scaffold cross

On January 16th St. Charles Borromeo Parma was vandalised by two acts of arson. One burned up a confessional, and the second did not advance to a fire. Clean up has now extended to some remodeling. Sunday Mass continues with scaffolding.

pelican

 Last day of winter, first of spring, 20th March

  

In the summer of 2013, a brown pelican was in and out and around Cleveland for six months. He must have been lost, and i called him "Thibodeaux" [click]. A few days ago, a white pelican came here. I do not know if he will become a celebrity, but he too must be lost. I will call him "Boudreaux"'. Well, went down by 55, and he was not around. There were thousands of ring billed gulls.

2019 Miscellany #1

Guardians of Traffic has become popular in local advertising, as you can see this is at a coffee shop.

at Cleveland Metropark, Ohio and Erie Canal, Cuyahoga Heights

This has been up at the Ethiopian Cleveland Cultural Garden, is it perhaps part of a yet to be completed monument? If it is a model for Trump's wall, it looks breachable. I read somewhere, that a replica of the Obelisk of Axum was being considered; this would not be it. I also read that a Colombian garden was to be adjacent.

Seen soon after the Odell Beckham trade

off Superior in Cleveland

Cleveland's biggest parade

 The invasion begins

The actors were polite to pose again and again for fotos. When people parade, they want to be seen.

 Maire (with bow tie) is huddling with her girlfriends and comrades.

People with animals in parades are great. Yesterday, there were horses, alpacas, and domesticated wolves (Irish setters and wolfhounds, Siberian huskies, and more). Some of the rescues and kennels called it St. Pittie's Day, there are dogs that need homes.

High school marching bands populate parades. Before the parade there is a lot of wait. These musicians came from South Central High in Greenwich of Huron County.

There is a history of marching bands with uniforms. Ohio once stood with the Union against the secessionist South.

 

What has happened in this world? The little people are conjuring on wee devices.

The parade's theme this year was Irish built churches. The best float on that theme was on the building of St. Colman's. The scene is about the construction. There is a "stone cut" to read 1914, which began the construction of that church.

A good site to view the parade, is near the beginning from the antebellum German St. Peter's.

Some businesses join the parade. These boxed big vegetables would make great soup and/or company with corned beef.

The Statue of Liberty is not seen often in parades these days. Lady Liberty is absent from many (most) Independence Day events. This fellow greets the marchers. He kept in good humour, the march was nearly two hours. The parade was on Sunday, and the weather was cold during the parade, as the sky clouded and breeze increased reducing the potential crowd.

Typewriters, cannons, and anvils

perhaps someone had to write a letter home

Supra: the middle stanza is scored for machine à écrire (typewriter).

Infra: the bottom stanza is scored for revolver.

Erik Satie during the first world war composed the music for the ballet 'Parade'. He collaborated with Cocteau, Picasso, Apollinaire, Massine, and Diaghilev. It was the original surreal, and intended to raise scandal. Percussion section was kept busy: high siren, low siren, foghorn, rattle, lottery wheel, typewriter, revolver, botellófono, bass drum, tambourine, snare drum, cymbals, xylophone, vibraphone, triangle, and woodblocks. 

I heard a live performance last month, at St. Paul Episcopal Cleveland Heights, by Heights Chamber Orchestra. They did not have all the instruments, so substitutions occurred. Substitutions occur usually for pieces with less diversity. I came to hear Stephen Caudel's Edel Rhapsody for Wagnerian tuba.

I like to hear works beyond the usual repertoire. I have many classical records, but it was not easy to get everything on disc or tape, so i am glad to go hear these pieces live. Then using youtube search, and so much of it is there. Yesterday, i heard for the first time the complete Koussevitzky's Double Bass Concerto; and to-day Rimskij-Korsakov's Trombone Concerto. I liked those both, then i encountered some versions of Malcolm Arnold's A Grand, Grand Overture for 3 Vacuum Cleaners, 1 Floor Polisher, 4 Rifles.  The cleaning equipment was just extraneous sound effects, and did nothing musically, although some people find vacuums similar to bagpipes. I think the rifles were to be a pantomime firing squad; could not find them, even though one performance was in Texas where they would not have too much problem of firing off ordinance.

For a long time i knew Tchaikovskij used cannons and church bells, and Verdi and Wagner used anvils; and they are musical, and relegated as percussion. The usual percussionist has tympani. There are works that call for cymbals, triangle, xylophones (and similar hammered tuned bars), chimes. There are also auxiliary percussion instruments beyond drums, that are like children toys and produce claps, shakes, bangs. Especially after the Arnold piece, i have come to the conclusion, that much of this is sound effects—just add the coconuts and plumber's helpers.

new ghost sign

new ghost sign—In early March local photographers have been shooting this picture, next to the shoreway by W. Lakeside in Cleveland. I read that beer was last brewed in 1962. The property next to it is a parking lot. Signs covering it were recently removed to make this visible. Since there is the name of an old sign company, and the present sign company, perhaps a new board for the new sign company will be going up?  Above the roof there is a sign advertising a national beer. 

Burying the Bass Fiddle

Hungarian Scout Regös Group had the funeral of the big old musician in the social hall of  Cleveland's St. Emeric to-day. He could not make it through carnival season. His absence during the upcoming Lent will be noticed. The young women wailed, and a man threw himself to the ground.

We are in the last few hours before the major penitential season of Lent, which many people see as a solemn and sober time. This is part of the final moments where humour can be played out. A mock funeral was held for the 'deceased' instrument of merriment. In one book it was called 'Bogo Temtes'. This had been done for decades in the Buckeye neighborhood around St. Margaret of Hungary. At that time it had initially involved Gypsy musicians. Last year it was revived by the new pastor at St. Emeric, András Mezei.

 The asperges (sprinkling) was done with a large kitchen whisk.