Menoizikul; Midweek Musicalisms

To round off the birthday boys of November, we have Charles-Valentin Alkan, born on 30th November 1813, in Paris, France. I confess, I find this composer's work tough on the ear. As many of the clips playing this ouevre also display the manuscripts, it can be seen how obsessed he was with cramming in as many notes as possible. Perhaps seeking to out-Beet Beethoven?!! By all means, if this appeals to you, then go in search. Here is just a taster, done with mirth and respect to the fact that to learn any piece of music, one must do so one note at a time.

Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek

Archive trawl... Sky High

Menonday Art Vibe; Are You Transfigured?

Next from the Duff House collection, The Transfiguration (after Raphael), by Grigor Urquhart (Scottish, 1797 - 1855). Beyond his dates, I can find nothing about the artist. The use of an 'i' instead of 'e' in his first name was common in old Scottish usage. Anyway, here he is, to all intents and purposes, copying Raphael's work, but by use of "after" in the title, getting away with it! Once more, I was defeated by architectural geography, so to get a better look at the painting itself, you can click here.