History Sings- A History 4B Blog

This blog explores important themes, interesting facts, and striking quotes from the lectures and readings. Will post and reblog about things that remind me of particular historical events or other concepts learned in class. I also particularly love music and will try to fit in music inspired posts whenever I can! Also, look for the Travel Diary sections that will contain pictures and information relevant to some of my travels to Europe.

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Thank You!

This marks the end of the quarter and the end of this blog.

Posted here is the complete music list used up in the music player with links to the videos. (Can also be found in the posts themselves.)

Danse Macabre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM Moonlit Night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewBOcdz29Sw Vexilla Regis https://youtu.be/QFxUw_v6nQc All my Days https://youtu.be/BX2pu6jZMKE Italian Lute Music of the Renaissance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvYNlcLtR0w Guns & Roses https://youtu.be/FRhgPBhhlK8 Abikyoukan no Kurutta Butai https://youtu.be/W6sNE_9akUU Hikari to Kage no Futatsu no Cannon https://youtu.be/vUUGtv9WqyA Ringo no E no Ue no Rakugaki https://youtu.be/tDJ30O81d70 Small medieval drum solo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9NvEMwFl3o Chopin Nocturne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzHRNNvWruM What’d I Miss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FPEwPpSyVE Cabinet Battle #1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBmTdJ4XTfs Cabinet Battle #2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0HZUatZtXI

I want to thank TA Mark Dries for an enjoyable quarter and discussion section. 

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Voltaire’s Candide, Optimism in the Enlightenment and Modern World

The last novel we were assigned to read was Voltaire’s satire, Candide or Optimism/l’Optisme. This novel was poking fun at Leibniz’s all for the best approach, because Voltaire was angered by it. Voltaire openly challenges this idea that everything that’s done is done for the best. His satire follows the adventures of a young and gullible man, Candide, who impossibly lives through all odds and keeps a foolish optimism about him even when everything goes wrong. Yet, even though Candide is hilariously silly for remaining the optimist in all situations, it does seem to be sad that we as a people don’t share the kind of optimism for many things now. In the Scientific Revolution, people were excited about new changes and thought that everything would just continue to get better as time went on. Now we seem to be faced with a multitude of problems that we worry about and we don’t see a way that the world will get better. An example of this science fiction novels. My father is an avid fan of science fiction, and he often tells me how science fiction novels in the 60’s were full of hope for the future and looked forward to space travel and scientific advancement. Now dystopian novels pervade in all genres of literature. So what changed? Obviously we follow Voltaire in that relentless optimism is bad, but will we be ever to gain back the optimism present in the scientific revolution? That remains to be seen, after all the world changes everyday and new challenges and new hopes will be presented before us. All we can do it look toward the future that comes.

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~Musical Interlude~: Spotlight on the character of Thomas Jefferson from the musical Hamilton

Thomas Jefferson was an American founding father and an important figure in the Enlightenment. He brought Enlightenment ideas to the New world and influence British and French thinkers. Jefferson also wrote the Jefferson Bible, from which all supernatural forces were eradicated. 

I’m sure that most people have heard of the musical Hamilton that came out in 2015.

In this musical, which is really really good by the way, you should go listen to the soundtrack, (there’s some swearing), Thomas Jefferson is a key character. His ideas from the Enlightenment are weaved into his songs, and in Cabinet Battle #1, Hamilton even calls him “Mr. Age of Enlightenment”.  Anyway, it may not be super relevant, but for anyone interested in the American Revolution, this musical is a must to listen to.

Thomas Jefferson’s Songs:

Enjoy!

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The Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment

The Scientific Revolution is a term used to describe the emergence of modern science in the early modern period. Some notable figures are Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, Issac Newton, and Johannes Kepler.

They made significant scientific and mathematical advancements. Not everything was well received by everyone, especially the Church. Some of the things some of the scientists came up with conflicted with Church doctrine and scripture. The most popular example of this is Galileo’s insistence that the Earth revolved around the Sun, instead of the Sun around the Earth. He was indicted for a crime.

The 18th century in Europe also hosted the Enlightenment, the Century of Philosophy. Rosseau, Voltaire, Kant, and important American figures like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were important to the Enlightenment.

Ideas like theories of government and separation of Church and State were pressing issues. In all, it was a tumultuous time for everyone, and brought the world into the time it is in now.

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~Musical Interlude~: French Court Music and Love for Ballet

Of course, we watched this clip of Le roi danse in class. But it only goes to show the French court and how ballet and music was integral to Louis XIV reign as king. 

Louis the XIV influence on ballet is apparent and he very much praised the art form, and took in upon himself to take lessons every morning.

The French have been creating ballet music for ages, Chopin being a famous composer.

Of course ballet remains a popular dance form today. It is beautiful and every bit worth watching a ballet live, trust me.

I used to dance ballet when I was younger and was in a few performances, including the Nutcracker, Sleeping beauty, and Coppelia. Of course I was never very good haha, but it was kind of fun.

Even though I no longer dance myself, I still appreciate the importance of ballet and how beautiful it is to watch. I would encourage everyone to go see a live performance once if they are able.

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*Travel Diary*- Paris, Versailles, and the Louvre

In the spring of 2015, I went on a trip with my high school’s French and Spanish classes to Barcelona, Saint Jean de Luz, San Sebastian, Toulouse, and Paris (various places in Spain and France). Particularly, the Paris segment of my trip was incredible and I would like to share a few highlights.

Of course going to Paris, there have to be gratuitous shots of the city!

When I was there, in Spring 2015, the horrible terrorist attacks had not happened yet, and they still allowed people to go to the top of the Eiffel tower. We went up there at night.

Some far shots of the tower at night.

Views from the top.

Anyway, relevant to this class, we went to the Palace of Versailles where Louis XIV most famously reigned.

A picture of me by the outside gates. A closeup on the gates....

You can already tell from the outside, how incredibly extravagant the place is.

The exterior of the palace. (I look so tired hahaha! It was a overcast early morning.)

Some pictures of the interior of the palace, the first picture, the hall of mirrors is most famous, (also where the Treaty of Versailles was signed.)

It was an incredibly amazing place to be and really gives you insight onto just how grand Louis XIV really was.

Of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to one of the best museums in the world, the Louvre. The Louvre was actually once the palace of the French monarchs, but was later moved to Versailles. It has since been made into a museum of course, and it’s surrounding gardens are walkable to the public.

Some views of the outside, and a glimpse of the famous pyramids.

Interior is amazing as well.

I was able to see the Mona Lisa in person, even though it’s tiny and behind thick, bulletproof glass. Also there was a giant crowd, so it was difficult to even get a shot.

Anyway, my visit to Paris was astounding and so much fun! I got to see a lot of the best sights and go to places many people would only dream of going.

Oh and here’s something a little extra:

A video of the Eiffel tower sparkling at night!

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Louis XIV, Bousset’s Political Treatise, and Duc Saint-Simon

Louis the XIV was probably one of the most extravagant kings of his time.

He adored expensive things and compared himself to Apollo the Sun God, one his most favorite things. Today still, he is known as the Sun King.   

In Boussuet’s political treatise, he remarks on who kings are established by God.

(Portrait of Bossuet)

Louis the XIV seems to have taken this advice to heart when you look at his reign at the time and his clothing, and especially his palace Versailles. Yet, even though kings are meant to be ordained by God and given that power, Boussuet says they should not regard themselves as masters of that power to use at their pleasure.

In Duc Saint-Simon’s account of The Court of Louis XIV, he claimed that Louis XIV loved nothing more than hearing his own praises, and he delighted in petty details and vanity.

(Portrait of Duc Saint-Simon)

His influence and love for this lifestyle, led his courtiers to live beyond their income and drove him to ruin. It seems to me that Duc Saint-Simon’s account of Louis XIV and his court is exactly everything a God-given king shouldn’t be, according to Bossuet. In any case, Louis the XIV definitely did not exercise his power with humility, that’s for sure. Although even if he was being overly florid, I’m sure no one would dare to challenge him.

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*Travel Diary*- London and the Greenwich National Maritime Museum

Last summer I was fortunate to be able to travel to the United Kingdom, and one of the particular stand outs on my trip was London. A particular place I visited was the National Maritime Museum of Greenwich, where we get our Greenwich Mean Time from. I talked about this on Facebook briefly, but the National Maritime Museum is an amazing place where you can see some of the earliest time pieces made to help ships keep navigation. It is highly recommended that if you ever find yourself in London, to give yourself some time to visit this place. It is definitely worth it in my opinion. http://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum

The John Harrison (same last name as me!) timepieces are very impressive and the later ones are surprisingly compact. It was intriguing to see these early marvels of time keeping technology. His marine chronometers helped sailors keep their longitude while at sea. His inventions helped make sea travel much safer than it had been.

The museum itself is a really great place to spend a day, and is situated among other museums in the area. You can find the Greenwich mean time line, where all the day’s time starts from. There are other exhibits such as ships and other travel equipment. All in all it’s a fantastic museum that is a great place to visit.

Pictures!:

Some pictures of the museum with an early Harrison timepiece.

Obligatory picture of the Big Ben, daytime and nighttime views.

Nice nighttime shot!

Overall, my trip to the UK, and London especially were very enjoyable, and while this was only one fraction of my trip it is definitely one of the most memorable.

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The Era of Exploration and Montaigne’s “On Cannibals”

As we move into the late 1400s, the era of exploration is in full swing. Several European explorers set out to find the New World with varying degrees of success.Christopher Columbus set out to find the Indies but ended up in north America instead. The Spanish and Portuguese dominate seafare exploring for about a century.

Montaigne’s writing, “On Cannibals” spoke of those that inhabited the new world they found and explored. Montaigne’s writing sparks a long lasting idea of the “noble savage” a people who have been untouched by the evils of developed society. Montaigne describes these people as being naive and having a sort of innocence that is lost on people inhabiting the modern world. While the native peoples “cannibalize” and do such unspeakable acts, those in the modern world who are responsible for massacres in their own countries cannot complain about the ways of savage people. It is more noble for them to kill someone and eat them than do whatever unspeakable acts that the governments were doing to their own people in the European countries. Montaigne seems to long for the naivety that the native peoples possess in comparison to his own.

Montaigne’s views are interesting to say the least. The idea of the “noble savage is a far reaching consequence, and something that still perpetuates in the minds of some people today.

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Martin Luther and John Calvin

Martin Luther, the man famed for his 95 theses, and his rejection from the Catholic Church during 1517. He refused to denounce his writings which then got him excommunicated by the church. He taught that salvation is not gained by good deeds but instead given by the grace of God. His teachings directly clashed with the Catholic Church’s ideals and their selling of indulgences. He had an influential impact on the religious scene at that time and his teachings are still belived and followed today.

(The most well known images of Luther, and rather unflattering if I do say so myself.)

John Calvin, was somewhat of an opposer to Luther’s teachings. His writings, like Luther’s sparked controversy. He believed in predestination, and that your fate was already set by God. 

Honestly, I don’t understand his ideas at all, and that if things were predestined, why in the world would we have structured order and religious morals that often come with religion. It simply does not make sense to me. Although, if I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t understand much of religious ideas at all.

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The Printing Press and the Impact of Printed Materials

The Gutenberg printing press was one of the defining inventions in the 1400s, even though very similar printing techniques had already been invented in Asian countries a long time before. The Gutenberg printing press is what really brought printed text to the west in such a huge wave. 

[This is a full size, working replica of the Gutenberg printing press, it is housed at the International Printing Museum in Carson, CA, (which I’ve been to, Its really amazing!), and it is a museum that’s definitely worth checking out. http://www.printmuseum.org/ They do all kinds of printing demos for you in all kinds of different printing presses, and allow you to try some yourself. They can also make your name out of movable type letters as a souvenir.]

Gutenberg’s printing press had the innovation of movable type, which made it so letters could be easily rearranged to make different pages and so it could be reused.

An example of movable type letters.

The printing press had an impact in the amount of books being published and such (incanabula), but it reached out to the masses through short printed leaflets that contained illustrations and writing, also known as Braodsheets. Here’s a weird one on the swine flu.

Anyway, there is no denying how widespread the printing press made print material acessible and it changed how information was distributed throughout the medieval world.

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~Musical Interlude~: Instruments of the Peasantry

One thing that I did find interesting in Peasant Fires, was how Hans Behem was called “The Drummer of Niklashausen” and how his drum was a key part of his image. I decided to look into medieval drums and how it related to society at the time.  Some images of what medieval drums looked like and what Hans Behem’s drum may have looked like.

Medieval style drums were often made with rope, and skin heads that were rolled and stitched with the snare on the top head. Drums were often military in nature and were often used in marches or various kinds of processions. Drums were and often are, accompanied by other instruments but can also be played alone as shown in this performance of a drum solo:

This shows how drums can be used as a sole instrument, which is not often the case.

Here is a video of drums in a more military march like setting as they were more formally used.

Drums were very important instruments and highly used in the time period, and they make for interesting music trends around the time and beyond.

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Peasant Fires

Peasant Fires by Richard Wunderli was, to put it simply… irritating. I was initially excited to read the book because I thought it would be an interesting look into the lives of peasants at the time period, which is what the book could have been, if the author wasn’t so aggravating when writing it. When reading the first chapter about Hans Behem’s visions I was hooked on the book, and i was excited to keep reading, until… the author literally says, “I made up most of that” on page 4. From there on out I found it difficult to enjoy the book, especially when so little information was known about the whole affair. I certainly don’t think there was enough subject material to write an entire book on anyway. Also towards the end I didn’t feel anything towards Hans or any of the peasants that followed his movement. In the end I was almost glad that the authorities burned him. The author did nothing to make me feel even remotely invested in Hans throughout the retelling of his story, and all in all, I was glad that it was eventually over. This isn’t one of the more enjoyable books, it was a pain to read, because there wasn’t much information and the author did a bad job of making it presentable and engaging. Overall, I would not recommend this selection to anyone.

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In Modern Animation, Baccano! Tales of Power and Machiavellian Principles

 While writing about the movie, The Godfather, and thinking about Machiavelli, I was reminded of a very close example I could talk about that takes a lot of elements of both The Godfather and from Machiavellian principles. This is my favorite animated show, or anime, Baccano!.

(An artwork depicting some of the characters from the three different simultaneous storylines that are displayed within the show.)

This animated series originated as a series of light novels in 2003 under the same name, written by Ryohgo Narita. Light novels, are short Japanese novels that usually contain a few illustrations in them. The first few light novels were made into an anime in 2008 by the studio Brain’s Base. The series has also been dubbed for the US by Funimation. (Who did an amazing job with the dub in my opinion, and is just as good or better than the original Japanese cast.) The title: Baccano! is Italian, and translates to “turmoil” or “ruckus” which is a very fitting name once you get into it. To summarize the series up, (this in now way does the show justice at all btw), the story revolves mostly around three storylines, all taking place at different times, yet are presented together in the show alongside each other. Each storyline intertwines with the other through the characters. Throw characters with immortality into the mix and you get absolute craziness, or turmoil, as the name suggests. Well that’s all very confusing, but I promise that it all works together quite well, better than I thought something like this ever could. The non-linear way of storytelling is off-putting at first, but I quite like the unique style it has, and it gets easier to understand with each re-watching. If anything, I recommend the series for its masterful dynamic of characters and storytelling in a way that most stories would frown upon. Just the opening animation sequence introduces most of the important characters and makes me excited to watch what each of them will get up to in each episode. (Also, that jazz! The sountrack is absolutely godly.)

The series reminds me of The Godfather, in that part of it is set in 1920’s prohibition America, (New York specifically), and that a good portion of the story revolves around the mafia and another similar crime group, the cammora. This series is probably one of the most well known depictions of the cammora crime group in popular culture. Anyway, the animation itself is flawless at depicting the fights and displays of violence associated with mafia crime groups. 

Here’s just some of the fun ones. (In which I realized that Firo (the guy in green) is the one beating up guys in each gif. He certainly has a knack to get himself in situtations.) By the way, the anime itself is quite violent, so I wouldn’t recommend it to the faint of heart.

As in The Godfather, the crime families in Baccano! must keep their power and influence, often times through violence. As this is prohibition era America, the way they make their living is through the illegal trade of alcohol. (Unlike The Godfather and the trade of drugs.) The law of the underground is very Machiavellian and ruthless.

By far the most Machiavellian character in the entire show would be Vino/Claire Stanfield or as he is most commonly known, The Rail Tracer. 

This itself is a bit of a spoiler, but I have to spoil it in order to explain. In the opening sequence around 0:50, when the liquor bottle is dropped into the hands of the conductor, is the subtle and really well done introduction of Claire in the opening, marking him as an important character, without spoiling his identity. (Just one of the masterful decisions that make this anime my favorite.) Anyway, the Rail Tracer is introduced in the show as a myth of a terrifying monster that hunts down trains and makes the people on them disappear. (From the The Grand Punk Railroad, 1931 segments of the show). It is later revealed that one of the conductors (initially introduced as just “the young conductor” in the earlier episodes), is the legendary assassin, Vino (the italian word for wine: named this because of the way he kills his enemies… ruthlessly and quite messily). He is also the background to the “Rail Tracer” myth. Intelligent, crafty, and very dangerous, this character is a favorite of mine, because of his complex simplicity. What he believes is that he is basically the God of the world (solipsism) and that he can’t die, because if he did, the world would cease to exist. Therefore, his tactics and way of killing (his way of keeping power), are simply, in his mind, the way to preserve the world as it is. What makes him Machiavellian at his core are his morals. As it is revealed later by another character, even though he is an assassin, that he has a clear set of morals that he abides by, mercy towards certain people being one of them. The scene where he explains his philosophy (also listen to how amazing a job the voice actors did):

“So what if I’d spare him, to my mind it’s the certainty in myself that I possess which allows me to have that kind of mercy or compassion... So remember this, mercy and compassion are virtues that only the strong are privileged to possess, and I, am strong.” To me this little quote just screams Machiavelli. Also this guy is just so sure of himself and charismatic, it’s hard not to find some respect for him somewhere, which all in all just makes him an even more Machiavellian character.

I mean, come on, just look at the guy. He has all the makings of a Machiavellian prince in my book. On top of that, even though he’s some crazy assassin, he still manages to come off as human, which is extraordinary characterization in my opinion. 

My absolute favorite character from the series would be Chane Laforet, who comes with a tragic backstory of her own.

I’ll be brief on this, but her father manipulated her into believing and following his every word, which is pretty ruthless and Machiavellian in itself.

Lastly, i just want to say that the soundtrack for this anime is amazing and highly worth checking out if you like jazz and swing style music. Some favorites of mine:

This song really embodies the whirlwind like atmosphere of the entire show. Plays during a lot of the fight scenes and just scenes of general craziness.

This song is definitely one of my favorites. It manages to sound sad, serene, and then later unnerving and urgent, all while maintaining motifs of the main theme throughout. It also helps that it’s basically the theme of both Chane and Claire, my two favorite characters.

https://youtu.be/tDJ30O81d70

Lastly is this song (Tumblr won’t let me post more than 5 videos straight to my post), conveys a serene feeling and a satisfaction along with it. It plays in the last episode, really bringing the show together and closing it off well while still leaving it open-ended. Really good end to a great series.

It’s really violent and not for everyone, but I would highly recommend it, and I encourage everyone to check it out, it’s really a masterpiece.

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Just a image I found funny while scrolling through some of my old photos. An image from the Vatican Splendors exhibit that I went to at the Ronald Reagan Library this past summer. 

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Extra: Want to Kill Some Time? Sekko Boys

Yeah, this is kinda out of the blue, but... If you’re ever bored, and mean REALLY bored, and want to kill some time, go watch the short anime Sekko Boys. Each episode is only 7 minutes and follows the silly premise of a bunch of statues forming a boy band... yeah. 

Anyway, the reason I mention this is that one of the statues is the bust of Guiliano de Medici.

The original posted here. (Well a replication of the original anyway).

It’s Medici, the original, rich and famous!

All hilarity aside (well maybe not), it may not be super historically accurate, but its a funny show that you’re sure to get a few laughs out of. Probably.

... I’ll admit it’s pretty weird.

Featuring the one and only song their idol group ever produced.

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Film Classic, The Godfather and Renaissance Italy

When I think of the Medici and their far-reaching power, the movie and book it’s based on, The Godfather, comes to mind. This American crime movie, focuses on the fictional Corleone mafia family in New York.

The movie is heavily based off the original novel by Mario Puzo.

There are several parallels that can be drawn between the head of the Corleone family, Don Corleone, and Cosimo de’ Medici, first head of the Medici family in Florence. Don Vito Corleone is shown in the beginning of the movie doing favors for people. He is well respected and one of the first people that others go when they need a big favor done. He has far-reaching power in New York and beyond. Cosimo de’ Medici is very similar, being called the Godfather of Florence. In fact, a lot from this movie can be compared to Renaissance Italy, in that there is a ruthless gaining of power and ruling the city states, which can be see in the movie between the warring mafia families. This can also be related back to Machiavelli, and the tactics in order to keep political power. Many of the ruthless acts that each of the mafia families carry out are very Machiavellian tactics. Don Corleone reminds me of Machiavelli’s idea that a leader should be feared but not hated. Don Corleone definitely inspires fear in people, but he is also benevolent… when you are on his good side.

It’s amazing how much this movie and the Medici era in Florence mirror each other. The displays of power are very comparable to Machiavelli and gives a good idea of Machiavellian practices in a more modern society.

If you want justice, you have to ask Don Corleone, but only if you give something in return. This is very similar to the way patrons were in Renaissance Italy. They bot have a give and take sort of relationship.

Anyway, I think this movie embodies in many ways, the society of Renaissance Florence and puts in into a different context, that more or less speaks of the same morals.