Taverner composed eight masses. The most famous one is called the "Western Wynde". It was a “parody mass”, which meant that it used a popular tune with that title. Another mass was called "Gloria tibi trinitas". This work set a fashion for pieces which were called "In Nomine"s, because the tune was from the Benedictus in the mass which sets the words “in nomine domine” (“in the name of the Father”). “In nomine”s were compositions for instruments which used this tune.
Taverner also wrote magnificats and motets.
John Tavener
Sir John Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer.
John Tavener was born in Wembley, Middlesex. He went to Highgate School in North London. Another pupil there at the time was John Rutter. At school he studied piano, organ and composition and wrote music for the school orchestra. He also wrote music for the Presbyterian church where his family went and where his father was organist. In 1962 he went to the Royal College of Music where he studied the piano at first but then changed to composition. One of his early successes was a cantata called "Cain and Abel" which was performed by the London Bach Society. It was the performance of "The Whale" by the London Sinfonietta in 1968 that made him really famous. This work used collage, pre-recorded tape, amplified percussion and a chorus who used loudhailers. This kind of thing was very fashionable in the 1960s.
Another work written in 1968 was "In Alium". It was performed at the Proms. It was an unusual concert: three works by living composers were played in the first half. The audience were asked to vote for which one they wanted to hear again after the interval. They chose "In Alium".
The Beatles became interested in Tavener’s music. John Lennon heard The Whale and he decided to issue Tavener’s music on the newly formed Apple label.
Tavener became professor of composition at Trinity College. He continued to compose, although he often had difficulty finishing pieces. He was often worried that he might not be able to think of any new music. In 1977 he became a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. This changed his life. His music was very religious. He married his second wife and had two children. He was also very ill with heart trouble and even died on the operating table in hospital, but he brought back to life by the doctors.
He made a very important friend, Mother Thekla. She was an 80-year-old nun in the Orthodox Church, and she gave John a lot of advice and encouragement in his life.
A short piece for choir, "The Lamb" was written as a birthday present for his 3 year old nephew. It is very often sung by choirs at Christmas as a carol.
In 1989, his work "The Protecting Veil" was performed at the Proms. It was a work for cello and orchestra. The cellist was Steven Isserlis. This piece is one of the best known modern works for cello. He continued to write a lot of music. His "Song for Athene" was performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1998. It was heard on television all over the world.
Tavener was knighted in 2000.
Tavener died on 12 November 2013 at his home in Child Okeford, Dorset from unknown causes, aged 69. Tavener suffered many health issues. He suffered two heart attack and had surgery to remove an intestinal tumor.
Escape velocity
Escape velocity is the initial speed that something would need to completely escape the gravity of a large body, like a star or a planet (such as the Earth), by mere inertia.
If a ball is thrown upwards while standing on the ground, the ball will reach a certain height (the faster thrown - the higher) and fall back down. But imagine if the ball is thrown fast enough that it "never" falls back down, and instead travels into space farther and farther away from the Earth. The minimum speed at which this could happen is called the escape velocity.
The escape velocity at the surface of the Earth is 11.2 kilometers per second (or 6.96 miles per second), assuming there is no drag.
This is, of course, a very high speed compared to how fast a ball can be thrown. Even a bullet shot into the sky will fall back down, because its initial speed of nearly 1 kilometer per second (or 0.621 miles per second) is far from escape velocity.
Spacecraft starting from the surface of Earth has a zero initial speed. But, if it has enough fuel, it may be permanently accelerated by its engine until it reaches escape velocity. Then it will travel into space even after the engine is shut off.
Razor
A razor is a tool, with one or more blades, most commonly used by men for shaving the hair from their face, and by women for shaving hair from their legs and underarms. The earliest razors known are from the Bronze Age. They were made of bronze and had an oval shape. There are different kinds of razors today, including straight razors, which are rarely used, and safety razors and electric razors.
A slightly different type of electric razor is used to trim and cut hair from the head, because hair can be cut much more quickly with electric haircutting razors than with scissors.
Before the 20th century, straight razors were widely used. A straight razor consists of a knife blade, which can be reused. Since this blade is usually very sharp, there is a high risk of cutting oneself with the razor while scraping off the hair. Today, such razors are rarely used any more, except by barbers.
In the late 18th century, French engineer Jean-Jacques Perret invented the safety razor. With this system, the skin is protected, from all but the edge of the blade. This makes cutting much harder. The first such razor was released in 1875 by the Campfe Brothers. In 1901, King Camp Gillette invented the first razor with disposable razor blades. The blades were thrown away after several uses. The number of times a disposable blade can be used depends on beard coarseness and shaving technique, but the average is about one week. The company, Gilette still makes such razors today. They sell the razor relatively cheaply, and make big profits on the razor blades.
The electric razor was the next big step. With electric razors, shaving cream, soap or water is no longer needed. Electric razors use electricity to either make blades rotate or oscillate. That is the blades are either moved in circles, or they are moved up and down (or left and right). The razor is usually powered by a rechargeable battery. Prof. Alexandre Horowitz invented the concept of rotating blades which is still marketed as "Philishave" by Philips.
A slightly different type of electric razor is used to trim and cut hair from the head. Haircutting electric razors have comb-like attachments which determine the length of the hair. Electric haircutting razors are widely used by military and prison barbers, because hair can be cut much more quickly with electric haircutting razors than with scissors.
Shaving using any of the shaving methods (straight razor, safety razor, or electric razor) can have side-effects, including cuts, abrasions, and irritated skin. "Razor bumps" can also occur from removing ingrown hairs. To reduce the likelihood of cuts, abrasions, and irritated skin, people can use a fresh razor blade and prepare their faces by washing in hot, soapy water and then applying a shaving cream lather. There is a razor called Bump Fighter that is designed to reduce razor bumps and other side effects, but it uses special cartridges that are more expensive than standard double-edge razor blades.
Mood stabilizer
A mood stabilizer is a psychiatric medication used to treat mood disorders characterized by fast and unstable mood changes. Among the disorders commonly treated are bipolar disorder and Borderline personality disorder. With these conditions, the mood can change rapidly, between mania and depression. Many mood stabilizers can also prevent convulsions.
International Baccalaureate