Top Comments: Renaissance Music Edition

When I was a kid, my parents had classical music playing from the family stereo. So we heard all the usual composers: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin: plenty of music from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, plus some 20th century works.

I liked the earlier music: for me, it was the harmony. Bach was fun, especially when he tossed in a fugue or complicated counterpoint. The later Romantics and 20th century music, not so much: the harmonies were getting a bit weird for my ear. Heck, I liked the Beatles, too: I preferred singing the harmony line rather than the melody line, and sometimes added my own harmony line.

What I didn't know then, and didn't discover until college, is that there was a heck of a lot of music written before 1685, the year that Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti was born. (That's Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti; I didn't know about earlier or later Bachs, or Domenico's arguably more famous father, Alessandro.) And that music is even better, though most people don't even know it exists.

Strictly speaking, the bulk of Renaissance music is polyphonic. That is, each line is independent, though it may share material, and be imitative in certain ways. Much of the time you won't be singing your words at the same time as the other voice parts. Sightreading a motet or madrigal for the first time is a joyous trip of discovery, as you hear your own part joining with these others to make beautiful harmonies indeed, and this includes those moments of dissonance that resolve into consonance that sounds the sweeter for the preceding clash of notes. Singing a dissonant minor second can itself be exciting, as the two notes beat against each other, seeming to try to fly apart. I used to be afraid of minor seconds; it felt wrong somehow to have the interval fighting back against the singers, and I had trouble holding my ground. Now I've come to love the tension, even sustained, because the release into more harmonious intervals is even more rewarding.

Also, much of it is vocal music. Again, my favorite. The reason tonight's essay is so short is that I was at a concert of Renaissance sacred vocal music today, and got home later than I expected, the beauty of the music still resonating in my head.

There are many outstanding Renaissance composers; I hesitate to name any because it's too easy to omit excellent ones. So I'll restrict myself to one: Josquin des Pres (aka Josquin Desprez), called by some "Josquin Incomparabilis", about whom Martin Luther said

He is the master of the notes. They must do as he wills; as for the other composers, they have to do as the notes will.

Josquin was one of the composers featured on tonight's concert. I'm a happy man.

~~~~~

I'm also happy that of the twenty-five thousand comments written since last night, a number of them have been nominated for your consideration, having been emailed to the TopComments mailbox. If you saw any great comments that are not mentioned here, please do link to them in your own comments below. The address of that mailbox:

TopComments AT gmail DOT com
(change " AT " to "@" and " DOT " to ".")

Anyone can submit deserving comments to our address—the direct link to a comment is available from that comment's date/time—as long as they arrive by 9:30pm Eastern Time. Please always include your Daily Kos user name in the body of your message, so we can credit you properly. Both link and username are important; I regret to say that one or the other was forgotten in a couple of today's submissions, requiring a certain amount of detective work on the part of your diarist. I believe the mysteries were solved correctly...

A couple of submitters just missed last night's deadline, but since these were for comments written in the mid-evening, it's still appropriate to run them.

First, from Remembering Jello:

Great comment from StuartZ (from gchaucer2's diary I'm Confused. Please Help Me Out.)

Second, lineatus submitted the following:

I was out much of the day and didn't see Horsefeathers' excellent
comment on telecom immunity 'til just now... (from dday's diary Telecom immunity is Bush immunity - the proof.

The rest of the submissions were received today:

SpamNunn sent in this nomination:

In noweasels's diary Humiliating Children: There is Nothing Worse, apostrophe wrote this profound comment.

From ZAPatty:

A good one from G2geek last night—it was a response to a comment I made (otherwise I wouldn't have seen it). Too funny! [Editor's note: you might want to start with ZAPatty's comment to get the context; it's even funnier that way. By the way, anyone notice ZAPatty's was comment 82, and G2geek's was comment 164? Double trouble?]

The next nominated comment was submitted by three people in very short order: a first-ever Top Comments nomination by Drewid; arielle, who cracked up over the checklist; and a new day/new submission from lineatus, whose email actually arrived first, and whose wording is used below:

There is some irony that Scoopster clearly put more work into this comment than the diarist bothered putting into their diary.

jnhobbs sent the following:

I would like to nominate this bit of local perspective by earicicle on how Howard Dean might have developed his 50 State Strategy in kos's diary The Dean legacy.

From noweasels:

This exquisite comment from wishingwell brought tears to my eyes.

A nomination from lamzdotes:

In response to Rorgg's observation that Nader doesn't have a full platform, side pocket clarified one of Rorgg's terms.

lineatus sends in another comment:

I have to nominate this one just because citizenx gave us a shiny new toy today and it's really fun.

From Land of Enchantment:

I highly recommend the video embedded in this comment.  (Be warned that it is a wickedly partisan take on the primary.)  Pretty good mashup.  Hell, I think it's brilliant.  If it goes viral, it will be effective.  Thanks for putting up the link, jamesia.

A few from sardonyx, your diarist du jour:

Miz V submits a comment on the definition of naturally raised beef to the USDA in jillian's diary Veggies of Mass Destruction - URGENT ACTION issue. You can still submit a letter opposing the USDA's proposal up through tomorrow (Monday).

Lisa Lockwood, as one of those suing the telecoms, takes on Congress.

This may have been around, but if so DrMicro's comment is the first time I've seen it; it made me smile. From Dallasdoc's important diary (how do you like this new diary-writing gig, Dallasdoc?) Howard Dean Is Opening the Attack on John McCain: Help Him!

No Top Comments diary would be complete without that day's top comments by number, aka top mojo—those comments which have received the highest number of recommendations from Daily Kos users like you. Today's is supplied by sardonyx, using his revision of cskendrick's mojo-to-Excel magic.

First, Top Mojo excluding search-identifiable tip jars and first diary comments:

  1) If I knew I would by dabtl — 291
  2) I suspect she knew precisely what she was doing. by jeff in nyc — 184
  3) Choice isn't free if a child has to set by lotlizard — 144
  4) I'm sorry by Sam Wise Gingy — 133
  5) That was pathetic by Hillary----how any Democrat by dotster — 126
  6) Yes, but it is life. He wanted donations for by nannyboz — 124
  7) Bob Graham by Hope08 — 115
  8) Similar conversation with a vet in Starbucks by mamabigdog — 105
  9) I'm not a "precinct captain" by CoolOnion — 102
10) size of audience for Moulitsas Frank Church talk by theworksanddays — 96
11) Another video about HRC and Iraq: by jamesia — 96
12) I just saw Obama on CNN and in his by speck tater — 91
13) This is the same crap by scimitar — 82
14) SALUTE thank you as a disabled veteran who by testvet6778 — 81
15) Vote for Obama by peace voter — 80
16) Texas Chainsaw massacre 08 by FishOutofWater — 77
17) Plus as usual she turned the question by RobertInWisconsin — 75
18) Without question... by Jaime Frontero — 74
19) I had a very good friend who by Seattlite — 72
20) Amen. by Coolwateroverstones — 72
21) Wow... by mayan — 72
22) She told her supporters to get there by Hope08 — 71
23) Best wishes by GregMitch — 70
24) I hope I live long enough by gchaucer2 — 70
25) Muslims don't drink alcohol by RationalThoughtProcess — 69
26) Some dude on CNN by bumblebums — 68
27) Rabbi Hillel....Best...Line...Ever!!! by serrano — 67
28) Thank you jenontheshore! by Elise — 66
29) Dont' Mess with Obama's Texans! by Junglered1 — 64
30) Mr. Anania by NCDem Amy — 64

Top Mojo with No Exclusions:

  1) My first tip-jar by exsimo2 — 1067
  2) Humiliating hungry children is wrong. by noweasels — 459
  3) Tips for a peaceful renaissance of a revolution? by One Pissed Off Liberal — 329
  4) pickle jar by huntsu — 319
  5) Tips/Recs by Hope08 — 296
  6) If I knew I would by dabtl — 291
  7) Tips by turneresq — 253
  8) tikkun olam: repair and heal this world by kid oakland — 249
  9) I suspect she knew precisely what she was doing. by jeff in nyc — 184
10) Tip Jar by Galois — 182
11) Choice isn't free if a child has to set by lotlizard — 144
12) I'm sorry by Sam Wise Gingy — 133
13) Judgment is important, so are values. by Elise — 130
14) Tips fro bringing down John McCain by Dallasdoc — 128
15) That was pathetic by Hillary----how any Democrat by dotster — 126
16) Yes, but it is life. He wanted donations for by nannyboz — 124
17) Bob Graham by Hope08 — 115
18) Similar conversation with a vet in Starbucks by mamabigdog — 105
19) I'm not a "precinct captain" by CoolOnion — 102
20) Wow...very detailed report back. Great Job! by Los Diablo — 96
21) size of audience for Moulitsas Frank Church talk by theworksanddays — 96
22) Another video about HRC and Iraq: by jamesia — 96
23) watching the margins by maineiac — 95
24) I just saw Obama on CNN and in his by speck tater — 91
25) No tips for me, please. by noweasels — 90
26) Tip Jar - 2 March by Jerome a Paris — 90
27) I see veterans including iraq war vets... by Taz Man — 88
28) To March 4th Together... by icebergslim — 83
29) delayed action tip jar for jer by jeroly — 82
30) The Final Days by Al Rodgers — 82
31) This is the same crap by scimitar — 82

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