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President's Day is observed in the United States on the third Monday of February. February 12 is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, and I wonder if you knew that our sixteenth president was a great music...
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Francis Poulenc didn’t have to depend on composition for his living—he was the heir to the fortune of the Rhône-Poulenc pharmaceutical company—but he nonetheless turned out an enormous body of work in...
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Chamber music rehearsals are very different from orchestra rehearsals. In an orchestra rehearsal, it’s the conductor’s job to make the overall musical decisions and to ensure that the members of the...
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Already during their lifetimes, Antonin Dvorák and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky were among the most famous composers in the world. Their music is extremely sophisticated, the product of highly skilled...
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The American composer Seymour Barab started out as a pianist and organist, but as a teenager he took up the cello, and as a cellist he became a highly successful orchestra musician, founder of...
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Some great composers have been pioneers and musical radicals, and some have been fundamentally conservative. Max Bruch was a conservative to his bones, and it served him well. He established his...
Audio
Atonality and dissonance are often linked in listeners’ minds, but they’re not the same thing. Dissonance, from the Latin words for “sounding” and “apart,” is the simultaneous sounding of two or more...
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Atonal music is music that isn’t written in a key, music that doesn’t follow the traditional rules of harmony. But although the term “atonal” tells us what a piece isn’t, it doesn’t tell us what it is...
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The Battle of Cold Harbor takes place mere days after the Spotsylvania campaign. With The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, they cause almost thirty days of continuous combat combined. Dr...
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In this segment, Dr. Tracy Morgan sets the stage for the 1864 campaign in Virginia, and outlines the operational statuses for both the South’s Army of Northern Virginia (commanded by General Robert E...
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May-June 1864: In the Battle of the Wilderness, both sides fight in the dense forest West of Fredericksburg. The South’s army is battered under constant attacks from Grant’s forces. General Grant then...
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In this segment, Dr. Morgan discusses morale for the troops in the Confederate army; why they fought, what kept them together, and the importance of their faith. Dr. Morgan recounts how troop morale...
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Never did so large a proportion of the American population leave home for an extended period and produce such a detailed record of its experiences in the form of correspondence, diaries, and other...
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With the losses of prominent Confederate generals such as James Longstreet and J.E.B. Stuart, General Robert E. Lee decides to take on more responsibilities. After Cold Harbor, we see the development...
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Dr. Morgan first talks about the efficiency of the Confederate postal system, and how soldiers were able to share their senses of humor in letters written back home. Dr. Morgan then analyzes how...
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The members of the modern violin family are the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. These instruments are descendants of various kinds of medieval fiddles—fiddle, by the way, being an older word...
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Have you ever wondered how the violin came to play such an important role in the history of classical music? Well, it starts with singing. The invention of opera, in late 16th century Florence, marks...
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The modern oboe most likely originated in France in the 1600's. The word oboe, which is the instrument’s name in both English and Italian, comes from the French name, hautbois, meaning “high wood,” or...
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In operatic singing, there are three principal voice types for women. From high to low, they are soprano, mezzo-soprano—mezzo meaning “middle” in Italian—and contralto. The ranges of these voices...
Lesson
Students will study Dan Wagoner and will use the Dance Elements of shape, weight, balance, and rhythm to create a dance study.
Video
There are 46 senators. Each serve 4 years in office. One of the most oldest, most valued pieces is the elegant senate desk and backing, hand carved from bottom to top. The symbol of authority of the...
Video
The columns located on the state house are the largest monolithic columns in the United States. There are 22 columns, each carved from a single piece of stone. The grounds are adorned with monuments...
Video
Naturalist Rudy Mancke tells us about the lettered olive shell.
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Naturalist Rudy Mancke explains what a fossilized bivalve is and how it came to be.
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Naturalist Rudy Mancke explains the process of the horseshoe crab shedding its skin.
Video
The main lobby was the most dramatically changed area in the renovation project. The stunning large dome is actually a false dome constructed for aesthetic purposes. The outer dome is covered with 44...
Video
Naturalist Rudy Mancke looks at the skull of the loggerhead sea turtle.
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These programs focus on the history of the South Carolina State House, as well as some interesting aspects of its renovations. These programs bring to life the rich history and architecture of our...