Thursday, April 23, 2020
Php Login Script with Remember Me Feature free essay sample
I wanted to include the popular Remember Me feature seen on a lot of websites that basically keeps users logged into the website, even after theyve closed the browser so that the next time they come, they wont have to login again manually. I found this tutorial Creating a PHP Login Script to be very helpful in writing this script, in fact, a lot of the code presented here is very similar to the code presented in that tutorial. The differences are seen with the new Remember Me feature, the use of cookies in addition to sessions, and with slight modifications in the design.Goals The ultimate goal is to create a PHP login script with the capability of remembering logged-in users. I also hope this tutorial will serve as a way to introduce people to user sessions and cookies in PHP. Notes Although this tutorial uses a MySQL database for storing user information, it has been written so that the data accessing code is separated from the main code through specific functions, so it would be e asy to instead use a flat file database system, simply by changing the code in those specific functions, without messing with the rest. We will write a custom essay sample on Php Login Script with Remember Me Feature or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This tutorial uses the latest and greatest of PHP 4, which means super globals are used, such as $_POST, $_SESSION, etc.. This tutorial will aim to teach you about sessions and cookies through example, however if you need to know more information, go to the official website . Database For those of you planning on using a flat file system, you can skip this section. For the rest of us, we want to create a MySQL database table that holds user information, here it is: CREATE TABLE users ( sername varchar(30), password varchar(32)); Of course this table can be modified according to your needs, however the password field must not be less than 32 because it has to store the md5 encrypted versions of passwords which are 32 bytes. database. php This file will contain the code that connects you to your MySQL database and the functions that access user information, you need to modify this to show your MySQL username, password and database. Allow Users to Sign-UpBefore we can login users, we need users. Here we will focus on the code that allows users to sign-up, registering their username and password. register. php Registered! Thank you , your information has been added to the database, you may now log in. Registration Failed Were sorry, but an error has occurred and your registration for the username , could not be completed. Please try again at a later time. Registration Page Registration Page Register Login Username: Password: Remember me next time Join
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The Communist Form of Government and why it sucks essays
The Communist Form of Government and why it sucks essays Communism is supposed to be a perfect society. It is a society without money, without a state, without property and without social classes. People work together to carry out a task or to respond to some need of the human community but without the possibility of their work taking the form of a business that involves making money or the exchange of its products. The circulation of goods is not accomplished by means of exchange. Quite the contrary, the by-word for this society is "from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs".1 Above all, it will takes control of everything. It takes control of industry and of all branches of production out of the hands of competing individuals, and instead institutes a system in which all these branches of production are operated by society as a whole. This is for the common account, according to a common plan, and with the participation of all members of society.2 It will, in other words, abolish competition and replace it with association.1 Moreover, since the management of industry by individuals implies private property, and since competition is really the way that the by private property owners control industry, it means that private property is part of competition and the personal management of industry. So, communism states that private property must be abolished and in its place must come the 1The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, 1848 2-Communism: A History (Modern Library Chronicles), by Richard Pipes. Published: Modern Library, New York, N.Y. 10171 common utilization of all production and the distribution of all goods according to common agreement. This is know as the communal ownership of goods.3 Unfortunately, the difference between businessmen and farmhands is destined to appear. The management of agriculture and industry by the same people ra ...
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Boston beer case
The major domestic producer segment only contained three major companies also known as ââ¬Å"The Big Threeâ⬠: Anheuser-Busch, Miller Brewing Company, and Adolf Coors Company. They commonly competed on the foundation of economies of scale which wound up being the main driver of revenue. By selling significant quantities of product at a cheap price, ââ¬Å"The Big Threeâ⬠was able to obtain 77% of the market share in 1994. By holding such a large portion of the market, domestic producers received elevated amounts of revenue which became extremely helpful in the 1980ââ¬â¢s when demand dwindled. ââ¬Å"The Big Threeâ⬠was able to avoid financial hardship by having the financial and marketing resources to defend their brands. Due to mass production however, the tastes and standards of quality often varied widely. This created a niche for other brewing segments to tap into the market. Queue the necessity for craft beer. The craft brewing segment manufactured products for more sophisticated drinkers who desired more flavorful and bitter tasting beer. In terms of driving their revenue, craft brewers concentrate on the price aspect of their product. By primarily focusing on the quality of their beer, they could charge a price premium to drive revenue. In fact some brews are so well sought-after, they are sold for double the price major domestic beer. Craft Brewers also capture value through strong brand name recognition. They use extensive marketing campaigns to spark interest and build product awareness. In addition, Craft Brewers have the opportunity to contract out plants of domestic manufacturers who are beneath capacity. Due to the excess amount of producers, custom brewers have considerable control in the relationship allowing them to set strict prices and quality control. Additionally, contracting allows brewers to strategically choose plants locations allowing them to cut down on transportation costs and guarantee product freshness. Boston Beer captured value similarly to all other craft brewers. It focused on selling high priced, high quality beers to its customers by pursuing four main initiatives, three of which have already been touched on. Boston Beer assured extremely high quality standards by testing each batch with numerous tests, being the first company to stamp expiration dates on each bottle, and instructing customers to toss beer after expiration. Boston Beer also received all the bargaining benefits for contract brewing listed before. Additionally it spent an absurd amount of money in sales and marketing, significantly more than most other specialty beer companies. Commercials were focused on the quality of the beer itself and educated consumers, drawing attention to superior ingredients. Boston Beerââ¬â¢s unique advantage was their product line innovation. Creating a broader line of seasonal and annual beers continued to build brand awareness by helping obtain greater shelf space and product focus among distributers and retailers. Boston Beer vs. Craft Beer Competitors Redhook Ale Brewery owned and operated its own breweries unlike Boston and Peteââ¬â¢s. They only had two plants in the state of Washington so they were primarily focused in the western part of the country with ambitions to tap into the eastern market by purchasing a new plant in New Hampshire. Redhook also plan on regional expansion by aligning with Anheuser-Busch where their products were sold through 700 distributors nationwide. By primarily focusing on expanding its product coast-to-coast, Redhook plans to now drive revenue through increasing quantity. Peteââ¬â¢s Brewing Company already has a fairly broad spectrum as they market beer in 44 states thanks to a great deal of advertising. Although once exclusively a contract brewer, Peteââ¬â¢s has now focused on obtaining their own production plants as well. Specifically in California where the opportunity for growth is higher than ever due to high demand for specialty beer there. Unlike Redhook, Peteââ¬â¢s has already expanded their product reach. Now it is focusing on obtaining greater market share. Boston Beer Company is fairly similar to its competing beer competitors. All three had capitalized on tremendous growths and plan to continue progressing into the future. Boston also plans on an upcoming initial public offering to raise funds, which Redhook and Peteââ¬â¢s have also just recently completed. The principal difference is that Boston plans on remaining solely a contract brewer. When the market begins to mature, it will be interesting to see whether company-owned or third-party breweries will be more beneficial. As time goes on, craft breweries will start directing their efforts competing against each other instead of domestic producers. Luckily Boston Beer will be ready for the transition since they have already established themselves in the specialty beer market. Comparing Craft Brewers Financials Expressing relationships between financial statement items can be used to determine Boston Beer Companyââ¬â¢s performance relative to their competitors, Redhook and Peteââ¬â¢s. By comparing and contrasting historical data with firms in the same industry, Boston Beer can identify their primary strengths and weaknesses. By breaking down their financial ratios into four basic categories, Boston Beer can determine their success. Those four are: profitability, efficiency, liquidity, and solvency. *All ratios were taken from 1995 financials since it was the most recent. The most up-to-date entry gives the best look at Boston Beerââ¬â¢s current state of affairs. Profitability ratios show a companyââ¬â¢s overall performance by assessing their ability to generate earnings as compared to expenses. They indicate the firmââ¬â¢s proficiency to create a return. Due to Boston Beerââ¬â¢s premium quality, they are able to sell their product at a gross margin of 51. 7%, higher than both Redhook and Peteââ¬â¢s. However, Bostonââ¬â¢s operating profit of 6. 8% is far behind that of Redhookââ¬â¢s 16. 8% due to their immense advertising expenses. Boston Beer may have the best gross margin of craft brewers, however their profit margin is offset because they are spending a lot in order to do so. Efficiency ratios are used to analyze how well a company internally manages their assets and liabilities. By decreasing their working capital, firms are able to free up cash which can be used for other means such as short-term investing, repayment of debt, or issuance of dividends. No matter what the money is used for, improvement in working capital almost always translates to profitability. Boston Beer has the highest inventory turnover of 12. 8 related to Peteââ¬â¢s and Redhook and their collection period and accounts payable period are also lackluster. As a takeaway, Boston Beer still has ground to make up in productivity against rivals. To determine a companyââ¬â¢s ability to pay off its short-term debt obligations, liquidity ratios are used. In order to avoid bankruptcy, a business must be able to have enough cash to cover their obligations. These ratios will determine if the company has a financial future by clarifying their margin of safety with debt. The most common factor used to determine liquidity is the current ratio. Boston Beers current assets over liabilities are 1. 43 which is more than enough cushion to cover any interim commitments. Unlike liquidity, solvency is used to determine the chances of the firmââ¬â¢s long-term survival by measuring the ability to meet long-term debts. Solvency ratios help hint on the likelihood of bankruptcy down the road. Bostonââ¬â¢s debt-to-asset of . 05 and debt-to-equity of .à 06 are far lower than that of their competitors so they seem to be leading in that category. Even after the expected IPO deal continues, Bostonââ¬â¢s D/A and D/E ratios will improve even further. Boston Beer Intrinsic Value In order to determine the IPO price of Boston Beer Company, the intrinsic value of the company must be found first. By using various valuation methodologies, we can create e stimates of the companyââ¬â¢s underlying value and determine a final answer from there. One method that can be determined from the given data is the discounted cash flow valuation. By using a cash flow analysis, a valuation can be determined by taking the current status of a company to predict future profitability and then discounting them to obtain an intrinsic value. Using the information provided in the case, general assumptions can be made to determine Boston Beerââ¬â¢s projected income statement, changes in working capital, increases in capital expenditures, and their weighted average cost of capital. Unfortunately there is a lot of missing data, leaving some values up to debate. Through calculating a WACC of 7.à 76%, generating future cash flows for the next five years, and determining the low terminal growth rate, the enterprise value of Boston Beer is expected to be about $210 million. That leaves an equity value of $197 million after eliminating debt. Expected price per share can be determined by taking the equity value over number of outstanding shares which ends up being $10. 78 a share. Profitability and Growth Assumptions In the short term, th ere is still plenty of opportunity for craft beer companies to expand. But due to increased competition and market saturation, it will only be a matter of time before growth begins to slow down. With all three leading specialty brewers undertaking plans of massive expansion, and domestic producers beginning to make a move into the specialty beer market the industryââ¬â¢s future looks bleak. Boston Beer may experience extraordinary growth for the few years, however eventually industry growth will stabilize. The long term growth rate for craft breweries will be much lower than their current astounding growth rates. The outlook of the beer industry as a whole is not expected to grow at all, resulting in breweries constantly battling market share away from competitors. Once the specialty beer market has become saturated, Boston Beer will need to search for other growth opportunities, or risk stagnating company development. Furthermore, the future of bargaining power over contract breweries should be taken into account. One of Boston Beerââ¬â¢s competitive advantages is obtaining cost benefits from the overabundance of brewery plants. By removing the benefits of contract brewing, it would result in drastically reduced net income for craft brewers due to increased expenses. In a worst case scenario, Boston Beer may have to transition and purchase their own facilities leading to large capital expenditures. As the market begins to mature and growth slows, craft brewers will have to find ways to reduce expenses in order to continue increasing profits. Assuming changes in expenses plays a big part in determining a companyââ¬â¢s profitability. Price fluctuations in raw materials and production advances can influence the cost of goods sold. Craft Breweries need for such high marketing expenses may decline after the market becomes saturated and the need for awareness diminishes. These are just a few disruptions that can vastly alter companies future.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
The results of the credit crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
The results of the credit crunch - Essay Example Significant sums of money were pumped into the economy in order to facilitate its expansion. Though a number of banks failed it was proportionately far less than had occurred during the Great Depression. The Obama Administration did not just sit and watched as happened in 1929. They acted and they did so swiftly. It was this swift action that resulted in less jobs being lost as would have been the case if things were allowed to work themselves out. The government did whatever it could to meet with automobile manufacturers and other business interests to prevent the industry for collapsing. This helped to save a number of jobs in that industry as well other industries that supplied them with raw materials and services.à à It should be quite obvious from the foregoing that the Great Recession was not as severe as the Great Depression of 1929 which lasted for more than a decade. Things could have been even worse if the response was similar to that of the 1930ââ¬â¢s. What is ther efore significant is that things were not allowed to run their course as happened in the 1930ââ¬â¢s. While World War 11 appeared to have shortened the period of the Great Depression of the 1930ââ¬â¢s, it was the intervention by the Obama Administration in the United States that prevented this from getting to the stage of the Great Depression of 1929. It is therefore important that it is clearly understood that the results of a situation is affected by the response mechanisms that are put in placed to deal with the situation.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Doppelganger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4
Doppelganger - Essay Example The Nolans use nonlinear narrative approach to capture the themes in the screenplay in a whole new fashion that not only entertains, but captures new aesthetics of a 21st century film. This paper analyses how different styles such as mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound design affect the overall outcome of the themes and aesthetics in ââ¬Å"The Prestige.â⬠Robert Angier and Alfred Borden cut the image of two would-be illusionists working in harmony in Victorian London, but upon the unintended elimination of Angierââ¬â¢s wife, the two characters turn against each other; Bordwell (2013) noted that ââ¬Å"with Juliaââ¬â¢s death, the men become enemies.â⬠Hell-bent on proving that the other is weaker and incapable, both parties discover a new center or focus in the elegant Olivia Wenscombe. By virtue of Wenscome, each of the two sinks deeper into mystery in an attempt to demonstrate that they he is the more powerful magician. ââ¬Å"The Prestigeâ⬠takes an atmospheric turn that seamlessly integrates magicââ¬â¢s natural mystery and secrecies with well-connected scenes that constantly ensure the audiences follow the story to the end while chasing unending solutions to the mysteries. Although, the storyline jumps from one time period to another in an effort to underscore the seriousness of the rivalry between the magicians, director Christopher Nolan clearly delineates the scenes to avoid any confusion among the audience. The carefully designed mise-en-scenes style featuring the two characters on the foreground at night in the outdoor scene, with lines of bulbs planted to the background, for example, not only creates an intriguing social life of the two characters at the beginning of the film, but also evokes a particular dreamlike value that is both attractive and mysterious (Bordwell, 2013). Neither of the two protagonists is predominantly likeable especially in the dark clothes they adorn and their shadowy movements. Both men have somehow
Friday, January 24, 2020
Metaphysical Poetry :: essays papers
Metaphysical Poetry Discuss the uses of metaphors of colonization in metaphysical poetry and/or Milton. "Movement across or through space becomes a process of colonization of that space." During the period of Milton's Paradise Lost as well as myriad of poets construction of an epoque submerged in metaphysical literature, a number of significant events both socio-political, entwined with a systematic religious metamorphism of the sixteenth and seventeenth century led to a time of unrest and discovery. The creators and author's of work of this periods placed their emphasis not specifically on a level of morality or self understanding but rather a rediscovery of the body and soul, almost a form of existensionalism or physical cosmos with a geography. 'All things are subject to the Mind... It measures in one thought the whole circumference of heaven and by the same line it takes the geography of the earth. The seas, the air, the fire all things of either, are within the comprehension of the mind. It has an influence on them all, whence it lakes all that may be useful, all that may be helpful in government. No limitation is prescribed to it, no restriction is upon it, but in a free scope it has a liberty upon all. And in this liberty is the excellence of the mind; in this power and composition of the mind is perfection of a man... Man is an absolute master of himself; his own safety, and tranquillity by God... are made dependent on himself.'1 In this short example of Puritanism text as it stands, alone contains a number of various references to the process of colonization, of expanding, perceiving all geographically and manipulating, making man or perhaps more specifically the colonisers omniscient and God-like. The crusader self-reliant and independent with the knowledge that God is his guardian of safety and tranquillity. In this particular the growing number of Puritans played a significant role both in the cultivation and transformation of the Christian religion and foreign territories. The Puritans themselves comprised of those in the Church of England unhappy with limitations of the Elizabethan Settlement; some were Presbyterians, and all were to some extent or other Calvinists (though not all Calvinists were Puritans). They were a people of scrupulous moral rigour and favoured plain styles of dress, detesting any form of luxury or decadence. The name Puritan later became a catch-all label for the disparate groups who led much of the New World colonization and won the English Civil Wars. New World colonization began as early as 1480 by English seamen performing spectacular feats of exploration
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Modest Mussorgsky and His Sunless Song Cycle
Modest Mussorgsky and his Sunless Song Cycle Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was one of the biggest innovators in Russian music during the Romantic Period. Constantly striving to achieve a distinctive Russian musical identity, he never once hesitated to defy the orthodox qualities and trends of western music. Born March 21, 1839, into a wealthy family living in Karevo, Russia, it was not long before Mussorgsky discovered his love for music. He began playing piano at the age of 6 and showed promising development. However, he was obliged to take on the family tradition of serving in the military, and was sent to cadet school when he was 13.After 4 years, he successfully graduated and was sent to serve at a military hospital in Saint Peterburg. Here, he became close with several other composers including Mily Balakirev, who heavily influenced Mussorgsky to learn more about music. The two worked together over the next few years developing his musical intelligence. After only several months, in 1858, Mussorgsky suffered from an emotional crisis, forcing him to resign from his commission, and devote his time entirely to music composition. He began to develop as a composer but was unfortunately preoccupied as his familyââ¬â¢s fortune began to dwindle.He was forced to accept a low-level civil service position in order to help manage his familyââ¬â¢s estate. In 1863, Mussorgsky returned to Saint Petersburg and began composing his first opera. During this time, he was exposed to a heavily creative and intellectual atmosphere where a variety of artistic and scientific ideas were brought to his attention. He soon came to embrace the ideal known as musical realism. With this mind set, Mussorgsky sought to depict life through music as it was truly lived. He rejected the repetition of symmetrical musical forms just as life itself is completely unpredictable.His style came to be known as erratic and exhibited a raw sense of individuality. Unfortunately, this concept of â⬠Ëreal lifeââ¬â¢ hit him especially hard when his mother passed away in 1865. This was a profound moment in Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s life, one that may have pushed him into the downward spiral saturated with alcohol, depression, and hopelessness that would eventually follow. By the late 1860ââ¬â¢s, his music had circulated well enough to earn him the right of being grouped with Balakirev, Cui, Rimsky-Korsavok, and Borodin as a part of Russiaââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Mighty Handfulâ⬠.However, he had yet to compose a successful opera. In Autumn of 1868, after abandoning his two previous attempts at Salammbo and Marriage, Vladimir Nikosky suggested that he compose an opera for Alexander Pushkinââ¬â¢s drama, Boris Godunov. Mussorgsky gladly accepted the challenged and began almost immediately. Despite the opera being rejected by the State Censor (arguably not once but twice), nearly 6 years later, his masterpiece was ready to be shared with the world. The premier took place January 27, 1874, but to his dismay, it received a number of hostile and negative reactions.Even his good friend and fellow ââ¬Å"Mighty Handâ⬠member, Cesar Cui, was unimpressed and proceeded to minimize his accomplishment with a scathing review describing it as an ââ¬Å"immature workâ⬠, and that it ââ¬Å"trespassed against the conventional musical grammar of the timeâ⬠. Mussorgsky was deeply impacted by the public reaction. It nearly destroyed his self-confidence, and summoned what I believe to be the dark and pessimistic force that inspired his song cycle entitled ââ¬Å"Bez Solnstaâ⬠.Literally meaning ââ¬Å"sunlessâ⬠, or ââ¬Å"without sunâ⬠, Bez Soinsta was a series of 6 songs Mussorgsky composed to accompany a variety of poems written by his close friend and part-time roommate, Arseni Golenishchev-Kutuzov. As the name implies, the overall mood of Sunless is rather bleak. Its music and lyrics especially evoke a continuous feeling of loneliness, hopelessnes s, insomnia, and boredom. From a psychological standpoint, one could say that this entire song cycle is a direct representation of the mental state associated with depression and its symptomatic effects.I believe Mussorgsky chose to compose these songs when he did to reflect his degrading mental state of mind, which ultimately led to his demise. The first song of the cycle, consisting of only 17 bars, is entitled ââ¬Å"Within Four Wallsâ⬠. With its sparing accompaniment, this musically subtle piece tends to center around pedal D (first in the bass, later in the mid range, and then returning back to the bass). The melody blends a combination of recitative and aria with arching lines of infinite yearning and at times fierce dissonances.These unexpected harmonies are inevitably brought back to the unyielding D, all the while saturated with irregular phrase length and fermatas to perhaps allude to the unpredictability of life. Deceptive cadences of endless misery, combined with so mber poetic lyrics such as ââ¬Å"â⬠¦an impenetrable darkness, irresponsive darknessâ⬠, this song seems to radiate a sense of profound pessimism that can only be explained by the mental condition of Mussorgsky at the time. Though only lasting a mere 11 bars, Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s second song of the cycle, ââ¬Å"Thouh Didst Not Know Me In The Crowdâ⬠, goes further harmonically than any other composer would be capable of.Frequently ending in foreign, unresolved chords, this perfect blend of heightened recitatives and fervent melodies do justice to the associated lyrics provided by Kutuzof. The poetry seems to express and bewail the indifference of the world as personified in the disinterest of a former lover. The brief poetic phrasing is as follows: You have not recognized me in the crowd. Your glance did not say anything, but I felt wonder and fright when I caught it. It was only a moment, but believe me, within it I re-lived again, all the delights of past love, all the bitterness of oblivion and tears!Details regarding Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s love life are sparse, but one can only assume that such words drenched in hopeless bitterness and overwhelming sorrow pertained some relevance to his current love affairs at the time. Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s third song in the cycle is entitled ââ¬Å"The Noisy Festival Day Is Endedâ⬠. At the time, he was working in the forestry department of The Russian Government as a clerk. Earning little income, and being constantly preoccupied with pointless tasks, his frustration grew, as he was increasingly distracted from his real life as a composer.One of the more expansive Sunless songs, this 40 bar piece exhibits a variety of textures and gestures. Opening with a recitative, Mussorgsky continues to a lyrical middle section, where falling modal sixths are introduced. Finishing with an aria like finale, the song seems to convey no other emotions than hopeless longing and passionate despair. He expresses yet another day wasted, ââ¬Å"over is the idle and idle and clamorous dayâ⬠and another night sleep deprived, ââ¬Å"but sleep escapes from my eyesâ⬠. But what has brought about this dissatisfaction? Could it be his unfulfilling job that distracts him from his true passion of music composition?Or perhaps it is a woman who disturbs him so, ââ¬Å"I am bored with this dead crowdâ⬠¦ Only one shadow, the only one of all, appeared to me, breathing with loveâ⬠. ââ¬Å"Boredomâ⬠is the fourth song in Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s Sunless song cycle. As the name suggests, throughout the 29 bars, he repeats the opening statement a total of three times (making it a strophic song). However, it would not be very stylistic of Mussorgsky to restate this initial melody without some sort of change or variation. For each repetition, he modifies the music slightly to appropriately reflect the changes in the text.During the third repetition, the music seems to take a more fierce and tragic approach tha n that of the first and second phrases. The lyrics here also seem to indicate a powerful sense hopelessness and despair as Kutuzov writes, ââ¬Å"Be bored. From birth to the grave your path is written beforehand: Drop by drop youââ¬â¢ll waste your powers. Then youââ¬â¢ll die. â⬠Talk about depressing. At this point in time, Mussorgsky was drinking heavily, and seemed to idealize his alcoholism, perhaps viewing it as an ethical or aesthetic habbit. This of course led to increased isolation and depression, which is undeniably presented through songs such as this one.His fifth song, ââ¬Å"Elegyâ⬠appears to be related in some way to the negative reaction of the public in response to the recent premier of his opera, Boris Godunov. As discussed earlier, even his close friend and respected fellow member of Russiaââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Mighty Handfulâ⬠betrayed Mussorgsky with a brutal review of the piece. ââ¬Å"Elegyâ⬠begins nicely as the fluttering piano gently com pliments and symbolizes the ââ¬Å"Silent star flickering, lonely, through the veil of cloudsâ⬠. Arguably, this represents Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s opera at the time of its approval, waiting for the ââ¬Å"veil of cloudsâ⬠to be lifted in order to shine for all of the world to see.Later, the music changes drastically as a series of angry, dissonant and chromatic octaves relentlessly pound away as the poetry describes what I believe to be the publicââ¬â¢s reaction to his take on Boris Godunov. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦And I hear in the distance lifeââ¬â¢s discordant noise, laughter of the soulless crowd, the muttering of treacherous feudingâ⬠. Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s anger and frustration in response to the premier of his opera are clearly and effectively depicted here through his music. The last song of his Sunless cycle is entitled ââ¬Å"By The Riverâ⬠. Throughout the piece, a stationary bass line with its insistent half step supports a eries of extreme chromatic harmonies. There is a strange contradictive sense of stability and illusion to the piece, something which becomes even more prominent when compared to its poetry. Throughout the text, the line between sanity and madness and crossed, and you find yourself at the threshold of death. The poetry seems to essentially be a suicide note. The river acts as a means to an end, possessing ââ¬Å"â⬠¦magical secrets in themâ⬠(what happens after you die). ââ¬Å"When it calls into the depths, I want to jump without hesitationâ⬠(suicide).The hopeless yearning and disheartening lyrics correspond with music nearly as dark and mysterious as the river portrays. In the years that followed, Mussorgskyââ¬â¢s mental and physical decline only worsened. The inability to resist drinking, combined with a series of deaths among his closes friends caused him great pain and sorrow. In 1880, he was terminated from the governmental service, and in 1881 he declared to a friend that there was, ââ¬Å"nothing left but beggingâ⬠. It seemed as though Mussorgsky had given up: on music, on himself, on life. Sure enough, not long after the fact, he suffered from a series of seizures and was hospitalized.An impoverished son of nobility, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky died on March 28, 1881, just a week after his 42nd birthday. His unfortunate struggle with alcohol, and criticisms from the public eye, inspired a dark and despairing approach to music during his final years. Additionally, his interest and devotion to musical realism led to an unorthodox and controversial style, the critical reaction to which, he was unable to cope with. Sunless, with the help from Kutuzov, remains one of the bleakest works in the art song repertoire. Bibliography: Articles: http://www. recmusic. org/lieder/assemble_texts. tml? LanguageId=7&SongCycleId=60 http://www. allmusic. com http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Boris_Godunov_(opera) http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Modest_Mussorgsky http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki /Sunless_(song_cycle) Songs: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=CKZwPYhXbbA http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=8KOvp0ienUI http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=tUXZ59hs2l8 http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=YU481pqyo54 http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=ym367Z_XJ-k http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Raqo8RQL9i0 Scores: http://www. musicaneo. com/sheetmusic/sm-4310_sunless_without_sun. html (^yes, I bought itâ⬠¦)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)