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Pioneering Aviation in France: A Hundred YearsJanuary 4 Although the Wright Brothers were the first to build a functioning airplane and to fly it successfully in December, 1903, others were also experimenting with heavier-than-air flight. A generation of French air pioneers began serious flying in 1907 and 1908, and by the summer of 1909 the French airplanes were the standard by which others were compared. This illustrated talk will trace the frustrations and ultimate high successes resulting in the French becoming the leader in early flight. Peter Bakewell was born, raised, and educated in England, but has taught in the United States since 1975. He has been a member of the history departments of the University of New Mexico, Emory University, and Southern Methodist University. His principal teaching and research interest has been the colonial history of Spanish America, but lately his childhood fascination with aviation has again come to the fore. Musical Spelling and Counting: A Guide to Composing by Numbers (and Letters)January 11 This lecture is about the Western tradition of identifying musical pitches by letters and/or numbers, the ways in which many composers have used this tradition in their works, and the secret “messages” often encoded in the process. Examples will be drawn from Bach, Brahms, Schumann, Berg, Holst, Cage, Schwartz, and materials submitted by the audience. Elliott Schwartz is the Robert K. Beckwith Professor Emeritus at Bowdoin College, where he taught from 1964 to 2007. During 2006, his 70th birthday was celebrated with performances and residencies at the University of Minnesota, Oxford University, the American Composers Alliance, Festival (New York), the Library of Congress, and the Royal Academy of Music.
HIV AIDS: A Modern PlagueJanuary 18 The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). First described in 1981 in the U.S., it is now a world-wide epidemic with many millions affected. Truly a modern plague! This presentation will explore the major challenges including finding a preventive vaccine – efforts to date that have failed – and the means to deliver effective and affordable drugs to Third World victims. Dr. Jim Carter is a member of the executive board of Senior College. He graduated from Princeton University in 1955, and went on to pursue medical degrees from Columbia University, with fellowships at Harvard University and the University of Dundee, Scotland. His last medical post was as a professor of medicine at Case Western University School of Medicine, in Ohio.
Boon Island: The Untold Story of the Wreck of the Nottingham GalleyJanuary 25 In 1710, the British merchant vessel Nottingham Galley was wrecked on a tiny island off York, Maine, stranding a crew of fourteen for almost a month in winter. Captain John Deane wrote an account of the incident, which became a bestseller in England. Several of his crew members countered with their own chronicle calling him a liar who intentionally wrecked the ship for insurance money. Who was telling the truth? That’s the great mystery in the forthcoming book by award-winning writer Andrew Vietze and historian Stephen Erickson. Andrew Vietze is the former managing editor of Down East magazine and a seasonal ranger at Baxter State Park. His critically acclaimed 2010 book, Becoming Teddy Roosevelt, won an Independent Publishers Book Award, and was a Maine Sunday Telegram bestseller. Christopher Fuchs – The Development of the Modern PianoFebruary 1 The late Baroque period (1750-1775) saw the development of the fortepiano. The fortepiano was the instrument for which Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven wrote their piano music. This presentation will highlight both the technical development and social history of the instrument into what we now call the modern grand piano. Christopher Fuchs is a graduate of the North Bennett Street Industrial School in Boston. He has extensive experience in constructing, restoring and preparing stringed keyboard instruments (harpsichords and pianos) for performance and recording at venues such as the Mostly Mozart programs at Lincoln Center and Mozart Week concerts in Salzburg, Austria.
Longfellow Days – What’s Love Got To Do With It?February 8 Do people still date? Are fewer people getting married? Does marriage still mean what it used to? These historical trends and their meanings are the subjects that will be examined in this richly illustrated lecture. Wendy Christensen, has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is a visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College. Christensen’s research interests include the sociology of war, the military, new media technologies, and feminist theory with emphasis on mothers of members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The DaPonte String Quartet - Sonata Allegro Form: Boy Meets GirlFebruary 15 After spending a decade writing comic operettas for the aristocracy, Franz Joseph Haydn decided to apply what he had learned in the theater to writing instrumental concert music. Haydn, “the father of the string quartet”, pioneered the Sonata Allegro form for instrumental music. Understanding this form is essential to appreciating what we today call ”Classical Music.” Using the theme “boy meets girl,” and drawing on examples from string quartet literature, the DaPonte String Quartet will present a delightful lecture-performance illustrating the evolution of this famous musical art form. The Quartet is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary year. This ensemble was founded in Philadelphia and moved to Maine on a Rural Residency Grant established by the National Education Association and Chamber Music America. The mission of the DSQ is to connect audiences to composers by bringing to life the human context of each score’s creation.
Snow make-up day February 22
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