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Of Ghost Plants and Whooping Cranes
Naturalist Stephen Lyn Bales considers a dozen exceptional species in Ephemeral by Nature
By Maria Browning | November 8, 2017
These are difficult days for nature lovers. Pollution, habitat destruction, the decline of countless species, climate change—anyone who takes an interest in the condition of planet Earth had better be prepared for bad news. This state of affairs should make someone like Stephen Lyn Bales, senior naturalist at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, more than a bit gloomy. But his collection of essays, Ephemeral by Nature, shows him to be, if not exactly optimistic, at least deeply philosophical about the fate of life as we know it. He makes a convincing case for joy and curiosity despite—or perhaps because of—the transience of all living things.
Each of the twelve pieces in the collection focuses on a specific plant or animal Bales deems "exceptional." They're not all rare, though many of them are either scarce or on the way to becoming so. Some of his subjects, like the ruby-throated hummingbird and the monarch butterfly, are familiar and widely written about. Others, including the ghost plant (aka Indian pipe) and freshwater jellyfish, are fairly obscure. Showing the classic naturalist's soft spot for unloved life forms, he devotes one essay to the massively destructive southern pine beetle. What all of them have in common is at least a minor connection to Tennessee and a good back-story—or, in some cases, several good back-stories.
Bales's typical approach is to weave together scientific facts, history, and folklore, and accent it all with a relevant personal encounter or experience. For instance, his essay on whooping cranes—a species that is "a downy feather away from disappearing altogether"—combines a discussion of the birdlike qualities of dinosaurs with an account of the collective efforts, beginning in the 1950s, to save the "whoopers" from imminent extinction. These efforts ultimately led to the famous crane migrations guided by ultra-light aircraft, which Bales witnessed in 2001, when a group of the birds and their human leaders made an overnight stop at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Bales and a companion, thrilled with the opportunity to "see history in the making," left Knoxville at 4:00 a.m. to get a glimpse of the early-morning departure:
As daylight began to seep into the valley, a small flock of noisy sandhill cranes flew in and a northern harrier hovered briefly over the field in front of us. The people who had gathered to see the cranes hopped back and forth from left foot to right, partly to keep warm and partly because it was hard to contain the nervous energy that percolated through their systems.
That sense of excitement about the natural world is clearly what draws Bales, like most naturalists, to his vocation, and these essays are likely to inspire a touch of the same eager curiosity in his readers. The collection is, as you might expect, filled with the kind of "Gosh, I had no idea" facts that are a nature writer's stock-in-trade. Did you know that the oldest, most primitive panda yet found in the fossil record lived in East Tennessee? Or that the imperiled whooping crane was, in fact, always rare, and there were probably no more than two thousand of the birds when Europeans first arrived in North America?
I didn't until I read this book, and there's a certain pure-hearted happiness in having those new bits of knowledge in my possession. Learning that owls have asymmetrical ears (the better to locate the source of prey sounds) or that beetles make up twenty percent of the earth's species won't change anyone's life or even necessarily enhance a person's love of nature, but knowledge does have a way of fostering wonder, which in turn leads to a deeper sense of the value of living things, even those that might at first glance seem insignificant.
Which brings us back to all the bad news for nature lovers. Bales does not shy away from telling the sad stories. His account of the ongoing decline of the lovely cerulean warbler is particularly poignant. But sorrow does not seem to taint the pleasure he takes in the kaleidoscope of living beings, and it's refreshing to encounter writing about twenty-first-century Earth that is both honest and joyful. "Species come and go, ephemeral all," he writes in the book's afterword, "and should we ultimately devastate our planet rendering it uninhabitable for humans, nature will simply reboot, and Nietzsche's eternal recurrence will come into play." Coming from another writer, those words might seem fatalistic, but received in the context of Bales's own curiosity and delight in the natural world, they are comforting, even hopeful.
Maria Browning is a fifth-generation Tennessean who grew up in Erin and Nashville. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, she has attended the Clothesline School of Writing in Chicago, the Moss Workshop with Richard Bausch at the University of Memphis, and the Sewanee Writers' Conference. She lives in White Bluff.
Tagged: Nonfiction, Stephen Lyn Bales
Looking Back—and Looking Forward
Ephemeral by Nature: Exploring the Exceptional with a Tennessee Naturalist
By Stephen Lyn Bales
University of Tennessee Press
Black Folk Could Fly: Selected Writings
By Randall Kenan
"A personal, social, and intellectual self-portrait of the beloved and enormously influential late Randall Kenan, a master of both fiction and nonfiction."
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pourquoi est ce que je n'ai pas accès à ces alphabets ?
Does cute alphabet offer a membership?
I see where I can mix some of these designs with different letters thanks I gonna have fun with these!!! like leave off the cat letter "g" and put guy with lights. Grandpa-use letters from machine.
These would be darling to personalize plain Christmas stockings. I'd have to switch out some of the people, since the same image is on the letter for three of my family's five initials, but it would still be fun and cute.
Yes these are very cute But Im not sure what to do with them either.
me encanta vuestra creatividad adelante!!!!!!!!!


Converts Versa-Pod Classic Series or Accuracy international bipods to 50 Series.Includes patented friction, pan and tilt lock controls.Versa-Pod 50 Series Upgrade or Replacement Head Convert your standard Classic Series or Accuracy International Versa-pod bipod into the 50 Series. This bipod head has the patented friction pan and tilt controls the Versa-pod is known for. The ability to lock the bipod in position greatly increases accuracy, and allows the shooter more confidence in the shot. This head can be used as either an Classic Series or Accuracy International Bipod upgrade item, or for head replacement on your Versa-Pod 50 Series Bipod. Easy installation and mounts to any standard Versa-Pod "Spigot" type adapter.
Works on a very early Versa-Pod adapter.
Have one of the very first Versa-Pods....before they even started numbering them I think! Anyway, it worked just fine on my early Versa and can now lock any of my Versa-podded rifles into place with just a twist of the wrist. Time will tell if it holds up to constant locking & unlocking.
Very effective way to switch heads from one bipod to another, according to the shooting needs.
I purchased this upgrade for my older Versa Pod. I wanted to be able to lock down my bipod to prevent the rifle from shifting during firing. As you would expect the replacement head assembly is quality made. It was an easy install and it works Great!


There's so much to like about Georgia.
In the capital, it's almost as though time stopped thirty years ago.
The restaurants serve delicious, affordable homemade fare. Bottles of locally-sourced red wine can be bought for less than five dollars. Coffee shops have live music. The kids play soccer on the streets and artists perch their easels on the footpath. There are no big shiny shopping centres, fast food outlets or commercial brands ,and everything is sold, bought and bartered at the markets.
But visiting Tbilisi isn't just about going back in time. It's also about experiencing a wonderful city that, chances are, nobody you know has ever been to. In fact, ten dollars (make that ten Georgian Lari) says that when you tell your friends you're going to Georgia they will respond with something along the lines of 'Great! America is nice this time of year'.
Exactly why Tbilisi - and Georgia as a whole - has remained a great big secret is one of life's great questions. Despite being less than three hours away from continental Europe and the Middle East, the country has never received the volumes of tourism that one would expect.
Part of the issue could be related to the fact that the Georgia was at war just eight years ago, when Russian forces invaded large pockets of the country, claiming the north-eastern regions to be theirs. Despite this battle having been fought and won, (largely by the Georgians, who regained control of their villages) it takes decades for a country to attract tourism once again. Nonetheless, with a budget European airline recently setting up shop in Kutaisi, a city located conveniently in the centre of the country, I'm sure Georgia won't remain a secret for long.
Upon arriving in Tbilisi, the first thing you'll notice as a tourist is that, well, almost nobody speaks English. Despite a significant recruitment drive by the Georgian government to recruit foreign English teachers to work in the country's secondary schools, it was always a matter of playing catch-up. The young people are competent conversationally, but if you're expecting to have an in-depth chat with the older locals, you're going to be out of luck.
But don't let that deter you. Georgians, truly, are some of the most friendly and open-minded people on the planet. They will smile, laugh, and welcome you into their homes. The old-school nature of Tbilisi hasn't been lost on its residents, who - if you let them - will take you in as one of their own. For this reason, Airbnb and homestay options are terrific choices when staying here. If you get the chance to have a traditional Georgian meal cooked for you, you're in for a treat.
Another pleasant observation is that generally, people leave you alone. If you've spent time travelling through tourism-heavy cities like Paris, London, New York, Berlin or Beijing, this will come as a welcome change. There are few beggars, and shop assistants won't force you to buy their wares. And more importantly, the chances of getting scammed, tricked and ripped off here are slim. The whole country is incredibly safe, and sensible travellers will make it through unscathed.
The food and wine in Tbilisi is simply extraordinary, and better yet, it's cheap. But what is Georgian food exactly, you ask? Heavily influenced by their middle-eastern and european neighbours, you'll find plenty of pastries and meat dishes. My favourites included the khachapuri adjarula, which is a pastry filled with cheese, and an egg cracked on top, but I also loved their own version of the dumpling, called a khinkali. Also, look out for the churchkela, which consists of walnuts, carefully soaked in leftover grape juice from the wine harvest. They can be found everywhere, mostly hanging from shop windows - you can't miss them. These specialties, plus cheap and affordable locally-sourced wine, will keep most travelling foodies occupied for at least a few days.
The climate is typical sub-mediterranean, with Tbilisi's surrounding mountains protecting the city from the harsh middle-eastern temperatures, but also paving the way for plenty of snow in winter. If you're lucky enough to visit the capital in summer, expect something between 28-35 degrees celsius.
Of course, if you're heading outside Tbilisi, things can change quickly. If you're thinking of travelling to the north - say Mestia, or even further into Ushguli - make sure you bring a jacket. These towns are among the highest in Europe, and even in summer temperatures can drop into single-figures.
If you're here for a few days, there are a few unmissable things that you just have to do.
On the first day, consider climbing the fortress in the centre of town, which, in addition to giving you some geographical bearings, will also delight you with a spectacular view over the old and new parts of the city. And if you're exhausted by the time you reach the top, there's even a sky-rail to take you back down again. The cost is 3 GEL, or $1 USD.
Once you've done that, make sure you take a wander through the old town. In my opinion, these narrow, stone-laid streets put Prague and Paris to shame! There's just so much to look at, and plenty of opportunities to take photos. Keep your eyes peeled for the discreet underground wine bars, dotted throughout the inner suburbs. Flip a coin and pick one. You won't be disappointed.
And if you've got time, wander to the eastern part of the town, where you'll find a daily market, selling all sorts of wares, from photography gear to oil paintings, swords and books. You can spend endless hours here during the warmer months.
You won't be disappointed with Tbilisi. The city is a cosmopolitan, lively capital that delivers an explosive cultural hit. The more popular tourist cities across mainland Europe could learn a lot from observing Tbilisi's subtle charm.
Although the war is well behind Georgia, the country admittedly is still working hard to establish its own identity. From a traveller's perspective, it isn't immediately clear exactly what Georgia stands for yet, but the country truly does do a lot of things well. It's safe, clean, affordable and the people are lovely.
So, if you're thinking of somewhere different for your next adventure, consider Georgia, and start off in its bustling capital of Tbilisi. As one of the locals described, Georgia is 'the balcony of Europe', which makes it something you absolutely have to see at least once.


We dug through every single interview Johnny Venus and Doctor Dot have ever given to discover the duo's biggest musical inspirations and influences, then spent hours making the ultimate playlist of EARTHGANG's top influences.
Explore the Playlist Guide at the bottom for a song-by-song comparison between each influencer song and its EARTHGANG counterpart!
Johnny Venus and Doctor Dot, the creative duo collectively known as EARTHGANG, grew up in Southwest Atlanta where they met at high school. Venus and Dot became joined forces in their school's parking lot nearly a decade ago, after getting evacuated due to a fire in the school auditorium.
The two high schoolers found out about each other's love for hip hop and clicked immediately, forming EARTHGANG soon after.
Fun Fact: EARTHGANG was originally supposed to be a collective with 2-3 others in the group, but at the time Dot and Venus were the only ones picking up the phone regularly so they settled on forming a duo.
Years later, during their time at Hampton University in Virginia, Johnny Venus and Doctor Dot founded the Spillage Village collective, a group of loosely affiliated artists akin to Chicago's Pivot Gang. Spillage Village, which includes fellow Dreamville signee JID, ultimately ended up becoming the full collective that Venus and Dot had intended EARTHGANG to be. Although Spillage Village isn't the primary musical focus for any of its members, the group comes together to make a project every year and a half or so to mark their growth as artists. Their last album, Bears Like This Too Much, was one of the most slept on albums of 2016.
EARTHGANG spent nearly a decade as indie artists, hustling and building an organic fanbase show-by-show. Then in 2017, the duo got their first nationwide tour and soon after got signed to J. Cole's Dreamville label. After years of grinding, the two friends from Atlanta were beginning to see their hard work pay off.
To kick the partnership off with Dreamville, EARTHGANG decided to release a trilogy of EP's. The first two installments of the series came out in Fall of 2017 and the final EP is supposed to be out later this week. Rags was great, and Robots was even better – we're counting on Royalty to continue the trend.
Spillage Village is also rumored to be releasing another project this year as well, continuing the Bears Like This series. Judging by the growth both EARTHGANG and JID have undergone over the last two years, the new installment may very well end up being one of the top albums of all of 2018.
EARTHGANG pulls from a variety of genres, influences, and styles to create one of the few legitimate one-of-a-kind sounds in hip hop today. Their beats are diverse, their voices are versatile, their flows are imaginative, and each song paints a vivid new picture in your ears.
EARTHGANG's music brings a lot of jazz, neo-soul, and a taste of funk into a laidback southern rap style. They rabidly pursue complexity and experimentation. One of the few areas in which the two are truly consistent is their commitment to try new things on every single project and push each other to become as good as they can be.
The "Influences of: EARTHGANG" playlist has 32 songs. all of which are from Earthgang's top 13 influencers. Influencer songs were chosen for a variety of reasons including production, melody, vocal style, and flow. To see the EARTHGANG counterpart to each influencer song, or to learn more about why each was chosen, reference the official Playlist Guide below while you listen!


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Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated  west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex, and was a significant local commercial centre from an early time. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century it expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1955, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.

A few major events have taken place in and around the town, including attempted negotiations between King Charles I and the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War. The public house at the centre of those events, since renamed the Crown & Treaty, still stands. RAF Uxbridge houses the Battle of Britain Bunker, from where the air defence of the south-east of England was coordinated during the Battle of Britain especially from its No. 11 Group Operations Room, also used during the D-Day landings.

Today the town serves as a significant retail and commercial centre; it is also considered as a university town as it houses Brunel University London as well as the Uxbridge campus of Buckinghamshire New University. A part of the town which has large converted flour mills adjoins Buckinghamshire, the boundary being the River Colne.

Government data analysts have confirmed within its Borough are suburbs Harefield, Ickenham, Hillingdon, Newyears Green and Cowley; with Uxbridge these are represented by six electoral wards (units for the election of councillors to Hillingdon Council and commonly for statistical purposes). The 2011 Census recorded a population figure of 70,560 for these wards combined.

History

Toponymy
The name of the town is derived from "Wixan's Bridge", which was sited near the bottom of Oxford Road where a modern road bridge now stands, beside the Swan and Bottle public house. The Wixan were a 7th-century Saxon tribe from Lincolnshire who also began to settle in what became Middlesex. Anglo-Saxons began to settle and farm in the area of Uxbridge in the 5th century, clearing dense woodland. Two other places in Middlesex bore the name of the Wixan: Uxendon ("Wixan's Hill"), a name now preserved only in the street names of Uxendon Hill and Crescent in Harrow, and Waxlow ("Wixan's Wood") near Southall.

Archaeologists found Bronze Age remains (before 700 BC) and medieval remains during the construction of The Chimes shopping centre; two miles (3.2 km) away at Denham, Upper Paleolithic remains have been found. Uxbridge is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of the 11th century, but a hundred years later St Margaret's Church, was built. The town appears in records from 1107 as "Woxbrigge", and became part of the Elthorne Hundred with other settlements in the area.

Early developments

The Parliamentary Army garrisoned the town upon the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642 and established their headquarters there in June 1647 on a line from Staines to Watford, although the king passed through Uxbridge in April 1646, resting at the Red Lion public house for several hours. Charles I met with representatives of Parliament at the Crown Inn in Uxbridge in 1645, but negotiations for the end of hostilities were unsuccessful due in part to the king's stubborn attitude. The town had been chosen as it was located between the Royal headquarters at Oxford and the Parliamentary stronghold of London.

The covered market was built in 1788, replacing a building constructed in 1561. In the early 19th century, Uxbridge had an unsavoury reputation; the jurist William Arabin said of its residents "They will steal the very teeth out of your mouth as you walk through the streets. I know it from experience." For about 200 years most of London's flour was produced in the Uxbridge area.

The Grand Junction Canal opened in 1794, linking Uxbridge with Birmingham and the River Thames at Brentford. By 1800 Uxbridge had become one of the most important market towns in Middlesex, helped by its status as the first stopping point for stagecoaches travelling from London to Oxford. The development of Uxbridge declined after the opening of the Great Western Railway in 1838, which passed through West Drayton. A branch line to Uxbridge was opened in 1856, but it was the opening of the Metropolitan Line in 1904 which restarted Uxbridge's growth by giving the town its first direct link to London.

Harman's Brewery was established in Uxbridge by George Harman in 1763, and moved into its new headquarters in Uxbridge High Street in 1875. The eventual owners of the brewery, Courage, closed the headquarters in 1964. It was demolished and replaced by a Budgen's supermarket, which in turn was demolished with the construction of The Chimes shopping centre. The brewery building in George Street remained in place until it was demolished in 1967. The office building Harman House was built on the site in 1985, named after the brewery.

Urban development

The main enclosures effected in the parish of Hillingdon, by statute in 1819, saw the reduction of Uxbridge Common, which at its largest had been  in circumference. It originally straddled Park Road, north of the town centre, but now covers .

In 1871 the town's first purpose-built police station was built in Windsor Street. The building included three cells and stables. The Metropolitan Police continued to use the building until 1988, when operations moved to a new site in Harefield Road. The building subsequently became the Old Bill public house in 1996, renamed the Fig Tree in 2006.

In the early 1900s the Uxbridge and District Electricity Supply Company had been established a power station in Waterloo Road, and much of the town was connected by 1902, although some houses still had gas lighting in 1912. A water tower on Uxbridge Common was built in 1906, resembling a church tower, to improve the supply to the town.

Wood panelling from a room in the Crown & Treaty public house was sold in 1924 to an American businessman, who installed it in his office in the Empire State Building in New York. It was returned in 1953 as a gift to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and returned to the house, although the monarch retained ownership.

On 31 August 1935 Uxbridge Lido, an outdoor swimming pool built in the "Moderne" or Art Deco style, was officially opened. Before the opening, many residents swam in a section of the Frays River near Harefield Road, and the Colne. The pool, pavilion building, entrance building and both fountains were designated Grade II listed buildings in 1998. Despite the listing, the pool was closed to the public and the buildings became subject to heavy vandalism. Uxbridge open-air pool was fully refurbished during 2009 and re-opened in May 2010. Added to the site, now named Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex, is a 50 m indoor competition pool, a leisure pool, a 100-station gym, a wide range of exercise classes, an athletics stadium and track, 3G floodlit pitches, a sports hall, a café and a crèche. The Grade II listed buildings are still standing.

During the Second World War Uxbridge adopted the Royal Navy destroyer  in 1942, to help towards the ship's costs; Intrepid was lost to enemy action the following year. The town and surrounding areas suffered bombing by the Luftwaffe. V1 flying bombs fell on the town between June 1944 and March 1945. The first recorded bombing using a V1 was on 22 June 1944 at 07:00, when the bomb passed over the top of a bus and hit four houses nearby. Seven people were killed and 25 injured, leaving 46 houses in the area uninhabitable. In all the Uxbridge Urban District suffered 79 civilian deaths through enemy action in the war.

In 1958 the  Lowe & Shawyer plant nursery to the west of RAF Uxbridge entered voluntary liquidation. The nursery had stood in Kingston Lane since 1868, and was the largest producer of cut flowers in the country. Demolition work began in 1962, and the construction of Brunel University commenced. Chrysanthemums are included the coat of arms of the Borough of Uxbridge in memory of the nursery. The Uxbridge (Vine Street) railway branch line, which partly ran alongside the site, was closed in 1964 and in 1966 the university opened, purchasing the land where the railway had run from the local council for £65,000.

The Uxbridge Cricket Club moved from Cricketfield Road in 1971 to make way for the new Civic Centre. The club had been at Cricketfield Road since 1858, but moved to a new site on part of Uxbridge Common on Park Road. The Market Square shopping precinct in the town centre was built in the late 1970s, but its lack of shelter made it unpopular and it did not attract the expected levels of custom. Many buildings along the High Street and Windsor Street had been demolished to make way for the new precinct, which was eventually sold to the Prudential Assurance Company and redeveloped with a roof in the early 1980s to become the Pavilions Shopping Centre. The Peacock public house (later renamed The Chequers) in one of the two main squares was built partially underground having two flights of steps down into the pub at either end. It was demolished and replaced with a café named also named The Chequers, which remains. Rayner's pharmacy shop was also demolished during the Market Square development, although the shopfront was saved by the Museum of London and is held in storage.

The Chimes shopping centre was built beside Uxbridge station in 2001, incorporating many of the existing buildings into the new structure. The centre was originally to be named St George's Centre in plans dating back to the early 1990s, though this name was eventually taken by another shopping centre in Harrow. Instead, The Chimes was said to refer to the sound of the bells from the nearby market house on the High Street. An Odeon cinema opened as a major part of the centre, with the smaller cinema at the opposite end of the High Street closing. Some houses on Chippendale Way and the St George's car park were demolished to allow for the construction of the new shopping centre car park. The offices of the local building company Fassnidge were also included in the new development; built in the 19th century, they now house a Pizza Express restaurant. Preserved timber from earlier demolished buildings in Uxbridge was used in the construction of a new building beside the former offices of Fassnidge, designed to resemble a much older structure.

In 2002 the dry ski slope near Park Road and the Uxbridge Lido was closed and the remaining buildings and structures removed. The Hillingdon Ski Centre had been subject to several arson attacks during 2001 and the company operating it became insolvent. The slope, which had been built in 1977, was left to return to nature.

Work began in 2008 to extensively refurbish and extend Uxbridge Lido, and it reopened to the public in February 2010 as the Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex. On 8 September 2010 the 75th anniversary of the first opening of the Lido was celebrated at the pool.

Governance
Uxbridge is known from tithe assignments to the vicar of Hillingdon in 1281 and hundreds of later documents as a chapelry in the large parish of Hillingdon; the town core was only upgraded to a full parish (and thus its large chapel to a church) in 1827. Eleven years later a parish of Saint John added in Uxbridge Moor, Hillingdon. A parish of Saint Andrew, Uxbridge, was added in 1865. From Tudor times parishes had a select or elect vestry which determined much local maintenance, including poor relief, however under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 broader local poor law unions took on the relief role and shifted funds towards workhouses and associated hospitals.

Uxbridge was in the first main wave of the new, secular system of civil parishes, gaining such a council and territory in 1866, and, at the usual time for a town, an Urban District under the Local Government Act 1894. In 1955 the council successfully petitioned for a charter of incorporation and became a municipal borough. This stood for ten years, followed by incorporation into the new system of London Boroughs, as the London Borough of Hillingdon. Within the borough, Uxbridge is usually warded into near-precisely two electoral wards, for fair voter strength (the avoiding of malapportionment) across the borough. Reinforcing identity, Uxbridge is a post town which has very similar boundaries to its traditional boundaries.

Uxbridge gave its name to a parliamentary constituency from 1885 until the similar weight of any other part(s) included was simple enough to express, which happened as Greater London developed. This was reflected by changes which came in at the 2010 general election which saw the town become part of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat which includes parts of Ickenham. The seat is held by the former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of the Conservative Party. His forerunners are John Randall until 2015 and Sir Michael Shersby, who died shortly after the 1997 general election.

Geography

Uxbridge lies at a mean elevation of  above mean sea level. Like much of the rest of the UK its climate is generally temperate, with few extremes of temperature or weather.

The landscape upon which the settlement of Uxbridge was established is largely unchanged from the Mesolithic era. Much of it was covered by oak and elm trees, which were gradually cleared by early settlers. An archaeological excavation by the Museum of London in the 1990s found evidence of flint items shaped by Mesolithic hunters, as well as various animal bones and traces of charcoal from the remains of campfires.

The River Pinn runs through Uxbridge, passing through the former site of RAF Uxbridge and the grounds of Brunel University. It joins the Frays River, which branches off from the River Colne and acts as the boundary between Uxbridge and the neighbouring county of Buckinghamshire.

Uxbridge is centred  from Charing Cross in Central London;  from Hayes;  from Ruislip;  from Northolt;  from Slough; and  from High Wycombe.

Demography
The table below shows housing data for Uxbridge, broadly defined, and its neighbourhoods.

The human, resident population of Uxbridge North was estimated in 2009 by the Office for National Statistics as 11,812, and 11,887 for Uxbridge South. Around 85% of residents of Uxbridge North are projected as White, 6% more than both the borough average and Uxbridge South. Other residents are mixed-race, Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, and Chinese or other ethnic groups. Uxbridge South is projected as having more Black and Chinese residents, than any other Hillingdon ward.

By the time of the 2011 UK Census, the population of Uxbridge had reached 12,048 in Uxbridge North and 13,979 in Uxbridge South. The most common ethnic group was White British in Uxbridge North, was in that survey taken as 69.8%, followed by Asian or Asian British (19.5%) and Black or Black British (4.1%). The remaining percentage was made up of mixed-race and other unspecified ethnic groups. White British was also the largest ethnic group in Uxbridge South, at 62.1%, followed by Asian or Asian British (22.6%), Black or Black British (7.3%) and mixed-race (4.3%). The remaining percentage was made up of other unspecified ethnic groups.

Uxbridge North saw its most common category of employment as those in management, as at the 2001 and 2011 census.

The life expectancy for men was estimated at 77 years in Uxbridge North, compared with 74 years in Uxbridge South. The figures for women are 83 years in Uxbridge North and 81 years in Uxbridge South.

Religion
In the 2011 census, 72.8% of residents in the Uxbridge North ward answered that they had a religion, compared with 19.3% who did not and 7.9% who did not answer. Of those who answered, 53% identified as Christian, followed by 6.7% who identified as Muslim and 6.2% as Sikh. The percentage identifying as Hindu was 5.4%. Figures for residents identifying as either Jewish, Buddhist or other unspecified religions were each below 1%.

Within the Uxbridge South ward, 69.2% of residents answered that they had a religion, compared with 23.8% who did not and 7% who did not answer. As with Uxbridge North, the majority (46.4%) identified as Christian, followed by 13.4% who identified as Muslim and 5% as Hindu. The percentage identifying as Sikh was 2.3% and those identifying as Buddhist were 1.2%. Figures for residents identifying as either Jewish or other unspecified religions were each below 1%.

Churches

St Margaret's Church
This is the original parish church of Uxbridge, and one of the oldest buildings in the town. Located in Windsor Street, it is known to have existed since at least 1245, when a series of hearings took place there in which the Abbot of Bec in Normandy brought an action against the rector of Great Wratting in Suffolk for non-payment of tithes. On parchments kept at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, in connection with this event, St. Margaret's is mentioned by name, and there are several other references between 1245 and 1247 to the "chapel at Uxbridge".

The oldest portion of the existing building is part of the north tower, which was built in the late 14th century. The north aisle, together with the nave and its arcades, dates from the early 15th century, while the south aisle, with its fine hammer-beam roof, was added about 1450. The carved stone font was placed in the church soon afterwards, dating from about 1480.

For most of its history, St Margaret's served as a chapel-of-ease to St John the Baptist's Church in Hillingdon; it was not until 1827 that it was given its own parish.

St Andrew's Church

By the 1850s the population of both Hillingdon and Uxbridge was beginning to rise. With new housing being built between the two centres the then Vicar of Hillingdon,  Richard Croft (served 1856–69) gained permission to build a new local church for a newer part of the town traditionally called Hillingdon West. He asked the well-known architect Sir George Gilbert Scott:

Scott produced his plans and local Uxbridge builder William Fassnidge was employed to construct the church. On St Peter's Day, 29 June 1864, the foundation stone was laid at the south end of the chancel arch by the Lord Bishop of London, Archibald Campbell Tait. He returned to consecrate and open the church on the feast day of saints Philip and James, 1 May 1865.

The spire was completed the next year. Together with the bells, vestry and organ and other embellishments, the building cost £12,000 ().

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Michael

After the Reformation in the 16th century, there was no official Roman Catholic place of worship in Uxbridge until the late 19th century, following the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act. In 1892 Father Michael Aloysius Wren bought a presbytery at 37 Lawn Road, next to which a temporary church was built of corrugated iron, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes and St Michael. St Mary's School was also founded on Rockingham Road at this time. Fr Wren was helped by his nephew John, who acted as his assistant priest. They covered an extensive area, including the modern Catholic parishes of Ruislip and Hillingdon.

The mission grew from strength to strength, and by 1907 the congregation numbered 150, with school attendance at 60. In time plans were made for a larger, more permanent church. This was the brainchild of Father Thomas Moloney, who bought the current presbytery and acquired the land that stood at the back so that a church could be built. The foundation stone was eventually laid on Low Sunday 1931 by Archbishop Alban Goodier, an English Jesuit who had been Archbishop of Bombay between 1919 and 1926. The new church, in Oxford Road, was designed by the diocesan architect, T. H. B. Scott. It was built of brick in the Romanesque style, seating 350. The church was built quickly and opened by Cardinal Bourne on 29 September 1931. It was officially consecrated on 14 May 1936, after its debts were cleared.

Faith Assembly, Uxbridge
The Redeemed Christian Church of God states it teaches the whole counsel of God and welcomes people from all nations.  Based at 2 Harefield Road, worship is in the Kate Fasnidge Hall next to Tesco: Sundays at 11:00 am. It is contemporary and Pentecostal.

Economy

As of 2012, Uxbridge had  of town centre floorspace. Uxbridge has two shopping centres, The Pavilions and The Chimes (formerly Intu Uxbridge). Much of the town centre is pedestrianised. Just off the High Street is Windsor Street, a short street with older shops.

The town centre consists of retail outlets and office buildings, including the main UK and European offices of international companies such as Coca-Cola European Partners, Cadbury, Xerox, General Mills, F. Hinds, PAREXEL, Arri, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Monster Energy, APL, Herbalife Europe. Other employers include NetApp, Anixter International, PricewaterhouseCoopers, WMS Gaming, IBB Solicitors and Nexen.

Within the London Borough, 55.1% of residents travel to the Uxbridge North and Uxbridge South wards to work, and only 8% of residents working there who also live within the wards. The 2001 census measured a total of 6,007 (35.9%) of residents leaving the North ward to go to work. Uxbridge South had a figure of 5,666 (26.5%) of residents leaving the ward to work elsewhere.

In 2005 retail footprint research, Uxbridge ranked 9th in terms of retail expenditure in Greater London at £311 million.

A terraced landmark with tower on Vine Street is what was Randalls, the Art Deco-architecture department store owned by relations of John Randall MP. It is a 1939, remodelled rebuilding of a 1900 building. The building has the initial, mainstream category of listed building since October 2008. The store closed in January 2015.

Education

Primary schools in Uxbridge include Hermitage Primary School, St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whitehall Infant School, and Whitehall Junior School. Uxbridge High School is a comprehensive secondary school in the town.

Uxbridge is also home to Brunel University and the Buckinghamshire New University's nursing campus. The main campus of Uxbridge College is also in the town.

Transport

Uxbridge tube station is the western terminus of branches of the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines of the London Underground. The station, built in 1933, is fronted by a pedestrian high street and is connected to a bus terminus with connections to Hillingdon, Hayes, Ealing, Ruislip, and Slough. Uxbridge Belmont Road was the first underground station, built slightly outside the town centre to allow for a possible extension to High Wycombe. This was subsequently replaced by the current station.

There were two Great Western Railway branch lines to Uxbridge with terminus stations at Uxbridge Vine Street (originally just Uxbridge Station) and Uxbridge High Street. The two railway lines were planned to be joined, with a new Uxbridge station to be built on the west side of the town replacing the existing station at Vine Street which had been opened in 1856. Work on the new branch line from the north at Denham started in 1900. However with the Metropolitan Railway being extended into Uxbridge Belmont Road station in 1904 it was decided to temporarily terminate the line at a bridge over Uxbridge High Street. The extension through Uxbridge to join the lines was never completed. Uxbridge High Street station opened on 1 May 1907 but had low passenger numbers and closed on 1 September 1939 as a war economy and never reopened. By the 1960s the Uxbridge Vine Street branch line to West Drayton station was being affected by competition on London services from the town's faster Underground lines. Passenger services were stopped on 10 September 1962. Goods traffic ceased two years later. Uxbridge Vine Street station was demolished in 1969.

The B483 road connects the centre of Uxbridge with the Swakeleys Roundabout junction of the A40. Uxbridge is also connected by major roads to Slough, Denham, Ickenham, Cowley, Iver Heath, Hillingdon Heath and Hayes.

The Grand Union Canal, formerly the Grand Junction Canal, connects London with Birmingham and passes immediately to the west of Uxbridge, forming part of the borough boundary. The first stretch was built in the late 18th century from Brentford to Uxbridge. Further upstream is Uxbridge Lock, and nearby is a derelict flour mill formerly owned by Allied Mills. The mill was bought in the 19th century by William King, who named it "Kingsmill". Kingsmill continues to be used as a brand of bread by Associated British Foods.

London Buses routes 222, 331, 427, 607, A10, U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, U7, U9, U10 and N207 serve the area, alongside 8 non-Transport for London (TfL) routes: First Berkshire & The Thames Valley route 3, Green Line route 724 and Carousel Buses routes 101, 102, 104, 105, 581 & 583.

The proposed West London Tram was postponed indefinitely by TfL in August 2007 after it was announced that the Crossrail project would be going ahead. TfL cited "an effective bus-based solution" as an alternative, delivered in conjunction with local councils. Since 2013 the route has been served by the 427, 207, and 607 bus services.

Landmarks

Civic Centre

The London Borough of Hillingdon's Hillingdon Civic Centre was built in Uxbridge High Street in 1973, as part of an effort to unite the services of the council, which had formed in 1965 with the merger of the Municipal Borough of Uxbridge, Ruislip-Northwood Urban District, Hayes and Harlington Urban District and Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District. Before the new building was completed, council services had been spread throughout Uxbridge and the rest of the borough and various buildings, as a result of the merging of the former district councils.

Part of the original Middlesex County Council office building that stood on site was incorporated into the new Civic Centre. The centre's clock tower is the only visible section from the old building. The Uxbridge Cricket Club Ground and Uxbridge fire station were relocated as part of the new development, which became controversial owing to its size and cost. Areas of the building, particularly the council chambers, continue to suffer from poor acoustics.

Uxbridge Magistrates' Court
The original Magistrates' Court opened in 1907 in an Edwardian style. A new building with little exterior styling opened nearby in the 1990s and legal proceedings were transferred. The Magistrates' Court is often referred to in John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey short stories.

RAF Uxbridge, Battle of Britain Bunker and Hillingdon House

Uxbridge had a Royal Air Force station, known as RAF Uxbridge, until its closure on 31 March 2010. The station was built within the grounds of Hillingdon House, a 19th-century mansion bought by the British government in 1915, and became most famous as the home of RAF Fighter Command's No. 11 Group Operations Room during the Battle of Britain. Fighter squadrons at airfields in the south-east of England were directed from the station, which was visited by Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the battle, and other foreign leaders throughout the rest of the war.

Following the station's closure, the replica No. 33 Squadron Supermarine Spitfire gate guardian was removed from the main entrance for restoration work and moved to the entrance of the Operations Room (now known as the Battle of Britain Bunker). The area around the bunker was retained as an enclave under the RAF Uxbridge name, under the care of RAF Northolt. An additional guardian, a Hawker Hurricane in the colours of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, was added to the area in November 2010.

Sport and leisure
Uxbridge has a Non-League football team, Uxbridge F.C., which plays at Honeycroft, Yiewsley.
Uxbridge Cricket Club is also based in Uxbridge and is a member of the Middlesex County Cricket League, a designated ECB Premier League.
Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex has recently been refurbished and contains an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, an athletic track and large sports complex. The South Korean Olympic Team used the centre for training during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Neighbouring areas

Notable people

1850 to 1906
Charles Brown (1827–1905), engineer and inventor of the Brown valve gear, born in Uxbridge.
 Annie Isherwood (1862–1906), Anglican nun and founder of the Community of the Resurrection in Grahamstown, Southern Africa, was born in Uxbridge.

20th century
Bernard Miles (1907–1991), actor, writer and director, attended Bishopshalt Grammar School and given a peerage.
Peggy Eileen Whistler (1909–1958), poet, novelist and illustrator who used the pseudonym Margiad Evans, born in Uxbridge,
Joan Dowling (1928–1954), actress, best known for her role in the first "Ealing Comedy" Hue and Cry, grew up in Uxbridge.
John Stears (1934–1999), Academy Award-winning creator of James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 and Star Wars robots, born in Uxbridge.
Christine Keeler, 1960s model, party to the 1963 Profumo affair, born in Uxbridge.

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

 Bainbridge, John. (2001) Middlesex Photographic Memories. Salisbury: Frith Book Company
 Cotton, Carolynne. (1994) Uxbridge Past. London: Historical Publications
 Crozier, Hazel. (2007) RAF Uxbridge 90th Anniversary 1917–2007. RAF High Wycombe: Air Command Media Services
 Hearmon, Carolynne. (1982) Uxbridge. A Concise History. Uxbridge: Hillingdon Borough Libraries
 Pearce, K. R. (2009) Uxbridge From Old Photographs. Stroud: Amberley Publishing
 Pearce, K. (2011) Uxbridge Through Time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing
 Sherwood, Philip. (2007) Around Uxbridge Past & Present. Stroud: Sutton Publishing
 Skinner, James. (2008) Growing Up In Wartime Uxbridge. Stroud: Tempus Publishing

Further reading

External links

 London Borough of Hillingdon
 Faith Assembly Uxbridge

Areas of London
Districts of the London Borough of Hillingdon
Metropolitan centres of London
Market towns in London
Places formerly in Middlesex

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I 12 studi di esecuzione trascendentale (Études d'exécution transcendante) sono composizioni pianistiche di Franz Liszt, composte tra il 1826 e il 1851.

Storia

La prima versione risale al 1826, quando Liszt era solo quindicenne, pubblicata dall'editore marsigliese Boisselot con il nome Études en douze exercices; l'intenzione di Liszt era  di scrivere quarantotto esercizi in tutte le tonalità minori e maggiori, sul modello del suo maestro Carl Czerny ma si fermò a dodici. Questa versione embrionale risulta op.1 S.136 nel catalogo delle opere di Liszt.

La seconda versione risale al 1837 e fu pubblicata contemporaneamente a Parigi, Milano e Vienna sotto il titolo Douze grandes études, S.137  nel catalogo delle opere. Si tratta di una vigorosa e radicale riscrittura dell'acerbo materiale del 1826 e i dodici studi che ne risultano sono ricchi di accorgimenti tecnico-strumentali assai avanzati e sono di difficoltà strumentale altissima, ai limiti della corretta eseguibilità.

La terza e ultima versione è quella del 1851, S.139, che è quella che viene più spesso suonata attualmente, dedicata a Czerny. Si tratta di una revisione della versione del 1837 che ne attenua la difficoltà (riportandola su un piano più accettabile, seppure notevole), ne acuisce l'eleganza e ne nobilita il disegno formale complessivo, ripulendo un po' il materiale musicale da una scrittura talvolta eccessivamente sovraccaricata da figurazioni tecnicistiche.

Difficoltà nell'esecuzione
Come già valeva per i 24 studi per pianoforte di Chopin op.10 e op.25, queste opere non sono puro materiale didattico, ma intense composizioni musicali. A differenza di Chopin, che aveva dedicato ognuno dei suoi singoli studi ad un particolare aspetto della tecnica pianistica, Liszt inserisce tra i suoi studi trascendentali anche composizioni molto varie sia dal punto di vista tecnico che musicale.

Gli studi trascendentali sono uno dei cicli di composizioni dove meglio si può vedere la ricerca svolta dal compositore ungherese di estrarre dal pianoforte nuove possibilità espressive, anche andando contro i modi più ortodossi e consolidati del pianismo; ricerca, va detto per inciso, suffragata anche dalle numerose innovazioni tecniche che in quegli anni si introducevano sui pianoforti e che li stavano lentamente portando ad assumere l'attuale fisionomia. Si hanno così pezzi con intere pagine da eseguire nel registro grave del pianoforte (Vision), vorticose scalette su e giù per la tastiera praticamente in ogni forma possibile, passaggi dall'armonia audace o dalle impreviste difficoltà ritmiche (Wilde Jagd).
In quest'ottica rimangono tutt'oggi per il pianista alcune tra le composizioni più impegnative da affrontare per il modo assolutamente libero da ogni tipo di condizionamento di coniugare le difficoltà tecniche con le difficoltà musicali dell'esecuzione.

Coerentemente con le idee più volte propugnate da Liszt di una musica a programma, dieci su dodici studi trascendentali recano un titolo (scritto da Liszt stesso) altamente evocativo sulla musica del pezzo. Tra i casi più evidenti citiamo Chasse-neige (scaccianeve), dove un prolungato tremolo e varie scalette cromatiche rievocano con abilità gli ululati del vento e il vorticare della neve. Gli altri due studi non titolati da Liszt (il secondo e il decimo) si sono comunque guadagnati dei titoli non originali ma alquanto utilizzati.

L'ordine delle tonalità dei dodici studi è tonica - relativa minore - sottodominante, a gruppi di tre.

I dodici studi

N. 1 Preludio, in Do maggiore
Dal carattere improvvisativo, quasi un preludiare per sciogliersi le dita, è un breve pezzo dal sapore programmatico su quello che sarà la raccolta. Senza seguire uno schema predefinito Liszt inserisce in questo pezzo alcune tra le difficoltà su cui i didatti della tastiera si erano già ampiamente espressi rielaborandole ed interpretandole in maniera nuova. Ecco quindi che la semplice figurazione ritmica a quartina con cui si aprono varie raccolte di studi precedenti viene utilizzata in modo inaspettatamente cromatico ed estesa su tutta la tastiera. I pesanti accordi modulano ampiamente fuori dal do maggiore dello studio e sono a 4 note per mano. Una serie di robusti trilli nel registro grave introduce una sequenza di arpeggi di do maggiore e la minore (in tutti i rivolti), che si susseguono vorticosamente per tutta la tastiera.

N. 2 Molto vivace , in La minore
Talvolta intitolato fusées o talvolta "fuochi d'artificio" (razzi, in francese), lo studio n.2 viene spesso eseguito di seguito al brevissimo studio n.1 e ne interrompe il luminoso accordo di do maggiore nel registro acuto con un incisivo disegno di quattro note ribattute, che costituisce l'asse portante dell'intero brano. Brano dal piglio aggressivo e dal ritmo leggermente ambiguo (è in 3/4 ma è facile equivocarlo in 6/8),  deve il suo titolo spurio fusées alle frequenti impennate delle mano destra verso il registro acuto della tastiera, specie nella parte centrale, dove viene richiamata vagamente l'immagine di scoppiettanti fuochi d'artificio che sprizzano verso l'alto. Altre caratteristiche dello studio sono i frequenti intervalli dissonanti di seconda, le terze rapidamente ribattute dalle mani alternate, il rapido controtempo tra la mano destra (quasi sempre in levare) e la mano sinistra, che alterna riproposizioni del ritmo delle quattro note iniziali in varie forme a vigorose sequenze d'ottava, i bruschi salti di accordi di tre note in zone lontane della tastiera, che introducono un finale assai vigoroso e acceso.

N. 3 Paysage (paesaggio), in fa maggiore
Lo studio n.3 deve il suo titolo (originale) all'evocazione di una pacata e dolce scena bucolica, in tempo di 6/8. Marcato come poco adagio all'inizio, si anima leggermente nella parte centrale. Considerato lo studio meno difficile dal punto di vista tecnico tra i dodici (assieme al primo, la cui estrema brevità lo rende ugualmente meno difficile degli altri), è uno studio d'espressione, del controllo timbrico, ricco di melodie cantate, di legato e di note tenute nella mano sinistra. Comprende comunque dei passaggi non semplici per via dell'estensione richiesta nella mano sinistra, una certa varietà ritmica negli accenti (inclusi alcuni efficaci passaggi ad hemiola) ed un crescendo (e stringendo) che si stabilizza in un robusto ff (largamente, appassionato assai) con lo scavalcamento della mano sinistra che canta nel registro medio-alto, sviluppando una bella e piena sonorità. Dopo quest'episodio, lo studio si attenua sino a spegnersi nella dolce sonorità dell'inizio.

N. 4 Mazeppa, in re minore
Ispirato alla ballata Mazeppa di Victor Hugo, è uno dei brani più popolari e riusciti di Liszt, da cui il compositore ungherese trarrà successivamente l'omonimo poema sinfonico per orchestra. Difficile, di importante impegno virtuosistico, strutturalmente abbastanza semplice in quanto incentrato sul tema iniziale in re minore (che segue una volante introduzione-cadenza di veloci scale all'ottava), sviluppa questo tema in svariati modi. Lallegro iniziale è sottolineato da un sempre fortissimo e con strepito che ne connota subito l'impronta furente e incalzante. Il tema principale, che richiama sempre una cavalcata del condottiero Mazeppa legato al dorso del cavallo, viene prima introdotto da pesanti accordi, riempiti tra uno e l'altro da veloci terze suddivise tra le due mani, e poi viene successivamente riproposto sempre più veloce e serrato, sempre ff, mentre il collegamento tra le diverse riproposizioni è affidato a vertiginose sequenze di doppie ottave. Nella parte centrale, il tema viene proposto in si bemolle maggiore, lirico e appassionato, affidato agli stretti arpeggiati della mano sinistra, mentre la destra ricama veloci figurazioni di arpeggi con terze. Successivamente il canto passa alle ottave tenute della mano destra, accompagnate da disegni d'accordi dal basso cromatico. Una sequenza di potenti doppie ottave riporta il brano al carattere iniziale, con il tema in re minore (animato, in 6/8) più incalzante, e successivamente (allegro deciso, 2/4) ancora più veloce, caratterizzato da veloci salti di doppie ottave in battere e secche acciaccature di terze in levare. Una serie di veloci arpeggi d'ottava della mano destra introduce la parte finale, molto drammatica: la caduta dell'eroe, un quasi-recitativo lento e sospeso e infine un grandioso e trionfante finale in re maggiore, con acuti squilli di tromba e grandiosi e festosi accordi in ff.
Liszt stesso, infatti, al termine della composizione cita il verso di Victor Hugo  "Il tombe enfin!... et se relève roi!" ("cade infine, e si rialza re").

 N. 5 Feux follets (fuochi fatui), in Si bemolle maggiore
È un luminoso esempio di come un difficilissimo studio di importante valenza didattica, che mette a dura prova lo studio di tecniche precise (trillati di terze, quarte, quinte e seste innanzitutto), sia contemporaneamente un riuscitissimo brano da concerto, assai popolare per la sua resa estetica ancor prima che per la sua spettacolarità virtuosistica. I fuochi fatui del titolo sono rievocati dagli arpeggi e scalette leggeri e veloci, guizzanti e scintillanti, e dall'atmosfera scherzosa e magica che caratterizza il pezzo. All'inizio è subito introdotto uno dei disegni principali del brano, la legata e leggera veloce sequenza di seconde maggiori e minori, dal sapore cromatico, che si troverà poi per tutto il pezzo, in entrambe le mani. Dopo i guizzi dei primi fuochi fatui, quasi esitanti, alquanto incerti armonicamente (leggerissimi arpeggi di triadi lontane tonalmente tra loro), il tema principale del brano, sempre assai cromatico, viene fuori dalla nota superiore di lunghi trillati legati di terze, quarte, quinte, seste, che costituiscono l'elemento più significativo dello studio e che si trovano in infinite combinazioni, in entrambe le mani. Una sezione in la maggiore porta il brano su sonorità più staccate, sempre leggere ma con punte robuste (ff). Dopo il ritorno all'atmosfera iniziale, i magici fuochi fatui si dissolvono nel finale con una serie di leggeri e "sospesi" arpeggi con la quinta eccendente (soluzione molto simile alla fine dello studio Gnomenreigen S.145, che ne condivide l'atmosfera magica e beffarda). Di questo brano, che è un classico della letteratura pianistica, è possibile ascoltare interpretazioni che spingono molto sulla velocità e l'effetto di scintillio timbrico che ne deriva (per esempio, celebri esecuzioni di Sviatoslav Richter e di Georges Cziffra) oppure esecuzioni leggermente meno veloci ma non per questo meno vivaci, e nelle quali è possibile distinguere nitidamente la tessitura delle note (per esempio, quelle del grande interprete lisztiano Claudio Arrau, che studiò il pezzo da bambino con il suo maestro Martin Krause, uno degli allievi dello stesso Liszt).

 N. 6 Vision (visione), in sol minore
È uno studio di fortissima impronta tecnico-didattica, che non urta comunque con il suo valore artistico ed estetico e con la sua visione, inizialmente funebre e greve ma successivamente via via più luminosa. Basato su un tema che nello sviluppo del discorso viene ripresentato più volte in armonizzazioni e figurazioni pianistiche differenti, è un brano che testimonia la volontà di Liszt di cercare nuove possibilità espressive nel pianoforte. Dopo un inizio pesante e lugubre, con cupi e lenti bicordi quasi campane, basato su un marcato tema della mano destra nel registro grave, decorato da veloci e larghi arpeggi della mano sinistra, anche la mano destra partecipa alla complessa figurazione di rapidissimi e leggeri arpeggi, con la melodia che emerge dalle note marcate. Un lento crescendo che sfocia in una tempestosa sequenza cromatica di doppie ottave introduce la tonalità di sol maggiore, in cui il tema del brano diventa più trionfante e luminoso, basato sempre su velocissimi e profondi arpeggi questa volta molto forti (fff) e completato sino alla fine dall'altra caratteristica tecnico-pianistica dello studio, cioè i vigorosi e lunghi tremoli della mano sinistra, che con il pedale abbassato creano una consistente massa sonora sopra la quale staccano i veloci arpeggi, sino al magniloquente finale.

 N. 7 Eroica, in Mi bemolle maggiore
Un'introduzione dal gusto quasi da ouverture orchestrale (che presenta forti analogie con una delle prime composizioni del giovanissimo Liszt, variazioni su una melodia di Spontini e Rossini) conduce al tema del brano, in tempo di marcia, in mi bemolle maggiore, che viene riproposto numerose volte durante il brano, costantemente decorato da veloci volate della mano destra dall'alto verso il basso, che costituiscono l'elemento tecnico principale dello studio, assieme ai frequenti passaggi in doppie ottave, che uniscono le varie riproposizioni del tema e che, nella parte finale contribuiscono, con sonorità enfatiche, a creare l'effetto di "eroicità", di epico e magniloquente respiro evocato dal titolo.

 N. 8 Wilde Jagd (Caccia selvaggia), in Do minore
Il titolo, in tedesco (contrariamente agli altri, in francese e in italiano) e il carattere stesso del brano derivano dalla leggenda d'area tedesca della caccia selvaggia, che rappresenta un'apparizione di esseri sovrannaturali che attraversano il cielo impegnati in una furiosa e terribile battuta di caccia.
Infatti i rumori della caccia, gli schiocchi di frusta, i corni e le urla sono rappresentati in questo celebre studio, assai impegnativo ritmicamente e che richiede grande controllo tecnico e soprattutto energia e scioltezza dei polsi a causa dei suoi accordi pieni, potenti e velocemente ribattuti, che devono essere il più chiari e nitidi possibile e con timbrica molto brillante. L'indicazione iniziale presto furioso inquadra subito la violenza sonora del brano, che pervade tutta la prima parte, sino al secondo tema, in tonalità maggiore, sincopato e staccato, seguito da un altro tema (a capriccio quasi improvvisato) costituito da un lirico e appassionato canto di note tenute della mano destra, accompagnato da fluenti cascate di terzine e che successivamente cresce d'intensità (fff). In seguito c'è l'incalzante riproposizione in sequenza di tutti i temi, variamente arricchiti da figurazioni molto sincopate e caratterizzate da forti e veloci accordi ribattuti, ampi salti e sferzanti arpeggi, sino al robusto finale.

N. 9 Ricordanza, in La bemolle maggiore
Studio lungo (rispetto alla media degli altri), è una romanza sognante ed evocativa, dove la ricordanza del titolo (il ricordo, la rimembranza) traspare dal sapore nostalgico e dolcissimo dei temi e dalle sonorità evanescenti. La caratteristica principale di questo studio, dal tempo lento, spesso rubato ma timbricamente assai difficile, è l'abbondanza dell'ornamentazione: l'intero brano è una serie di variazioni ornate del tema, ricche quindi di velocissime e leggere volatine di tutti i tipi possibili (volatine cromatiche, evanescenti arpeggi, volatine a due mani etc.), di realizzazione assai difficile specie in relazione alla sonorità raffinate e soffuse del brano e problematiche per mani non agili nella rapida microarticolazione.

N. 10 Allegro, agitato molto, in fa minore
Liszt non gli diede un titolo programmatico ma nel tempo è invalso l'uso di chiamarlo appassionata, certamente in virtù del suo ardente impeto e la sua appassionata drammaticità. Molto popolare (anche come brano da bis di gran classe), è certamente uno degli studi tecnicamente più difficili e musicalmente più riusciti nell'organizzazione delle idee musicali e nella riuscita estetica. Non enfatizza una tecnica pianistica in particolare ma ne comprende molte, essendo molto ricco. Introdotto da due battute in cui le mani alternano una cascata di stretti accordi, il tema principale è un chiaro omaggio allo studio op. 10 n. 9 di Chopin, della stessa tonalità di fa minore. La difficoltà principale dello studio consiste nell'instancabile attività della mano sinistra, ricca di veloci e complicati arpeggi che accompagnano il lirico tema della destra (spesso in ottave). Un ponte di arpeggi trillati della mano destra introduce un secondo tema, molto drammatico e impetuoso, affidato a forti accordi della mano sinistra, mentre la destra ricama brucianti arpeggi. Una furiosa (tempestoso) sequenza di accordi sincopati introduce nuovamente il tema principale, appassionato, via via crescente d'intensitià (disperato), seguito nuovamente dal ponte, dal secondo tema, da profondi accordi arpeggiato (precipitato) e dalla stretta finale, un vigoroso crescendo in ottave in controtempo su pesanti accordi di decima.

N. 11 Harmonies du soir (Armonie della sera), in re bemolle maggiore
Studio tra i più conosciuti, inizialmente molto lento e contemplativo e poi via via più mosso, dalle sonorità dolcissime e avvolgenti ma non per questo di facile esecuzione. Il titolo è ispirato alla poetica dello scrittore e poeta francese Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), più volte spunto creativo per Liszt. Esiste comunque anche una poesia di Charles Baudelaire dal titolo identico e appartenente alla raccolta I fiori del male, pubblicata sei anni dopo lo studio di Liszt. Le difficoltà tecniche, non indifferenti, consistono nei lunghi arpeggiati, nella ricerca timbrica, in salti d'ottava e ampi accordi ribattuti. Il brano inizia con un'atmosfera pacata, crepuscolare, con campane lontane su un tappeto di accordi arpeggiati e armonie dai ricercatissimi colori. Questa introduzione sfocia in una sezione più sonora di ampi accordi strettamente arpeggiati (un poco animato), che ripropone il tema, subito dopo ribadito in un'altra sezione dalla sonorità impalpabile (ppp, poco più mosso) con accompagnamento di arpeggi di quinte sovrapposte, e che cresce di sonorità sino al ff. Rilevante è l'intimo adagio centrale in mi maggiore, in cui un dolce canto è accompagnato da arpeggi quasi arpa divisi tra le due mani, e che più avanti sfocia in una trionfante (come annotato da Liszt) ripetuta riesposizione del tema, più animato, con accordi molto ampi e sonori (ff sino al fff), sino a diminuire d'intensità nel finale, che ritorna nella quieta e dolce atmosfera crepuscolare dell'inizio, con morbidi accordi arpeggiati e raffinate timbriche.

N. 12 Chasse-neige (scaccianeve), in si bemolle minore
Il titolo significa letteralmente scaccia-neve e si riferisce al fenomeno dello scaccianeve, ossia dei turbini di neve sollevata dal suolo da un vento molto forte e tempestoso; è un fenomeno tipico dell'alta montagna e Liszt lo conobbe certamente nelle Alpi Svizzere. Il titolo si addice come pochi altri alla rappresentazione poetica in musica realizzata da Liszt in questo studio, che Busoni giudicava il più perfetto esempio di connubio tra l'immagine evocata dalla parola e la musica stessa. Nonostante apparentemente possa essere sottovalutato dai non-pianisti, se rapportato a studi in cui il virtuosismo è più sfacciatamente evidente ed è accoppiato a impeto e violenza sonora, dal punto di vista pianistico Chasse-neige è uno studio di difficoltà tecnica elevatissima e che fa realmente onore al termine trascendentale; infatti, la perfetta resa della sua caratteristica più evidente, cioè il tremolo (in entrambe le mani) che caratterizza il brano dall'inizio alla fine, e inoltre dei continui salti e delle vertiginose doppie scale cromatiche si può raggiungere solo con una tecnica superiore, trascendentale. Il brano presenta un mesto canto in evidenza, dall'inizio alla fine, ottenuto da note (spesso ottave) marcate dalla mano destra, spesso con continui salti, mentre le altre dita di entrambe le mani creano, con infinite variazioni nell'utilizzo della tecnica del tremolo (note singole, bicordi, accordi di tre note etc.), un sottofondo sonoro continuo, nel quale le note si fondono, che rappresenta il sibilare del vento e della neve sotto un opprimente cielo. Alcune vertiginose e lunghe scale cromatiche, verso la fine, rappresentano folate improvvise di forte vento.

Interpreti celebri
Gli studi trascendentali sono stati suonati e incisi da un numero elevatissimo di pianisti, da Busoni in poi, essendo una delle più apprezzate creazioni artistiche di Liszt e rivestendo grandissima importanza nella didattica pianistica avanzata. È celebre l'incisione di Claudio Arrau del 1976, in cui l'anziano (settantaquattro anni) pianista, specialista lisztiano (aveva studiato da bambino gli studi trascendentali con Martin Krause, allievo di Liszt stesso), offre una versione più misurata rispetto alle incisioni della gioventù. Di assoluto rilievo tecnico e artistico sono anche le incisioni di altri specialisti lisztiani quali Lazar Berman, di Jorge Bolet, Georges Cziffra e quelle più recenti di Vladimir Ovchinikov, Boris Berezovsky, Evgeny Kissin, Kemal Gekic, Daniil Trifonov (2015). Sviatoslav Richter non li incise tutti sistematicamente ma rimangono storiche alcune sue straordinarie esecuzioni, per esempio Feux Follets e  Harmonies du soir nel recital di Sofia del 1958. Leslie Howard ha inciso con validi risultati tutte e tre le versioni degli studi trascendentali, nella sua monumentale opera omnia dell'opera pianistica di Liszt per l'etichetta Hyperion.

Spartito

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Composizioni di Franz Liszt
Musica per pianoforte solo


Try Herbal Medicines Before Trying Those Tablets That Have Huge Side Effects!
Are feeling sick? Or is a loved one sick? Don't rush to the doctors, yet! Here are 3 reasons why you should opt for herbal medicine.Deciding on whether you should take western medicines or herbal medicines can be quite the task. Read to find out some reasons as to why it is better than the western tablets. However, do keep in mind that this is only a personal opinion!
The obvious problem with the western medicine is that there are many side effects. Herbal medicines on the other hand is extremely beneficial for the body. Western medicine of various kind has affected different individuals in adverse manners. The side effects range from normal diarrhoea to coughs, colds and even cause phlegm for the patient. Herbal medicines on the other hand has not been proven to cause any kind of side effects. It is extremely beneficial to the body and overall health of the patient.
Herbal medicines are like the tortoise and rabbit. It takes a long time to cure but cures the illness completely in most cases. The improvements are also very minimal. Most people think that the herbal medicines don't have any impact. But the truth is that if taken properly as instructed the herbs will be able to completely cure you of the illness and better yet without any side effects. You don't have to rush to any hospital that actually markets its medicine and has a vending machine to entertain its patients. Visit a herbal guru who will be able to help you get rid of the illness complete at no side effects at all! Check this site offer a high quality of vending machine that will perfect for you.
The herbs are undoubtedly good for the body. They have many herbal properties that can actually do so much good to your body. Unlike western tablets that take years to completely digest, the herbs are directly absorbed by the body cells. And within a few months you can actually see a difference. It is very important that you know that one of the biggest problems with herbal medical practitioners is that there are some who aren't actually qualified to do the job. Which is why since recent times most governments have also required herbal medical practitioners to obtain a license as well. Lets hope that herbal medicines are not commercialized and pop up with vending and other money earning techniques.
In conclusion, it can be concluded that herbal medicines are actually more beneficial and although it takes time to work, it is good for the body. However, there are instances when the western medicines will be more effective especially in instances where immediate medical attention is required.


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Multiplier event in Brussels
Home Events Multiplier event in Brussels
From the 18th to the 20th of June the JAMMIN project was in Brussels to disseminate Human Rights Education, the performance and videos made in the training.
The JAMMIN project is the daughter of the "Culture in a T-IN" youth exchange that took place in Molenbeek, Brussels 4 years ago. Short time after the terrorist attacks in Brussels Metro and during the peak of the Humanitarian crisis in Syria, 25 youngsters and youth workers gathered and performed theatre for inclusion in this deprived neighbourhood. The very special place that hosted our performances in 2017 had been the Church of Beguinage, a Catholic church in Brussels 1000 that is open and sensitive to all issues connected to Human Rights and Human Dignity. The big surprise was coming to know that the space that had hosted our youth empowerment attempt through Arts in 2017, was not empty in 2021. Since January 2021, a movement of non-regular migrants living in Belgium (*Sans-papiers) had started an occupation in order to claim for Citizenship Rights. The 23rd of May (during JAMMIN TC) they started a Hunger Strike inside the church. Two of the Belgium participants in the TC – Art Residency had made a video collecting testimonies during the first months of the occupation, and at the end of the shows in Galicia a small scene was included talking about this church and people's struggle. Besides all difficulties, we had no doubt that a Multiplier Event should happen in Brussels and that performing inside the Beguinage was a must for this project. At the end, we not only agreed to bring our Human Rights Art to the church of Beguinage but to the 2 University campuses where the same claim for citizenship rights and hunger strike was also taking place, the French and Flemish speaking universities ULB and VUB.
Photo by Luka Van Royen
The presentations happened on the 19th of June. In the beginning, most of the seats were empty, and the 250 people locked in the church were remaining at their beds, tired after almost a month of hunger strike. At the end, the auditorium was full and still many people watched, got emotional and clapped from their mattresses. There was no debriefing planned, but open mingling and interaction among JAMMIN participants and the many men and women fighting for citizenship rights. There were conversations, Moroccan tea, music with guitars and oud into the church and a very positive feeling: participants felt the usefulness of their job, the Sans-papiers felt solidarity and enjoyed the benefits of Arts as the play was speaking to them, about them and connected to their social and inner struggles.
This same afternoon, the presentation in the ULB university was also moving. A smaller group is locked at the ULB cafeteria and they rarely receive as much attention as those locked in the Beguinage. Maybe that was a key factor to have had a much more cosy and friendly environment during the play. There were kids, families… and a lot of sense of humour. The action result was less political and much more human here. We all felt at home. The gratitude among the audience was enormous and the participants we all felt a bit overwhelmed enjoying so much tenderness in such a not-easy situation.
The 20th of June, we took part in the commemoration of World Refugee Day in Ghent. Together with local NGOs and Ghent´s municipality there were several events in town. A main meeting point was the Bar Bricolage where people gathered in an inclusive environment and celebration lasted until late. We had agreed to perform at 13h. After a long trip to reach Ghent, we performed at midday and then mingled with the local crew. Some Syrian community in Ghent joined the group and made the moment special. There was joy and music and celebration. Since new people were coming to the spot, someone asked the participants to perform the play again, and they did it. Around 17h we performed for the last time in Belgium. It might have been the most special performance, since it came out of appreciation and joy, out of free will.
In the evening some people remained longer in Ghent and accepted the invitation by a Syrian family to meet their place, some others moved back to Brussels and got ready for the trip on the next day.
Photos by Luka Van Royen
When: 18-20 of June Where: Brussels and Ghent
* Who are the Sans-papiers?
Sans-papiers is a movement born to claim documents for migrants living in Belgium: there are people that have spent more than 15 years in Brussels, who are even born there, and they are still in an irregular situation.
Not having the documents (les papiers) means not having health care reimbursement, a safety net when losing a job and the access to protection for gender-based violence.
You can support them by signing this petition
L'union des sans papiers pour la Regularisation
Coordination des sans-papiers de Belgique
La Voix Des Sans Papiers Bruxelles


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Stumbling upon and then reading this article by Harriet Bienfield was a major turning point for me. I realized that I was going to "defy" my doctors by refusing to do the radiation that they told me I absolutely must do, either before or after the chemo that they also told me I had to do. I forget now whether it was supposed to be done before or after the chemo. Doesn't matter, because I ended up opting to do neither.
More importantly, I realized that I had to begin questioning every treatment recommendation. I realized I had to take responsibility for making my own treatment decisions — for learning about my options, and for charting my own course of how I wanted to heal myself (whatever that may have meant, in the ultimate sense).
It's a long, two-part article. I urge you to read it all the way to the end. It is brilliant and brave, flying in the face of the myth that radiation increases a woman's chances of survival. Note that I do not say recurrence. I say SURVIVAL.


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Unplanned - Latest News
'Unplanned' actress establishes scholarship for pregnant women
Aug 18, 2019 - 04:55 pm .- Ashley Bratcher, lead-actress in the pro-life movie "Unplanned," has helped establish a scholarship for women pursing an education during an unexpected pregnancy.
Pro-Life leaders tell White House summit of online censorship
Jul 12, 2019 - 05:00 pm .- Pro-life leaders were invited to a White House social media summit Thursday, amid claims of online censorship by search engines and social media sites.
Abortion reversal hotline sees 'Unplanned' spike in calls
Apr 9, 2019 - 09:45 am .- The release and success of the pro-life film "Unplanned" is being credited with an uptick in women seeking information on reversing chemical abortions.
How this priest came to celebrate Mass on the set of 'Unplanned'
Apr 4, 2019 - 12:28 am .- When a film crew arrived in the small college town of Stillwater, Oklahoma last spring, few residents realized exactly what kind of movie the crew was making.
Georgia passes heartbeat abortion bill despite celebrity criticism
Apr 1, 2019 - 02:30 pm .- The Georgia state legislature has passed a controversial fetal heartbeat bill Saturday, despite protests from actors and business executives.
'Unplanned' gets unexpected R rating
Feb 22, 2019 - 05:11 pm .- The movie "Unplanned," which tells the true story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson's conversion into a pro-life activist, has been given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America, a decision the directors fear could have been motivated by the pro-life message of the film.