Georgheeg [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], from Wikimedia Commons
COMPOSED: We spent at least a couple of hours today trying to keep up with our "Introduction to Classical Music" class. Most of today's talks centered on Bach and Handel, both born in 1685.
We learned a little bit about Bach's personal life. Turns out he was twice married and had 20-ish children. Yowza. His family was so big, at one point, his employer literally raised the roof on a building he was living in to add another couple of stories to accommodate his brood.
Pictured above, the Bach House in Köthen was his first home with his second wife, Anna Magdalena Bach (mother to 13 of his children). She was an accomplished singer and had the job of transcribing many of Bach's compositions.
Pictured above, the Bach House in Köthen was his first home with his second wife, Anna Magdalena Bach (mother to 13 of his children). She was an accomplished singer and had the job of transcribing many of Bach's compositions.
Here is the first page of the Suite No. 1 in G major, in Anna Magdalena Bach's handwriting.
Unfortunately, Bach wasn't regarded as a musical genius until after his death, in 1750. (He was regarded as an accomplished organist, but it was widely thought at least a couple of his sons were better composers.) When Bach died in 1750, he didn't have much of an estate. What there was was parceled out to his children, including his hand-scribed sheet music, some of which was apparently sold for the price the paper could fetch. :/ Bach's surviving sons sank into conflict, and widow Anna was left with three daughters, living in poverty. When she died 10 years later, Anna was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. Sad story.
On the other hand, George Frederic Handel seemed to have a gift for self promotion, and he was regaled as a virtuoso during his lifetime. His works, such as "Music for the Royal Fireworks" and "Water Music" were enjoyed by audiences in the hundreds of thousands.
George Frideric Handel (left) and King George I on the River Thames, 17 July 1717, by Edouard Hamman (1819–88).
The class requires a fair amount of our time attention, but it's time well spent. And, of course, we're learning about so much more than just classical music. There are plenty of straight up history lessons woven in along the way. Good stuff!
TO THE TEST: We took a test today, from the United
States Citizenship and Immigration Services' Web site. It was a 25 question self test to help one prepare for passing the civics portion of the naturalization test.
Apparently when you're interviewed as part of the screening process, you can be asked up to 10 questions max, and need to answer 60 percent to pass. The site we checked out lists all of the 100 civics questions on the naturalization test, which is nice, as it means there are no surprises for test takers.
Fortunately, the kids were able to pass the 25-question test easily (each 80 percent plus) without any studying or previews.
Apparently when you're interviewed as part of the screening process, you can be asked up to 10 questions max, and need to answer 60 percent to pass. The site we checked out lists all of the 100 civics questions on the naturalization test, which is nice, as it means there are no surprises for test takers.
Fortunately, the kids were able to pass the 25-question test easily (each 80 percent plus) without any studying or previews.
If you're interested in giving the test a go, check out this link: http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/quiz/learners/study-test/study-materials-civics-test/naturalization-self-test-1
The USCIS site also has an electronic flashcard set test takers can download to practice with, information about where to find help to study for the test, a video showing what to expect, and more.
Hat tip to GPa for suggesting MPA give the citizenship test a go.
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