from WISE MEN SAY

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~ E. E. Cummings

-o-0-o-

from JOHN'S GALLERY

A Melody, by John William Godward
This is the first in a short series with the theme Music Making

-o-0-o-

from JOHN'S QUIET CORNER

One day a friend called on Michelangelo and found him busy at the final stages of a statue he had been working on.

A week or so later he returned and, finding the sculptor at the same task, said “It appears that you have been idle since I was last here.”

“Indeed, no,” was the answer, “I’ve retouched this part, I’ve polished that part, I’ve softened this feature, I’ve brought out that muscle and I’ve given more expression to the lower lip.”

“But surely all these things are just trifles?” said his friend.

“Perhaps so,” Michelangelo replied, “But trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle.”

-o-0-o-

from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Elmer Grosso and his Orchestra playing "My Sweeter than Sweet" from 1929.
Uploaded by 240252



-o-0-o-

More from my blogs tomorrow

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

from WISE MEN SAY

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. - Mother Teresa

-o-0-o-

from MY OWN SELECTION OF PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTINGS

Youth and Time, by John William Godward

-o-0-o-

from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

THE ISLE OF CAPRI
Jimmy Kennedy

‘Twas on the Isle of Capri that I found her
Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree,
Oh, I can still see the flowers blooming round her
Where we met on the Isle of Capri.

She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning
But somehow fate hadn’t meant her for me,
And though I sailed with the tide in the morning
Still my heart’s on the Isle of Capri.

Summertime was nearly over,
Blue Italian sky above,
I said “Lady, I’m a rover,
Can you spare a sweet word of love?”

She whispered softly “It’s best not to linger,”
Then as I kissed her hand I could see
She wore a plain golden ring on her finger,
‘Twas goodbye on the Isle of Capri.

-o-0-o-

from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

This is Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra playing "The Talk of the Town," with the vocal sung by Phyllis Robbins. Uploaded by davidglow3



-o-0-o-

More items from my other blogs tomorrow.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

from WISE MEN SAY

Fear less, hope more.
Whine less, breathe more.
Talk less, say more.
Hate less, love more,
And all good things are yours. (Anon)

-o-0-o-

from THE VISUAL IMAGE SITE

Fire Fancies, by Arthur Hacker

-o-0-o-

from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Two Poems by
William Wordsworth

1
Sweet Garden-orchard! of all spots that are
The loveliest surely man hath ever found.
Farewell! we leave thee to heaven's peaceful care.
Thee and the cottage which thou dost surround -

Dear Spot! whom we have watched with tender heed,
Bringing thee chosen plants and blossoms blown
Among the distant mountains, flower and weed
Which thou hast taken to thee as thy own -

O happy Garden! loved for hours of sleep,
O quiet Garden! loved for waking hours.
For soft half-slumbers that did gently steep
Our spirits, carrying with them dreams of flowers.

2
I’ve watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

-o-0-o-

from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

The Benny Goodman Sextet play "Gone with what wind."
Uploaded by cdbpdx



-o-0-o-

More items from my other blogs tomorrow

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

from WISE MEN SAY

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open ~John Barrymore

-o-0-o-

from JOHN'S GALLERY

Little Red Riding Hood, by Gustave Doré

-o-0-o-

from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

ADLESTROP

Edward Thomas (1878-1917)

Yes, I remember Adlestrop -
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.

The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop - only the name

And willows, willow-herb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

-o-0-o-

from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Ambrose and his Orchestra recorded this number "The Show is Over" in 1934.
The singer is Sam Browne. Thanks to 240252 for uploading it.



-o-0-o-

More posts from my other blogs tomorrow.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

from WISE MEN SAY

Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out. - Anton Chekhov

-o-0-o-

from JOHN'S GALLERY

Cinderella, by Gustave Doré

-o-0-o-

from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle -
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain'd its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea—
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

-o-0-o-

from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Sam Browne is the singer here in "Give a little whistle" with Jack Hylton and his Orchestra.
Thanks to JoolyOTR for uploading the item.



-o-0-o-

More posts tomorrow taken from some of my other blogs.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A painting, a poem, and a piece of music

-o-0-o-

A Summer Morning by E.A. Walton

-o-0-o-

The Bath by Harry Graham (1874-1936)

Broad is the gate and wide the path
That leads man to his daily bath;

But e’er you spend the shining hour
With plunge and spray, with sluice and show’r,

With all that teaches you to dread
The bath as little as your bed,

Remember, whereso’er you be,
To shut the door and turn the key.

I had a friend - my friend no more!
Who failed to bolt the bathroom door;

A maiden aunt of his, one day,
Walked in, as half-submerged he lay;

But did not notice nephew John,
And turned the boiling water on!

He had no time or even scope
To camouflage himself with soap,

But gave a yell and flung aside
The sponge ‘neath which he sought to hide!

It fell to earth, I know not where;
He beat his breast in his despair

And then, like Venus from the foam,
Sprang into view and made for home.

His aunt fell fainting to the ground;
Alas! They never brought her round!

She died, intestate, in her prime,
The victim of another’s crime;

And John can never quite forget
How, by a breach of etiquette,

He lost, at one fell swoop (or plunge)
His aunt, his honour, and his sponge!

-o-0-o-

This is a most attractive version of "Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens. It's played by 4 Girls 4 Harps and voices. Uploaded by MisforMusic966



-o-0-o-

MORE BLOG CHANGES ON THE WAY

80 plus began on 3rd July 2008 and, with a break of four months last year, has continued weekly. It’s now time to make changes to the blog and I want now to concentrate more on the past, especially the period which particularly interests me, 1900-1930. More details next week.

A Touch of Culture has been very successful, but I’m running short of ideas now. This week’s post will be the last one there for the present, although there’s every possibility that more will follow later on.

Within a few weeks the number of Pre-Raphaelite paintings on My Own Selection blog will have reached 150, and the collection will come to an end. However I will continue to add five paintings every week to John's Gallery.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

[photo thanks to - http://public-domain-images.blogspot.com - ]

No, your eyes are not deceiving you!

This is a fence decorated with women’s bras.

It all started at Christmas 1999 when four bras were found on the wire fence at Cardrona in Central Otago, New Zealand. Within a few days more were added and soon the idea had caught on; by October of 2000 there were around 200 bras hanging on the fence.

In 2006 the number was estimated to be 800 and the local authorities, declaring the display to be a traffic hazard, had the fence removed.

Spoilsports!!!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Elsewhere in this blog I’ve made many references to my keen interest in all kinds of music and of the great enjoyment I had performing semi-professionally.

When I was a boy my favourite radio programmes were dance bands and cinema organists. It was quite a thrill for me when I was given the opportunity of practising on the church organ and I thought how wonderful it would be to play in a cinema.

Some time later I decided to find out about cinema organ lessons. It surprises me now to think that I was brave enough to go in to the Odeon in Glasgow and ask to see the organist, Lyndon Laird. He came to the vestibule and explained that, because of wartime restrictions on the use of electricity, the times when the organ could be used were severly limited. However he took me in to a seat in the back stalls, gave me a cigarette and left me to enjoy a free show. I visited him once or twice, and each time we sat at the back of the cinema, discussing music in whispers.

There was just the one occasion when I had a “go” on a cinema organ. I had contacted Frank Olsen (about lessons) who played the Gaumont cinemas in Glasgow and he arranged to meet me in the New Savoy one Saturday morning.

The instrument, a 2 manual Christie, which probably dated from early in the century, had been in the Tivoli, Glasgow before coming to the New Savoy in 1935. I was surprised to find the keys yellow and worn with age, and disappointed to see that the console was fixed and didn’t come up from the depths!

The New Savoy console

What did I play? I can remember two of the pieces. The Giant Fugue by Bach (nicknamed Giant not because of its difficulty or its length, but just because the pedal part was said to resemble the wide strides of a giant) and a popular tune “Memories of You.”

In 1958 the New Savoy closed down and, as usually happened to unwanted organs, the instrument was broken up. I’ve no doubt parts went to augment organs in churches all over the country.

A few weeks later I got my calling up papers for National Service, and I didn’t pursue the idea any further.

However, more than 40 years later, after I retired from office work, I was given the opportunity to play the kind of music the cinema organists used to play. I found that all the local care homes for older folk had electronic organs, and I volunteered to visit them every week and entertain the residents. I played Sousa marches, Strauss waltzes, light classical pieces, songs from the shows and always finishing with a sing-along medley. I was in my element!!!

This is a video of John Bowdler on the famous Wurlitzer at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. He plays “Pure Imagination” one of the songs from “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The video uploaded by “RitaSueBob”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Here are a few memories from the days I entertained old folk.

I remember the first visit I made to one of the homes. I mounted the platform, sat down at the organ, smiled down to my audience, and one VERY old lady said to her neighbours "He was at school with me!"

At another place, there was a old chap who had played sax in a dance band. The old tunes that I played must have brought back memories to him, for occasionally he wiped tears from his eyes.

I was often asked for requests. One old lady wanted the same tune every week "I'll See You in my Dreams," and in the end I always concluded my programme with that number.

On the days when I was expected at the homes, the residents were always seated waiting for me. At one particular place, as soon as I walked into the room, one old woman would get up, walk out and not return till I had finished playing. Someone suggested she was a music-lover!!!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-