bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Developments in the Treatment of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Authors: Alsoufi Bahaaldin , Bennetts Jayme , Verma Subodh , Caldarone Christopher A.
Published: January 2007

In the current decade, the prognosis of newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, previously considered a uniformly fatal condition, has dramatically improved through refinement of rapidly evolving treatment strategies. These strategies include various modifications of staged surgical reconstruction, orthotopic heart transplantation, and hybrid palliation using ductal stenting and bilateral pulmonary artery banding. The variety of treatment approaches are based on different surgical philosophies, and each approach has its unique advantages and disadvantages. Nonetheless, multiple experienced centers have reported improved outcomes in each one of those modalities. The purpose of this review is to outline recent developments in the array of currently available management strategies for neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Because the vast majority of deaths in this patient population occur within the first months of life, the focus of the review will be evaluation of the impact of these management strategies on survival in the neonatal and infant periods.
Low-Income Uninsured Children With Special Health Care Needs: Why Aren't They Enrolled in Public Health Insurance Programs?
Authors: Haley Jennifer , Kenney Genevieve
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVE. We examined potential barriers to enrollment in public programs among low-income children with special health care needs who are uninsured. Barriers considered include parents not knowing about the Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance programs, not believing that their child is eligible for public coverage, not perceiving the enrollment processes as easy, and not wanting to enroll their child in a public program.

METHODOLOGY. The source of data is the 2001 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs. A series of 5 questions about the child's health needs, known as the Children With Special Health Care Needs Screener, was used to identify children with special health care needs. Uninsurance is defined as having no insurance coverage at the time of the survey. Low-income families are defined as those with household incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level. The analytic sample consists of 968 low-income uninsured children with special health care needs. We examined the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the sample, the reasons the children lack coverage, and the awareness and perception measures, both individually and combined as a summary measure.

RESULTS. Many low-income parents with uninsured children with special health care needs do not have full information about Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance programs or do not have positive perceptions of the application processes. Although 93.5% had heard of at least 1 of the 2 programs, only 54.6% believed that their child was eligible for public coverage, and just 48.1% believed that the application processes were easy. Almost all said that they would enroll their child if told he or she was eligible for public coverage.

CONCLUSIONS. Understanding why uninsured children with special health care needs do not participate in public programs is important, because these programs have the potential to cover almost all of this population. Initiatives to increase enrollment should yield real dividends given that the vast majority of low-income uninsured children with special health care needs have parents who say they would enroll their children in public coverage.
Will Esophageal Impedance Replace pH Monitoring?
Authors: Vandenplas Yvan , Salvatore Silvia , Vieira Mario C. , Hauser Bruno
Published: January 2007

Esophageal impedance, a technique based on the fact that the passage of a bolus changes the impedance between esophageal segments, is being used more and more. Multiple esophageal impedance combined with pH monitoring is advocated to become the preferred technique to measure acid and nonacid gastroesophageal reflux. Compared with pH monitoring, impedance has the advantage of being independent of pH and, as a consequence, is better adapted to measure reflux (especially in the postprandial period when reflux is buffered) and detect symptoms associated with nonacid- or weakly acid-reflux episodes. Conversely, the analysis of an impedance tracing requires more time and knowledge than a pH tracing and is possibly subjected to higher interobserver variability. Day-to-day reproducibility and interobserver variability are considerable. Episodes detected only by pH monitoring or impedance are numerous in pediatrics; therefore, pH monitoring and impedance should be associated in analyses of multiple esophageal impedance combined with pH monitoring. Up to now, there has been a striking absence of literature showing attempts to link data from diagnostic procedures to clinical outcome in symptomatic patients. Furthermore, data suggesting that impedance does offer a clear-cut benefit in pediatric clinical routine are missing. High cost of the material and the investment in time necessary for interpretation of the recording remain a handicap. However, because pH monitoring is part of impedance technology, it is likely that the latter will soon replace pH monitoring despite the current need of scientific evidence demonstrating a relation between symptoms, esophageal damage or response to reflux treatment, and results of multiple esophageal impedance combined with pH monitoring.
Will Pediatricians Adopt the New Rotavirus Vaccine?
Authors: Kempe Allison , Daley Matthew F. , Parashar Umesh D. , Crane Lori A. , Beaty Brenda L. , Stokley Shannon , Barrow Jennifer , Babbel Christine , Dickinson L. Miriam , Widdowson Marc-Alain , Alexander James P. , Berman Stephen
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVES. Our objective was to determine the following among US pediatricians: (1) perceptions regarding burden of rotavirus disease and need for a vaccine; (2) intentions for recommending a newly licensed rotavirus vaccine; (3) perceived barriers to implementation; and (4) factors associated with plans for vaccine adoption.

PATIENTS AND METHODS. A network of 431 pediatricians was recruited from a random sample of American Academy of Pediatrics’ members. The network was designed to be representative of the American Academy of Pediatrics with respect to region of the country, practice type, and practice setting. During January and February 2006, physicians were surveyed by Internet or mail. The survey contained a paragraph summarizing results of the new rotavirus vaccine trial. Respondents were asked about intentions to use the vaccine and anticipated barriers.

RESULTS. The survey response rate was 71%. Of the respondents, 52% strongly agreed and 37% somewhat agreed with the need for a rotavirus vaccine. If recommended for routine use, 50% would strongly recommend and 34% would recommend but not strongly; 52% would begin to use within 6 months and 27% from 6 months to 1 year. The top 3 “definite” barriers to implementation included concerns about uniform coverage of vaccine by insurers, lack of adequate reimbursement, and parental reluctance because of withdrawal of previous rotavirus vaccine. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with very likely adoption of the vaccine included perception of a high burden of rotavirus disease and a high level of confidence in prelicensure studies of vaccine safety. The presence of physician concerns about safety of the new vaccine and the perception of parental concerns about vaccine safety in general were negatively associated with adoption.

CONCLUSIONS. The majority of pediatricians reported willingness to implement the new rotavirus vaccine, most within 6 months. Major barriers to optimal implementation included provider concerns about reimbursement issues and parental acceptance of the vaccine.
The Effect of Birth in Secondary- or Tertiary-Level Hospitals in Finland on Mortality in Very Preterm Infants: A Birth-Register Study
Authors: Rautava Liisi , Lehtonen Liisa , Peltola Mikko , Korvenranta Emmi , Korvenranta Heikki , Linna Miika , Hallman Mikko , Andersson Sture , Gissler Mika , Leipälä Jaana , Tammela Outi , Häkkinen Unto ,   for the PERFECT Preterm Infant Study Group
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that the level of the delivery hospital affects 1-year mortality of very preterm infants in Finland.

PATIENTS AND METHODS. This retrospective national medical birth-register study included 2291 very preterm infants (gestational age of <32 weeks at birth or birth weight of ≤1500 g) born in 14 level II (central) and 5 level III (university) hospitals in 2000–2003. The main outcome measures were adjusted total mortality (including stillbirths) and mortality of live-born infants until the age of 1 year.

RESULTS. Both the total 1-year mortality and the 1-year mortality of live-born infants were higher in level II hospitals compared with level III hospitals. Total mortality was higher in very preterm infants who were not born during office hours. In theory, delivery of all very preterm infants in level III instead of level II hospitals translates into an annual prevention of 69 of the 170 total deaths and prevention of 18 of the 45 deaths of live-born infants.

CONCLUSIONS. Resources in neonatal intensive care should be increased, especially during non–office hours, to have an equally distributed service through the 24-hour day. More efficient regionalization of very preterm deliveries may improve 1-year survival of very preterm infants in Finland.
Legal and Ethical Considerations: Risks and Benefits of Postpartum Depression Screening at Well-Child Visits
Authors: Chaudron Linda H. , Szilagyi Peter G. , Campbell Amy T. , Mounts Kyle O. , McInerny Thomas K.
Published: January 2007

Pediatric professionals are being asked to provide an increasing array of services during well-child visits, including screening for psychosocial and family issues that may directly or indirectly affect their pediatric patients. One such service is routine screening for postpartum depression at pediatric visits. Postpartum depression is an example of a parental condition that can have serious negative effects for the child. Because it is a maternal condition, it raises a host of ethical and legal questions about the boundaries of pediatric care and the pediatric provider's responsibility and liability. In this article we discuss the ethical and legal considerations of, and outline the risks of screening or not screening for, postpartum depression at pediatric visits. We make recommendations for pediatric provider education and for the roles of national professional organizations in guiding the process of defining the boundaries of pediatric care.
Evaluation of spatial and temporal variability of snow cover in a large mountainous basin in Iran
Authors: Reza Ghanbarpour M. , Saghafian Bahram , Saravi Mohsen M. , Abbaspour Karim C.
Published: January 2007

Determination of snow characteristics in mountainous basins is difficult due to the complex spatial and temporal variability of snow cover. Accurate representation of snow cover variations in space and time is an important factor in snowmelt modeling, hydrological forecasts, water resources planning, and drought management. This study demonstrates how remotely sensed data can complement the measurements of ground hydro-meteorological data to simulate the spatial and temporal variations of snow cover characteristics in a mountainous basin. In this paper, we studied Karun basin, located in the south west of Iran, because of its importance in accumulating large snow reserves, and subsequently contributing snowmelt to the total runoff. Snow cover variability was simulated by extraction of maps of snow cover indices using remotely sensed data. Contribution of snowmelt to the runoff was determined using a seasonal water balance model as well as estimations based on indirect approaches by modeling variables such as critical temperature, which is an important variable in snow studies. Agreement between indirect approaches used in this paper is an encouraging result that shows the reliability of the procedure where snow data is scarce. The results of correlation analysis between topographic and meteorological variables with snow cover indices suggested that elevation is the single most important variable on large-scale snow variability.
Operational readiness of microwave remote sensing of soil moisture for hydrologic applications
Authors: Wagner Wolfgang , Blöschl Günter , Pampaloni Paolo , Calvet Jean-Christophe , Bizzarri Bizzarro , Wigneron Jean-Pierre , Kerr Yann
Published: January 2007

Microwave remote sensing of soil moisture has been an active area of research since the 1970s but has yet found little use in operational applications. Given recent advances in retrieval algorithms and the approval of a dedicated soil moisture satellite, it is time to re-assess the potential of various satellite systems to provide soil moisture information for hydrologic applications in an operational fashion. This paper reviews recent progress made with retrieving surface soil moisture from three types of microwave sensors – radiometers, Synthetic Aperture Radars (SARs), and scatterometers. The discussion focuses on the operational readiness of the different techniques, considering requirements that are typical for hydrological applications. It is concluded that operational coarse-resolution (25–50 km) soil moisture products can be expected within the next few years from radiometer and scatterometer systems, while scientific and technological breakthroughs are still needed for operational soil moisture retrieval at finer scales (<1 km) from SAR. Also, further research on data assimilation methods is needed to make best use of the coarse-resolution surface soil moisture data provided by radiometer and scatterometer systems in a hydrologic context and to fully assess the value of these data for hydrological predictions.
Runoff detention effect of a sedum green-roof
Authors: Villarreal Edgar L.
Published: January 2007

In order to estimate the detention effect (storage and peak flow attenuation) of a sedum green-roof, a comparison between the response of an impervious roof (runoff coefficient C=1) and a green-roof has been carried out. Precipitation and runoff data from several controlled experiments (with wet initial conditions, i.e. approximately at field capacity) on a sedum green-roof were used for the analysis. For events with variable rain intensity, the green-roof's attenuation effect was as high as 65% for design storms. In contrast, events with constant intensity had increases in peak flows of up to 5%. The lowest detention volumes were observed for the experiments with constant rain intensity, for which a maximum of 29% of the rain volume was detained, whereas for rain events with variable intensity the detention volume was up to 52%. Simulations (using PondPack), based on a real case study, showed that green-roofs can be implemented in combination with other structural best management practices (BMPs) to obtain a desired detention. They can be used to reduce the size of other structural BMPs, and can occupy unused space that is readily available.
An empirical analysis of the impacts of irrigation pricing reforms in China
Authors: Liao Yongsong , Giordano Mark , de Fraiture Charlotte
Published: January 2007

Water pricing constitutes a key component currently ongoing agricultural water policy reforms in China. It is used as a means to achieve two sets of goals: (a) improvements in irrigation efficiency and financial sustainability of irrigation systems and (b) enhancement of food self-sufficiency and rural farm income. Utilizing empirical data on the impacts of water pricing reforms in three large irrigation districts in China with diverse physical and socio-economic settings, this paper argues that water pricing, as a policy tool, is unlikely to succeed on its own in meeting these two sets of objectives. The reasons are related to a combination of infrastructure condition, farmers' lack of understanding of irrigation financing, and, more importantly, the perverse impacts that the price increases will have on agricultural output and farm income. The findings do indicate that pricing reform can improve water management when it is tailored to fit with the specific contexts of irrigation systems and is coupled with improvement in management transparency. However, for water pricing reform to contribute to the achievement of the broader national goals of food security, it needs to be packaged with additional policies and supported by rural investments.
Metal‐induced rearrangement of benzothiazoline ring: Synthesis and characterization of some new organoantimony(V) derivatives of N, O, and S atom containing schiff base ligands
Authors: Shanker D. , Sharma R. K. , Sharma J. , Rai A. K. , Singh Y. P.
Published: January 2007

Some new triphenylantimony(V) derivatives of Schiff bases having the composition ${\rm Ph_3 S\overline{b[SC_6 H_4 N: C(R)CH:CO}COOC H_3]}$ have been synthesized by the equimolar reactions of Ph3SbBr2 with newly synthesized benzothiazoline ligands, $\hbox{H }{\rm \overline{NC_6 H_4 SC} (R)CH:C(OH)COOCH_3}$ (where R = C6H5(H2L1), 4‐BrC6H4(H2L2), 4‐ClC6H4(H2L3), 4‐CH3‐OC6H4(H2L4), 4‐CH3C6H4(H2L5)). The reaction proceeds with the rearrangement of benzothiazoline ring. All the derivatives have been characterized by elemental analyses, molecular weight measurements and their plausible structures have been proposed on the basis of IR and NMR (1H and 13C) spectral studies. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 18:70–75, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20260
3D and 4D ultrasound in fetal cardiac scanning: a new look at the fetal heart
Authors: Yagel S. , Cohen S. M. , Shapiro I. , Valsky D. V.
Published: January 2007

Over the last decade we have been witness to a burgeoning literature on three‐dimensional (3D) and four‐dimensional (4D) ultrasound‐based studies of the fetal cardiovascular system. Recent advances in the technology of 3D/4D ultrasound systems allow almost real‐time 3D/4D fetal heart scans. It appears that 3D/4D ultrasound in fetal echocardiography may make a significant contribution to interdisciplinary management team consultation, health delivery systems, parental counseling, and professional training.

Our aim is to review the state of the art in 3D/4D fetal echocardiography through the literature and index cases of normal and anomalous fetal hearts. Copyright © 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reliability and validity of tissue volume measurement by three‐dimensional ultrasound: an experimental model
Authors: Martins W. P. , Ferriani R. A. , Barra D. A. , dos Reis R. M. , Bortolieiro M. A. V. , Nastri C. O. , Filho F. Mauad
Published: January 2007

Objective

To determine the validity and the intra‐ and interobserver reliability of volume measurements of an endometrium‐like model using a three‐dimensional (3D) ultrasound rotational technique.

Methods

A 3D ultrasound dataset was obtained from a sample of bovine liver containing a portion of chicken chest muscle (CCM). The process was repeated seven times using pieces of CCM of different sizes, resulting in seven datasets. Each portion of CCM was then placed in a water‐filled volume‐scaled tube and the ‘actual’ volumes were calculated by water displacement. For each dataset, ten volumes were calculated by each of two observers using a (VOCAL™) with a 15° rotational step. Reliability was assessed by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and validity by examining the percentage difference from the actual volume using limits of agreement.

Results

The volume measurement of organic tissues using the 3D ultrasound rotational method was highly reliable (intraobserver ICC, 0.998 for Observer 1 and 0.997 for Observer 2; interobserver ICC, 0.997) and valid (the bias and 95% limits of agreement of the percentage difference from the actual volume was only 0.57 (−3.07 to 4.21) % for Observer 1 and − 0.17 (−4.34 to 4.0) % for Observer 2).

Conclusions

The 3D sonographic measurement, using VOCAL with a 15° rotational step, of small and irregular tissues is reliable and valid, suggesting that it is a useful technique for measurement of the endometrial volume and other volumes of similar size. Copyright © 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A note on semidensities in antisymplectic geometry
Authors: Bering K.
Published: January 2007

We revisit Khudaverdian’s geometric construction of an odd nilpotent operator ΔE that sends semidensities to semidensities on an antisymplectic manifold. We find a local formula for the ΔE operator in arbitrary coordinates and we discuss its connection to Batalin-Vilkovisky quantization.
Phenol-benzene complexation dynamics: Quantum chemistry calculation, molecular dynamics simulations, and two dimensional IR spectroscopy
Authors: Kwac Kijeong , Lee Chewook , Jung Yousung , Han Jaebeom , Kwak Kyungwon , Zheng Junrong , Fayer M. D. , Cho Minhaeng
Published: January 2007

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum mechanical electronic structure calculations are used to investigate the nature and dynamics of the phenol-benzene complex in the mixed solvent, benzene∕CCl4. Under thermal equilibrium conditions, the complexes are continuously dissociating and forming. The MD simulations are used to calculate the experimental observables related to the phenol hydroxyl stretching mode, i.e., the two dimensional infrared vibrational echo spectrum as a function of time, which directly displays the formation and dissociation of the complex through the growth of off-diagonal peaks, and the linear absorption spectrum, which displays two hydroxyl stretch peaks, one for the complex and one for the free phenol. The results of the simulations are compared to previously reported experimental data and are found to be in quite reasonable agreement. The electronic structure calculations show that the complex is T shaped. The classical potential used for the phenol-benzene interaction in the MD simulations is in good accord with the highest level of the electronic structure calculations. A variety of other features is extracted from the simulations including the relationship between the structure and the projection of the electric field on the hydroxyl group. The fluctuating electric field is used to determine the hydroxyl stretch frequency-frequency correlation function (FFCF). The simulations are also used to examine the number distribution of benzene and CCl4 molecules in the first solvent shell around the phenol. It is found that the distribution is not that of the solvent mole fraction of benzene. There are substantial probabilities of finding a phenol in either a pure benzene environment or a pure CCl4 environment. A conjecture is made that relates the FFCF to the local number of benzene molecules in phenol’s first solvent shell.
The effect of inlet conditions on concentrated suspension flows in abrupt expansions
Authors: Moraczewski Tracey , Shapley Nina C.
Published: January 2007

This work explores the influence of inlet conditions on the particle concentration distribution and flow field of a concentrated suspension undergoing steady flow in an abrupt, axisymmetric 1:4 expansion. Specifically, we consider the impact of inlet conditions in the upstream narrow tube on the resulting downstream profiles. Particle concentration and velocity profiles were measured by using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Experiments were conducted with two contrasting inlet tube lengths of 10d1 and 128d1, where d1 is the diameter of the narrow inlet tube. In the short inlet case, none of the particle concentration fields were fully developed upon entering the expansion, whereas several of the suspensions had fully developed profiles in the long inlet case. Results indicate that concentration differences between the core and annular regions were greater for the cases with a long inlet tube than in cases with a short inlet tube, likely owing to the higher degree of particle migration occurring in the long inlet tube before entry into the expansion. Also, the lengths of recirculating regions were greater for suspensions in the long inlet than in the short inlet geometry, while both systems followed the same trend of increasing recirculation length with bulk particle volume fraction and correlation with the ratio of tube center to wall concentration values.
On the Fallacies of Dr. Day's Theory of Harmony, with a Brief Outline of the Elements of a New System
Authors: Stephens Charles Edward
Published: January 2007

In the present state of scientific knowledge in general, it may appear incomprehensible, to those who hare not pursued it in the direction of music, that we should have arrived beyond the middle of the nineteenth century of the Christian era without any work having yet appeared which has set forth even the elements of that science in a light which has carried conviction and met with general acceptance. I am not speaking here of the excellent treatises of Sir John Goss, John Hullah, Henry Lunn, Henry Banister, Alexander Hamilton, &c. These, and numerous others, do not profess to treat of the recondite view of the subject, but solely to supply the young student with practical applications of accepted facts. What is still wanting, despite numerous endeavours, is a work which shall convincingly trace the materials and combinations of the Harmonist to their true source, and show him (as I believe to be the case) that those materials and combinations are not arbitrary and conventional, but are supplied by Nature herself—thus enlarging his views, and, in fact, laying before him all of which, as a Harmonist, he can avail himself.
Embellishment in early Sixteenth-Century Italian Intabulations
Authors: Brown Howard Mayer
Published: January 2007

We are relatively well informed about both the theory and the practice of embellishing late sixteenth-century music. Treatises by Bassano, Bovicelli, Conforto, Dalla Casa, Rogniono and others supply numerous and elaborate decorative formulas which were intended to be superimposed upon the unadorned melodic lines of madrigals, chansons, and even motets by Cipriano da Rore, Alessandro Striggio, Philippe de Monte, Andrea Gabrieli, the ‘inviolable’ Palestrina, and their contemporaries. Most of the treatises offer as well examples of actual music embellished in this way so that we can know for certain how virtuoso soloists, both vocal and instrumental, transformed apparently sober polyphonic music into accompanied monodies filled with fioriture and the most extravagant virtuoso display.
G. F. Malipiero's Crisis Years (1913–19)
Authors: Waterhouse John C. G.
Published: January 2007

It is ironical that of all centuries of Italian musical history the one that at present seems least known and least understood in this country should be the twentieth. At the beginning of the century, it is true, the later operas of Puccini stand out as almost excessively familiar landmarks; and in the period from the Second World War onwards the works of composers such as Dallapiccola, Nono and especially Berio have become relatively well known ground at least to contemporary music enthusiasts, in the English speaking world as elsewhere. However, vast tracts of the intervening territory currently seem shrouded — where general public awareness in this country is concerned — in a thick fog of ignorance and apathetic prejudice. Here and there the fog may thin a little, to reveal isolated familiar objects such as Respighi's symphonic poems, the guitar music of Castelnuovo-Tedesco, or (at the more radical end of the ideological spectrum) the recently-much-studied futurist experiments of Luigi Russolo. Nevertheless the mists still show little inclination to lift in their entirety, to reveal to British eyes the overall geography of the whole landscape.
Some Aspects of Tonal Language in Music of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
Authors: Caldwell John
Published: January 2007

One of the more nefarious generalizations of popular musical history is that which asserts a change from ‘modality’ to ‘tonality’ around the year 1600. The old canard is nowadays scarcely met with in its pure form, but it is surprising how much it still influences even sophisticated discussions of tonality both before and after that date. Lowinsky in his epoch-making Tonality and Atonality in Sixteenth-Century Music is largely concerned with the ways in which sixteenth-century music foreshadows the tonal procedures of the baroque and classical periods. In his articles on ‘Tonality’ and ‘Harmony’ in The New Grove, Carl Dahlhaus, while offering a series of widely-ranging definitions of tonality, and while recognizing also the capacity of melody to be tonally organized, nevertheless regards the major and minor scales as the essential pre-requisites of ‘harmonic tonality’, and its growth as a phenomenon of music composed since 1600. I find myself in sympathy only with the wider definitions of tonality there given, principally that of Fétis, and it will be the function of this paper, first, to argue against the retention of narrower definitions, and, secondly, to put the case for recognizing that the development of harmonically controlled tonality occurred much earlier than 1600. A reading of Dahlhaus's articles (which I take to be an authoritative digest of his considered standpoint as well as an informative summary of the points of view expressed by many theorists down the centuries) has also reminded me how much I am opposed to theories of melody and harmony which depend on acoustic absolutes, and to functional theories of harmony, principally that of Riemann, which assert a rigid hierarchy of chords, or fail to recognize the historical development of harmony from counterpoint. Some of these prejudices will surface in this paper, but they are not its primary purpose.
The Royal Musical Association 1874–1901
Authors: Cobbe Hugh
Published: January 2007

An account of the origins of the RMA was given by Gerald Abraham in his address to the Association entitled ‘Our First Hundred Years’ given at the Annual Conference in April 1974: the idea of forming a musical society on the lines of a learned society apparently arose in conversation between Sir John Stainer and Dr William Pole, Professor of Civil Engineering at University College, London, and a Fellow of the Royal Society, after lunch in Oxford one day in 1867, as Stainer, then President of the Association, recollected in an occasional note inThe Musical Timesin 1901. When Stainer subsequently became organist at St Paul's Cathedral in 1872 and moved to London, the idea bore fruit and steps were taken to found such a society. Detailed knowledge of how the Association came to be established however became available only comparatively recently, when an accident brought to light the minute books of the Association from its foundation down to 1949. These had been considered lost for a number of years until they appeared in the catalogue for a sale at Christie's in 1981 and were recovered from the vendor (who had come upon them by chance) by private arrangement. Prior to this fortunate recovery, the record of the achievement of the Association depended on the successive volumes ofProceedings of the Royal Musical Association.These remain the major basis for such a record, including, as they do, the names of speakers, their papers and a transcript of the discussion following the papers; however the newly recovered minute books, containing a record of both General and Council meetings, add important circumstantial detail to the general outline. The volumes have been deposited in the British Library Department of Manuscripts. The following account of the early years of the RMA is based on both sources.“
Weber's Freischütz: Conceptions and Misconceptions
Authors: Finscher Ludwig
Published: January 2007

The 18 June 1821, the sixth anniversary of the last and decisive battle of the British and Prussian armies against Napoleon, the Battle of Waterloo or Belle Alliance, and the day of the triumphal first performance of Weber's Freischütz, is commonly regarded as the birthday of German Romantic opera, a genre which was to dominate the opera houses of the German-speaking countries until well beyond the middle of the century and which was eventually to create Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk, out of Wagner's own German Romantic operas Die Feen, Der fliegende Holländer, Tannhäuser and Lohengrin, which in turn depended directly and to a considerable degree upon Weber's Freischütz and Euryanthe. A day of great importance in the history of music, then, and a day of paramount importance in the history of German music. Again it is Wagner who gave expression to the feelings of what was apparently the vast majority of music-loving and patriotic Germans of his time, in the famous beginning of his report on the first performance of Berlioz' adaptation of Freischütz for the Grand Opéra, the report Le Freischütz. Bericht nach Deutschland, published on 20 June 1841 – and so unfortunately two days too late for the 20th anniversary of the Freischütz première and the 26th anniversary of Waterloo – in the Dresdener Abendzeitung:

O, mein herrliches deutsches Vaterland, wie muß ich dich lieben, wie muß ich für dich schwārmen, wāre es nur, weil auf deinem Boden der “Freischūtz” entstand! Wie muß ich das deutsche Volk lieben, das den “Freischütz” liebt, das noch heute an die Wunder der naivesten Sage glaubt, das noch heute, im Mannesalter, die süßen, geheimnisvollen Schauer empfindet, die in seiner Jugend ihm das Herz durchbebten! Ach, du liebenswürdige deutsche Träumerei! Du Schwärmerei vom Walde, vom Abend, von den Sternen, vom Monde, von der Dorfthurmglocke, wenn sie sieben Uhr schlägt! Wie ist der glücklich, der euch versteht, der mit euch glauben, fühlen, träumen, schwärmen kann! Wie ist mir wohl, daß ich ein Deutscher bin!
Music at the Ospedali
Authors: Arnold Denis
Published: January 2007

The peacefulness and longevity of the Venetian Republic prove that it had solved one of its greatest problems – that of poverty Not that it was rid of its poor even in times of prosperity: but at least they were cared for by a wealth of charitable organizations, and that desperation which leads to civil insurrection never gained a hold. The chronically sick, the girls having no dowry, the orphans and the beggars were each helped by various institutions which were supported by the more fortunate. The four largest of these could between them claim to cater for any poor person who was really in need. The beggars were taken off the streets by the Ospedale di S. Lazzaro et Mendicanti, founded and endowed by three noble families. The sick went to the Incurabili, originally a house for poor pilgrims, but later turned to this more pressing need. Orphans and poor children were housed in two ospedali: the Derelitti near the monastery of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, and later known as the Ospedaletto; and the Pietà.
The Refrain Cento: Myth or Motet?
Authors: Everist Mark
Published: January 2007

Of all the genres of thirteenth-century vernacular polyphony, none is more elusive than the so-called refrain cento. Such types of composition as the motet enté and the motet with a single terminal refrain make regular appearances in the literature on the thirteenth-century motet. Most of these genres are defined by the presence or absence of a refrain, the musico-poetic entity which seems to drift from chanson to rondeau, to verse narrative, to motet. The nature of the problem concerns the degree to which the pieces which have been termed refrain cento can actually be seen to constitute a genre. Generic considerations will therefore be given some weight in this article.
The Physiology of Pianoforte Playing, with a Practical Application of a New Theory
Authors: Smith W. MacDonald
Published: January 2007

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,—I stand before you this afternoon mainly as the representative of someone else, rather than the author and demonstrator of a theory of my own connected with pianoforte playing. Mr. Macdonald Smith, whose investigations and views on the subject I shall endeavour to lay before you, resides at Oporto. He came to England a few months ago furnished with a letter of introduction to me, and requested that I would examine his theory. Briefly, this deals with the classification and working of the particular muscles we make use of in playing the pianoforte; and further, in the production of certain apparatuses by which these muscles can be prepared for their special work, and this with a considerable saving of time compared to that usually consumed in this operation. By my advice he brought his scheme to the notice of some of our well-known London pianists. These gentlemen appear to think favourably of his theory, and it is considered to be of sufficient importance to justify its presentation for the consideration of the Musical Association. I asked Mr. Smith to write down his remarks on the whole subject; these have been put into the customary form of our papers. I am also supplied with a set of the instruments he has invented for carrying out the design advocated—a novelty of these is that they give an audible signal when the precise work required to be done has been accomplished. I shall therefore have the honour of explaining and showing to you the action of these mechanical aids for developing and strengthening the muscles of the hand, and giving the fingers the necessary rapidity.
The Laws of Progress in Music
Authors: Jacques Edgar F.
Published: January 2007

When, a year ago, I accepted the flattering invitation of your assistant secretary to read a paper before you, I did not, I am afraid, sufficiently realize the difficulties of the undertaking. Casting about for a subject, it gradually dawned upon me that any attempt on my part to convey original information would be futile; for, not having a claim to be considered a specialist in any one branch of the musical art, my efforts could only have resulted in the process familiarly known as “carrying coals to Newcastle.” As such a waste of time was not to be thought of, it finally struck me that if I could not impart information, I might at least be the means of eliciting it, by supplying materials for a profitable discussion, which in its turn might stimulate to further enquiry and investigation. This I resolved to do, and as a natural consequence directed myself to the discovery of some neglected or hitherto imperfectly treated subject. I submit that Musical Progress is such a subject, and that its neglect, however easily it might have been accounted for fifty years ago, by the difficulties which would then have stood in the way, is no longer justifiable at the present day.
The Viola Da Gamba
Authors: Payne E. J.
Published: January 2007

Before proceeding with the remarks which I am about to make on the subject of the Viola da Gamba, I ought to say that I propose on the present occasion to treat the subject in its popular rather than its scientific aspect. In doing so, I am possibly taking a course not strictly in accordance with the practice of a society the objects of which I quite understand to be of a scientific rather than a popular character. But I have a reason for doing so, which is, that so little is generally known about the Viola da Gamba, and so completely has this once common instrument passed out of the region of popular use and knowledge, that without some general description, any scientific description and investigation of its nature and properties would be scarcely intelligible. A great deal might be said, and I may perhaps have an opportunity of saying it on some other occasion, on the Viola da Gamba from a scientific point of view—dealing with the nature and quality of its tone, as contrasted with instruments of the violin type, the scope for execution afforded by its mechanism, and the facilities which it offers to the composer for musical purposes generally, as well as for the production of particular effects.
A New Note System
Authors: Latte Ludwing
Published: January 2007

The object of this system is, without alteration of the ordinary notes, so to simplify the reading of difficult keys, which, as is well-known, require a practised and experienced eye, that anyone possessing only slight musical skill can easily master them. The system is not complicated; it is, on the contrary, so easy of comprehension that its advantages can be made use of at once.
Music Viewed from Different Standpoints
Authors: Banister Henry C.
Published: January 2007

It was suggested to me that I should address you on the different views, or impressions, concerning music, of the musician on the one hand, and the non-musician, or non-progressive musician, or Philistine, as he has been termed, on the other; rather with the idea, I suppose, of suggesting some sort of Eirenicon, or compromise between conflicting opinions or notions: a sort of reconciliation between Esoterics and Exoterics. In many controversies, undoubtedly much would be gained, or, at all events, matters would be cleared and simplified, if the two parties were to say, in all good faith: let us understand one another as to wherein we differ; we may find that there is less in our differences than in our agreements after all.
The Evolution of the Movable Do
Authors: Taylor John
Published: January 2007

The Movable Do ! Words pregnant with meaning, instinct with reality to the musician ! The text of the sermons in sounds expounding the universal message which the world calls music.
Giovanni Pierluigi, Da Palestrina
Authors: Davey Henry
Published: January 2007

For nearly three centuries the name of Palestrina has been much more familiar than his works, especially in England. Comparatively few English musicians—we may even say absolutely few—professional or amateur, can claim a practical acquaintance with the writings of this composer, whose name is so well-known to them. On the Continent things are a little better; but only, I believe, in Germany can the works of Palestrina be often heard. Of course difference of religion has some influence in causing the ignorance in England; the recent performance of “Missa Papæ Marcelli,”in St. Paul's Cathedral, was epoch-making indeed, and not the least important of the general events which have so marked the year 1898 as an era in the religious history of England. Since so little is publicly heard of Palestrina's works here, and no trustworthy account of his life has been published in English, as far as I am aware, a paper upon both life and works will hardly require an apology.
On Henry Purcell and his Family
Authors: Cummings W. H.
Published: January 2007

A most pleasant and picturesque introduction to the Purcell family is to be found in Pepys' Diary, under date Feb. 21, 1659, where we find this entry: ‘After dinner I back to Westminster Hall with him (Mr. Crewe) in his coach. Here I met with Mr. Lock and Purcell, Masters of Musique, and with them to the Coffee House, into a room next the water by ourselves, where we spent an hour or two‥… Here we had variety of brave Italian and Spanish songs, and a canon for eight voices, which Mr. Lock had lately made on these words, Domine Salvum fac Regem, an admirable thing. … Here out of the window it was a most pleasant sight to see the City from one end to the other with a glory about it, so high was the light of the bonfires, and so thick round the City, and the bells rang everywhere.’
On the Gymnastic Training of the Hand for Performing on Keyed Instruments
Authors: Stratton Stephen S.
Published: January 2007

Before entering upon my subject, I beg one moment's explanation. I can claim no originality in this matter, my attention having been drawn to it some eleven years ago by a work on Finger Gymnastics by Mr. Ward Jackson. I was greatly taken with the subject, and did my best to make the work known. Wishing to communicate with the author, I made many efforts, by letter and otherwise, but without success. Subsequently, the Rev. Edward Young, of Clifton, who knew Mr. Jackson, informed me of the latter gentleman's death. Finding the Finger Gymnastics but little known, I thought I might be doing some good by bringing the subject before this Association, as it seemed of great importance. A recognition of the only scientific work on the subject (to my knowledge), and my indebtedness to it, seem to me only an act of justice to the author.
The Basis of the Claim of Music in Education
Authors: Somervell Arthur
Published: January 2007

The attitude which is assumed towards all art in England is not perhaps quite to our credit as artists, this attitude being that Art is not an altogether serious thing, which “really matters.” The average Englishman thinks, for example, that it is of dire import what Member is returned to Parliament for a particular constituency: he considers it a really important matter whether we or the Australians play cricket better, he is also much exercised over the particular sect to which individuals belong. These may be, nay are, matters of great importance to individuals, but they are of very little importance as regards national life. I would go farther, and say that the national capacity for getting rich counts for absolutely nothing, as compared with the conservation of those forces which express themselves in noble art. These forces may—very likely will—lead to riches, as they have often done before (usually with rather bad results), but without them riches can lead only to rottenness.
The Limits of Artistic Expression in Music
Authors: Bellairs Ralph H.
Published: January 2007

The subject which I have chosen is the most important in the whole range of musical aesthetics, and it is one with which we are particularly concerned to-day, when the air is alive with experiments of the most far-reaching kind, the results of which must affect the very foundations of music itself.
The Lord Chamberlain and Opera in London, 1700–1740
Authors: Cummings W. H.
Published: January 2007

I have here a folio volume containing more than eighty papers which refer to matters connected with Drury Lane, Coven' Garden, and Haymarket Theatres.
The Music of Ancient Egypt
Authors: Pulver Jeffrey
Published: January 2007

When we use the term “Ancient Egypt,” a hazy picture of pyramids forms in the mind and we have a vague notion that it refers to a culture that reached an exceedingly high plane a very long time ago. How long ago, it is almost beyond the everyday mind to grasp. Our ideas of time are, after all, only relative; and when we speak of “six thousand years ago” it conveys little more to our minds than would “two thousand years ago.” Five hundred years is a very long time; yet if we enquire what was the state of music at that distance of time back, we should find things in a very primitive state. A thousand years ago we only find King Alfred burning cakes, and two thousand years ago we should see the Romans teaching our barbarous ancestors how to build roads, to dress themselves decently, and to take baths. Yet, when Greece was only just beginning to show her first promise of greatness later, the Twelfth Dynasty of Egyptian Kings was ruling a country that enjoyed a musical culture that must seem astonishing to us. We find evidences of musical activity as far back as the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties (ca. 4000–3500 b.c.), and the music made then, and the instruments upon which it was made, could not have been the result of a sudden inspiration and invention. A long era of development must have preceded these early evidences of music—and allowing for the inevitable periods of decline and decadence, we arrive at a date which is so remote that we could scarcely realise its meaning.