Ode to Joy

Arnold Schoenberg, a Viennese composer born on September 13th, 1874, would become one of the most important influences on classical contemporary music. Born to a non musical family, Schoenberg was a primarily self-taught cellist and joined an amateur orchestra under the direction of Alexander Zemlinsky. He would later be instructed in composition by Zemlinsky, and in counterpoint by Oskar Adler. Schoenberg became prolific in music theory and composition while working his job as a bank clerk, and…

It’s the holiday season. A time full of joy, music, post-cookie guilt, and uncomfortable family gatherings. In 2016, the strategy to simply avoid all political talk at the dinner table was effective. But increasingly over the last 10 years, it’s been impossible to ignore the impact of United States President Donald Trump. This week, we’re opening a time capsule here at The Source Magazine—an examination of Donald Trump’s rise to one of the most coveted positions in global politics. In 2015, when…

into a great and powerful national crusade to defend Rome’s integrity against the rule and influence of Egypt (Shotter, 2005). The battle ended in both Cleopatra and Antony’s defeat and death. Cleopatra’s death was celebrated in one of Horace’s famous odes (65-8 B.C) stating, ‘Nunc est bibendum…’ meaning “Now is the time to drink...” (Commager, 1958 ), depicting the attitude of pride and relief when Rome had won the battle against Egypt. So, once Augustus had claimed his position in…

Beethoven had a traumatic childhood even if he grew up surrounded by music. Ludwig van Beethoven was born around December 16, 1770, and baptized on December 17 in Bonn, located in the now-nonexistent Electorate of Cologne (“Ludwig van Beethoven”). His parents, Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven, had to bury two children before Ludwig, and celebrated his successful birth. Maria bore Johann two more sons after Ludwig: Caspar Carl, born in 1774 and Nickolaus Johann, born in 1776…