AcharyaChanakya/simple-wikipedia huggingface dataset:
On the 18 September 335, Constantine made Dalmatius "caesar". Constantine probably made Hannibalianus "King of Kings and of the Pontic people" () on the same day. Eusebius of Caesarea's "Life of Constantine" says that a Persian embassy from the Sasanian Empire came to Constantine at Constantinople not long after the festival of Easter. Constantine had been at Constantinople on Easter (3 April 337).
Eusebius of Caesarea's "Life of Constantine" says that Constantine died at Ancyrona, near Nicomedia (İzmit, Turkey). He died on 22 May 337.
Constantine was the first Christian Roman emperor. His rule changed the Christian Church greatly. In February 313, Constantine met with Licinius in Milan where they made the Edict of Milan. The edict said that Christians could believe what they wanted. This stopped people from punishing Christians, who had often been martyred, or killed for their faith. It also returned the property which had been taken away from them. In 311, Galerius had made a similar edict, though it did not return any property to them. In pagan Rome before this, it had been against the law to practise Christianity, and Christians had often been tortured or killed. Constantine protected them. He went on to organize the whole Christian Church at the First Council of Nicea, even though he himself did not get baptized until near the end of his life.
Constantine did not support Christianity alone. After winning the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, he built the Arch of Constantine) to celebrate, but the arch was decorated with pictures of sacrifices to gods like Apollo, Diana, or Hercules. It had no Christian symbolism. In 321, Constantine said that Christians and non-Christians should all join the "day of the sun" (the eastern sun-worship which Aurelian had helped him introduce). His coins also had symbols of the sun-cult until 324. Even after pagan gods disappeared from the coins, Christians symbols never appeared on the coin, either. Even when Constantine dedicated the new city of Constantinople, he was wearing the Apollonian sun-rayed Diadem.
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ) 69 BC – 10 August 30 BC was queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. She was its last active ruler.
She was one of the most famous women in history. Her full name was "Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator". She was the last of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Pharaohs set up in Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. After her death, Egypt became the Roman province of "Aegyptus".
The main historical source for her life is Plutarch's "Life of Antony", available in translations.
"Antony and Cleopatra" is the famous tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in 1623. She was of mixed Greek and Egyptian heritage.
Cleopatra was born in Alexandria, then the capital of Egypt. When she was 18 years old, her father, who was king, died. She and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, became the leaders of Egypt. She was queen and her brother was king. Her brother was only 10 years old, so she was the real leader.
Cleopatra made some enemies amongst the courtiers. The reign of Cleopatra was ended by a cabal of courtiers, led by the eunuch Pothinus. They removed Cleopatra from power, as her being a woman, and made Ptolemy sole ruler, in about 51 to 48 BC. She had to leave the country. Ptolemy was king, but because he was still a boy, Pothinus and his friends were the real leaders of Egypt.
At that time, two Roman generals were fighting to be the leaders of the Roman Republic. They were Pompey and Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in Greece, 48 BC. Pompey fled to Egypt from Pharsalus, and was murdered by the orders of Ptolemy.
Ptolemy and his supporters thought Caesar would be pleased, but that was a big mistake. Caesar had pardoned many of the senators who fought against him. His reason was to lay the ground for peace in Rome. The murder of Pompey cut right across Caesar's plans. Worse, Pompey was a Roman consul, and the widower of Caesar's only daughter, Julia. Worse still, Pompey was beheaded in front of his fifth wife and children, who were on the ship from which he had just disembarked. This made sure that Pompey's powerful family and supporters would never forget, and would always be enemies of Caesar.
Then Caesar came to Alexandria, the capital of Egypt. Economically, Egypt was a bread-basket which could feed the people of Rome. Cleopatra received Caesar in her own unique way. She lay down on a carpet. Then her servants rolled up the carpet with Cleopatra inside. Then the carpet was taken to the palace where Caesar was staying. The guards saw some people carrying a carpet and they did not stop them. They carried the carpet to Caesar. Then Cleopatra came out of the carpet. Caesar fell in love with her and they became lovers. At the time, Cleopatra was 21 years old and Caesar was 52 years old.
Caesar decided to make Cleopatra queen again. Ptolemy did not like that. There was a lot of fighting, but Caesar won. Ptolemy tried to leave, but he fell in the river Nile and drowned. Another younger brother became king, but Cleopatra was again the real leader of Egypt. Cleopatra did not marry Julius Caesar, but they did have a son. He was called Caesarion.
Soon after Caesarion was born, Caesar was murdered as he walked to the Senate in Rome. Cleopatra and her entourage were in Rome when Caesar was assassinated on 15 March 44 BC. Cleopatra fled back to Egypt.
Mark Antony, who was Caesar's military commander, and Octavian, Caesar's legal heir, defeated the group who had conspired against Caesar. This group was led by Brutus and Cassius, who took their army to the Eastern Mediterranean, and controlled much of that area. The issue was finally settled by the Battle of Philippi, fought in Macedonia.
Caesar's place was taken by three joint Consuls, the Second Triumvirate. Their names were Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus. Lepidus was a minor character, and the long-term fate of the Empire was decided by a conflict between Antony and Octavian. Mark Antony came to see Cleopatra, and they fell in love, though Antony already had a wife. Cleopatra had three more children. Two were twins, and the father of all three was Mark Antony.
The conflict between Octavian and Antony became serious, and soon there was war. Cleopatra was wealthy, and she used her money to help Antony. But Octavian won the war. He became the ruler of the Roman Empire and was known as Augustus or Caesar Augustus. He took control of Egypt from Cleopatra. After her kingdom was conquered, she committed suicide by letting an asp (a poisonous snake and small cobra) bite her. Antony also committed suicide.
Ceasarion was murdered by Octavian, and her other children were taken as prisoners to Rome. Two of them died of illness, but her daughter, Cleopatra Selene II, married an African King Juba II of Numidia. The couple were sent to Mauritania to rule by Octavian. They lived a full life there, and had children.
There are many stories told of how rich Cleopatra was, but we cannot be sure if these are true. For example, one story says that she took baths in milk, to make her skin softer. Another story says that she made a bet with Antony that she could make the most expensive meal ever. To win the bet, she took a pearl earring, dissolved it in vinegar, and drank it.
CSS is an abbreviation. It can stand for the following:
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer and actress. Clarkson won the first season of the television series "American Idol".
Clarkson has recorded four albums. Clarkson has sold over 10.6 million albums in the United States, becoming the highest-selling American Idol winner. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Clarkson is also ranked on the top 200 album sellers of the Nielsen SoundScan era at number 187.
Kelly Clarkson was born in Fort Worth,Texas,United States of America. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Rose Clarkson a first grade teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson.She began music career of successful life as Kelly Clarkson became singer as position her celebrity.
Clarkson's parents divorced when she was six years old, after having been married for seventeen years. The family then moved to Burleson,Texas, where her mother remarried. She is of Greek (from a maternal great-grandfather), English, Irish, German, and Scottish ancestry. Her mother is a descendant of Republican state senator Isaiah Rose, whose life story was discussed on Clarkson's episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?", in 2013.
Clarkson went to Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School. She originally wanted to be a marine biologist, but changed her mind after she saw the movie "Jaws". In seventh grade, one of her teachers overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir.
In high school, Clarkson performed in musicals such as "Annie Get Your Gun", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "Brigadoon". She sang at her high school talent show, after which an audience member shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson continued singing and soon started classical training, hoping that music would be her ticket to a college scholarship.
After finishing high school, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to The University of Texas at Austin, the University of North Texas, and the Berklee College of Music. However, she decided against college to pursue a career in music saying, "you're never too old to go to college."
On September 4, 2002, Clarkson won the first season of "American Idol", beating Justin Guarini by a margin of 58% to 42%. After the results were announced, Clarkson performed the song "A Moment Like This", which was written for the winner of "American Idol" and would be released on her first CD "Thankful". When it was released as a single in October 2002, it set a record on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 chart when it rose from number 52 to number one. "Thankful" sold 236,000 copies in its first week in the U.S.
Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock in 2013. They have a daughter, River Rose, and a son, Remington. Blackstock also has two children from a previous relationship. In June 2020, it was announced that Clarkson had filed for divorce.
Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel (born Ciboure, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 7 March 1875; died Paris, 28 December 1937) was a French composer. His name is often thought of together with that of Claude Debussy, but their music is really very different. Ravel liked children and animals and his music is often about them. He liked to write about fairy tales and stories from far away lands. He wrote some lovely piano music, most of which is difficult to play. "Boléro" is a 17-minute piece for orchestra. A short version was used by ice-skaters Torvill and Dean for the dance that made them Olympic champions in 1984.
Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure in France. His father was an engineer. Both parents were interested in culture. Soon after he was born the family moved to Paris and stayed there.
It soon became clear that Maurice was musically gifted, so his father arranged for him to have piano lessons with a well-known teacher. In 1889 he entered the Paris Conservatoire.
In 1889 there was a big international exhibition: the Paris World Exhibition. Ravel and Debussy both heard gamelan music from Java at this exhibition. They were both influenced by it, especially Debussy. Ravel also heard Russian music at concerts given by Rimsky-Korsakov. He also made friends with a very talented Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes who was in the same class at the Conservatoire. He heard the music of Richard Wagner and got to know the composers Chabrier and Satie.
He left the Conservatoire in 1895, but went back in 1897 to study composition with Gabriel Fauré and counterpoint and orchestration with Andreé Gédalge. At this stage Ravel was not sure of himself as a composer. His first work that was to become very well-known was the short piece for orchestra called "Pavane pour une infante défunte". Fauré had been a very good teacher for Ravel, who dedicated his virtuoso piano piece "Jeux d’eau" (meaning “Play of water” or “Fountains”) and his "String Quartet" to Fauré. However, Ravel never got a prize for composition, so he left Fauré’s class in 1903.
Ravel was starting to live the life of a dandy. He always dressed very smartly, and got to know people with similar tastes. He tried to win the Prix de Rome in 1904 and again in 1905. However, the judges liked traditional music and did not understand Ravel’s style. There was a big argument at the Conservatoire which led to the director, Dubois, resigning and Fauré taking his place. Meanwhile, Ravel left Paris for a time with some friends and started writing some of his best compositions. These included "Introduction and Allegro" for seven instruments including harp, the "Rapsodie espagnole" for orchestra, his first opera "L’heure espagnole" and "Gaspard de la Nuit", a virtuoso piece for the piano. In Paris the music critics continued to argue about Ravel’s music.
In 1909 the Ballets Russes visited Paris. They were the world’s most famous ballet group. Their director Diaghilev asked Ravel to write a ballet for them Ravel took about three years to compose the music for "Daphnis et Chloé". Other works he completed before the war broke out include "Shéhérazade" for soprano and orchestra (not to be confused with the work by Rimsky-Korsakov with the same title), and the "Piano Trio".
When World War I broke out Ravel felt very strongly that he wanted to do something for his country. However, he was not allowed to join the French army because he was 2 kg underweight. So he became a driver for the motor transport corps. In 1916 he became ill with dysentery. After a time in hospital he was taken back to Paris to get better, but then his mother died and this had a terrible effect on him. The war years had slowed him down as a composer. He had composed "Le Tombeau de Couperin" (well-known both as a piano solo piece and for orchestra) which looks back to the style of music in the Baroque period. It took him a long time to finish "La Valse" ("The Waltz"), one of his most popular pieces.
After the war had ended Debussy was dead and Ravel was seen to be the greatest living French composer. He was offered the award of Légion d’honneur but he would not accept it. He bought himself a house outside Paris. Here he could compose in peace and quiet. He wrote his opera "L’enfant et les sortileges" ("The child and magic") and the famous virtuoso piece for solo violin called "Tzigane". He toured in Europe and the United States and was welcomed everywhere as a great composer. He was given an honorary doctorate at Oxford University.
Ravel worked on several things: some ballet music which resulted in the orchestral piece "Boléro", a Piano Concerto in G, and the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand that could be played just with the left hand (written for the pianist Paul Wittgenstein who had lost his right arm in the war), and several other projects which were not finished.
In 1932 he started to become ill. For several years he had already been finding it difficult to sleep, and this may have been the beginning of the brain disease which would finally kill him. A road accident in 1932 made it worse. Soon he could no longer sign his own name, he could hardly move and hardly speak. He had a brain operation in 1937, but he died.
Ravel was a very private man. We know nothing about his sexual life. His music came to him during walks on his own, in the country or in Paris, often at night, and in any weather. Then he would come home and write them down. He worked at each composition until it was perfect and never showed it to anybody until it was ready. He liked to collect little things such as toys, and these objects often became part of the music. Baroque music forms, gamelan music, Spanish music, ancient modes and unusual harmonies were all important in his musical style. He only had a few pupils, including Vaughan Williams, but no one could imitate his music because it is always so personal, full of perfection and humour.
Bedřich Smetana (b. Litomyšl, Bohemia, March 2, 1824; d. Prague May 12, 1884) was a Czech composer. He was a Romantic composer. Smetana, Dvořák and Leoš Janáček are the three most famous composers who wrote Czech nationalist music. His music is typical of the Czech people. His eight operas are about Nationalist stories. He wrote six tone poems for orchestra called "Ma Vlast" which means “My Home Country”.
Bedřich was the 11th child in a German-speaking family, although he was only the first of the children not to die before they grew up. His father was a brewer and a keen amateur violinist. He learned the violin from his father and the piano from local teachers, but he soon played better than his teachers. Between the age of 12 and 20 he had no musical education. Then he went to Prague and heard Liszt playing. He wanted to leave school and study music but his father would not let him. He was sent to Plzeň where he finished his schooling. During this time he earned some money by playing the piano at the homes of rich people. He played for dancing, and he liked to dance himself. He often danced with a girl called Kateřina Kolářová and he also played piano duets with her. Later she married him.
He returned to Prague and arranged to have lessons in harmony, counterpoint and composition. He gave a piano recital, but nobody came to listen, so he decided to start a school of music, although he hardly had any money.
In 1848, revolutions were taking place in central Europe, including in Prague. A strong feeling of nationalism was growing. The Czechs (people who lived in Bohemia and Moravia) wanted to be able to express themselves in their own language instead of in German, which was still the official language in Bohemia. Smetana, who only spoke German, agreed with the nationalists’ ideas, but he still did not realize how important it would be for him in the future to be able to speak Czech.
Smetana married Kateřina and they had four daughters, but three of them died. He still had very little money, so he went to Sweden where he was very successful as a piano teacher and conductor. He composed the first of his symphonic poems: "Richard III". After three years in Sweden he decided to return to his homeland because of his Kateřina’s health, but she died on the way. Smetana spent two more years in Sweden. He married again. After the Austrian defeat by Napoleon III in 1859, it became clear that there were going to be big changes in his native country. The Czechs were going to be allowed to have a national opera and put on plays in the Czech language instead of having to perform everything in German. Smetana realized that this was an exciting chance for him. After a big farewell concert in Stockholm to which the Swedish royal family came, Smetana returned to Prague.
Smetana now started to learn Czech, a language he did not speak. It was not easy for him in Prague because he was only known there as a pianist and teacher. He put on a concert of music by German composers but nobody came. He wanted to be director of the Provisional Theatre but the job was given to a man called Mayr who was not very good.
Gradually Smetana’s reputation grew and he started to write operas in Czech which became very popular. The first one was called "The Brandenburgers in Bohemia". Mayr made things very difficult for Smetana but the audience loved the opera and it was performed ten more times. His next opera is the one which has become his best-known opera internationally: "The Bartered Bride". Smetana got the job of director of the Provisional Theatre instead of Mayr. Smetana made lots of improvements, introducing well-known German, French and Italian operas to the audiences as well as new operas by young Czech composers. The operas "Dalibor" was first performed on the day that the first stone was laid for the building of the National Theatre. It was a great occasion, although the music critics were unkind and said that his music sounded too much like Wagner. His opera "Libuše" was written for the coronation of Franz Joseph in Prague, but that coronation never happened, so the opera was not performed for another ten years when the National Theatre was opened (1881). He spent several years composing a cycle of six symphonic poems called "Ma Vlast" ("My Country"). These are very popular today, especially the second one, "Vltava", which describes the river Vltava flowing from its source all the way to the sea.
In his last years Smetana became totally deaf. He was suffering from syphilis. He heard horrible high squeaks in his ears a lot of the time. He showed this when composing his "String Quartet no 2": the first violin plays a very long high note for a long time in the last movement, showing the audience what he had to suffer. He became very depressed and his wife did not help by quarrelling a lot with him. It became painfully difficult for him to compose. In the end he was writing four bars a day. His mental state got worse. He was guarded all day in case he harmed himself. He did not recognize his own family. He was put in an asylum where he died shortly afterwards.
As soon as the Czech people were allowed to produce plays and operas in their own language Smetana thought it was his duty to write a series of nationalist operas. His operas were based on the nation’s history and legends. His symphonic cycle "Ma Vlast" was programme music, full of heroism, often describing nature and the countryside. Smetana also wrote a lot for piano. He was the most important Czech composer there had been at that time. Smetana and Dvořák were the founders of modern Czech music.
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that produces light from electricity. LEDs last a long time and do not break easily (compared to incandescent lightbulbs). They can produce many different colors. They are efficient - most of the energy turns into light, not heat.
An LED is a type of diode that makes one color of light when electricity is sent through it in the expected direction (electrically biased in the forward direction). This effect is a kind of electroluminescence.
The color of the light depends on the chemical composition of the semiconducting material used, and can be near-ultraviolet, visible or infrared. The color affects how much electricity is used by the LED. A white LED has either two or three LEDs inside, of different colors. Some white LEDs have one single-color LED inside (usually blue), combined with a phosphor that converts that single color to white.
LEDs are used in many places. They are the colored indicator lights on many electronic devices, they can be used to make bright advertising signs, brake lights on some newer cars, in TVs, and more recently, light bulbs for the home. White LEDs bright enough to illuminate rooms are usually more expensive than regular lightbulbs but they last longer and burn less electricity.
LEDs, which make their own light, should not be confused with LCDs, which block light. Some displays, however, mix the two technologies, using LEDs to backlight the LCD.
Today, some LEDs are surface-mount devices (SMD), so they can be very small.
Antonín Dvořák (b.Nelahozeves, nr Kralupy, September 8 1841; d. Prague May 1 1904) was a Czech composer. Along with Smetana and Janáček, Dvorak is one of three famous composers who wrote nationalist Czech music. He wrote chamber music including several string quartets, piano music, songs, operas, oratorios and nine symphonies. The last of his symphonies is known as the "New World" Symphony because he wrote it in the United States (the “New World”). The slow movement with its solo played on the cor anglais is especially famous.
Dvořák was born in a village near Prague, Czechoslovakia. Today Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic, but in those days it was part of the Austrian Empire. His father was a butcher and innkeeper. He also played the zither and composed a few simple dances.
The young Antonín started to have violin lessons from the village schoolmaster. Soon he was playing the violin in his father’s inn, in local churches and in the village band. Just before his 12th birthday he left school and started to learn how to be a butcher. A year later he left home to go to school in Zlonice. He learned a lot about music there, and he also learned German. His teacher persuaded Dvořák's parents that he should have a musical career, so they sent him to study music in Prague at the Organ School. He continued to learn German, and he became a good viola player and played in concerts and in the Estates Theatre when they needed a big orchestra for Wagner’s operas "Lohengrin" and "Tannhäuser".
When Dvořák had finished his studies he got his first job playing in a band in restaurants and for balls. This was a time when there was suddenly a great interest in national culture in Bohemia. Plays and operas were allowed to be performed in the Czech language. The band he played with became part of the Bohemian Provisional Theater Orchestra, which from 1866 was conducted by Bedřich Smetana. Dvořák was principal viola player in the orchestra. He earned extra money by teaching, and he started to compose.
In 1871 he left the orchestra so that he could spend more time composing. For several years he still had to teach in order to earn enough money to live. He wrote a cantata "The heirs of the White Mountain" which was a great success. In 1874 he wrote an opera "King and Charcoal Burner", but the opera house did not want it. This made Dvořák realize that he had to be more self-critical. He destroyed a lot of his compositions which he thought were not his best works. He decided he must not compose like Wagner, but that he needed to find his own style of composing.
In 1873 he married. He got a job as church organist. His Third Symphony was performed at a concert conducted by Smetana. Dvořák rewrote his opera "King and Charcoal Burner", using completely different music. It was performed in 1874. He composed a lot more music.
In 1877 he had a letter from Hanslick to say that he had won a prize of 600 gulden and that the great composer Johannes Brahms was interested in his music. His music started to be published by Simrock, a well-known German music publisher, and his music was performed in many countries, even as far away as New York. His fame spread. Even his operas were performed abroad. "Dimitrij" was particularly successful. Brahms was a great friend and helped him a lot. Brahms and Hanslick tried to persuade him to move to Vienna because it was a great musical city, but Dvořák wanted to stay in his own country.
Dvořák's "Slavonic Dances" were published in 1878 and have always been very popular. The conductor Hans Richter conducted the Slavonic Rhapsody no 3 in Vienna. His "Stabat Mater" (1880) was performed abroad, and Dvořák was invited to visit England in 1884. He became very popular in England and went there many times. The English choirs liked to sing his choral works. His "Requiem Mass" was given its first performance in Birmingham at the Triennial Music Festival. He was given an honorary degree from Cambridge University. Tchaikovsky invited him to Russia in 1890.
From 1892 to 1895, Dvořák was the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. He earned a lot of money: $15,000 a year. Dvořák was interested in the music of black Americans. He met the student Harry T. Burleigh, one of the earliest African-American composers, who introduced him to traditional American Spirituals.
In the winter and spring of 1893, while in New York, Dvořák wrote his most popular work, the "Symphony No.9, "From the New World"". He spent the summer of 1893 with his family in the Czech-speaking community of Spillville, Iowa, where some of his cousins lived. He also composed chamber music there, including a String Quartet in F which is known as the “American”, and a Sonatina for Violin and Piano.
In 1895, Dvořák wrote his "Cello Concerto in B minor", which was to become one of his most popular works. However, he wanted to go back to his own country. He was also not being paid all his salary. He heard that he had been made an honorary member of the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde" in Vienna. He decided to return to Bohemia and continue his job as professor of composition at the Prague Conservatory.
During his last years, Dvořák spent most of his time writing operas. "Rusalka" is particularly popular, especially the famous aria for soprano "To the Moon". The opera is about a fairy-tale and the story is based on Hans Anderson’s story of the "Little Mermaid". In 1896 he visited London for the last time to hear the first performance of his Cello Concerto. In 1897 his daughter married his pupil, the composer Josef Suk.
He died in 1904 after a short illness.
Dvořák wrote lots of kinds of music. Although he based his style on the classical forms such as those of Beethoven, they also show the influence of Czech folksong. He lived at a time when Nationalistic feelings were felt very strongly by the Czech people. Smetana wrote music which was very Czech in character. Dvořák learned from Smetana’s music, but never imitated his style. Only five of his nine symphonies were known in his lifetime. When the other four were discovered and published in the 1960s the symphonies were all renumbered. The last three symphonies, numbers 7, 8 and 9 (which used to be called numbers 2, 4 and 5) are the most often performed. The Ninth Symphony: "From the New World" is one of the most popular symphonies ever written. The two sets of Slavonic Dances are extremely well-known. They are often played as a piano duet. He wrote concertos for the violin, cello and piano. Dvořák wrote many operas (the best known of which is "Rusalka"); chamber music (including a number of string quartets, and quintets); songs; choral music; and piano music.
Slavonic rhapsody: The life of Antonín Dvořák, by Barthold Fles
Leoš Janáček
Most of his greatest works were written towards the end of his life. At this time he was in love with a young woman called Kamila. She was the inspiration for many of his last compositions.
Janáček’s family were poor people who lived in the countryside in Moravia. His grandfather and his father were both musicians and school teachers. Leoš was the fifth of nine children. As the tiny house was so crowded he was sent to Brno when he was eleven. There he went to a choir school, but soon the choir had to stop. He continued his music education there. After his final exams he had an unpaid job as teacher for two years. He became conductor of a monastery choir as well as a male-voice choir called Svatopluk. He made them a better choir and wrote music for them. He studied at the Prague Organ School for a year, but he was very poor and could not afford to go to concerts. He continued to conduct choirs and became friends with Dvořák. He spent a short time in Leipzig and Vienna.
When he returned to Brno he became engaged to his piano pupil Zdenka Schulzová who was only 14. She was still under 16 when they married. Janáček founded (started) an organ school in Brno. He was the director of this school. He also taught music at the Old Brno Gymnasium. His marriage was unhappy and, although they remained married all his life, they spent a lot of time separated. He went on a journey to northern Moravia to collect folk songs which he used in some of his dances for orchestra.
Janáček’s spent several years writing his opera "Jenůfa". By the time he was finishing it his daughter had died. Some of his sadness can be felt in the opera. He also worked on a system of speech-melody (making his melodies sound like the rhythm of his language) which was to influence his operas for the rest of his life. "Jenůfa" was very successful when it was first performed in 1904. By this time Janáček was already 50.
Janáček was now doing less teaching and concentrating on organizing the Brno Organ School which had moved into a new building because it now had 70 students. His next opera was called "Osud" ("Fate"), but it was not performed during his lifetime. The music is very good but the libretto (words) were poor. This is also true of his next opera: "Mr Brouček’s excursion to the moon". He wrote chamber music during this period, as well as some very good choral music.
When World War I broke out Janáček was 60. He was well known in Moravia, but hardly known in other countries. His compositions from the war years include "Taras Bulba" which is a work for orchestra which describes a story by the Russian writer Gogol. He wrote a short, patriotic opera to follow Mr Brouček’s adventures. It was about a landlord from Prague who finds himself in the middle of the 15th century Hussite wars.
In his final years Janáček wrote most of the great works for which he is world-famous. His opera "Jenůfa" was performed in Prague. This made him internationally famous. He was very proud when his country became independent after the war. He was also very happy because he was in love with Kamila Stösslová, who was 38 years younger than himself. He wrote three of his finest operas: "Katya Kabanová", "The Cunning Little Vixen" and "The Makropulos Affair". These operas were performed in Brno and then in Prague, and they were also published. He wrote two string quartets and a wind sextet: "Mládi" ("Youth"). By the time he was 70 he had retired from the Brno Organ School. In 1926 he wrote an orchestral work: "Sinfonietta", followed by a piano concerto for the left hand (pianist just playing with the left hand) and chamber ensemble, and the "Glagolitic Mass". All these works had enormous success in Czechoslovakia as well as abroad, even as far away as New York.
In 1921 he had bought a cottage in his birthplace, Hukvaldy. He spent a lot of time composing there, away from the busy life in Brno. In the summer of 1928 he went there and was joined, for the first time in Hukvaldy, by Kamila, her 11-year-old boy and her husband. He was working on the third act of his last opera "From the House of the Dead". One day Kamila’s son got lost in the forest. They spent some time looking for him. Janáček got cold, he caught pneumonia and died. His funeral in Brno was a large public event, at which some music from his opera "The Cunning Little Vixen" was performed.
Janáček grew up in the middle of the Romantic period, but most of his best music was written in 1920s, by which time musical styles had changed. Although he never wrote music which sounded as modern as that of Stravinsky or Schoenberg his music is Romantic, combined with Moravian folksong and sometimes with ideas from French impressionist composers such as Debussy. The music he wrote for choirs often continued in his operas. His music for instruments often started as programmatic, although a lot of it can be enjoyed without knowing the story it tells. He learned to write operas by learning from the operas of Smetana, but he made many changes such as shortening the duets and ensembles and using folksong in his melodies.
Janáček was not just important as a composer, but is remembered for his studies of folk music, and as a music theorist and teacher.
Sir Arthur Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. In his lifetime people thought he was the best British composer, but nowadays his serious works are rarely heard. He worked with an author and poet called W. S. Gilbert, and together they wrote fourteen comic operas. Their names are always mentioned together: "Gilbert and Sullivan". Their operas were very popular a hundred years ago, and most still are. The most popular are "The Mikado", "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "The Pirates of Penzance". The two men were very different. They argued sometimes, but they worked together for 25 years, from 1871 to 1896.
Sullivan's serious works include one grand opera, two dozen orchestral and choral pieces, and many hymns and songs, including "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "The Lost Chord".
Psychosis is the name used in psychiatry for a number of conditions. People who suffer from psychosis are said to be "psychotic". Usually, psychotic people "lose touch with reality", they have trouble telling what is real and what is not. It is an extreme kind of altered state of consciousness.
The word psychosis has two parts. The first part comes from psyche, which means soul in Ancient Greek. The second part is the ending '-osis', which means "illness or unnatural condition". So literally, psychosis means "unnatural condition of the soul".
People with psychosis may have hallucinations, which means they can experience things that are not really there. They may also have delusions, which are fixed beliefs and ideas that are usually false. Sometimes their personality changes, and they cannot think straight. Some of these thoughts may be paranoid. Not every psychotic person has all of these problems.
Because of these, psychotics often act in strange ways, which also makes it difficult for them to live a normal life as part of society. They often have trouble with making friends, as most people do not understand them.
Psychosis can affect people to different levels. Some people can continue with mostly normal lives, while other people will need medical help.
About 1 percent of people suffer from psychosis during their lives.
There are many things that can make someone seem psychotic. These include poisons, drugs, diseases of the nervous system, and other illnesses. For this reason, some people use the image of a "fever" of the central nervous system to talk about psychosis - a serious illness that may not have a very detailed explanation.
Many people have gone through unusual experiences that they believe are real. Hallucinations connected to religion or paranormal experiences seem to be quite common. Very often, these experiences cannot be called "psychosis" in a medical sense of the word. For this reason, some people have said that psychosis may simply be an extreme case of something that is experienced by most. People who have suffered from what could be called "psychosis" may simply have had experiences that were very strong or distressing.
In movies and the media in general, certain people who are shown as violent and antisocial are sometimes labelled "psychotic". This image of psychosis is wrong, the people shown are usually psychopaths or sociopaths, they usually do not have hallucinations or delusions.
Psychosis is most associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, drug addiction and brain damage but it can be caused by a wide range of conditions.
Psychosis is not a disease but rather a name for a number of symptoms, that can be caused by different diseases and conditions. Very broadly speaking there are two types of causes for psychosis:
Most psychoses can be treated, so that those suffering from them can lead a normal life. The treatment depends on the cause of the psychosis. In general, there are two different forms of treatment available:
There are various types of thickness, shapes and lengths. The noodle may be thin or thick, straight or wrinkled.
In Japan, there are unique local Ramen in various areas where local tastes are enjoyed. It is called "gotouchi ramen" in Japan. For example, Hakata ramen is known for its pork ramen soup. The noodles are very thin and do not need to be boiled for very long to become soft. Sapporo ramen is known for its miso ramen soup.
And Kitakata ramen is known for its Shoyu ramen soup. Shio (salty) ramen is also a popular flavor. These days, Gyokai-tonkotsu ramen is also popular.
Pieter Pauwel (Peter Paul) Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was a painter. Many people think he is one of the most popular Flemish and European painters of the 17th century. He painted in Baroque style. His style was to emphasise movement and colour. Many of his paintings have a sensual touch. Some of them can be seen as erotic.
Adolf Frederick of Sweden
Gothenburg
BBC One
BBC One is a television channel in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936, and was the first television channel in the United Kingdom. The channel was Published by BBC. The channel shows lots of different programmes including famous ones such as "Only Fools and Horses" and "EastEnders". The Channel features a Wide Range Of Covers.
BBC Television Service was the world's first regular public television service with a high level of image resolution.
The channel was later renamed BBC TV until the launch of sister channel BBC Two in 1964. After that it was known as BBC1, but changed to the current spelling in 1997. The channel has an annual budget of £840 million, and makes an annual profit of £900 million. Along with the BBC's other UK television stations, it is funded completely by the television licence fee - this means it shows no adverts.
Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling (Central Bavarian: "Bod Oabling" or "Oawin") is a town in Bavaria (Germany). It is a former district seat. It is on the river Mangfall about 35 miles southeast of Munich. Bad Aibling is a health resort (peat pulp bath and mineral water).
In 804, Bad Aibling was mentioned for the first time. After the second World War Bad Aibling has evolved to a major centre for intelligence organizations and secret services. In 2004 the US American Bad Aibling Echelon station closed after decades of operation. In 2016, ten people were killed in a train crash.
In the town live about 18,000 people. It is 498 meters above sea level and covers an area of 41.55 km².
Gaya
Gaya is a town in the Indian state of Bihar. Gaya is a very old city. It is one of the seven holy cities of the Hindus,
It is in South Bihar.
Patna
Patna is the capital city of the Indian state of Bihar. About 1.7 million people live in Patna (census 2001). It is a very old city and has a history of at least 2,500 years. It was famous for its educational institutes, which during those days, attracted scholars from all over the world. Gautama Buddha who started Buddhism had also visited this city. Despite being a Hindu majority city Patna also has many Muslims and many Masjids. People in Patna speak Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithli and Urdu. When founded Patna's old name was "Pataligrama", and later into "Pataliputra" which was the capital of Magadha Empire, before changing in to the current "Patna".
Samuel Johnson (born Lichfield, Staffordshire, England 18 September 1709; died London 13 December 1784) was a famous writer. After publishing a famous dictionary, he was given a doctorate, which is why he is often called "Dr Johnson". He wrote some of his own stories, but more often he wrote criticisms about what other people had written. He said a lot of witty, amusing things, which are still remembered today. We know about some of the funny things he said because his friend James Boswell wrote a book about him.
Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire. His father had a bookshop, but he was very poor. Samuel went to school in Lichfield. When he was nineteen he went to the University of Oxford, but he was so poor that he had to leave without taking a degree. A few years later he married a woman 21 years older than he was. They went to live in London, where he tried to make a living by writing but for many years he was very poor.
It was not until 1762 that he became famous and the government gave him a pension of three hundred pounds a year. He started a club (called "The Club") which included a lot of famous people like the painter Joshua Reynolds and the writer Oliver Goldsmith (see picture). Johnson was now so famous that he was given an honorary doctorate (the title of "Doctor") from Trinity College, Dublin in 1765, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1775.
Boswell and Johnson spent some time in Edinburgh and they travelled a lot to the Scottish islands. Johnson died in 1784 and is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Johnson spent several years writing his Dictionary of the English language. It was a big job. While he was writing it he could not be earning money, so he needed a patron (someone who would sponsor him by giving him money, and in return the dictionary would be dedicated to him). An important man called Lord Chesterfield said to Johnson that he would be his patron. But he never gave him any money, and Johnson never heard anything more from him, until the dictionary was ready. Then Lord Chesterfield wrote to Johnson saying that he hoped he would dedicate the dictionary to him. The letter that Johnson wrote back to Lord Chesterfield is very famous. It is very sarcastic (funny in an unkind way). Johnson said to him that it would have been nice to have had help when he was needing it. He said, sarcastically, that a patron was someone who stands on the river bank watching a man drowning and then, when then the drowning man is saved, asks him whether he can help. The letter made Lord Chesterfield look very silly.
There were very few dictionaries in Johnson's day, so it was a lot of work for him. Nowadays, a dictionary is made by a team of people. Dictionaries, like encyclopedias, should just give facts. But Johnson sometimes explained words in his dictionary in a way that showed his opinions (what he thought about things).
Although it shows his personal likes and dislikes, the dictionary still deserves to be famous. Johnson defined 43,000 words. It was the first time a dictionary had been published that gave examples of how the words had been used by well-known writers.
Nozomi (Shinkansen)
Nozomi trains are the fastest Shinkansen "bullet" trains in Japan. They can reach Osaka from Tokyo in two and a half hours. The trains are called "bullet" trains because they travel so fast, like a bullet from a gun. These trains have speeds of up to .
The second fastest Shinkansen trains is the Hikari train. The third fastest Shinkansen train is the Kodama train. In the Japanese language, "Nozomi" means hope, "Hikari" means light and "Kodama" means "echo."
"Shinkansen" means "New Trunk Line" in Japanese because it was built with all new bridges, tunnels through mountains and under water, and special tracks for high speed trains so it could go directly (straight) from city to city. Before the Shinkansen, trains in Japan were slower because they were old and had to go around many mountains, or share the track with cars on road crossings.
Moravia
Moravia (Czech and Slovak: "Morava;" German":" "Mähren") is a historical region in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. It takes its name from the Morava River which flows from the north to the south of the land.
Together with Bohemia in the West and Silesia in the North, Moravia made historical-political region called Czech Lands. Today, Moravia, Bohemia and small part of Silesia make up the current Czech Republic.
Important cities today are Brno, Olomouc, Ostrava and Zlín.
Advanced Photo System
The Advanced Photo System was a technology for photographic film and cameras. People started using it in the year 1996.
This is what it did:
The system also had problems:
The system never became popular, and was stopped in 2004. Since then, most cameras have switched to digital (electronic) systems anyway.
One famous type of camera that used this system was the Canon IXUS, which then later changed and became a digital one.
Coral reef
A coral reef is a large underwater structure made of dead and living corals (press to see more). In most healthy reefs, stony corals are predominant. They are built from colonial polyps from the phylum Cnidaria which secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate. The reefs are formed in tropical marine areas (30 degrees north and south of the equator) and between the tropics. The reef acts as the home of many tropical fish and other animals. Coral reefs systems are a major tourism attraction because of their beauty and color of the corals and their many associated animals.
People look at them while snorkeling and diving. One example of a coral reef is in Malaysia at Pulau Tioman, off the State of Pahang and also one of the most famous - the Great Barrier Reef
Most present-day coral reefs were formed after the last ice age when melting ice caused the sea level to rise and flood the continental shelves. This means they are less than 10,000 years old. As coral reef communities were established on the shelves, they built reefs that grew upwards, keeping pace with the rise in sea level. Reefs that did not keep pace became "drowned reefs", covered by so much water that there was insufficient light for further survival.