Mozart's Impact

I think there was that Seneca quote that went like, "Life is like a play; it's not the length, but the excellence of acting that matters."

I think that's especially true in the case of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

I don't think this will be an incredibly informative post. It certainly won't be a scholarly analysis of his works, or on specific facts of his life.

Other than this one: he was a brilliant musician. He was a solid genius that managed to pack into his short 35 years of life what others can't attempt  to create in a century.

Mozart's K333 Sonata was the last piece I ever played at a piano competition, you know.

Other people may attempt to pound out his achievements. Because even though I was never good at music competition, I have a good sense for music, and personalities. I want to try to describe the character of Mozart--first, through other composers.

Beethoven (9th symphony) was tempestuous and explosive, Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake & Nutcracker) was illustrious, intricate, and ethereal and Prokofiev (Romeo and Juliet) was ponderous and heavy. Composers were constantly looking to make their "mark"--through a certain music style, or through a manner of composition execution or through their trademark nuances. They wanted a legacy--and being mad genisues, they wanted a dramatic legacy.

Mozart wasn't that.

Mozart is constant, comforting. His music, though not repetitive, certainly creates this straightforward sense of dependability that other music geniuses lack. His pieces have solid, melodies, with perfectly simple, mathematical rhythms that a child could count out. After he gained fame, he didn't succumb to it. He still created the same music he had all his life.

They are not hard to play. But the genius in Mozart's music isn't in the ability to play it. It's in the ability to understand it.

Behind the frills-free sonatas lie an inner musical working that is miraculous and bafflingly straight-laced. Each note has a symbolic meaning; each chord is meant to resonate a certain way.

I loved music, but I hated practicing. I didn't appreciate music until I quit piano a few months ago--and it was then that I realized that all the things my brilliant teacher said--all the meanings behind each embellishment and each --how they contributed to the whole of the creator--the composer.

In the end, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart let his music speak for himself. In his short life, he still made an enormous legacy for himself.

Try it for yourself. Listen to the composers I listed above, and then listen to Mozart's K333 Sonata. You'll know what I mean.

Chocolate: Belgium vs. Switzerland

Source: http://kitchentalks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Kitchen-Talks-Swiss-Chocolate.jpg

If there's ONE thing that makes me want to go to central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium) more than anything, it's this: the chocolate.

I still remember that time my dad brought a tin of German/Swiss truffles back home. Let's just say that I claimed the box, and it was clean and empty within three days. 

Creamy, was what I thought. It was rich and smooth and velvet that melted on your tongue. There were subtle flavors; hazelnut layering on coffee-hinted dark with just a whiff of vanilla. The outer shells were marvelously crispy, while the insides were heaven to my taste buds. 

(If I'm making you salivate, then I've done my job.)

There's no question; they have the best chocolate in the world.

But what about the best of the best--Belgium and Switzerland? They have quite a chocolate rivalry, but they both boast of proud chocolate histories and special techniques that make the delicious confections taste so spectacular. 

Belgium: 

Taste: Belgian chocolate is known for its quality of the cocoa taste in the chocolate. The flavor is stronger, more brusque, but also more pure. 

Contributions: The Belgians invented the praline in 1912--a man named Jean Neuhaus was credited coming up with the idea that would change the face of the chocolate manufacturing. He would make a chocolate mold (the converteur), and add soft fillings such as cream, nougat, or toffee (there are different flavors--hazelnut is a popular choice.)

Switzerland:  

Taste: Swiss chocolate is known for its smooth, creamy taste--since Switzerland is credited for the invention of milk chocolate, it has perfected the soft texture that melts in your mouth. 

Contributions: The Swiss had many chocolate innovations, but the most important of them came from a man named Daniel Peter. Originally a candle-maker, he switched to chocolate when he was said to have been besotted with the daughter of a chocolate-maker. He began experimenting with chocolate, and eventually ended up with a product known as milk chocolate--something that is so common today that it is unfathomable that the Europeans back then had only dark chocolate to eat. 

Which is better, you ask? 

I don't know, actually. If I ever get to go to Switzerland and Belgium, I will definitely find out for myself. 

But regardless, chocolate is a food that is quite near and dear to my heart, and it's quite cool to learn how two countries dedicate themselves to the innovation of chocolate. To have each person constantly strive to improve the technique of production and the taste--that's what gives European businesses such credibility and uniqueness. Sometimes, when I think of Europe, I think of homey, family-run businesses and individual shops that counter the American mindset of mass-production and major chain industries that, at times, sacrifice identity and quality for convenience. 

Food for thought, isn't it?

I hope you're still salivating. I certainly am.



Sources: http://earthlydelightsblog.com/belgian-vs-swiss-its-a-chocolate-off/
http://www.venere.com/blog/belgian-chocolate/
http://www.zchocolat.com/en/swiss_chocolate.asp

Cuckoo Clocks!

So, thanks to a documentary in my German class, I've discovered a little novelty with German origins.

The cuckoo clock.

Source: http://www.cuckooclocks.com/get-image.aspx?file=1-0260-01-c.jpg

Isn't it so cute?
Short history: The cuckoo clock from the Black Forest--Schwarzwald. The very first (primitive) cuckoo clock was made in around 1630. Eventually, clockmaking became a popular trade among the farmers of the Schwarzwald. When the winters were cold and the farms were covered in snow, what did they do?

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Clockmakers_black_forest.jpg

They made clocks. 

These days, cuckoo clocks are made with astonishing details--along with the rhythmic cuckoo chime that sounds off the hours, there can also be waltzing figures, miniature soldiers that move their limbs, and beautiful, intricate design and setting. 

The BEAUTIFUL CLOCKS
Source: http://www.cuckoo-palace.com/cuckoo-clocks-blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Schwer_17.10-225x300.jpg

The inside is no less fascinating than the outside--all the gears, wires and dials fit in this one boxlike structure called the movement, which is the heart of the clock--and the timekeeper. Cuckoo bellows are fit snugly on top of the movement, and are connected by wires and a pendulum that sets the movement in motion. 

Left: a cuckoo clock, and right: the movement
Source: http://public.media.smithsonianmag.com/legacy_blog/early-cuckoo-clock.jpg

Here's an incredibly interesting and informative 5-minute video on cuckoo clockmaking. 

To this day, cuckoo clocks are still a long-standing tradition in the Black Forest. Many of them are still family businesses that create wooden masterpieces that are not only excellent timekeepers, but a marvel and a work of art.

Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57NTH-v2GXU --the video above
http://www.cuckooclockworld.com/history.htm

A Day in the Life: Breakfast in Germany

Traditionally, breakfast in Germany has been a very diverse, hearty meal with many dishes. In today's world, where people opt for a quicker lifestyle, breakfast is more simplistic; however, food is a rich culture in Germany and breakfast is an important meal of the day.

A traditional German breakfast would have:

Bread:

Source: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRehHRjXECATya2wi0HEJRvMNB8ideoSGN781kH8WMW1tP3HtEaPA

The German are big on their bread, and it is usually a base staple for their meals. Their bread, cut from loaves or served in rolls, is often bought fresh from a local bakery.

Spreads:

Source: http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/.a/6a00d8341c660253ef017eea4212c4970d-pi

A choice of jam, butter, or a cheese known as quark. 

Beverage:

Source:http://liebesgermany.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/germanbreakfast2.jpg%3Fw%3D637%26h%3D424

Usually coffee or tea is served, sometimes it is a glass of juice, or milk. (note: unlike in America, where coffee is taken in mugs, coffee in Europe is usually taken in teacups, or what I like to tall "espresso cups")

Cold cuts or wurst:

Source: http://stockarch.com/files/13/08/meat_and_cheese.jpg

A German meal just isn't German if it doesn't have its sausage.

Eggs:

Source: http://img.food.com/img/recipes/27/82/30/large/picjABRsr.jpg

So that's it: a delicious, hearty German breakfast! Now, I know that the typical German does not eat such a splendid breakfast like this every day, (just like Americans don't eat pancakes and bacon every day) but it sure would be nice to have a traditional German breakfast like this every once in a while, wouldn't it?

Sources: http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/facts/eatinghabits.cfm
http://livingingermany.geekymoms.com/2013/05/31/traditional-german-breakfast/

History: the skiing warfare of WWII

So, coming off of the current Winter Olympics excitement and Germany's victory team gold in men's skiing...I thought I might focus on Germany and skiing.

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have had a long history in skiing. The Alps along their southern border provide one of the world's most prominent skiing bases, and kids often begin skiing while they are very young.

But...did you know that there was such a thing as skiing warfare? 

I didn't.

Dating back to the 1600s, ski warfare has been used in many parts of Europe, from the battle in Polish-Lithuania against Russia in 1605 to the Norwegian-Swedish war of 1814 to WWI Austria to WWII Germany.

Look! The Swedish!
Source: http://www.theskichannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/20090807_Norwegian_ski_soldiers_606.jpg 

Because many parts of Europe are mountainous, especially central Europe, fighting is not always done on open terrain. In World War II, the US formed the 10th Mountain Division and took to the dangerous terrain of the Alps, where some German troops were situated.

According to a source on npr.org: "The men lived in the mountains for weeks, working in altitudes of up to 13,500 feet, in five to six feet of snow and in temperatures that dropped to 20 degrees below zero at night."

Around that time, "Ski tanks" were developed to access the snowy sites of battle:

Ski tanks
Source: http://www.theskichannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/20090807_aerosan.jpg

I'll admit, there isn't too much rich historical background behind ski warfare, but the thought of soldiers fighting in skis was quite interesting, and something I had never encountered before:

Sources: http://www.theskichannel.com/news/20090807/guns-blood-skis-the-history-of-ski-warfare/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14594652

Little Discoveries

I used to learn Spanish.

The proudest moment of my Spanish-learning endeavor was not getting good grades, or figuring out elusive extra credit questions. It was not the time I got an 100 on a test.

Last year, I went to China over spring break. The best part of it wasn't climbing the Great Wall or visiting the striking palaces or even the food.

It was the moment, on a crowded, busy Beijing street, by a vendor selling fried scorpions on a stick--in a span of five minutes, I spoke three languages at once. I conversed with the vendor and translated for tourists from Spain, and in that moment in time, I switched between the three languages I knew in varying degrees of fluency almost effortlessly.

(I also tried to dissuade the tourists from buying said scorpions on a stick, but sadly, the didn't heed me.)

That was an aha moment for me. I was a little bit sick and weak that day, but I remember emerging from that street, my cheeks glowing. The fact that I COULD use the things that were taught me in class--and in such a natural way--it made me love languages even more.

This fall, even though I switched from Spanish to German, at a park district center, I picked up a copy of a Spanish newspaper--and discovered that I could read it.

That, also, was a groundbreaking moment for me.

As I am learning German, I try to do well in class, but my teacher is also very, very good at combining culture and colloquies with grammar and conjugation. Little by little, I get the full experience of Germany and its culture.

The discoveries have spiked up my life in little ways. Reading a tweet in German and suddenly figuring out that the word "gewinnt" meant "win" in past tense.  Being at a debate tournament and discovering that one of the opponents' last name was Silber--meaning silver in German.

Realizing that German isn't quite the guttural, throaty language I had perceived it to be, but actually something that sounded smooth and sweet and concise.

These little discoveries are my proudest moments.

The German Pretzel

You know what I'm talking about.

Those big, soft, chewy works of art, twisted into a rolls of doughy goodness.

Source: 

(I'm hungry.)

The German pretzel (Laugenbrezeln) has quite a long history, dating its prominent origins back to maybe the 12th century (some sources say it originated from an Italian monk in the 7th century). By the 17th century, the German pretzel was seen as a sort of religious food, usually consumed during the Lent/Easter time period. The three holes in the pretzel represented the Trinity (father, son, Holy Spirit), and during matrimony, the pretzel was thought to represent union and eternal love (hence the phrase, "tying the knot!")

The pretzel is one of the staple foods of Germany, and throughout many regions of Southern German (such as Bavaria), it can be eaten for breakfast or snack. During Oktoberfet, the pretzel is usually accompanied by fine German beer and weisswurst (white sausage).

It is traditionally made with flour, butter, yeast, and warm water. To give it the distinct crunch, some pretzels are also dipped in lye.

(I'm getting really, really hungry.)

*skips off to make my own pretzels*

Sources:
http://www.theoktoberfest.com/HTML/pretzel/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html
http://www.bavarianpretzelfactory.com/history.html