mistakes | Micheline's Blog

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Adrian Willaert, Albrecht Dürer, Franco-Flemish school, Hare, Heinrich Isaac, mistakes, Netherlands, Renaissance

Hare by Albrecht Dürer, 1528

Little Mistakes

Once my post on Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published, on 29 November 2013, I realized there were mistakes: typos and repetitions. So I played editor and now fear that WordPress will fire me. They should!

Typos and repetitions are the bane of people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome /Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. We repeat sentences, misspell words and get lost in mid-sentence. Fortunately, we are perfectly lucid. CFS/ME is a neurological illness for which there is no known cure.

CFS/ME may be triggered by the H1N1 virus (1976 epidemic), which is my case. It is a debilitating condition, but it can be managed. One must organize one’s daily activities. Never go beyond your limits and ignore the people who think you are an imaginary invalid and tell you to go to a gym every day. If you do, you may not have sufficient energy to lead a ‘normal’ life, i.e. to earn a living. Exercise in moderation.

About Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

In my post, I stated that Harriet Beecher Stowe (14 June 1811 – 1 July 1896) was not an abolitionist, which seemed strange. Sources differ. According to Wikipedia, Stowe was an abolitionist, but not according to the Oxford Companion to American Literature.

I doubt that anyone made a mistake. Beecher’s views may have changed. For instance, she travelled to Kentucky to escape a cholera epidemic and was taken to a slave auction, which was a wake-up call. Moreover, at some point in her life, she and her father, Lyman Beecher, an austere and controversial figure, parted ways. Finally, she married Calvin Ellis Stowe (6 April 1802 – 22 August 1886), an active abolitionist and a member of the Underground Railroad.

My next post is almost ready, so this is an ‘in-between’ post.

The Netherlandish & Northern Renaissance

The hare featured above is Albrecht Dürer‘s (21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528). It must be one of Dürer’s last paintings. It is a watercolour painting, but the white specks on the hare’s fur are little touches of gouache. Gouache was also applied to the hare’s nose.

Dürer did not let his colours run. He painted on dry paper (cotton), which has remained an acceptable practice. He was a superb draftsman who often used ink and personalized his art using a logo (shown above).

Albrecht lived during the Northern Renaissance. But, at that moment in history, the Netherlands was the cultural hub of Europe, especially in the area of music. The Franco-Flemish style dominated Western music. Adrian Willaert (ca 1490 – 7 December 1562) was asked to go to Venice, where he founded the Venetian School. At that time, musicians were perfecting polyphony, combining voices.

Heinrich Isaac: Netherlandish Renaissance

The music is Heinrich Isaac‘s (c. 1450 – 26 March 1517) Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen, Innsbruck, I must leave you. Isaac is associated with the Netherlandish Renaissance. Innsbruck, ich must dich lassen is one of the most famous compositions in Western music. It was made into a Lutheran chorale entitled O Welt, ich muss dich lassen (O World, I must leave you). It was also used by Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March 1685 – 28 July 1750) in In allen meinen Taten, a Church cantata, BMW 97.