Types of Flutes

For those who think the flute is relatively modern (in terms of thousands of years), think again. The flute, in fact, has been documented as the oldest instrument of melody made by man. This comes from an archaeological discovery at the Ach Valley of Southern Germany, a flute made of bone that can be dated back by 35,000 years. After more excavation, it was concluded that the Ach Valley was quite the artistic hub back in the day. Of course, they probably had a different definition of what 'Rock' would sound like, get it? Rock? No? Okay, Back to flutes, I have categorized them according to the way they are played, their shape and size and their period of creation.

Flutes by Culture and Shape

Based on their home, the flutes are as variegated as they come. Click on any image to get an enlarged view of them.

The Panpipes

It consists of about 5 pipes in general, each pipe differing in size. The Panpipes(or pan flute) are completely flat at one end, with the other ends of each pipe trailing off. The different lengths of the pipes give out different notes, so instead of a single pipe with holes in it, you get multiple pipes with no holes. The Panpipes are considered to be a folk instrument that originated from Greek culture. The instrument is linked to the Greek god Pan, hence the name Panpipes. Records of the instrument have been found through manuscripts and archaeological digs in places all around the worlds, from Central America to India.

The Ocarina

The instrument is too unique and simple, yet sounds amazing in its own light. The Ocarina is simple to make, easy to play and the fun can last for a lifetime. The English Pendant Ocarina can have just four holes for fingers and still get an entire octave! The instrument may have been globally available, but it was nowhere as famous or as widely used as it was in Japan. 'The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time', anyone? The game has to be the biggest reason for its comeback. The Ocarina's charm is in its simplicity, the pitch gets changed simply by controlling the air flow inside the Ocarina where it keeps banging against the walls. The two basic types would be the pendant type and the chambered type. Small, simple and easy to use, the Ocarina is the definition of music that can be played anywhere.

The Recorder

The Recorder is one of the oldest flutes around. It's still used for playing. The Recorder is one the main reasons the Ocarina lost much of its hold over the musical domain. It grew to its greatest popularity during the Renaissance. The modern flute we use today like the Recorder's younger brother- both were developed side by side historically. The soprano Recorder is the most common one used today. One can say that playing the Recorder remains as one of the easier things to do among the woodwind instruments. The recorder gets its name from the early meaning of 'record', which means 'to practice music'. The recorder is named 'Flauto' in Portuguese and Spanish. Over the passing of time however, it was discovered that the modern concert flute was richer in tones and better sounding than the recorder. That, coupled with the exponential rise in popularity of orchestras, led to the decline of the recorder.

The Suling

Well yes, 'Suling' in Balinese means 'flute'. The Suling is the kind of flute that will change its size according to the celebration. It is made from bamboo and its size can be from 20cm to more than a meter, or from narrow to wide enough for additional support. Their size, like all concert flutes, is in reverse proportion to their base register- the larger ones play are meant for the bass notes and the smaller ones for the higher pitched notes. All Suling have six holes evenly spaced from each other. The instrument was meant to be more of a humming flute and is known for its ease of producing a vibrato. This gives the suling its two popular effects. One is the slur, where you play notes in rapid succession within a single breath. The other effect is the 'Puruluk', which sort of resembles the flutter on an electric guitar. What you do is rapidly alternate between two notes in a scale in one breath.

The Japanese Shakuhachi

The Shakuhachi is an end-blown flute made out of bamboo. The Shakuhachi has no duct and therefore has a lower pitch control when compared to the Recorder. Although the 'Bamboo flute' came to Japan through China, they developed it on their own and named it the 'Shakuhachi', which means 'one-eight('-hachi') of 30.3 centimeters('Shaku-')' in English. The traditional Japanese genre 'honkyoku'(a form of soloist music) uses the Shakuhachi the most. The passage of time saw the transition of the Shakuhachi from traditional Japanese music to pop music and Hollywod soundtracks, including 'The Last Samurai' and 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. The Shakuhachi can be dated back to times of the Komusō(traveling monks) in the Edo period. They would play the shakuhachi as they believed its sounds to be the path to enlightenment. The characteristic sound of the shakuhachi is drawn by accepting what most other flutes try to avoid. It uses the empty notes that resemble the sound of wind or the tapping or beating that happens when you tap your fingers on the holes. The shakuhachi uses all these elements to portray not just one sound, but a whole scenery of music.

Bansuri

The Indian version of the bamboo flute, the Bansuri ranges from 12 inches to 40 inches, the 20 inch one being the most common. The regular Bansuri has six holes and both hands are used to control them. Depending on whichever holes you have left open or kept closed, the sound is produced due to resonance created inside the column of the instrument. The Bansuri is deceptively complicated, especially once you hear what a professional can do with it. Indian flutists consider playing the Bansuri as a way of life than a simple instrument. The bansuri is perhaps the most popular flute played in India, apart from the Shehnai which is an oboe without keys. The main reason for its popularity is its link to the Hindu god Krishna, who often enthralled the women and animals when he played the flute. Lord Krishna is one of the most revered gods and therefore, the people's love for him translates to their love for the flute.

Dizi

Another Asian flute made of bamboo would be the Dizi. It was created and is most popular in China. The instrument is also a six fingered flute, side-blown and has one membrane hole. While the Dizi is played horizontal, it has a vertical counterpart called the 'Xiao', which is the flute that the Shakuhachi originated from. Historical records show the Dizi is as old as 9,000 years old, although nothing much has changed about it. The Dizi still remains as a popular six-holed flute popular to the Chinese. If you ever get to see a dizi flutist around you, he/she, in some way, will be inspired by the 'Dragon Flute' or Ron Korb, who made the dizi famous across the western part of the world by using it as the lead instrument in many of his compositions.

Fife

It is small, but do not underestimate its power! Ever wondered why the Fife is used during military drills and in marching bands? Because the fife has a high-pitched sound and sheer power to it that can get it heard over almost everything except a jet plane. In fact, early warfare records say that the Fife(coupled with drums) can be heard over 3 miles away, over all the artillery fire! Orchestra fifes are in A flat, while the marching band fifes are in B flat, which means its lowest note playable is a B flat. What's unique about the fife is its crudeness. The fife is built such that it fits in your pocket and makes a sound louder than any other instrument. Of course these requirements come with the drawback of the fife not being able to play more than a few pitches of chromatics and for the ones that you can play, you'll find yourself to be grossly out of tune.

Irish Tin Whistle

Also known as the Scottish Penny whistle or just tin whistle, this instrument has everything to do with Celtic folk music. It is and end-blown fipple flute that is cheap(under $10 most of the time), easy to pick up and easy to master. Earlier records of the creation or the existence of the tin whistle are hard to pin-point. In fact, the German bone flute mentioned above can actually be said to be the earliest fipple flute that closely resembles the tin whistle. If you want to hear the tin whistle in Celtic-style action, listen to the Dropkick Murphys or The Tossers.

The Modern Flute

The concert flute or the modern flute is what you will be seeing more often if you live in America or Europe. It is the younger brother of the Recorder and is used almost everywhere. Here are the types of modern flutes.

Bass Flute in C
The largest of them all, the bass flute is in the key of C. The only modern flute larger than the bass flute is the contra-bass flute, which is two octaves below the concert flute.

Alto Flute in G
The alto flute uses the same fingering as required for the concert flute, while sharing a similar tubing with the bass flute. The alto was mainly designed for flute ensembles.

Tenor Flute in B♭
The tenor flute is tuned in the key of B♭. It is also known as 'Flûte d'amour'(The Flute of Love), because of its rich tone that is believed to invoke the emotion of love.

Concert Flute in C
The most widely used flute amongst the modern flute family, the concert flute is not only famous for its contributions to Classical music, but also for its beauty seen in jazz or well, almost anywhere you need it.

Soprano Flute in E♭
Larger than the piccolo but 4 inches shorter than the concert flute, the soprano is the combination of both. Because of the slightly higher pitch, the flute is easier to blow into along with being easy to play.

Treble Flute in G
The treble flutes are higher than the concert flutes and are rarely seen in use. They are only seen in flute ensembles or some jazz performances.

Piccolo in C
It is the smallest of all the modern flutes, which is half the size of a concert flute and one whole octave higher.

This covers all the important flutes that you will come across as you walk across the musical world. You might come across some others like the subcontra-bass flute or the hyper-bass flute, which by now I hope you can figure out for yourselves. All that remains now is for you to take your pick, find inspiration and start playing.

A Few Thoughts On the Psychology of Painting

Van den Steinen is mentioned by Henri Delacroix in his essay entitled "The Psychology of Art" ("Psychologie de l'art"), when referring to the study of some Brazilian tribes and how they envisioned the whole process of painting. Den Steinen expressed the idea, the genius of visual arts resides in the gesture of imitating. This is most obviously noticeable, in his opinion, in the primitive man's act of quickly drawing the sketch of an animal in motion or expressing a certain attitude. This sketch is almost the continuation of a gesture, and the gesture is almost the continuation of the perception's constitutive movements.

There are two types of languages within this process of imitation: an abstract language and the vivid, concrete language of art itself. An artist's writing actually originates in the child's or the primitive man's way of drawing. According to Delacroix, childhood age analysts have noticed some specific things. Thus, when observing a child who draws, there are certain elements that may be taken into account. A child who draws has two tendencies: a descriptive tendency and an indicative tendency. In most circumstances, a child uses drawing as a means of indicating a certain place or thing that has made an impression on him. As Rouma once put it, a child's act of drawing could be considered similar to producing a sort of graphic language. As they grow up, many children develop some other tendencies which are usually typical of drawing beginners, such as the tendency to describe. This may result from the child's effort to dominate his intellectual scheme and to reach the object's concrete reality. Then the child can launch onto the synthetic representation of the whole, upon the exact pointing out of the details, or upon the attempt to create the perfect construction. Of course, there are many imperfections at first.

Primitive art also oscillates between schemes and imageries. The concrete realism and the vivid expression of reality sometimes make their way through the abstract conventionalism, by defying the abusive stylization which tends to turn art into a rather intellectual combination of elements. The primitive artist actually discovered colors and landscapes at the exact time he discovered lines and contours. There was no psychological or chronological priority in this respect. In those ancient times, decorative arts implied a certain sense of regularity and proportion. Among the most frequent forms of decorative art of the primitive age, one could definitely mention face painting. Delacroix says that even the incisions made during the process of creating a visual art piece had a certain rhythm for the primitive man.

Imitation, pointing out, self-exposure were all combined at the very beginnings of visual arts. It's most obvious that visual arts developed its techniques and conquered its means of expression only gradually. We most certainly can feel the difference between Greek primitive sculpture and that of the great epochs, between a primitive and a modern painting. But no matter what the differences in the techniques used and especially in their improvements, visual arts operate upon certain basic data, and their relation to the artist's intention can help create the aesthetic and artistic pleasure.

The components of painting are on one hand, drawing and shape, and on the other hand, light and colors. The shape of things can very much influence our practical behavior and our calculating intelligence. Philosophers have clearly expressed the connection between geometry and practical, day-to-day life. The same as colors, shapes also can influence our state of mind and way of thinking. For instance, a round room can create a sensation of space and freedom of spirit that a right-angled room may lack, and so on.

Greek painters were very much relying on beautiful shapes. Their painting style resembled sculpting. Words like: contour, line, feature, plan, elevation, section, weight, caliber, profile, silhouette, scheme, and so on, served to designate a shape, when this shape was effectively limited by a certain trajectory. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, a neoclassical French painter, said that painting makes up three quarters and a half of what the actual paining supposes. Drawing is more than merely representing contours. The line, which helps represent certain shapes, is an abstraction of the model.

The Artistic Labor

Any work of art begins by leaving on its way the multitude of possible variants it was actually inspired by or created from. Some of its basic ingredients are renunciation and sacrifice. But what art has sacrificed is not entirely lost. Thus, Goethe once confessed that some of his writing projects such as Prometheus, Tantalus, Ixion and Sisyphus have later on become part of his deeper and higher quality play entitled "Ifigenia". A part of the success of his play was in fact due to these imperfect, unaccomplished writings of his. Artistic labor can also be strongly related to inspiration. During his artistic labor, the artist usually makes several changes, more or less failed attempts to reach the desired version of his work of art; he can change his mind about things.

Henri Delacroix compares artistic creation and labor with that of the embryo's process of formation inside the mother's womb. Thus, the development of the art work depends on the embryo's initial strength. The independent elements subordinate to the idea. The whole determines the details, and the details also can influence the entire structure of a work of art. Those who want to follow a too rigid plan may lose in fact many good things. And those artists who integrate into their works most anything that may come along during the process of creation, although they may change the initial theme, they are very likely to benefit from the occurring incidents.

The verbal formula is most often preceded and generated by a powerful spiritual tension. If this tension is maintained, it can ensure the unity of the artwork. As Ribot used to say, the development can go from details to the unity of the work or vice versa; in both cases, the mutual connection of details and the hierarchy of the elements are established. Any kind of inspiration may include in itself its own form of expression. On the other hand, in order to reveal itself entirely, it does require this expression. In a certain sense, the progressive transformation of a work of art and the freedom of the artist confront each other and are harmonized one with the other in this manner.

H. Delacroix says that the work of art is organized by the conquest of a material which is at the same time rebellious and obedient. The abstract or concrete techniques often impose themselves upon the artist's labor. Being at the same time cold towards the artist's desire and submitted to it, the sound, verbal or visual material which the artist manipulates wears off the artist and helps him rebel against it.

Maurice Grammont judiciously noticed the fact that those works of art which usually seem the most natural and easily written are most often the result of many attempts, corrections, and so on. It's true that some people can be considered more talented than others. There are indeed artists that are so gifted that it may come easier for them to create something of good quality. However, those who got closer to perfection were and are those who knew best how to correct themselves every time they realized their mistakes. One of the key elements that can make artistic labor easier is the realization and correction of one's mistakes. The artist needs to be able to do that in order to improve his work.

Of course, poets may not calculate their effects, but good poets have intuition, they have the ability to sense the potential effects of their poetry and they are only content when they discover the perfect way of expressing their ideas. The effects can come naturally, but they must be accepted by the poet. And when an artist decides to note a provisory variant of expression, he does that in the hope that one day he will find something better.

At any rate, as Delacroix points it out, the artistic idea can only be born within a sensitive environment. The musical idea is created by the harmonious or polyphonic processing, based on the way of organizing the musical arrangements or on the orchestration. The poetic idea implies the proper and inspired use of words. These are but a few aspects referring to the actual things that artistic labor implies.

The Power to Create

According to Henri Delacroix, a genius is a person who has the power of building something unique, something yet uncreated by any other person on the earth. And if we say that geniuses have some sort of super powers, an overgrowth of his natural functions, we don’t say much about this topic. Delacroix also expresses his opinion that artists don’t necessarily have more imagination than ordinary people. In fact, many artists may have less creativity than plenty of ordinary people and they may be less sensitive and passionate than non-artists. They also say an artist of genius is endowed with high mental capacities, technical abilities without which any artistic creation may prove to be impossible; and also, illuminations. Artists must have revelations.

True artists are also said to be impressionable to a higher extent. This impressionability of theirs has two sides: living experiences and thought, imagined experiences. And of course, the good use of these elements depends on the artist’s power of expression. What most characterizes the artist is his power of pouring his expression into certain molds. This power of expression is also strongly related to certain social inhibitions. Thus, as Delacroix explains, the artist has no inhibitions. Indeed, artists usually possess a child-like openness and sincerity; they actually return in a way to the innocence of childhood. The artist is not afraid to expose himself. We must also add here that the artist intends to produce a certain effect on his audience/readers/viewers. He must make an impression; he has to move people in a way or another. And not only actors/actresses do that, but also writers, painters, sculptures, and most kind of artists in general.

Muller-Freinfels tells us that the artist’s power of pouring an expression into molds is unequally distributed among artists. There are artists who are better at the way they express themselves, who are more specialized in choosing the right forms, the proper "molds"; there are others who have a better content to express, and finally there are artists who have both of these in equal quantities. The artists of expression, i.e. those who focus more on the content of their creation, are characterized by force, extremism, diversity, intensity, and character; those who focus more on their ways/forms of expression are characterized by the harmony, unity, beauty of their artistic works.

Art is always creative. It simply couldn’t be otherwise. There’s nowhere we could possibly find, neither in reality nor in the ideal paradise of our imagination, an already created essence, an already formed piece of art that would only need to be isolated from the whole and displayed for the others to enjoy. We must first build up the constituents and data of the art work. In fact, on the artistic level, life and experience are possible only through the process of creation. The artistic image never is the representation of a thing. It is the artist’s created representation of a thing which he intends to transmit. The artist builds up an idea starting from a thing, from an object. That thing/object is part of reality. Then the artist moves from idea to thing/object through his work of art, which again is a piece of reality. Leonardo da Vinci used to say that painting is something belonging to the human intellect. Art should be first and foremost viewed as an idealization of matter.

As Delacroix beautifully puts it, a model refuses to share his/her secret to the painter. And no matter how much a portrait resembles its model, we can still recognize both the model and the painter in it. The French symbolist poet Charles Baudelaire once said that a portrait can be a short-story or a novel. In any of these cases, the power to create is clearly manifested. Any piece of art is both imaginative creation and hard work. An artist can only create and invent while being already engaged in the process of working on a certain artistic project. In this respect, we could say that the artist is the very first admirer/viewer/spectator of his own work. Great ideas are not enough. What Rodin said about sculptors can in fact be extrapolated to all types of artists: they need to make a huge effort of thinking in order to create fine quality art.

Art Vs. Real Life

Although we may feel tempted to investigate an artist’s personal life in order to find there certain information or elements that might have inspired his creation, this may be wrong and not from the moral point of view first of all, but rather from a more technical perspective. The role of an art work is to create a fictional, imaginary universe which may have as its basic function that of separating from any feeling that might have caused the artist to start on his creating journey in the first place.

In his work entitled "Aesthetics", Lalo (Édouard Victor Antoine Lalo, French composer of Spanish descent) presents us with five main points to explain the differences between the artist and his work. Firstly, art could be clearly placed outside real life, within the world of aesthetics, in a world of relations between shapes and colors, or of musical harmonies and combinations. In some artists, the technical function of the art can become dominant and can set itself free from all the others. Secondly, art can have the power to intensify and embellish a beautiful life. It can idealize life, continuing it and making it more beautiful. Thirdly, art can cause us to forget about the real life. In this case it is diversion or escape, exaggeration or luxury. In this case, it rather expresses what lacks the real life personality than what it really is. But it can also express that side of the artist which he wants to detach himself from, to forget about. In this respect, art can perform a cleansing, liberating function.

All these different motifs can occur mixed at the very same artist. On the other hand, the technical function which the artist isolates is intrinsic and immanent to all the other functions. The artist tends to pour his feelings into certain molds. The artist is likely to indulge into this state. And most of often, the subject represents only a means for the work of art. A certain subject is chosen because it may constitute raw material for aesthetic valorification from the part of the artist, and not because it is on the author’s mind.

From another perspective, all artists share certain common things. For instance, their art generally has the function of creating a world in which the human spirit may feel at home. And before accomplishing that, the human spirit must first build itself up and it must connect feelings with forms. The creating artist can reach the unity of his whole personality by his artistic creation.

We may say that there are certain artists who do not treat art as a means of explaining and contemplating their passion, but rather as a means of living it and liberating themselves from that passion. They fill their representation of reality with many elements taken from their personal life, with its feelings and attitudes. But by allowing their very own personal inner struggles and spiritual issues enter the artistic realm of their creation, these artists may often offer a rather limited and narrow view on things. Some critics say that it’s a sign of an inferiority from the part of an artist to put too much of his own life into his work. Delacroix says that there are artists who express themselves through their works, in the sense that they express their very own personal thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and so on. Some may exploit the sensitivity of their present life; others make use of the childish sensitivity of their early age. But the act of inspired creation is most certainly something quite different than an artist’s biography. The French writer named Gustave Flaubert advised writers never to write about themselves. He explained that the artist’s presence in his work should be the same as God’s presence within his creation - i.e. reader must sense the omnipotence and omnipresence of the author without seeing him.

The Czech philosopher and psychologist named Emil Utitz (1883-1956) said that a young man who sings about his beloved no longer feels the need to sing when he holds her in his arms; on the contrary, the poet still feels the need to sing about his beloved when he holds her in his arms, because his beloved cannot replace his art work.

Artistic Sensitivity

The artist can sense each incident he goes through in a special, personal way, while he also takes part in the day-to-day life of himself and of other people. What he may add, due to his artistic sensitivity, are the frank expression of his emotions and enthusiasm, or the fruit of his imagination. Thus, artists can expand certain details they consider helpful in order to render their message to the world.

The artist may use his daily experiences and events in order to generate something new and fresh; he may start from them, and then add quite an amount of work in order to create quality art. His artistic productions can be stimulated by the artist's life events. We could say that the artist both exposes himself, and conceals himself in his very own art. Oscar Wilde once said that the aim of art is to reveal art and conceal the artist. "Je est un autre" says the French poet Arthur Rimbaud, meaning "I is another." Maybe if we correlate this with Wilde's view on the aim of the art, we could give an idea of what Rimbaud actually meant. Indeed, art transforms the artist's reality; there is a discrepancy between the real life poet and his lyrical ego. At any rate, good artists are not necessarily the ones who succeed in transmitting us their true emotions - that might be boring, in fact, but the ones who are capable of arousing in us certain specific emotions they intended to create in others. Not only artists need to be endowed with artistic sensitivity, but there public also.

The interesting thing is that artists need to be both very sensitive emotional, but also entirely capable of detaching themselves from those emotions, and, with a surgeon's cold blood, dissect their own emotions and feelings in order to create a new, living art product to deliver to the great public. Indeed, the raw material of the aesthetic attitude is the pure sensitivity of the artist. Arthur Rimbaud's sister, Isabelle, makes an account of her brother's state of agony. She said that from time to time, Rimbaud used to become a sort of visionary, he used to prophecy. His sense of hearing got strangely stronger. He would relive his painful past, and then have beautiful visions: columns of amethyst, a lot of vegetation and bizarrely beautiful landscapes; in order to describe his sensations, the agonizing Rimbaud used piercingly charming and strange phrases and associations. Some weeks later, when she read "Illuminations", Isabelle Rimbaud discovered with great emotion a lot of resemblances with those dream-like sensations experienced and expressed by Arthur during his agony.

Each painter has his own registry and raw material. Thus, David and his school believed that the tones that Rubens actually obtained with the help of light colors such as intense green or turquoise could be made with the help of black and white for blue and black and yellow for the green. On the other hand, Van Dyck used earthy color palettes such as ochre, reddish brown, black. Michelangelo once said that marble pieces used to vibrate around him; most probably it was the other way round, i.e. he was the one to vibrate around marble pieces, due to his desire and great power of creating genuine masterpieces.

Rodin comes to draw the attention upon the fact that the artist's preference towards certain materials or techniques is, in fact, an expression of the very essence of his soul. Titian's way of using colors is beautiful mostly because it gives the impression of a sumptuous and dominating sovereignty. And every such preference is an evocation, a symbol. Thus, Rubens's shininess is an expression of life, happiness, of the robust sensuality that is actually hidden inside the soul of the artist himself.

Eugene Delacroix explained that one of the most essential qualities for an artist is the capacity to properly appreciate the forms which he uses to excel in his art; the artist also needs to be able to voluntarily and assuredly renounce any elements that may not do his work any good. He must also be a visionary, in order to properly estimate the potential effects of his art upon people.

Advancement of Arts During the High Renaissance

Before the High Renaissance the art and music in Europe was flat because the focus was on heaven. No one had actually seen heaven though. It gave the church an opportunity to influence their teachings into art of various forms. In art, gold backgrounds were the most common symbolizing heavens sacred air.

Eventually people woke up and took interest in the world around them. Society across Europe was changing, advances in mathematics and geometry inspired people with experimentation.

Artists began to use perspective points and proportions to put a new twist on the classic Roman artwork. Pictures of landscapes and buildings began to show up in art. More and more paintings started to look like every day real life.

The establishment of the Medici bank brought a lot of wealth to the cities. Members of society like the Medici family, started a new standard and encouraged artists to refine the arts, putting value in the economy to attract more people instead of the church or a monarchy. This caused the High Renaissance to create a new way of commerce and during the rise of humanism, people began to do more things that they enjoyed instead of devoting any free time in a Church praying to God.

Humanist philosophy meant that a man's relationship was with the universe as well as with God; however reaching God was no longer exclusive only through the Church. Patrons that pushed for Humanist wanted commoners to gather knowledge through classical writings which became available for the public. Some of these texts included poetry, drama, philosophy, science and Early Christian Theology. Artist of both music and art started a new pursuit for improvement. Yearning for individuality, many artists used a mathematical technique called 'linear perspective' in their art work giving the piece, a more natural realistic view.

Artists such as Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo mastered techniques in new aspects of painting like using light and shadow and anatomy in their newly developed perspectives. Even though religious paintings were still popular, new trends such as landscapes and daily life scenes became the trend.

The reasoning behind all the changes is that patrons of the arts were not the majority of the church any longer. Patrons of the arts were now the humanist leaders of society.

Some of the most interesting and well-known pieces of this era are the paintings done by Michelangelo and Raphael in the Vatican. These pieces of work are very complex in composition. The human figures are closely observed and are detailed with decorative iconographic that refers to classical antiquity.

Michelangelo painted 'The Last Judgment'. The massive painting covers the entire wall behind the alter of the Sistine chapel. It is a painting of Jesus judging the people on earth and sending them to either Heaven or Hell by the saints.

This was a painting that caused much dispute. Michelangelo was accused of intolerable obscenity as well as immorality because most of the figures are naked. Due to the excessiveness of genitalia and the amount human anatomy detail, twenty four years later priest paid another painter to clothed figures such as the Virgin Mary.

The Last Judgment also steered away from traditional depictions of the painting. Michelangelo depicts Christ very muscular and beardless. He is surrounded by light and the picture seems to focus around him instead of a classical heaven and hell. Linear perspective is also noticeable in this painting replacing the traditional horizontal layers. It is said that Michelangelo uses the science of cosmology with the depiction of Christ because he resembles the Greek Sun God, Apollo and is in the center symbolizing the center of the universe.

At the same time music began to become an essential part of daily life during the High Renaissance. The new ideas that were spreading across Europe reformed the way political, economic, and religious views were valued. This led to major changes in the style of composing methods used in music.New musical genres and instruments developed splitting the patronage into groups. The Catholic Church and Protestant churches were sources for music printing not to mention a source of income for composers of this era.

Composers during the middle Ages and Early Renaissance worked with cantus-firmus but it was not really until the Protestant Reformation that important changes began to occur starting with the church. Hymns began to be sung by a group rather than an individual. This brought a monographic vocal into a harmony. This was also a time when psalms of the Bible started to be translated into French and set to music.

Instrumental music advanced during the High Renaissance and music started to be written without words to give the opportunity for instruments to shine. More musicians came together creating a polyphonic form ranging from different consorts. A consort was how instruments were grouped from high to lows. The high to lows consisted of treble, alto, bass and contrabass. Polyphonic music during the High Renaissance gave instruments a chance to individually shine.

In example, one instrument would start with a melody, a few measures later a second would join causing a huge difference in sound from one era to another. Dance also became popular during the Late Renaissance and music started to be written for that purpose. One place someone might visit to see musicians entertain would be the Globe Theater. A well-known love song that was performed there is called 'Green sleeves'.

However it is Josquin des Pres who was one of the most important composers of the High Renaissance. He is thought to be the first to master the polyphonic vocal style of High Renaissance music. During his lifetime, Josquin led the choir of the Sistine Chapel. His reputation quickly grew and he became quite famous. Pierre Bonniffet, who is both a musicologist and a singer at the time, said that Josquin de Pres is an evolution of European music.

The Music Josquin wrote were both secular and sacred. His music carried a wide variety of vocals forms consisting of chansons, masses and motets. Here are a few pieces Josquin composed; Nune Dimittis, De profundis clamavi a late composition of his and El Grillo.

The advances in art and music during the High Renaissance were influenced by an overall increase of awareness to nature not to mention a need to learn the classics but in an individualist view of life. These ideas mentioned is what the Greeks, Romans and the Middle ages were not producing.

A new passion for life and beauty developed and love became a trend in the arts giving artists an opportunity to create masterpieces that the world would be forever thankful for.

It was the days of mystery, a time where man's attitudes changed and the fearless generation studied nature and explored the mysteries of the cosmos and the world around them. The High Renaissance was an era that thrived in advancements and encouraged people to make the most of their civic lives.

Some Wonderful Characters From Literature

There are some people who stay with you long after you have read a book. I've put down a few that have remained with me over the years, and no matter how many times I may read the book, or see the movie, they always come alive as powerful as ever.

1. Gabriel Oak, the shepherd in, 'Far from the madding crowd'. What a calm, steady person. He remains stoical in the presence of life-changing disasters, taking each set-back on the chin and carrying on, never looking back, never groaning and moaning for what might have been, never letting anything stop him from going ahead. He does not change himself to fit in with new times, but remains so true to himself that everyone not only accepts him but appreciates him for what he is. Can there be a great testimony to what he is all about?

2. Joe Gargery, the blacksmith in, 'Great Expectations' was a similar character. Ever cheerful, no matter how trying the times, or how unhappy his home. He remained as dependable as ever through thick and thin. He was not ashamed of who he was, but his love for learning, helped him to strive to learn at an age long past his youth. His love for Pip brought him out of his comfort zone, but oblivious to everything, with great care and love nursed Pip to health.

3. Daniel Peggotty, a humble but generous Yarmouth fisherman in, 'David Copperfield'. He opened his home and hearth to David. What character he shows when he goes all overlooking for his niece Emily after she had been ill-treated by David's friend Steerforth, and yet not once, ever did he hold David responsible for having introduced the rich and selfish Steerforth to his family.

4. Sydney Carton, the dissolute lawyer in, 'Tale of Two Cities'. Brilliant and sharp, he lets himself go and allows himself to play second fiddle to the arrogant and ambitious lawyer, Mr. Stryver. No one could have suspected that he had it in him to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the woman he loved.

There are some characters whose generosity knows no bounds. Utterly selfless in their giving and capable of great warmth, they are completely incapable of being judgmental. These are people who can be trusted, people who stand by you through thick and thin, people who are magnificent human beings in the real sense of the world.

1. Mr. Wilkins Micawber, and Miss. Betsey Trotwood, from David Copperfield - what wonderful characters. So giving and accepting. Mr. Micawber could never hold down a job for himself, but was excellent when he worked for other people. You find yourself forgiving him for all his weaknesses, simply because he is compassionate and kind with David. Miss. Trotwood, for all her sternness of demeanor, could be counted on, no matter what the situation or circumstance. She brought up David, firmly but wisely, and remained his surrogate mother to the end. Generous to a fault, she was an utterly dependable person, caring for Mr. Dick and being the only one who took him seriously. Sensitive to and protective of Mr. Wickfield's reputation, she never let on that she knew that Mr. Wickfield had managed her funds badly leaving her poor.

2. Mr. Vincent Crummles Head of the Crummles theater troupe, a larger-than-life actor-manager. He takes Nicholas and Smike under his wings, and Mrs. Crummle, and the whole troupe accept them cheerfully and wholeheartedly. The Cheeryble brothers, wealthy merchants, from Nicholas Nickelby represent kindness and heart-felt philanthropy. They offer Nicholas a position, and then help resolve a lot of Nicholas' problems as well.

Through these characters, and even from someone like Abel Magwitch who was a convict-turned farmer, (a character from David Copperfield), Hardy and Dickens show that people have it in them to lift themselves high - beyond the ordinary, and beyond the call of all duty - even to the point of sacrifice. The nobleness of their spirit comes through at a time which tries them to the point of breaking.

Hardy and Dickens, among many others, were such students of human nature, that they could paint all manner of real-life characters - and while the shallow, the selfish, and the downright evil make you wonder at the depths to which human nature can sink, there was always an Oak, or a Gargery to show that human nature can be sublime too. Tough, understanding of all that happens to them, accepting of their lot, and at the same time not letting anything get the better of them.

And what words of wisdom

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."

"Accidents will occur in the best regulated families."

"We need never be ashamed of our tears."

"Any man may be in good spirits and good temper when he's well-dressed. There ain't much credit in that."

"Minds, like bodies, will often fall into a pimpled, ill-conditioned state from mere excess of comfort."

"Reflect on/upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

"Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature."

...among many, many more...

Great Fiction for Your Young Adult Reader

It’s back to school time, which means students may be asked to select books to read independently during the school year. It also means that increasing literacy is a number one goal of school districts and families before high stakes tests. With that in mind, it is important to get teenagers reading books appropriate to their age level. Regardless of the reason your teen needs a book, there are some tried-and-true genres that young adult readers love to read about.

Dystopian Worlds

There is a reason why The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is so wildly popular. Students love reading about dystopian worlds, or societies in which the government is completely unjust and things that happen to the characters in the novel are wildly unfair. This could be because they love the idea of rebellion against an unjust authority figure, or just because the action that usually takes place in these novels is non-stop. Either way, dystopian literature grabs teenagers’ attention and doesn’t let go. Some other titles to consider in this genre are Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Anthem by Ayn Rand, A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Romance

Did your teen fawn over Twilight? Did she read that entire brick of a book in one night? This could be because she loves the idea of vampires, but it is more likely because it is a compelling romance. Romance novels for teens are a huge hit because so many of them are just trying out their first romances and they want to know how it’s done. Plus, many of these couples in young adult romance novels face situations that just aren’t fair and that keep them apart unnecessarily, and young adult readers tend to really respond to those themes. If your student devours romance novels, some titles to consider are the Perfect Chemistry books by Simone Elkeles, Forget You by Jennifer Echols, and The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen.

Science Fiction/Fantasy

If your teenager grew up with Harry Potter, there’s a good chance, he or she is mourning the end of the series as well as the final movie that came out this year. Rather than read the whole series again, there are some great science fiction and fantasy novels out there that will have your students taken away to a new world in no time. The best thing about science fiction and fantasy novels is that they usually come in series of multiple books, so it is really easy for your child to pick up the next book in the series when he or she is done with the first. Some books in this genre include The Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

Memoirs

While not fiction, memoirs can provide the same character development and plot intrigue for young adults as fiction stories can with the added benefit of being totally true. Teenagers love a true story because they can know for sure that it actually happened at one point in time. Memoirs are true stories that read like fiction, rather than like a dry biography. Some great memoirs that grab students’ attention are A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer, Trouble In My Head: A Young Girl’s Fight with Depression by Mathilde Monaque, Freedom Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories by Ellen Levine, and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

How to Read Graphic Novels

I believe a graphic novel to be the best combination of comic book styled panel art merged with the literary sense of a fluent writer. While a graphic novel does have some shortcomings, it seems to be the best option to get people who abhor reading, to discover the world of literature. The best part with a graphic novel comes with letting kids read it. For minds totally accustomed to reading in a frame-by-frame pattern, a good graphic novel is the best way to impart a bit of history on their impressionable minds. And face it, who doesn't like to read a book with a lot of pictures in it! You'd now be asking, "So what's the real difference between a so-called graphic novel and a comic book? They look all the same to me!"

Setting Apart Comics and Novels

While this subject wanders slightly askew of the main matter, it is very important that you understand the real differences between a novel, a comic and a graphic novel to exploit the full potential of knowing how to read graphic novels better.

Novels
The first question I'll ask you is, 'What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about novels?' Your dictionary answer would be, a fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters. While I agree with the given definition, what remains unexplained is the reader's connection to the book. A true, good novel can instill in the hearts of readers, a sense of belonging and imagination so vivid and infallible, the very things that make a book simply impossible to put down. The books so unanimously regarded as the best novels in the world are the ones that the larger part of the world is taken to, intoxicated and left breathless.

Comics
When you now take a look at a simple comic book, you'll notice immediately that there is a high level of emphasis on visual art and not text. For those too accustomed to the picture-less novels, you'd find switching over to comics a rather sizable dent on your imagination. You'd say the comics hardly leave anything to the imagination, and visualization is too precise to roam about by yourself. While it is true that one page of visual art can depict many pages of the written word (if you believe the old saying, each panel should be equal to a thousand words!), what remains unseen and therefore left to the reader is the picture between two frames. If two frames show different things, what the author leaves to you is to fill out the spaces in between.

Graphic Novels
This brings us to the conclusion of the graphic novel. It remains, in the best of intents, the work of someone who will use both pictures and words to express the gravity of a plot. Because there are times when words may fall short of filling a canvas, while at other times, a picture cannot truly show what an individual is exactly feeling or what a landscape is supposed to show. When I read a graphic novel, the panels form a basic framework of thought, around which flow the dialogs in text and the descriptions that make the frame move. It's like watching a motion picture where each graphic panel represents one frame in the reel and your mind is the projector, the screen and the audience.

Other, more stark differences between a comic book, a novel and a graphic novel are the levels at which each dialog is delivered. The voice that you hear in your head is far stronger in a graphic novel than the other two, because you're seeing the built, face and nationality of the characters as they speak. Another rather valuable difference is the way the graphic novel author can drop subtle hints that go a long way in explaining things that are not really in line with the main story, but are important nonetheless. Case in point, if or when you happen to read the graphic novel 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman, you will fully understand the depth to which a graphic novel can take you. For example, Art shows Jews as mice, Germans as cats and Poles as pigs in Maus. Every once in a while, you come across the Jews mixing with the Poles to escape the Gestapo, and the scenes that include this have the Jewish 'mice' putting on the masks of Polish 'pigs'. Small things that explain the scene in such detail can only be found in a graphic novel.

Reading a Graphic Novel

With the age that we live in, graphic novels will be preferred mostly by kids and teenagers, the ones who have been reading comics the day they could get their hands on one and now think that novels are bigger in size, have too many words to interest them and are filled with nonsense. To be precise, most kids think that novels stink. The next part is therefore, aimed at getting them to read a graphic novel the way it should be read. Adults who have never ventured into this unfamiliar realm before, feel free to get the basics right and grab a graphic novel yourself. To explain the ways of the graphic novel, I have taken a little help from 'Maus', but rest assured, there are no real spoilers. Read ahead and then take your pick from the best graphic novels around.

The Appeal
Graphic novels are not unrealistic in their descriptions. You will find that most of them are about non-fiction. They contain historical backgrounds (like World War II in Maus and The Cold War in Watchmen), threaded by an earnest attempt on accurate storytelling through the eyes of those who experienced it. Like Vladek Spiegelman, whose words ring in our brains as he describes how he survived the Holocaust. You see his memories as flashes that come and go, added to which are the conversations between Art and Vladek Spiegelman, as son and father. The resulting effect is something that novels cannot reciprocate and comics cannot elaborate. The total appeal of a graphic novel, hence, lies in the profoundness of entwining words and pictures together. As an adult, you have heard a lot of stories about the second World War, read books on it, but never before have you read something that takes you to levels this deep and personal.

The Plot
You will find striking similarities in the plot when you compare novels to graphic novels. The difference between a comic and a graphic novel is that the latter is a one time read. Comics come up with a new story every release, whether it's about the main story or a side-plot, lies in the author's discretion. The plot in a graphic novel is linear, with each chapter revealing more and more about the main story or of the characters involved. The deviance of a graphic novel from a regular novel comes from the fact that the pictures used are often enough to explain the background story. The details on a character are what you see, not what you picture from words. In a way, you delve far from your own thoughts and are brought, by invitation, into the shell of the author himself. While a novel can describe someone as accurately as possible, you'd still end up drawing a picture of them according to your imagination, whether it's from your acquaintances or from the kind of person you think them to be. The graphic novel leaves no such thing to you, making it amply clear that the characters are built according to the author's thoughts and not yours. This, in a way, makes the plot all the more important, because you find it difficult to predict what the author's character is going to do next.

Graphic novels are intended to be narratives rather than regular fiction works. That makes it all the more important to have a plot with a high level of design. Narratives often zip back and forth in time, which can be used to increase character depth.

The Images
The conundrum around the graphic novel is a product of the usage of pictures. If used accurately, they are more valuable than an entire chapters worth of words in explanation. It is the double-edged sword for the graphic novel, because if the panel isn't drawn right, the resulting confusion can throw the reader off. The art in a graphic novel can be, when compared to a comic, as simple just to put a point through, or as detailed (or even more than a comic) to help express the situation even better. The art can be dark and unsettling, or bright and cheery, according to what the author wants to show. The panels need to express what is more important at the moment, the character or the background, which is what you, as a reader, will eventually pay attention to.

The Text
The text comes into play in order to deepen your view on the characters. The text follows a pattern similar to comics. The author will often change the font size of a word to increase or decrease its importance or to portray the way the character said it. Bold and italics are lavishly used to further put the voice of the characters into your head. It's like this, if you see the picture of Morgan Freeman and some text in front of him, you'll imagine his voice. Now, if the text includes font size changes, bold and italic words, then you will feel the way the sentence is said even more. Same goes for a panel in a graphic novel, although you will not know how the character actually sounds like, you can use the way the text is written to imagine what the voice will be like. Vladek Spiegelman, in Maus, is shown to be an uptight, money conscious Jew. Although the view can be regarded as one with a touch of racism, it is what you, as a reader will use to 'hear' Vladek's story. Even the speech bubble comes into play, like when a character screams, the edges of the speech bubble become shredded.

I have, with the best of my knowledge, explained what a graphic novel is and how you can read it better, to enjoy it more. The biggest trick to reading a graphic novel is to truly submit yourself to the book and the author's thinking with an open mind. Because it is a journey that doesn't take you within your own mind, but into someone else's mind.

Choose From Different Jamaica Villas Online

Jamaican luxury villas are considered to be one of the most beautiful and cost effective ways to spend your vacation and can be availed at a friendly and adjustable price. It is true that luxury villas are somewhat expensive compared to hotels or vacation apartments but the experience is comparable to none. Luxury vacation rentals provide you with an experience that is both satisfying and unforgettable and will help you forget all the hassles of the city on the first day alone. Jamaica villas come standard with air conditioning, cable TV, private pools, Internet connection and your own private staff of butlers, chefs and house keepers to truly make your vacation prestigious and worth remembering.
When choosing Jamaica villas, it is always best to remember that there is a luxury villa that can be yours for the price. The basics start with giving you crucial and necessary information to make your stay truly worth remembering. The day starts with the serving of breakfast at the veranda or any part of the villa that you desire.
Your own staff will prepare the morning festivities long before you wake up so everything will be ready by the time you are prepared to meet the inviting sun. The Jamaican cooks are capable of coming up with the best breakfast menus and meals that can even be prescribed according to your liking. While the staff is already standard fare with the price, remember that grocery shopping should be allocated as well as your staff will make all the arrangements depending on your needs and preferred budget.
Since Jamaica luxury villas all come with your own staff as standard, you need to take advantage of this marvelous opportunity as even your soiled clothes will be taken care of by expertly trained laundry helpers.
Your butler will be able to answer all your questions regarding the different activities on the island and provide you with everything you need under the sun, including a dedicated driver to take you to nearby shopping destinations and a personal masseuse to end the day.
The cost will all depend on the size of the Caribbean villa that you choose including the number of rooms that you wish to use. Luxury villas can come equipped with up to 12 rooms as standard but you can opt to only pay for 2 or three rooms along with the dedicated staff for more than half the price. Prices will also be dependent on the season as villa owners and developers usually charge more during peak seasons.
Customers can also avail of special features to further complement the luxury amenities on offer. Luxury vacation rentals can include-at your own behest, a heated pool, private gym, private tennis courts and even a helipad.
Various activities can also be availed and can include biking, hiking, sport fishing, horseback riding and helicopter tours of the most breathtaking sceneries found in the beautiful island of Jamaica. The Internet will help you plan your next vacation paradise all with the simple use of a laptop computer.

Street Cred

Description of Street Cred game:
Drive at top speed through the closed off city track and reach the finish line before time runs out. from y88 and puffgames

Sandra Prom Party Dressup

Description of Sandra Prom Party Dressup y8

Help Sandra choose a beautiful gown to wear in her Prom party.

Game controls:
Use mouse to interact.
Add this game to your website or blog! from y8 car

Dragon Ball Z Power Level Demo

Description of Dragon Ball Z Power Level Demo game: y8y8 and y88
Fight against Vegeta.

Press X and Z to hit and kick. Move with the Arrow Keys. Press A to launch energy ball. Use the Spacebar to reload your energy.

Monster Hunt

Description of Monster Hunt game: friv4school
Shoot arrows at your objective and go to the next level!

Mouse- Aim.
Left mouse button- Fire.y8