ADWENDT's KALENDER

Description of Baby Jesus in Song (Silent Night): " Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar " = " Blessed boy in curly hair " and most depictions presume a fair haired caucasian new born, like the one pictured above. But considering the geographic location of the story of Jesus' birth, it is very likely that his complexion was not caucasian/white, yet depictions of the baby Jesus being black or any other colour than white are a rare find though these exist. I found one African American nativity scene in an US online sho p that advertises a more diverse Xmas experience, but currently it is sold out.  The baby Jesus of it looks like that: This image shall also work as a tag to a 'present' that I am leaving you, (find a link at the bottom of today's last post), but before jumping there, let's open the last window of the calendar:  * [ 24 ]  Clearly the most often featured song in these advent blogposts is Silent Night (Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht), possibly ...

  Ever wondered what "Christmas carols" sound like in Arabic song, or Vietnamese? I am sure you will recognize this all time favourite. Christmas Around the World, Today : One song travels East (Middle and Far East)   فيروز = Fairuz تراتيل الميلاد = Christmas Hymns Born and educated in Beirut, Fairuz (Real Name:نهاد رزق وديع حداد = Nuhad Rizq Wadīʿ Ḥaddad) began her musical career as a chorus member at the Lebanese Radio Station. In the late 1950s her talent as a singer became fully acknowledged. Fayrouz's early songs featured the singer's distinct vocal timbre and lyrics expressing romantic love and nostalgia for village life. They meshed with a delicate orchestral blend in which certain Arab instruments figured prominently but which also subtly incorporated European instruments and European popular dance rythms.    Đêm Thánh Vô Cùng (Silent Night) by Truong Thi Quinh Hanh Unfortunately I do not have any information about this recordin...

Snowmaiden / Snegurochka As you may know not everyone is celebrating the end-of-year yuletide like crimbo weihnacht with a tree and presents, and calls it christmas, of course not. The importance of the solstice and shift of solar energies back to the northern hemisphere may be key to it all. Yet the return of light is equally celebrated, as is the birth of Jesus. Whatever your latitude and longitude, whatever the reason to celebrate – neither agreement nor accuracy on which day to celebrate appears to be an issue.  Зимняя песенка (Winter Song): The Germans have their Heiligabend on the 24th, whereas the English prefer the 25th passing gifts. If one looks further East to Russia, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ falls – though celebrated on 25th December in the Julian calendar (used by the church) – actually on 7th January in the common Gregorian calendar. Confused ? Great, read on.   "It’s generally accepted that December 25th was not even the day Jesus was ...

Misconception: In Winter the days are always becoming shorter. This is not true – as a matter of  fact, days are getting longer in Winter. It is in the contextual detail: Though we associate the decrease of daylight hours in autumn (and increased likelihood of snowfall in December) with Winter time, the actual Winter only starts on the day of solstice, so the day after which daytime hours start increasing again. So, the sun is at its lowest point on the sky at mid-day today (during the third week in December in the northern hemisphere) and represents the ‘ beginning of winter ’. This is actually a cool fact and a "pretty fantastic" reason to celebrate, and to appreciate the Winter perhaps even a little more. The winter solstice is today. Days are now getting longer again. Perhaps for the first few days not noticably, but gradually and steadily nevertheless. There are plenty of Christmas songs, but few about the winter solstice, though celebrating the shortest day of the year...

[ XX ] - twenty in roman numerals. Today a wee animation, a Miniscule's clip for wee people here. And some XX-rated content below the __.  Mind who you are sharing these Xmas posts with. Hope it does not make you crinch ...  Four more to go. XX

Congratulations, if you haven't felt any xmas pressure building up yet. This weekend the town offers a great opportunity to get more than a glimpse of an impression. People getting stressed I feel ...  100-meter-queuing is not a new olympic discipline, but what people do to get parcels posted in time. Apparently the cut-off time was the postal service collection at mid day.  Congratulations if you managed to stay at home, or send your cards when you were advised to by this very Kalender-authority. Congratulations also if you manage to reduce wrappers this year. After yesterdays video-clip-post I decided to struggle exercising the old-school technique – simply folding paper and using a twine to hold it together. I had practiced it without adhesive tape as a kid (and mastered it). That was not before the invention of Tesa film, Scotch- or Selo-tape but simply a way to be resourcesful.  And will you believe it we reused the paper too ; ) Packing without adhesive now ? ver...

Chilly, Brittle & Bright with their Orchestra of Delight     Most people start wrapping presents today ... But remember, everything you wrap now will need to be unwrapped later. Today this moment for thought. Chilly, Brittle and Bright - with their Orchestra of Delight:  Scratcher, Scritcher, Plinker, Plonker, Zebedee, Wigglemas and Tipp, Thumper, Strumper and Swish, MInimal Moocher & Arctic Rosin, Happy, Notso, Potty, Potso, Rip Van Beethoven, Frosty and Son

 [ 17 ]   Today a contribution by one of my musical therapist-friends, a friend-therapist musician so to speak. The song she sent is  "I yust go nuts at Christmas" and it was recorded and released in 1949. This Christmas novelty song (and monologue) was written and performed by Harry Stewart as fictional Swede "Yogi Yorgesson" and paints a rather awkward xmas picture. You can sing/read along using the lyrics below.   Oh, I yust go nuts at Christmas On that yolly holiday Ill go in the red like a knucklehead Cuz I'll squander all my pay. Oh, I yust go nuts at Christmas Shopping sure drives me berserk On the day before, I rush in a store Like a pure bewildered yerk. I look at nightgowns for my wife Those black ones trimmed in red But I wont know her size and so She'll get a carpet sweeper instead. Oh I yust go nuts at Christmas When each kid hangs up his sock It's a time for kids to flip their lids While their papa goes in hock. On the night before Christm...

 [ 16 ]    An Øbscüre Treat Santa Dog is a song (project-series) by an American artist collective that was/is/and perhaps sometime in the future will be again called The Residents. They are interesting in many ways, they are recognised as being culturally important (e.g. by MOMA, the Museum Of Modern Art New York) and are appreciated as innovative artistic avantgarde (exploring arts forms, distribution formats or media technologies and it's platforms) by many. Yet throughout their 50+year history, The Residents have cloaked their lives and music in obscurity. Band members (mostly four in number) do not identify themselves by name (or even individual pseudonyms), they never appear without masks (often sporting giant eyeballs instead of heads with top hats) and refuse to grant interviews. Talking about their body of work (music, dance, film, new media ...) would be beyond the scope of this Adwendt's-post, but one could inspect just one atom to gain some understand...

 [15]  The Carletto I am looking for is not here !  Let's travel today ...   We are in Italy. It is a hot Summer day in August 2012. I am about to set up a sound installation, my contribution to an arts festival, celebrating contemporary music and sound art.  Daytime, cool interior at the Church in Avellino, a friendly chap, who – I later learn – is called Carlo, the helpful turns up. "Carletto"plays a beat-up Harmonium while joyfully singing a traditional Italian song. Apparently it is a Christmas song, one he usually plays on accordeon accompanied by a tamboura (tambourine) while processing through town – from door to door during Christmas time, as it has been tradition for many years. His English is not great, my Italian worse.           

 [ 14 ] Not a riddle: Sisterkon Fyusion Feared Zane a picture / not a picture : not a record: not the Carletto I am looking for: a chance meeting: Have a great Day !

 [ 13 ]   After all that raucous rock yesterday, I will tone it down today, and focus on the silencio of the season, and in song around Xmas. Two very different versions of Silent Night shall do the trick. The first version, by Fred Lowery, is a peculiar sounding Silent Night. Peculiar because it is almost instrumental, and almost because it is whistled. Does that count as vocal sound or instrumental?.   Fred Lowery the performer of this song was a blind professional whistler! (2 November 1909 - 11 December 1984) During his career, he performed at Carnegie Hall and at the White House. Whistle blower at the White House ? Interesting choice for a profession. I am sure a Fred Lowery also visits number 10 occasionally. Though this song is on Fred Lowery's Family Christmas album (on which he also sings), I got this track from a compilation of Christmas songs about ten years ago. The compiler Mohaha has kept posting these themed "mixtapes" sinc...

[ 12 ] Jingle Bell Rock  Surely you are familiar with Jingle Bell Rock – but does it really rock ? On browsing my collection I found a version by The Fall and another by the Muppet's Electric Mayhem online. I could not make up my mind which of the Jingle Bell Rocks rocks best. So there you go now, two versions that do rock for you on this grand Advent Sunday.   * * * * * * * * * * * * FYI Jingle Bell Rock by The Fall  was part of a John Peel Session on 17th December 1994     And Kermit isn't a real a frog :  

[ 11 ]    GER: Um die Weihnachstzeit macht man sich schon manchmal Gedanken um seine Zähne, meist aber eben erst nach dem Weihnachtsfest, nach den Süßigkeiten. Da ist es aber eben dann schon zuspät ... und man putzt und man putzt, und nimmt sich vor im nächsten Jahr mit dem Zucker doch etwas reservierter umzugehen.  Denn wenn die Beisserchen erst einmal weg sind, dann bleibt einem nur noch das Wünschen ... Das heutige Liedchen ist zwar nicht aus der Zeit in der das Wünschen noch geholfen hat, aber vielleciht unmittelbar danach entstanden.  Spike Jone & His City Slickers "All I Want For Christmas  (Is My Two Front Teeth)"  1948 ENG: Every year around Christmas one is concerned about one's teeth, most likely actually after Christmas, when all sweets are consumed. But those thoughts really come too late then. One is brushing and brushing again more thoroughly ... and then one is making up resolutions for the new year; like stepping back from sugars...

[ 10 ] Some crazy facts: • Most christmas presents come in unnecessary packaging ... remember that !    (It is not about music. If it is today, yet it isn't in general, ...) • My brother lives in Malaysia. • Here is a Christmas song, it's the only one (that I know of) about Orang Utans and Elephants in that context. Hit play - then let us connect some dots: (S)he, who grew up in the eighties and nineties, will probably recognize that this is not really The Flaming Apes , who serve us this delight called Xmas tastes Metallica . The curious one may look up Clouds Taste Metallic, to get to the real album source, the track that is originally called Christmas At The Zoo .  As the song is left in tact (not remixed) even the reference to some Heavy Metal brand is unnecessary. (Unnecessary packaging fact: tick, Now you apply this to your Christmas.) But what is necessary and even more useful, is to check your Palm Oil counter, if you love Orang Utans.  Apparently ...

 [ 9 ]  Another, obscure christmas song for you: "Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney (Upside Down)". Hardly bearable.   Enjoy !      

[ 8 ]    Die 8 scheint hier zu fehlen, ...  Number 8 appears missing ...    Check the video for clues.      

 [ 7 ]  It is time to start thinking about sending Christmas cards, if that is a tradition that you believe in. Especially if you are English and your loved ones (or not-so-loved ones but yet-to-be-the-receivers) are living abroad.  Write today - send it tomorrow  and your well-wishes will arrive in time for christmas. I like christmas traditions,  so does Terry Gilliam. I am sure you recognized the style and humor of the Monty Python.       And BONUS for Una/Vivienne :  we have done an animation course at SAViA and looked at simple/ traditional styles, may be you have or haven't looked at animation techniques in detail?  This animation style as decribed by Terry Gilliam is for the "lazy ones" or because it is so crude a great way of working for "fast'n'brainy". More learning here:  

 [ 6 ]    Sunday was a nice get together, in literally 'dark times' the Cello played, people sang and crazy tunes from the jukebox in between . . .  two short clips here:  one captured at rehearsal/soundcheck and set up:   the other later in the evening: But today's calendar treat for you is actually : "Leonard at the Thomas Organ", with a misbegotten attempt to glom onto the success of the Chipmunks NOT the chipmunks again !      One has to slow down this record  to figure out all of what was being sung,  ...     Your browser does not support the audio element. whoever is doing the sped-up vocal goes completely unacknowledged on the record's label. Unfortunately, no one told the performers or producers of this record that if you're going to record at half-speed for comical effect, you have to enunciate extremely clearly, nor did they learn that whatever you're singing while doing that enunciation needs to be...

 [ 5 ]  We want to spend an afternoon front of house today. We have planned to meet and greet our neighbours and friends, weather permitting of course. We will be around a fire, with mulled wine, non-alco berry punch and yogi-tea, nibbling on some home bake “Weihnachtsplätzchen” and perhaps enjoy some music too, singing and making . . . Lets see what happens. Today's calendar treat : Ivor Kallin & John Bisset go ding dong ..by means of glossolalia, mock violence, postures and gestures, the pair manage to hover around the cusp that separates seriousness from humour. Both are musicians and poets improvising wise, yet Ding Dong is well choreographed to make it work. Anyway … I am sure you can work it out even if you don't do work out.   How did this get here ? John is a broadcaster colleague/friend who shared improvised stories on air, like a traditional storyteller, just that his stories are not traditional storyteller stories. He can make off-the-cuff impromptu soapy b...