for and some against. What we have here is a fictional film based on the stark realities of combat as told from a realist point of view. <em>Platoon</em> should be preserved for future generations as an unflinching look at real life accounts of combat and the internal struggle to maintain humanity during the Vietnam War; told by someone who lived through it at the ground level.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWritten and directed by Oliver Stone, <em>Platoon</em> is the first of three movies about Vietnam; following with <em>Born on the Fourth of July</em> and <em>Heaven and Earth</em>. Released in 1986, <em>Platoon</em> is one of many attempts to adequately illustrate the insanity known as the Vietnam War. After many years of combat, being exposed to unimaginable tragedy multiple times daily, it begins to wear on the soul. Two of the three principle characters have been in country for a long time and demonstrate different fractural effects as a result of prolonged engagement. Our third principle character is an educated man from a family of means that wants to do his duty to country, so he drops out of college and volunteers to come to Vietnam. This movie follows two small infantry groups into the bush as they attempt to live through their time without getting lost in the death and destruction that surrounds them. This film is dark and disturbingly real, the only exception being that reality of combat in Vietnam was much darker. Few men and women will speak of the horrors that were not shown in this film, and the studio would never have released it if he had. The cast and crew for this film could not have been cast better.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLooking at historical context; we had just come back from defeating a tyrant named Hitler, and while there was human loss it was honorable. This nation lost one of the greatest presidents to have served when someone shot Kennedy, and shortly after shot his brother. This debacle in Vietnam was polarizing within the populace in the US; as it was viewed as a civil conflict that we had no business in, or as defending against communism. The anti-war anti-violence movements spanned the nation, as did those people who fought communism. Demonstrations ranged from peaceful gatherings to angry mobs. As a nation we had not been this diametrically opposed since the civil war. During this war that lasted more than fifteen years that cost almost 60,000 American soldiers, morale dropped, drug use and dependence spiked, and the will to fight dissipated. With the average lifespan of a green recruit going from one day to two months during the rush, I understand the frustration and desire to escape however you can. Temper all of this with commanding officers that couldn’t lead or fight their way out of a paper bag, getting brothers in arms killed because of their stupidity. The term is fragging when someone of higher rank is intentionally injured or killed by “friendly” forces. Then when you finally come home from the worst hell imaginable, having served your country and lost parts of your soul and parts of your body, you get spit on and called baby killer. We had lost a war, and that was a hard lesson for a nation with a really big stick. This film simply was not possible any earlier that when it came, there had to be healing and time.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHaving grown up in the eighties, everything became about excess. Fast cars, The Headlines: Reaganomics, Lennon shot, Star Wars Defense Initiative, Challenger explodes, Iran Contra scandal, Chernobyl accident, Bush, Berlin Wall comes down, end of cold war, and AZT slows AIDS progression. As a nation we got lost, escaping the reality of life through sex, drugs, alcohol, games, movies, and books. While the sixties and early seventies had drug use in its culture, the later seventies and forward brought a proliferation of “harder” drugs. The Vietnam War had devastated many families through loss; and through those that never quite came back. Communication with family became more difficult after returning from combat with addictions and nightmares that would not leave. We were all looking for answers and understanding, and a huge piece of the puzzle came from the effects of the war. The timing of this movie seemed to fall in with other works of the time that were also shedding light on the darkness. The difference between Stone’s vision and other films about Vietnam was the “boot camp” that the cast was required to endure to establish and maintain character emersion. The movie was well received at the time if box office totals mean much. IMDB tells us that the box office and rental revenue from <em>Platoon </em>broke the 200 million mark by December of 1987 and only cost 6 million. There is a list of awards at the end of the paper. Canby also writes, “Mr. Stone\'s control over his own screenplay is such that \'\'Platoon\'\' seems to slide into and out of crucial scenes without ever losing its distant cool. He doesn\'t telegraph emotions, nor does he stomp on them. The movie is a succession of found moments. It\'s less like a work that\'s been written than one that has been discovered, though, as we all probably know, screenplays aren\'t delivered by storks. This one is a major piece of work, as full of passion as it is of redeeming, scary irony.(Canby)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis film was made in direct contrast to the film ­<em>Green Berets </em>with John Wayne. The only similarities between these two films are that they are both about the Vietnam War, and both did well in the box office. <em>Green Berets </em>explained the Vietnam War like Disney explained Grimm’s Tales. This film attempts to glorify the war as the right and noble fight against communism. What comes across is an attempt at cowboys and Indians in the jungle. I realize that most films are fictional, but this is one of the most propaganda filled, sugar coated, pieces crap that I have ever seen. Other films released at the time actually deserve to be mentioned in the same breath, but not all. One reviewer says this of <em>Platoon </em>and its relation to other films<em>, “</em>-certainly not like those revisionist comic strips \'\'Rambo\'\' and \'\'Missing in Action.\'\' Nor does it have much in common with either Francis Coppola\'s epic \'\'Apocalypse Now,\'\' which ultimately turns into a romantic meditation on a mythical war, or Michael Cimino\'s \'\'Deer Hunter,\'\' which is more about the mind of the America that fought the war than the Vietnam War itself. (Canby)”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Platoon </em>remains to be popular today if the 87% ratings from rotten tomatoes are any clue. <em>Platoon </em>is still on IMDB top 250 movies, and on American Film Institute’s top 100. Givin that our nation is still in combat, and there is still a need for understanding, this film is still resonates with a lot of people. This film maintains as a compass for films that follow. Having grown up in the eighties with my father and his brother having served during Vietnam, this film gives me more insight to the man I didn’t know. He took me to see this movie when I was 12, and I had no clue at the time as to why; and now I do not have as many questions. My personal opinions about this film fall in with my belief that this film should be preserved. Just as the cover says “One of the first casualties of war is innocence”. There are freedoms and liberties that are worth defending, but there is a cost. How many atrocities can one person witness and still maintain humanity. The future generations need to know that becoming a soldier and killing another person not all that different from ourselves, is not like the video games. Soldiers are real people with real struggles.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3075\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"717\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3076\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"769\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3077\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"707\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3078\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"329\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>WORKS CITED</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCanby, Vincent. \"The Vietnam War in Stone’s “Platoon”.\" <em>New York Times</em> (12-19-1986): Film. Web. 17 Nov 2012.<a href=\"http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes\">http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes</a> (Canby Film) – Extremely helpful review.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Internet Movie Database</em> n.pag. <em>Internet Movie Database</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;</a>. – Helpful movie database\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Reviews</em> (1986): n.pag. <em>Rotten Tomatoes</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;</a>. -- Helpful movie reviews\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nStone, Oliver, dir. <em>Platoon</em>. 1986. Film. 27 Nov 2012.','TCP-4 Platoon','','inherit','open','open','','3069-revision-3','','','2012-11-28 00:13:55','2012-11-28 06:13:55','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3081',0,'revision','',0),(3083,1,'2012-11-28 00:15:57','2012-11-28 06:15:57','<strong>AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>TCP-4 PLATOON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>J. Lauer – 1302 – 207 # 13622</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>PHILIP ROBINSON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>11/17/2012</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"//www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3070\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"717\" height=\"564\" />&lt;iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;<strong>\r\n</strong></a><!--more--><strong></strong>\r\nAs long as there has been combat there has been an attempt to understand its effects. Mankind has dark and light forces that lock in combat over every decision involving our conscience; struggling for dominance over the soul. There are several views when it comes to war, some for and some against. What we have here is a fictional film based on the stark realities of combat as told from a realist point of view. <em>Platoon</em> should be preserved for future generations as an unflinching look at real life accounts of combat and the internal struggle to maintain humanity during the Vietnam War; told by someone who lived through it at the ground level.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWritten and directed by Oliver Stone, <em>Platoon</em> is the first of three movies about Vietnam; following with <em>Born on the Fourth of July</em> and <em>Heaven and Earth</em>. Released in 1986, <em>Platoon</em> is one of many attempts to adequately illustrate the insanity known as the Vietnam War. After many years of combat, being exposed to unimaginable tragedy multiple times daily, it begins to wear on the soul. Two of the three principle characters have been in country for a long time and demonstrate different fractural effects as a result of prolonged engagement. Our third principle character is an educated man from a family of means that wants to do his duty to country, so he drops out of college and volunteers to come to Vietnam. This movie follows two small infantry groups into the bush as they attempt to live through their time without getting lost in the death and destruction that surrounds them. This film is dark and disturbingly real, the only exception being that reality of combat in Vietnam was much darker. Few men and women will speak of the horrors that were not shown in this film, and the studio would never have released it if he had. The cast and crew for this film could not have been cast better.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLooking at historical context; we had just come back from defeating a tyrant named Hitler, and while there was human loss it was honorable. This nation lost one of the greatest presidents to have served when someone shot Kennedy, and shortly after shot his brother. This debacle in Vietnam was polarizing within the populace in the US; as it was viewed as a civil conflict that we had no business in, or as defending against communism. The anti-war anti-violence movements spanned the nation, as did those people who fought communism. Demonstrations ranged from peaceful gatherings to angry mobs. As a nation we had not been this diametrically opposed since the civil war. During this war that lasted more than fifteen years that cost almost 60,000 American soldiers, morale dropped, drug use and dependence spiked, and the will to fight dissipated. With the average lifespan of a green recruit going from one day to two months during the rush, I understand the frustration and desire to escape however you can. Temper all of this with commanding officers that couldn’t lead or fight their way out of a paper bag, getting brothers in arms killed because of their stupidity. The term is fragging when someone of higher rank is intentionally injured or killed by “friendly” forces. Then when you finally come home from the worst hell imaginable, having served your country and lost parts of your soul and parts of your body, you get spit on and called baby killer. We had lost a war, and that was a hard lesson for a nation with a really big stick. This film simply was not possible any earlier that when it came, there had to be healing and time.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHaving grown up in the eighties, everything became about excess. Fast cars, The Headlines: Reaganomics, Lennon shot, Star Wars Defense Initiative, Challenger explodes, Iran Contra scandal, Chernobyl accident, Bush, Berlin Wall comes down, end of cold war, and AZT slows AIDS progression. As a nation we got lost, escaping the reality of life through sex, drugs, alcohol, games, movies, and books. While the sixties and early seventies had drug use in its culture, the later seventies and forward brought a proliferation of “harder” drugs. The Vietnam War had devastated many families through loss; and through those that never quite came back. Communication with family became more difficult after returning from combat with addictions and nightmares that would not leave. We were all looking for answers and understanding, and a huge piece of the puzzle came from the effects of the war. The timing of this movie seemed to fall in with other works of the time that were also shedding light on the darkness. The difference between Stone’s vision and other films about Vietnam was the “boot camp” that the cast was required to endure to establish and maintain character emersion. The movie was well received at the time if box office totals mean much. IMDB tells us that the box office and rental revenue from <em>Platoon </em>broke the 200 million mark by December of 1987 and only cost 6 million. There is a list of awards at the end of the paper. Canby also writes, “Mr. Stone\'s control over his own screenplay is such that \'\'Platoon\'\' seems to slide into and out of crucial scenes without ever losing its distant cool. He doesn\'t telegraph emotions, nor does he stomp on them. The movie is a succession of found moments. It\'s less like a work that\'s been written than one that has been discovered, though, as we all probably know, screenplays aren\'t delivered by storks. This one is a major piece of work, as full of passion as it is of redeeming, scary irony.(Canby)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis film was made in direct contrast to the film ­<em>Green Berets </em>with John Wayne. The only similarities between these two films are that they are both about the Vietnam War, and both did well in the box office. <em>Green Berets </em>explained the Vietnam War like Disney explained Grimm’s Tales. This film attempts to glorify the war as the right and noble fight against communism. What comes across is an attempt at cowboys and Indians in the jungle. I realize that most films are fictional, but this is one of the most propaganda filled, sugar coated, pieces crap that I have ever seen. Other films released at the time actually deserve to be mentioned in the same breath, but not all. One reviewer says this of <em>Platoon </em>and its relation to other films<em>, “</em>-certainly not like those revisionist comic strips \'\'Rambo\'\' and \'\'Missing in Action.\'\' Nor does it have much in common with either Francis Coppola\'s epic \'\'Apocalypse Now,\'\' which ultimately turns into a romantic meditation on a mythical war, or Michael Cimino\'s \'\'Deer Hunter,\'\' which is more about the mind of the America that fought the war than the Vietnam War itself. (Canby)”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Platoon </em>remains to be popular today if the 87% ratings from rotten tomatoes are any clue. <em>Platoon </em>is still on IMDB top 250 movies, and on American Film Institute’s top 100. Givin that our nation is still in combat, and there is still a need for understanding, this film is still resonates with a lot of people. This film maintains as a compass for films that follow. Having grown up in the eighties with my father and his brother having served during Vietnam, this film gives me more insight to the man I didn’t know. He took me to see this movie when I was 12, and I had no clue at the time as to why; and now I do not have as many questions. My personal opinions about this film fall in with my belief that this film should be preserved. Just as the cover says “One of the first casualties of war is innocence”. There are freedoms and liberties that are worth defending, but there is a cost. How many atrocities can one person witness and still maintain humanity. The future generations need to know that becoming a soldier and killing another person not all that different from ourselves, is not like the video games. Soldiers are real people with real struggles.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3075\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"717\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3076\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"769\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3077\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"707\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3078\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"329\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>WORKS CITED</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCanby, Vincent. \"The Vietnam War in Stone’s “Platoon”.\" <em>New York Times</em> (12-19-1986): Film. Web. 17 Nov 2012.<a href=\"http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes\">http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes</a> (Canby Film) – Extremely helpful review.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Internet Movie Database</em> n.pag. <em>Internet Movie Database</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;</a>. – Helpful movie database\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Reviews</em> (1986): n.pag. <em>Rotten Tomatoes</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;</a>. -- Helpful movie reviews\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nStone, Oliver, dir. <em>Platoon</em>. 1986. Film. 27 Nov 2012.','TCP-4 Platoon','','inherit','open','open','','3069-revision-5','','','2012-11-28 00:15:57','2012-11-28 06:15:57','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3083',0,'revision','',0),(3082,61,'2012-11-28 00:14:05','2012-11-28 06:14:05','<strong>AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>TCP-4 PLATOON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>J. Lauer – 1302 – 207 # 13622</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>PHILIP ROBINSON</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>11/17/2012</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3070\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Capture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"717\" height=\"564\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.findfreegraphics.com/wallpaper-background-1/platoon+wallpaper.htm\"><strong>[youtube]Insert video URL or ID here[/youtube]&lt;iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPi8EQzJ2Bg?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;\r\n</strong></a><strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs long as there has been combat there has been an attempt to understand its effects. Mankind has dark and light forces that lock in combat over every decision involving our conscience; struggling for dominance over the soul. There are several views when it comes to war, some for and some against. What we have here is a fictional film based on the stark realities of combat as told from a realist point of view. <em>Platoon</em> should be preserved for future generations as an unflinching look at real life accounts of combat and the internal struggle to maintain humanity during the Vietnam War; told by someone who lived through it at the ground level.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWritten and directed by Oliver Stone, <em>Platoon</em> is the first of three movies about Vietnam; following with <em>Born on the Fourth of July</em> and <em>Heaven and Earth</em>. Released in 1986, <em>Platoon</em> is one of many attempts to adequately illustrate the insanity known as the Vietnam War. After many years of combat, being exposed to unimaginable tragedy multiple times daily, it begins to wear on the soul. Two of the three principle characters have been in country for a long time and demonstrate different fractural effects as a result of prolonged engagement. Our third principle character is an educated man from a family of means that wants to do his duty to country, so he drops out of college and volunteers to come to Vietnam. This movie follows two small infantry groups into the bush as they attempt to live through their time without getting lost in the death and destruction that surrounds them. This film is dark and disturbingly real, the only exception being that reality of combat in Vietnam was much darker. Few men and women will speak of the horrors that were not shown in this film, and the studio would never have released it if he had. The cast and crew for this film could not have been cast better.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLooking at historical context; we had just come back from defeating a tyrant named Hitler, and while there was human loss it was honorable. This nation lost one of the greatest presidents to have served when someone shot Kennedy, and shortly after shot his brother. This debacle in Vietnam was polarizing within the populace in the US; as it was viewed as a civil conflict that we had no business in, or as defending against communism. The anti-war anti-violence movements spanned the nation, as did those people who fought communism. Demonstrations ranged from peaceful gatherings to angry mobs. As a nation we had not been this diametrically opposed since the civil war. During this war that lasted more than fifteen years that cost almost 60,000 American soldiers, morale dropped, drug use and dependence spiked, and the will to fight dissipated. With the average lifespan of a green recruit going from one day to two months during the rush, I understand the frustration and desire to escape however you can. Temper all of this with commanding officers that couldn’t lead or fight their way out of a paper bag, getting brothers in arms killed because of their stupidity. The term is fragging when someone of higher rank is intentionally injured or killed by “friendly” forces. Then when you finally come home from the worst hell imaginable, having served your country and lost parts of your soul and parts of your body, you get spit on and called baby killer. We had lost a war, and that was a hard lesson for a nation with a really big stick. This film simply was not possible any earlier that when it came, there had to be healing and time.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHaving grown up in the eighties, everything became about excess. Fast cars, The Headlines: Reaganomics, Lennon shot, Star Wars Defense Initiative, Challenger explodes, Iran Contra scandal, Chernobyl accident, Bush, Berlin Wall comes down, end of cold war, and AZT slows AIDS progression. As a nation we got lost, escaping the reality of life through sex, drugs, alcohol, games, movies, and books. While the sixties and early seventies had drug use in its culture, the later seventies and forward brought a proliferation of “harder” drugs. The Vietnam War had devastated many families through loss; and through those that never quite came back. Communication with family became more difficult after returning from combat with addictions and nightmares that would not leave. We were all looking for answers and understanding, and a huge piece of the puzzle came from the effects of the war. The timing of this movie seemed to fall in with other works of the time that were also shedding light on the darkness. The difference between Stone’s vision and other films about Vietnam was the “boot camp” that the cast was required to endure to establish and maintain character emersion. The movie was well received at the time if box office totals mean much. IMDB tells us that the box office and rental revenue from <em>Platoon </em>broke the 200 million mark by December of 1987 and only cost 6 million. There is a list of awards at the end of the paper. Canby also writes, “Mr. Stone\'s control over his own screenplay is such that \'\'Platoon\'\' seems to slide into and out of crucial scenes without ever losing its distant cool. He doesn\'t telegraph emotions, nor does he stomp on them. The movie is a succession of found moments. It\'s less like a work that\'s been written than one that has been discovered, though, as we all probably know, screenplays aren\'t delivered by storks. This one is a major piece of work, as full of passion as it is of redeeming, scary irony.(Canby)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis film was made in direct contrast to the film ­<em>Green Berets </em>with John Wayne. The only similarities between these two films are that they are both about the Vietnam War, and both did well in the box office. <em>Green Berets </em>explained the Vietnam War like Disney explained Grimm’s Tales. This film attempts to glorify the war as the right and noble fight against communism. What comes across is an attempt at cowboys and Indians in the jungle. I realize that most films are fictional, but this is one of the most propaganda filled, sugar coated, pieces crap that I have ever seen. Other films released at the time actually deserve to be mentioned in the same breath, but not all. One reviewer says this of <em>Platoon </em>and its relation to other films<em>, “</em>-certainly not like those revisionist comic strips \'\'Rambo\'\' and \'\'Missing in Action.\'\' Nor does it have much in common with either Francis Coppola\'s epic \'\'Apocalypse Now,\'\' which ultimately turns into a romantic meditation on a mythical war, or Michael Cimino\'s \'\'Deer Hunter,\'\' which is more about the mind of the America that fought the war than the Vietnam War itself. (Canby)”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Platoon </em>remains to be popular today if the 87% ratings from rotten tomatoes are any clue. <em>Platoon </em>is still on IMDB top 250 movies, and on American Film Institute’s top 100. Givin that our nation is still in combat, and there is still a need for understanding, this film is still resonates with a lot of people. This film maintains as a compass for films that follow. Having grown up in the eighties with my father and his brother having served during Vietnam, this film gives me more insight to the man I didn’t know. He took me to see this movie when I was 12, and I had no clue at the time as to why; and now I do not have as many questions. My personal opinions about this film fall in with my belief that this film should be preserved. Just as the cover says “One of the first casualties of war is innocence”. There are freedoms and liberties that are worth defending, but there is a cost. How many atrocities can one person witness and still maintain humanity. The future generations need to know that becoming a soldier and killing another person not all that different from ourselves, is not like the video games. Soldiers are real people with real struggles.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3075\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"717\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3076\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"769\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3077\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-31.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"707\" /></a><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3078\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Platoon-awards-41.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"419\" height=\"329\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>WORKS CITED</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCanby, Vincent. \"The Vietnam War in Stone’s “Platoon”.\" <em>New York Times</em> (12-19-1986): Film. Web. 17 Nov 2012.<a href=\"http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes\">http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE5D6113DF93AA25751C1A960948260&amp;partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes</a> (Canby Film) – Extremely helpful review.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Internet Movie Database</em> n.pag. <em>Internet Movie Database</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/&gt;</a>. – Helpful movie database\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Platoon.\" <em>Reviews</em> (1986): n.pag. <em>Rotten Tomatoes</em>. Web. 27 Nov 2012. <a href=\"//www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;\">&lt;http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/platoon/&gt;</a>. -- Helpful movie reviews\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nStone, Oliver, dir. <em>Platoon</em>. 1986. Film. 27 Nov 2012.','TCP-4 Platoon','','inherit','open','open','','3069-revision-4','','','2012-11-28 00:14:05','2012-11-28 06:14:05','',3069,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3082',0,'revision','',0),(3084,56,'2012-11-29 17:43:55','2012-11-29 23:43:55','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK_dkBC_Cno[/youtube]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Author\'s note:  It is by no means necessary to watch the above video or follow the links in the article.  That would take a <strong>long</strong> time, but I felt that I needed to not just explain, but demonstrate the musical components I was talking about.   In addition, I found the different performances entertaining.</em>\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIn 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 25 seconds long.  The leitmotif of the bird can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w[/youtube]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0[/youtube]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  You can hear his performance <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Works Cited</p>\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Further Readings and Interesting Links</p>\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A 1976 performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the director of<em> </em>Moscow Children\'s Musical Theater  who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','publish','open','open','','%d0%bf%d0%b5%d1%82%d1%8f-%d0%b8-%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%ba-peter-and-the-wolf','','','2012-11-30 00:43:01','2012-11-30 06:43:01','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3084',0,'post','',6),(3085,56,'2012-11-29 17:03:54','2012-11-29 23:03:54','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\n\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\n\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story here - http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts here - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\n\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\n\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\n\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\n\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\n\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8 (25 seconds).  The leitmotif of the bird can be found at http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s; listen for 15 seconds.\n\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s; listen for about 20 seconds.\n\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\n\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\n\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found here - http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s; listen for about 20 seconds.\n\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\n\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\n\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\n\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\n\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\n\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\n\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\n\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0; it is 32 minutes long.\n\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\n\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY; 38 minutes long.\n\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script here - (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0).  You can hear his performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao; about 30 minutes long.\n\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY; about three minutes long.\n\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\n\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\n\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\n\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\n\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\n\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\n\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\n\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\n\nWorks Cited\n\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\n\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\n\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\n\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\n\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\n\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\n\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\n\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\n\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\n\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\n\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\n\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\n\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\n\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\n\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\n\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\n\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\n\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\n\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\n\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\n\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\n\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\n\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\n\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\n\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\n\nFurther Readings and Interesting Links\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\n\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\n\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision','','','2012-11-29 17:03:54','2012-11-29 23:03:54','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3085',0,'revision','',0),(3086,56,'2012-11-29 17:04:19','2012-11-29 23:04:19','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story here - http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts here - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8 (25 seconds).  The leitmotif of the bird can be found at http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found here - http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0; it is 32 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY; 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script here - (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0).  You can hear his performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n\r\nFurther Readings and Interesting Links\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-2','','','2012-11-29 17:04:19','2012-11-29 23:04:19','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3086',0,'revision','',0),(3087,56,'2012-11-29 17:04:46','2012-11-29 23:04:46','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story here - http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts here - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8 (25 seconds).  The leitmotif of the bird can be found at http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found here - http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0; it is 32 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY; 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script here - (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0).  You can hear his performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n\r\nFurther Readings and Interesting Links\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-3','','','2012-11-29 17:04:46','2012-11-29 23:04:46','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3087',0,'revision','',0),(3088,56,'2012-11-29 17:05:39','2012-11-29 23:05:39','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story here - http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts here - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8 (25 seconds).  The leitmotif of the bird can be found at http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found here - http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0; it is 32 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY; 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script here - (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0).  You can hear his performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n\r\nFurther Readings and Interesting Links\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк            (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-4','','','2012-11-29 17:05:39','2012-11-29 23:05:39','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3088',0,'revision','',0),(3089,56,'2012-11-29 17:09:02','2012-11-29 23:09:02','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.htm\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>  ; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8 (25 seconds).  The leitmotif of the bird can be found at http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found here - http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0; it is 32 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY; 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script here - (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0).  You can hear his performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n\r\nFurther Readings and Interesting Links\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-5','','','2012-11-29 17:09:02','2012-11-29 23:09:02','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3089',0,'revision','',0),(3090,56,'2012-11-29 17:11:26','2012-11-29 23:11:26','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>  ; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8 (25 seconds).  The leitmotif of the bird can be found at http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found here - http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0; it is 32 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY; 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script here - (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0).  You can hear his performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n\r\nFurther Readings and Interesting Links\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-6','','','2012-11-29 17:11:26','2012-11-29 23:11:26','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3090',0,'revision','',0),(3091,56,'2012-11-29 17:21:12','2012-11-29 23:21:12','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 25 seconds long.  The leitmotif of the bird can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 32 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  You can hear his performance <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Further Readings and Interesting Links</p>\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-7','','','2012-11-29 17:21:12','2012-11-29 23:21:12','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3091',0,'revision','',0),(3093,56,'2012-11-29 17:25:55','2012-11-29 23:25:55','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\n\n<!--more-->\n\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\n\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\n\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\n\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\n\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\n\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\n\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 25 seconds long.  The leitmotif of the bird can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for 15 seconds.\n\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\n\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\n\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\n\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\n\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\n\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\n\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\n\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\n\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\n\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\n\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\n\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 15 minutes long.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 32 minutes long.\n\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\n\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 38 minutes long.\n\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  You can hear his performance <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about 30 minutes long.\n\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about three minutes long.\n\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\n\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\n\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\n\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\n\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\n\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\n\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\n\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\n\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\n\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\n\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\n\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\n\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\n\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\n\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\n\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\n\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\n\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\n\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\n\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\n\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\n\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\n\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\n\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\n\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\n\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\n\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\n\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\n\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\n\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\n\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\n\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Further Readings and Interesting Links</p>\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\n\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\n\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-9','','','2012-11-29 17:25:55','2012-11-29 23:25:55','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3093',0,'revision','',0),(3092,56,'2012-11-29 17:24:30','2012-11-29 23:24:30','In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\r\n\r\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\r\n\r\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\r\n\r\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\r\n\r\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\r\n\r\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 25 seconds long.  The leitmotif of the bird can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for 15 seconds.\r\n\r\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\r\n\r\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\r\n\r\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\r\n\r\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\r\n\r\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n\r\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\r\n\r\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\r\n\r\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\r\n\r\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\r\n\r\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\r\n\r\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 15 minutes long.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 32 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\r\n\r\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 38 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  You can hear his performance <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about 30 minutes long.\r\n\r\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about three minutes long.\r\n\r\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\r\n\r\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\r\n\r\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\r\n\r\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\r\n\r\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\r\n\r\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\r\n\r\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\r\n\r\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\r\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\r\n\r\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\r\n\r\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\r\n\r\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\r\n\r\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\r\n\r\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\r\n\r\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\r\n\r\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\r\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\r\n\r\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\r\n\r\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\r\n\r\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\r\n\r\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\r\n\r\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\r\n\r\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\r\n\r\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\r\n\r\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\r\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\r\n\r\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\r\n\r\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\r\n\r\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Further Readings and Interesting Links</p>\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\r\n\r\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\r\n\r\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-8','','','2012-11-29 17:24:30','2012-11-29 23:24:30','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3092',0,'revision','',0),(3094,56,'2012-11-29 17:28:56','2012-11-29 23:28:56','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK_dkBC_Cno[/youtube]\n\nIn 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.\n\n<!--more-->\n\n“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.\n\nThe piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.\n\nThe Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).\n\nNicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.\n\nThrough the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.\n\nThe proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.\n\nThe work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 25 seconds long.  The leitmotif of the bird can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for 15 seconds.\n\nPeter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\n\nThe instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.\n\nIt is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”\n\nSo, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for about 20 seconds.\n\nThe grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).\n\nOther Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.\n\nTypically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).\n\nIt became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).\n\nThe score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.\n\nAs popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).\n\nSome people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).\n\n“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 15 minutes long.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 32 minutes long.\n\nIt is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).\n\nIn 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; it is 38 minutes long.\n\nIn 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they\'re not afraid of wolves. You can read the script <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.  You can hear his performance <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about 30 minutes long.\n\nIgor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position <a title=\"here\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>; about three minutes long.\n\nThe composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).\n\nConversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.\n\nInstead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).\n\nI used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.\n\nI used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.\n\nIn spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.\n\nFuture generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.\n\nFor more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Works Cited</p>\nAzerrad, Michael. \"The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev.\" eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;\n\nThis article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.\n\nBass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nThis article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.\n\nCazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nThis article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.\n\nE.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nA review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.\n\nElsworth, John. \"Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture.\" Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.\n\nFiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\n\nThis is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.\n\nHoloman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.\n\nI used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.\n\nKnight, Judson. \"Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev.\" Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.\n\nMacDonald, Ian. \"An interpretation of the composer.\" Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.\n\nThis article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.\n&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;\n\nMontagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.\n\nProkofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nOn February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.\n\nSchalks, Arnold. \"Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music.\" Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.\n\nContained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.\n\n\"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev.\" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.\n\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.\n\nSlonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians.\" Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;\n\nAn article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings\" in \"Peter and the Wolf\" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.\n\nSmith, Tim. \"Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev.\" Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.\n&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.\n\nAn essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.\n\nStewart, Andrew. \"Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond \'Peter and the Wolf\' - the rehabilitation of Stalin\'s composer.\" Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.\n\nAn interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.\n\nTarchalski, Helen Smith. \"Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev.\" Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.\n\nThis is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Further Readings and Interesting Links</p>\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose \"Peter and the Wolf.\"  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.\n\nBeatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video\n\nWhat does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg','Петя и Волк (Peter and the Wolf)','','inherit','open','open','','3084-revision-10','','','2012-11-29 17:28:56','2012-11-29 23:28:56','',3084,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3094',0,'revision','',0),