AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
The Counter-Reformation, or Catholic Reformation, was the response of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation. The essence of the Counter-Reformation was a renewed conviction in traditional practices and the upholding of Catholic doctrine as the source of ecclesiastic and moral reform, and the answer to halting the spread of Protestantism. Thus it experienced the founding of new religious orders, such as the Jesuits, the establishment of seminaries for the proper training of priests, renewed worldwide missionary activity, and the development of new yet orthodox forms of spirituality, such as that of the Spanish mystics and the French school of spirituality. The entire process was spearheaded by the Council of Trent, which clarified and reasserted doctrine, issued dogmatic definitions, and produced the "Roman Catechism".
Though Ireland, Spain, France, and elsewhere featured significantly in the Counter-Reformation, its heart was Italy and the various popes of the time, who established the "Index Librorum Prohibitorum" (the list of prohibited books) and the Roman Inquisition, a system of juridical tribunals that prosecuted heresy and related offences. The Papacy of St. Pius V (1566-1572) was known not only for its focus on halting heresy and worldly abuses within the Church, but also for its focus on improving popular piety in a determined effort to stem the appeal of Protestantism. Pius began his pontificate by giving large alms to the poor, charity, and hospitals, and the pontiff was known for consoling the poor and sick, and supporting missionaries. The activities of these pontiffs coincided with a rediscovery of the ancient Christian catacombs in Rome. As Diarmaid MacCulloch stated, "Just as these ancient martyrs were revealed once more, Catholics were beginning to be martyred afresh, both in mission fields overseas and in the struggle to win back Protestant northern Europe: the catacombs proved to be an inspiration for many to action and to heroism."
The First Great Awakening was a wave of religious enthusiasm among Protestants in the American colonies "c". 1730-1740, emphasizing the traditional Reformed virtues of Godly preaching, rudimentary liturgy, and a deep sense of personal guilt and redemption by Christ Jesus. Historian Sydney E. Ahlstrom saw it as part of a "great international Protestant upheaval" that also created Pietism in Germany, the Evangelical Revival, and Methodism in England. It centered on reviving the spirituality of established congregations, and mostly affected Congregational, Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, German Reformed, Baptist, and Methodist churches, while also spreading within the slave population. The Second Great Awakening (1800–1830s), unlike the first, focused on the unchurched and sought to instill in them a deep sense of personal salvation as experienced in revival meetings. It also sparked the beginnings of Restorationist groups such as the Mormons and the Holiness movement. The Third Great Awakening began from 1857 and was most notable for taking the movement throughout the world, especially in English speaking countries. The final group to emerge from the "great awakenings" in North America was Pentecostalism, which had its roots in the Methodist, Wesleyan, and Holiness movements, and began in 1906 on Azusa Street, in Los Angeles. Pentecostalism would later lead to the Charismatic movement.
Restorationism refers to various unaffiliated movements that considered contemporary Christianity, in all its forms, to be a deviation from the true, original Christianity, which these groups then attempted to "Reconstruct", often using the Book of Acts as a "guidebook" or sorts. Restorationism developed out of the Second Great Awakening and is historically connected to the Protestant Reformation, but differs in that Restorationists do not usually describe themselves as "reforming" a Christian church continuously existing from the time of Jesus, but as "restoring" the Church that they believe was lost at some point. The name Restoration is also used to describe the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the Jehovah's Witness Movement.
Fascism describes certain related political regimes in 20th century Europe, especially Nazi Germany. When the Italian government closed Catholic youth organizations, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical "Non Abbiamo Bisogno", saying that Fascist governments had hidden "pagan intentions" and expressed the irreconcilability of the Catholic position and Fascism, which placed the nation above God and fundamental human rights and dignity. He later signed agreements with the new rulers of Italy and Germany.
Many Catholic priests and monastics were persecuted under the Nazi regime, such as the concentration camp victims Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein (Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross). Furthermore, many Catholic laypeople and clergy helped in sheltering Jews during the Holocaust, including Pope Pius XII. Various incidents, such as giving aid to downed Allied airmen, nearly caused Nazi Germany to invade the Vatican before the liberation of Rome in 1944.
The relationship between Nazism and Protestantism, especially the German Lutheran Church, is complex. Though the majority of Protestant church leaders in Germany made little comment on the Nazis' growing anti-Jewish activities, some, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a Lutheran pastor) were strongly opposed to the Nazis. Bonhoeffer was later found guilty in the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and executed.
Fundamentalist Christianity, is a movement that arose mainly within British and American Protestantism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in reaction to modernism and certain liberal Protestant groups that denied doctrines considered fundamental to Christianity yet still called themselves "Christian". Thus, fundamentalism sought to reestablish tenants that could not be denied without relinquishing a Christian identity, the "fundamentals": the Bible as God`s word, viewed as the sole source of authority, the virgin birth of Christ, the doctrine of atonement through Jesus, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the imminent return of Christ.
Ecumenism broadly refers to movements between Christian groups to establish a degree of unity through dialogue. ""Ecumenism"" is derived from Greek "" (oikoumene), which means "the inhabited world", but more figuratively something like "universal oneness". The movement can be distinguished into Catholic and Protestant movements, with the latter characterized by a redefined ecclesiology of "denominationalism" (which the Catholic Church, among others, rejects).
Concerning the Greek Orthodox Church, steady movement was made to reconcile the East-West Schism. On 30 November 1894, Pope Leo XIII publishes the Apostolic Letter "Orientalium Dignitas" (On the Churches of the East) safeguarding the importance and continuance of the Eastern traditions for the whole Church. On 7 December 1965, a Joint Catholic-Orthodox Declaration of His Holiness Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I was issued lifting the mutual excommunications of 1054.
Concerning Catholic relations with Protestant communities, certain commissions were established to foster dialogue and documents have been produced aimed at identifying points of doctrinal unity, such as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification produced with the Lutheran World Federation in 1999.
Ecumenical movements within Protestantism have focused on determining a list of doctrines and practices essential to being Christian and thus extending to all groups which fulfill these basic criteria a (more or less) equal status, with perhaps one's own group still retaining a "first among equal" standing. This process involved a redefinition of the idea of "the Church" from traditional theology. This ecclesiology, known as denominationalism, contends that each group (which fulfills the essential criteria of "being Christian") is a sub-group of a greater "Christian Church", itself a purely abstract concept with no direct representation, i.e. no group, or "denomination", claims to be "the Church". Obviously, this ecclesiology it at variance with other groups that indeed consider themselves to be "the Church". But moreover, because the "essential criteria" generally consist of belief in the holy Trinity, it has resulted in strife between these Protestant ecumenical movements and non-Trinitarian groups such as Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses, which are not often not regarded as Christian by these ecumenical groups.
The following links give an overview of the history of Christianity:
The following link provides quantitative data related to Christianity and other major religions, including rates of adherence at different points in time:
Timeline of Christianity
This timeline is to show the history of Christianity from the beginning to the present. Question marks on dates mean that dates are not exact.
Western culture and Christian churches use the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar has been in use since 1582 when it replaced the less precise Julian Calendar. The Gregorian calendar began in Europe, in the reign of Pope Gregory XIII. The Gregorian calendar is now used almost everywhere in the world (except for calculating the holy days of other religions).
The Gregorian calendar dates years from before or after the birth of Jesus. Years that are before the birth of Jesus have the initials BC (before Christ) and years that are after (traditionally) have the initials AD (anno Domini – "in the year of our Lord"). Nowadays these are often written BCE ("before the Common Era") and CE ("Common Era").
The "year one" is the first year in "anno Domini" (the Common Era). There is no year zero. When the Gregorian calendar was calculated, the scholars tried to work out exactly when the birth of Jesus happened. The exact date is not certain, but most agree that it was between 6 BC and 4 BC.
This list tells only about the things that happened in the part of the world where Jesus was born. This region is now called Israel and Palestine. In the time of Jesus, it was under the rule of the Romans.
Jesus began his ministry after his baptism by John and during the rule of Pilate, preaching: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (). While the historicity of the gospel accounts is questioned to some extent by most critical scholars and non-Christians, the traditional view states the following chronology for his ministry: Temptation, Sermon on the Mount, Appointment of the Twelve, Miracles, Temple Money Changers, Last Supper, Arrest, Trial, Passion, Crucifixion on Good Friday (, ), Nisan 14th (, , Gospel of Peter) or Nisan 15th (Synoptic Gospels), (7 Apr 30, 3 Apr 33, 30 Mar 36, possible Fri-14-Nisan dates – Meier), entombment by Pharisees Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus of the Sanhedrin, Resurrection by God on Easter Sunday, appearances to Paul of Tarsus (), Simon Peter (), Mary Magdalene (, ), and others, Great Commission, Ascension, Second Coming Prophecy to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy such as the Resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and establishment of the Kingdom of God and the Messianic Age. See also Chronology of Jesus.
Shortly after the Crucifixion of Jesus (Nisan 14 or 15), the Jerusalem church was founded as the first Christian church with about 120 Jews and Jewish proselytes (), followed by Pentecost, the Ananias and Sapphira incident, Pharisee Gamaliel's defense of the Apostles (), the stoning of Saint Stephen (see also Persecution of Christians) and the subsequent dispersal of the church () which led to the baptism of Simon Magus in Samaria (), and also an Ethiopian eunuch (). Paul's conversion to "Apostle to the Gentiles" is first recorded in (, cf. ). Peter baptized the Centurion Cornelius, who is traditionally considered the first Gentile convert to Christianity (). The Antioch church was founded. It was there that the term Christian was first used (). Saint James was executed by Agrippa I (ruled 39–44) during a Passover (Nisan 15) ().
Constantine called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 to unify Christology, also called the first great Christian council by Jerome, the first ecumenical, decreed the Original Nicene Creed, but rejected by Nontrinitarianism such as Arius, Theonas, Secundus, Eusebius of Nicomedia, and Theognis who were excommunicated, also addressed Easter controversy and passed 20 Canon laws.
List of coats of arms of the districts in Rhineland-Palatinate
Schism (religion)
The word schism ('sɪzəm or ), from the Greek σχίσμα, "skhísma" (from σχίζω, "skhízō", "to tear, to split"), means a division or a split, usually in an organization or a movement.
A schismatic is a person who creates schism in an organization or who is a member of a splinter group. "Schismatic" as an adjective means belonging to a schism or schisms, or to those ideas, policies, etc. that are thought to lead towards schism.
The words "schism" and "schismatic" have found perhaps their heaviest usage in the history of Christianity, to speak of splits within a church.
Within Christianity the word "schism" may refer to:
Though it is very important to note the difference between schism and heresy. Heresy is to reject or doubt the beliefs of the Church after having been baptised. Schism means that the opposing parties have a disagreement within the establishment. Both groups have to accept that they are in schism. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, an act of schism, apostasy or heresy brings the penalty of excommunication.
There are divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kharijite Islam in CE 632 regarding the rightful successor to the prophet Muhammad. In 661 and 680 there were divisions regarding the rightful claimant to the Caliphate.
In Buddhism, the first schism was set up by Devadatta, during Buddha's life. After Buddha's passing away, the early Buddhist schools developed various schisms. In the old texts, 18 or 20 early schools are mentioned. Later, there were the Mahayana and Vajrayana movements, which can be regarded as being schismatic in origin. There are now perhaps thousands of different Buddhist sects.
Throughout the Jewish history, Judaism survived many schisms. Today, major Jewish denominations are Orthodox Judaism and non-Orthodox: Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist.
Proselyte
Proselyte, from Greek "/proselytos", is used in the Septuagint for "stranger", i.e. a newcomer to Israel; a sojourner in the land, and in the New Testament (Strong's G4339) for a convert to Judaism from Paganism. It is a translation of the Hebrew word "/ger" (Strong's H1616).
There are two kinds of proselyte:
A righteous proselyte was a Gentile who had converted to Judaism, was bound to all the doctrines and precepts of the Jewish economy, and was considered a full member of the Jewish people.
A gate proselyte was a "resident alien" who lived in the Land of Israel and followed some of the customs.
The "religious proselytes" spoken of in Early Christian writings were righteous proselytes, as distinguished from gate proselytes.
The Twelve Apostles, (somebody sent forth/sent out) were men who, according to the Synoptic Gospels and Christian tradition, were chosen from among the disciples (students) of Jesus Christ for a mission. Judaism had an office known as apostle (שליח)".
The Gospel of Mark states that Jesus Christ initially sent out these twelve in pairs, to towns in Galilee.
According to the list occurring in each of the Synoptic Gospels (, , ), the Twelve chosen by Jesus near the beginning of his ministry, those whom "also He named Apostles", were
It should also be noted that while the "Twelve Apostles" refer to the twelve who followed Jesus during his lifetime (and later Matthias in place of Judas Iscariot), Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) can be considered as another apostle. Notably, he begins many of his epistles with "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus", or some variant. The original twelve were apostles sent out to the Jews, whereas Paul has the unique role of being the apostle to the gentiles after Christ's resurrection and ascent.
The identity of the other apostle of the twelve, traditionally called St. Jude, varies between the Synoptic Gospels and also between ancient manuscripts of each gospel:
The Gospel of John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, does not offer a formal list of apostles, but does refer to the "Twelve" in , , and . The following nine apostles are identified by name:
The individual that the Gospel of John names as Nathanael is traditionally identified as the same person that the Synoptic Gospels call Bartholomew, and most would agree that the "sons of Zebedee" is likely to be a reference to James and John, while "Judas (not Iscariot)" probably refers to Thaddaeus, also known as St. Jude. Noticeably missing from the Gospel of John are James, son of Alphaeus, Matthew, and Simon the Canaanite/Zealot.
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy means the group of Eastern Christian Churches that accept only the first three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus — and do not accept the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon. These Churches are also called Old Oriental Churches. Oriental Orthodox churches are different from the churches that call themselves Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the spiritual leader of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. This is because the Pope of Alexandria is also Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark the Apostle.
The spiritual leadership is not understood in the same sense as among the Eastern Orthodox Churches to the Church of Constantinople. It is in the spirit of respect and honour for the Apostolic Throne of Alexandria. It does not give any special rights to the Church of Alexandria.
The schism (division) between "Great Church Orthodox and Catholic" and the "Oriental Orthodox Churches" happened in the 5th century after the Council of Chalcedon.
A dogma is something that should not be disputed or doubted. Most often, this means the basic beliefs and doctrines of a religion. What a majority of followers of an ideology or any kind of organization believe in can also be a dogma.
In the context of religion, the term has a neutral meaning. Outside of religion for most people the term means something negative, because it accepts only a particular point of view. If someone disputes a religious dogma, they can be accused of heresy.
In Christianity, the Resurrection of Jesus is a basic dogma.
Dogma (disambiguation)
Dogma is belief accepted by a religion or ideology as the only correct one.
Dogma could also mean:
State religion
A state religion (also called an official religion, establish
is a religious group or creed officially accepted by the state.
The term "state church" is used in context with Christianity, and is sometimes used for a specific national branch of Christianity.
The following states recognize some form of Christianity as their state or official religion (by denomination):
Jurisdictions which recognize Roman Catholicism as their state or official religion:
Jurisdictions which recognize an Old Catholic church as their state religion:
Jurisdictions which recognize one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches as their state religion:
Jurisdictions which recognize a Reformed church as their state religion:
Countries which recognize Islam as their official religion:
Governments which recognize Buddhism as their official religion:
There are no Hindu countries presently, all Hindu majority countries are secular, with Hinduism not listed as the state religion. Nepal was the world's only kingdom state with Hindu monarch, but the Constitution of Nepal 2015 constitution clearly states it is a secular country. Nepal also declared cow as national animal with advanced animal protection rights such as cats and dogs, cow slaughter is also forbidden.
The concept of state religions was known as long ago as the empires of Egypt and Sumer, when every city state or people had its own god or gods.
Zoroastrianism was the state religion of the Sassanid dynasty which lasted from from 226 till651.
Many of the Greek city-states also had a 'god' or 'goddess' associated with that city.
When in Rome, the office of "Pontifex Maximus" was reserved for the emperor, failure to worship him as a god was sometimes punished by death, as the Roman government sought to link emperor worship with loyalty to the Empire. Many Christians and Jews were persecuted, because it was against their beliefs to worship the emperor.
Catholic Christianity, as opposed to Arianism and other heretical and schismatic groups, was declared to be the state religion of the Roman Empire on February 27, 380 by the decree "De Fide Catolica" of Emperor Theodosius I.
In China, the Han Dynasty (206 BC -- 220 AD) advocated Confucianism as the de facto state religion, establishing tests based on Confucian texts as an entrance requirement into government service.
These states do not profess any state religion. Countries which officially decline to establish any religion include:
In 1967, the Albanian government made atheism the "state religion". This designation remained in effect until 1991.
Finland's State Church was the Church of Sweden until 1809.
In France the Concordat of 1801 made the Roman Catholic, Calvinist and Lutheran churches state-sponsored religions, as well as Judaism.
In Hungary the constitutional laws of 1848 declared five established churches on equal status: the Roman Catholic, Calvinist, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox and Unitarian Church. In 1868 the law was ratified again after the Ausgleich. In 1895 Judaism was also recognized as the sixth established church. In 1948 every distinction between the different denominations were abolished.
The Church in Wales was split from the Church of England in 1920 by Welsh Church Act 1914; at the same time becoming disestablished.
In several colonies, the establishment ceased to exist in practice at the Revolution, about 1776; this is the date of legal abolition.
in 1789 the Georgia Constitution was amended as follows:
"Article IV. Section 10. No person within this state shall, upon any pretense, be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping God in any manner agreeable to his own conscience, nor be compelled to attend any place of worship contrary to his own faith and judgment; nor shall he ever be obliged to pay tithes, taxes, or any other rate, for the building or repairing any place of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right, or hath voluntarily engaged. To do. No one religious society shall ever be established in this state, in preference to another; nor shall any person be denied the enjoyment of any civil right merely on account of his religious principles."
From 1780 Massachusetts had a system which required every man to belong to a church, and permitted each church to tax its members, and did not require that it be a Congregational church. This was objected to, as in practice establishing the Congregational Church, and was abolished in 1833.
Until 1877 the New Hampshire Constitution required members of the State legislature to be of the Protestant religion.
The North Carolina Constitution of 1776 disestablished the Anglican church, but until 1835 the NC Constitution allowed only Protestants to hold public office. From 1835-1876 it allowed allowed only Christians (including Catholics) to hold public office. Article VI, Section 8 of the current NC Constitution forbids only atheists from holding public office. Such clauses were held by the United States Supreme Court to be unenforceable in the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, when the court ruled unanimously that such clauses constituted a religious test incompatible with First and Fourteenth Amendment protections.
Religious Tolerance for Catholics with an Established Church of England were policy in the former Spanish Colonies of East and West Florida while under British rule. East Florida was lost to Spain in 1781.
Religious tolerance for Catholics with an established Church of England were policy in the former Spanish Colonies of East and West Florida while under British rule. East Florida was returned to Spain in 1783.
The State of Deseret was a provisional state of the United States, proposed in 1849 by Mormon settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years.
Mass (disambiguation)
The term Mass is used for different concepts, in different fields of study:
In the plural form, the masses, can mean:
An adjective describing a large amount of something, as in:
Mass (music)
In music the word mass is used for a piece of music, to be sung by a choir. The Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches use this. There are two very broad kinds of masses: Those using the Ordinary are not linked to the Church calendar, they use the same pieces (and words) throughout the year. The Proper covers the parts of the mass that vary through the year. At the start, masses were sung in Latin or Greek. Examples of masses not in English include the Deutsche Messe by Franz Schubert or A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms.
The usual words that are set to music are known as the Ordinary. These are the words of the service which are the same every day. The Ordinary consists of five parts: Kyrie (Lord have mercy upon us….), Gloria (Glory be to thee….), Credo (I believe in God the Father….), Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy….) and Agnus Dei (O Lamb of God…).
The words of the mass that are not from the Ordinary are called the Proper. These are words that may change in the service from day to day. The Proper consists of the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Tract, Offertory and Communion. There are also some words which are special for particular feast days.
In the Renaissance period church composers set the words of the Ordinary mass to music. This music was normally polyphonic: the different sections of the choir (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) all had musical lines which shared the melody and were of equal importance. The words of the Proper were not composed to special music. They were sung to plainchant.
During the last two centuries many composers have written masses which were not meant to be sung in a church service: they are written as concert pieces. Some of them are quite long and fill a whole concert program. Some of the most famous masses are those by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Dvořák, Verdi, Bruckner, Fauré and Vaughan Williams.
Ecumenical council
An Ecumenical Council (also sometimes Oecumenical Council) or general council is a meeting of the bishops of the church of the whole world who have come together to discuss matters of Church doctrine and practice.
The word is from the Greek language "", which means "inhabited", and was originally an other name for the territory of the Roman Empire, because the earliest councils were all called in by Roman Emperors. In later times it was used in the sense of "world-wide" or "general."
The period of Christianity from the First Council of Nicaea (325) to the Second Council of Nicaea (787) is called the period of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saens (French: Camille Saint-Saëns) (born Paris 9 October 1835; died Algiers, 16 December 1921) was a French composer, pianist and organist. He was one of the greatest composers of his day. He composed lots of music of different kinds. Among his best works are his "Symphony no 3 (with organ) ", "Piano Concerto no 2", "Violin Concerto no 3", "Cello Concerto no 1", the opera "Samson and Delilah" and the "Danse Macabre". His most popular work, however, is the "Carnival of the Animals". Saint-Saens hated being thought of as “the composer of the "Carnival of the Animals"". He said he had only written it for a bit of fun and he did not want anyone to perform it. Today it still remains one of the most popular pieces for children.
Three months after Saint-Saens was born his father died. Saint-Saens was often ill with tuberculosis when he was very small and this carried on throughout his life. He was brought up by his mother and his aunt. this illness still didn't hold Saint-Saens back. at the age of two his aunt taught him the piano. When he was ten he played piano concertos by Beethoven and Mozart at a public concert, playing everything from memory. He was very good at school and was interested in lots of subjects including science and philosophy. In 1858 he published some duets for harmonium and piano and he used the money to buy a telescope.
He studied music at the Paris Conservatoire and was a brilliant student, although he did not win the Prix de Rome. He soon became known as a composer, pianist and organist and he made many friends, among them Gounod, Berlioz and Rossini. Liszt thought he was the greatest organist in the world. Like Liszt, Saint-Saëns was often very kind to other composers and helped them to become known by playing and conducting their music. He was the first person to conduct Liszt’s symphonic poems in France. He himself wrote symphonic poems such as "Le Rouet d’Omphale" (1871) and "Danse Macabre" (1874). The idea of music which describes a story was quite a new idea at that time. He also helped people to like Bach whose music had been forgotten for a long time.
In the 1860s his fame spread and he also did some teaching at the École Niedermeyer which educated young musicians for church music. His pupils included Faure, Messager and Gigout who all became lifelong friends. He also founded the Société Nationale de Musique which helped new music to be performed. Faure, Cesar Franck and Lalo were all members. The society gave first performances of works by Saint-Saens, Chabrier, Debussy, Dukas and Ravel and others.
Saint-Saens married a 19-year-old girl. The marriage was not a success. They had two sons who died within six weeks of one another: the baby from an illness and the two-year-old from falling out of a fourth floor window. Saint-Saens blamed his wife and they eventually divorced.
For many years Saint-Saens travelled all over the world as a famous musician. Eventually he became less popular in France, but in England and the United States he was still very much admired. He played for Queen Victoria and spent some time studying original manuscripts of Handel in the library of Buckingham Palace. He was awarded the title of Doctor by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and was made a Commander of the Victorian Order because he had composed a march for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. He died in Algiers in 1921. His funeral was in the cathedral there, and his body was then taken back to Paris where he was given a state funeral at the church of Madeleine.
Saint-Saens was more famous in the concert hall than he was in the theatre. He wrote 13 operas, but only one of them is still regularly performed: "Samson et Dalila" ("Samson and Delilah"). One of the arias from this opera, "Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix", is especially famous.
Saint-Saens wrote many concertos, symphonies, sonatas and chamber music. He often uses the style of dance music and creates a happy atmosphere by repeating certain patterns. His music is late Romantic, but based on the classical traditions rather than following the style of Wagner like many other French composers were doing at the time.
Fly to the Sky
Fly to the Sky (hangul:플라이 투 더 스카이) is a South Korean R&B duo. Its members are Korean American Brian Joo and South Korean Fany (also known as Hwanhee; Korean: 환희 Chinese: 歡喜; meaning "delight"). Since their 1999 debut single "Day by Day," they released six albums. Although they were marketed as teen idols, the duo later changed their image and style with their third album "Sea of Love" in 2002. With their future albums, the duo became known as R&B artists and are known as the first R&B duo of South Korea.
The duo started in late 1998 by Korean record company SM Entertainment. A friend of Brian Joo signed him up for auditions with Brothers Entertainment without his knowledge. while he was going to Holy Spirit High School, a Roman Catholic school in New Jersey. As for Fany, a staff member working for the company recommended him to audition at a school festival.
Their first appeared on television on December 9, 1999. Their first album "Day by Day" sold over 250,000 copies.
Their second album "The Promise" was released in 2001. The album hit #2 on the charts, but it quickly slipped from the charts. In the same year, they had their first concert with singer Kim Jo-Han.
The duo released two albums during this time. Their third album "Sea of Love" was released while Joo was at New Jersey going to Rutgers University, so Fany performed the songs by himself. The album featured "Condition of My Heart" which was written by American singer Brian McKnight.
Their fourth album, "Missing You" came out around the time when his manager died in a car crash. Fany was especially shocked by his death, because he had been in the same car with his manager just hours before the incident.
"Gravity", as their fifth and last album, came out by SM Entertainment. Their contract to the company ended soon after the release.
Fly to the Sky signed on with PFull Entertainment after their first contract ended in 2004. They wanted a smaller label that cared less about money. Fly to the Sky recorded their sixth studio album "Transition" in January 2006.
The duo started their first tour in Korea called "Fly To The Sky: 2006 The Twice Tour". Starting from Jamsil Arena in Seoul in May 2006, they had concerts in major Korean cities like Busan, Daegu, Junju, and Kwangju.
When "Transition" became popular, Fly to the Sky made a special edition, which had more music videos, deleted scenes and the more songs titled "Hwan Sang (Illusion)," "Hot and Cold," and "When I Say."
In 2004 and 2005, there was a rumor that they would break up. Brian denied to rumours and said that Fly to the Sky was not disbanding. He said the two had hard time getting along for first few years of their career on the show "Yah Shim Man Man," which aired on July 10. He said that he felt envy towards Fany, because he received more attention and praise than him. Brian felt that he was not given his due as Fany. Eventually he found this difficult to bear, and suggested to Fany that they pursue their separate paths. Fany responded angrily and the led to a fight that nearly led to the duo breaking up. The two was on good terms again soon after, understanding each other better. After the fight, the two decided to try to better understand each other in order to solve their problems together and to support each other. Brian's eyes were filled with tears when he was talking about the rumour.
Since 2006, the duo has appeared many times in variety shows. Fany appeared on Korean television drama "Over the Rainbow" during summer of 2006, and Brian released his solo album "The Brian" in December 2006. They became more popular but some critics and fans said they were compromising their image as artists.
The websites are in Korean.
Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish writer. He is best remembered as the author of the classical and influential vampire (or devil) novel "Dracula".
He was born on 8 November 1847 at 15 Marino Crescent—then as now called "The Crescent"—in Clontarf, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Abraham Stoker (born in 1799; married Stoker's mother in 1844; died on 10 October 1876) and the feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley (born in 1818; died in 1901). Stoker was the third of seven children. Abraham and Charlotte were members of the Church of Ireland and attended the Clontarf parish church (St. John the Baptist) with their children where both were baptised. Until he started school at the age of seven—when he made a complete, surprising recovery—Stoker was sick. During that time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he became a normal young man even excelling as an athlete at Trinity College, Dublin (1864–70), from which he was graduated with honors in mathematics. He was auditor of the College Historical Society and president of the University Philosophical Society, where his first paper was on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society". In 1876, while he was employed as a civil servant in Dublin, he wrote theater reviews for "The Dublin Mail", a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theater led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager of Irving's Lyceum Theater, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker. Through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours he got the chance to travel around the world.
They had one son, Irving Noel Stoker, who was born on 31 December 1879.
He earned his money by writing a large number of sensational novels, his most famous being the vampire tale "Dracula" which he published in 1897. Before writing "Dracula", Stoker spent eight years researching European folklore and stories of vampires. "Dracula" is an epistolary novel, written as collection of diary entries, telegrams, and letters from the characters, as well as fictional clippings from the Whitby and London newspapers. Stoker's inspiration for the story was a visit to Slains Castle near Aberdeen. The bleak spot provided an excellent backdrop for his creation.
"Dracula" has been the basis for countless movies and plays. The first was "Nosferatu" directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlock. "Nosferatu" was produced while Florence Stoker, Bram Stoker's widow and literary executrix, was still alive. Represented by the attorneys of the British Incorporated Society of Authors, she eventually sued the filmmakers. Her chief legal complaint was that she had been neither asked for permission for the adaptation nor paid any royalty. The case dragged on for some years, with Mrs Stoker demanding the destruction of the negative and all prints of the movie. The suit was finally resolved in the widow's favour in July 1925. Some copies of the movie survived, however, and "Nosferatu" is now widely regarded as an innovative classic. The most famous movie version of "Dracula" is the 1931 production starring Bela Lugosi and which spawned several sequels that had little to do with Stoker's novel.
Stoker wrote several other novels dealing with horror and supernatural themes, but none of them achieved the lasting fame or success of "Dracula". His other novels include "The Snake's Pass" (1890), "The Jewel of Seven Stars" (1903), and "The Lair of the White Worm" (1911).
Criss Angel (born Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, December 19, 1967) is an American illusionist, stuntperformer, and musician. He has done many illusions. Examples of these include walking on water, making an Asian elephant vanish and then reappear several episodes later, and floating between two buildings. Angel has had a television program on the American network A&E called "Criss Angel Mindfreak". The program has stunts and street magic, as well as public service announcements about scams that are popular around the United States.
Angel was the guest host of the March 8, 2010 version of WWE Monday Night Raw.
TVXQ
TVXQ (Tong Vfang Xien Qi) is a two-member K-pop boy band active in South Korea and Japan. Its members are U-know Yunho, and Max Changmin. The group is popular in East Asian countries including Taiwan and China. They debuted in 2004 and belong to Korean record company SM Entertainment. They are known by different names. They are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki (abbreviated DBSK, 동방신기, 東方神起) in Korea and Tohoshinki in Japan.
The group has released three Japanese and six Korean albums. Their fourth Korean album, "Mirotic" was released in 2008. It has sold over 550,000 copies. It is their most successful album. Before that, the 2006 album "O-Jung.Ban.Hap." continued to chart in 2007 along with the group's 2005 album "Rising Sun". Their first Japanese album "Heart, Mind, and Soul" performed modestly. It peaked at #25 on the Oricon Chart. The album sold less than 20,000 copies. Their second album "Five in the Black" did better. The album peaked at #2 and sold over 26,000 copies in its first week of release. The third album "T" also peaked at #2 and sold 30,003 copies on the first day of its release.
TVXQ has an official fan club, called "cassiopeia", in Korea. The number of people of this fan club makes it the biggest in the world. There is also a big fan club in Japan.
1st Single - Stay With Me Tonight 2005/4/27
2nd Single - Somebody To Love 2005/7/13
3rd Single - My Destiny 2005/11/2
4th Single - 明日は来るから 2006/3/8
5th Single - Rising Sun / Heart, Mind and Soul 2006/4/26
6th Single - Begin 2006/6/21
7th Single - Sky 2006/8/16
8th Single - miss you /O-Jung.Ban.Hap. 2006/11/08
9th Single - Step by Step 2007/1/24
10th Single - Choosey Lover 2007/3/7
11th Single - Lovin' you 2007/6/8
12th Single - SUNMER~Summer Dream/Song for you/Love In The Ice~ 2007/8/1
13th Single - Shine/Ride On 2007/9/19
14th Single - Forever Love 2007/11/14
15th Single - Together 2007./12/19
16th Single - Purple Line 2008.01.16
17th Single - Two hearts / WILD SOUL（CHANGMIN） 2008/2/6
18th Single - Runaway / My Girlfriend（YUCHUN） 2008/02/13
19th Single - If...!? / Rainy Night（JUNSU） 2008/02/27
20th Single - Close to you / Crazy Life（YUNHO） 2008/03/05
21st Single - Keyword / Maze（JEJUNG） 2008/03/12
22nd single - Beautiful you/千年恋歌 2008/04/23
23rd single—どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう？ 2008/07/16
24th Single - 呪文-MIROTIC 2008/10/17
25th Single - Bolero / Kiss The Baby Sky / 忘れないで 2009/01/21
26th Single - Survivor 2009/03/11
27th Single - Share The World / ウィーアー！ 2009/04/22
28th Single - Stand by U 2009/07/01
Special Single - COLORS ～Melody and Harmony～ / Shelter JEJUNG & YUCHUN 2009/09/30
29th Single - BREAK OUT! 2010/01/27
30th Single - 时ヲ止メテ 2010/03/24
31st Single - Why?[Keep Your Head Down] 2011/01/26
32nd Single - Catch Me [If You Wanna] 2013/01/16
In 2008, TVXQ made the Guinness World Records for having the world's largest official fan club. Cassiopeia, the band's official fan club, is claimed to have more than 800,000 official members just in South Korea, more than 200,000 official members in Japan (BigEast) and more than 200,000 international fans (iCassies). They also made Guinness a second time in 2009. Aside from having the world's largest fan club, the group was also listed as the most photographed celebrities in the world. From the day of their debut to March 19, 2009, the five members are estimated to have been photographed about 500 million times in magazines, albums jackets, and commercials, etc. The total figure includes individual photos as well as group pictures.
Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki ( "Hamasaki Ayumi"; born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and former actress. She is also called Ayu by her fans, and called the "Empress of Pop" because her music is very popular in Japan. She was born and raised in Fukuoka. When she was fourteen, she moved to Tokyo and began her career as an actress in 1993. In 1998, she was signed to the label Avex Trax and released a number of singles that were successful. In 1999, she released her first studio album "A Song for XX" which was very successful and made her popular in Japan.
Because she changes her appearance and artistry very often, she is popular in other parts of Asia like China, Singapore, and Taiwan. Many of her songs are used in commercials and advertisements. She often appears in some of these.
Before she joined Avex Trax, she released a single and an album both called "Nothing From Nothing". But these did not become popular. Since she debuted in 1998 with "Poker Face," Hamasaki sold more than 50 records in Japan. This puts her as one of the highest ranking singers in the country. She holds many records as a female singer. These include the most number-one hits and highest sales.
Hamasaki dated Tomoya Nagase (a singer and actor) since her short acting career. They announced they were dating in 2001. Six years later, there were rumors that Hamasaki and Nagase were going to get married. But on July 13, 2007 Hamasaki said that they had broken up. She did not say why, but she said that they will stay as friends.
In 2008, Hamasaki revealed that she had become deaf in her left ear. This was because of tinnitus or Ménière's disease. She said that she had the condition in 2006 and that problems with her ear started in 2000. Hamasaki stated that she wants to continue singing. She said that she would "not give up" on her fans and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone".
January 1,2011, to marry a fan club site Ayumi Hamasaki 'TeamAyu' reported the fan.
Love Generation
Love Generation () was a dramatic Japanese television series on Fuji Television. It first aired in Japan from October 13 1997 to December 22, 1997 every Monday. It had a very high rating of 30.8%. It features music by Cagnet.
The show revolves around the relationship of the two leading characters, Katagiri Teppei and Uesugi Riko, who begin their relationship as squabbling colleagues before falling in love. Katagiri Teppei is a talented designer and very popular among women. Unfortunately, Teppei, who despises anything boring and repetitive, is forced to move to the sales department for his egocentric behavior. Throughout the series, he is forced to adapt to the new working environment, which includes cutting his precious locks of hair to create a neater and more professional image. As he struggles to adapt, he meets Uesugi Riko. While she does not like him at first, she eventually falls for him. However, Teppei runs into his highschool sweetheart Mizuhara Sanae, and discovers that his ex-girlfriend is now engaged to his brother Soichiro. Fortunately, Riko is there to console him, and this eventually blooms into a romance. Not long after, however, Sanae realizes she still has feelings for Teppei, and thus creates a love triangle. To make the matter even more complicated, Soichiro starts to have an affair with his past girlfriend.
Teppei's apartment has many unusual items such as Thai artifact, a 30-year-old refrigerator, and a crystal apple. The meaning behind the apple is that there is only one true love, between Adam and Eve, that is. A crystal can be broken easily, and when one would look in it, it appears upside down. The apple is seen upside down for the 10 of the 11 episodes. At the last episode, however, the apple is no longer upside down. The apple is on the album cover of the soundtrack for "Love Generation".
The advertising poster appears over and over again. The model is holding a crystal apple, and reads "True love never runs smooth" symbolizing the relationship between Riko and Teppei, which constantly faces struggles from when they meet for the very first time to the love triangle. This advertisement is visible everywhere from the park to Teppei's 30-year-old refrigerator, as "True love never runs smooth" is the unofficial tagline of this television series.
Psyche (mythology)
Psyche (pronounce: SY-kee) is a former mortal woman and goddess of the soul in Greek mythology. She is the wife of Eros (Cupid) and the mother of Hedone. She is always pictured with butterfly wings. Today, Psyche is known from a story called "The Golden Ass", written by Lucius Apuleius in the 2nd century.
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 - September 10, 1851) was an American teacher and the founder of the American School for the Deaf. He founded the school in 1817.
Gallaudet was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He went to Yale University. He got his bachelor's degree in 1805 and master's degree in 1808. He wanted to do many things for example, study law or study religion. In 1814, Gallaudet became a preacher.
Gallaudet chose not to become a preacher when he met Alice Cogswell, the nine-year-old deaf daughter of a neighbor, Dr. Mason Cogswell. He taught her many words by writing them in the dirt. Cogswell asked Gallaudet to go to Europe to learn ways for teaching deaf people.