About Me

Pearl City, HI, United States
Husband, father, grandfather, friend...a few of the roles acquired in 69 years of living. I keep an upbeat attitude, loving humor and the singular freedom of a perfect laugh. I don't let curmudgeons ruin my day; that only gives them power over me. Having experienced death once, I no longer fear it, although I am still frightened by the process of dying. I love to write because it allows me the freedom to vent those complex feelings that bounce restlessly off the walls of my mind; and express the beauty that can only be found within the human heart.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

The Eternal Music of the Moonlight


Piano Sonata No. 14
Ludwig van Beethoven
AKA "Moonlight"

 Copyright © 2022
By Ralph F. Couey

I've been around classical music for most of my life, introduced to by my father who was a big fan of Beethoven. This was the music we listened to, at least until the Beatles showed up.  Later on, my activities in band and orchestra through high school and college provided exposure to the genre through the performance side.  There have been several pieces that I still enjoy listening to, such as Beethoven's 5th and 9th, Holst's "The Planets," Kachaturian's "Gayne Ballet Suite," and the last 5 minutes of Mahler's "Resurrection" particularly the performance of the Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony conducted by Gustavo Dudamel (Resurrection Proms) at the 2011 BBC Proms, a concert series featuring youth symphonies and choirs.  I never tire of listening to the beauty and power of that orchestra and choir putting forth with that special energy that uniquely belongs to the young.  And the audience responding in kind with a long, cheering, ovation.  Towards the end, the mezzo soprano Anna Larssen, is trying to keep her emotions under control, at one point, clenching her fist.  But by the end, she is openly in tears.  It never fails to move me.  But that's what great music is supposed to do, to reach into the soul and change you. 

In 1801, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a three-movement piece he called "Quasi una fantasia" (like a fantasy).  A year later, he dedicated the composition to he pupil, the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi.  The Countess was, by all accounts, a great beauty and through the time he taught her, he fell in love.  He later wrote a 10-page love letter (never sent) the inspiration of which some historians attribute to the Countess.

In structure, the piece is a subdued melody articulated by seemingly endless arpeggios. It is played quietly; reflectively.  Variations in tempo enhance the passion written into the phrases.  "Moonlight," the sobriquet it is universally known by, was actually attributed to the piece five years after Beethoven's death by a critic and poet Ludwig Rellstab.  He described the first movement as moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne in Central Switzerland.   Within 10 years, it was known by almost everyone as the Moonlight Sonata.

Moonlight had a powerful effect on listeners, and continues to have today.  French composer Hector Berlioz described it as "one of those poems that human language does not know how to qualify."

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Sunrise, Sunset, and Doves



 "Every sunrise gives you a new beginning and a new ending.
Let this morning be a new beginning.  It's an opportunity
 to enjoy life, breathe freely, think, and love.
Be grateful for this beautiful day."
--Norton Juster 

Copyright © 2022
Image and written content 
except cited quotation
By Ralph F. Couey

There was a time when I embraced complexities, a time when nothing entertained me more than looking for the one loose thread that would undo the entire suit.  A lot of what I did in the Intelligence Community involved the same kind of process.  Behind every "what" was a "why," and the "why" was important because it explained the "what."  The truth thus sought secreted itself beneath layers of misdirection and falsehood.  In peeling back the voluminous layers, that nugget revealed itself in tiny pieces, or flashes of inspiration and insight.  It was a deeply satisfying kind of life.

Age slows us down, not only physically but mentally as well.  In trying to replicate the past, I find now that the only truth revealed is how tired my brain has become.  This is part of life, something that has to be accepted and dealt with as the years pile up.  

I still work, a job that requires the exercise of intellect and memory, though certainly not to the degree as in the past.  I find that in my non-work related pursuits that I gravitate towards less taxing activities.

I read a lot, mostly history, science, and political science.  I've always "yearned to learn" and the desire to know something can overtake me at the oddest moments.  Modern technology makes such a quest fairly fast and informative, so much better than before when the desire to learn something usually meant a trip to a library or a consult with the family encyclopedias, though by the time we received them, they were hopelessly out of date.  But outside of that, I find myself finding peace and fulfillment in far simpler pursuits.  

I work inside a dormant volcano which sits at the opposite end of the island upon which we live, and that means commuting.  Traffic has been bad and getting worse here on O'ahu, so I leave earlier than absolutely necessary, thus allowing time for the unexpected freeway snarl.  Most days, however, I get there early and rather than show up too soon, I take a little time for myself.