Normative Elements & Violence; Thoughts on Society by Payman Akhlaghi (2018)

Normative Elements & Violence
Thoughts on Society By Payman Akhlaghi (2018)
(Draft 6)

(*) First published on Sunday, October 28th, 2018, on facebook.com/PAComposer under Thoughts on Society: Normative Elements & Violence.

Even for many an impulsive, visceral, or reflexive act, and notwithstanding the powers of intellect and judicious discernment, the normative elements of the culture as acquired by the individual are decisive in the choices that he or she could make, and the behavior that he or she could manifest, in response to the internal and external stimuli. I used "culture" broadly to include the atmosphere in which the person inhales and absorbs throughout their biological life, from their family to the larger society.

Ideological violence is an instance of the expression of such codes of conduct, as accepted by the agent, which endorse resorting to violence as a valid if not preferred response to any perceived threat, whether tangible or abstract, as a means to advance one's cause, or as an answer to one's urges and desires. Superficial distinctions such as race, religion, class, expertise, nationality, power, ethnicity, or certain biological anomalies, or acquired distinctions such as political affiliations or other labels attracted due to personal conduct, they could each fill the variable for the target of violence at one point or another. However, a cursory survey suggests that amid a diversity of values, the formula applies broadly to the zealot branches of traditional and modern religions in particular, including the socio-political ideologies of our time.

The prescriptive elements that validate an isolated act of violence are hardly ever absent in the larger context within which the heinous act has taken place. Societies in which violence is institutionalized categorically as the preferred and particularly immediate course of action, whether in intimate contacts or in the larger social or inter-social interactions, they can and do function as fertile grounds for ideological violence, even though a variety of entities may function as the agent, the target, or the cause, at one point or another.

(*) The above was formulated as an Opinion.
(*) The author is a musician by inclination and education.

(*) Addendum:
From my weblog, several earlier posts by the author that are relevant to the topic, also found on FB:

- And Moses Was a Modest Man: An Essay on Life and Judaism (2014).

- On The Gun Issue: Some Preliminary Practical Thoughts; An Opinion by Payman Akhlaghi (2014).

- Use Words! Don't Strike! Even When Talking to a Rock...: A Short Note by Payman Akhlaghi (2013).


(*) Attachment:
(*) First published on October 28th, 2018, at facebook.com/PAComposer under Thoughts:

Thoughts: Interactive virtual entertainment with subjective points of view, and anthropomorphic targets, and realistic or hyperrealistic representations, which involve severe acts of violence should be approached prudently. The categorical objectification of large sectors of humanity in common realistic contexts may only combine to exacerbate their impact on attitude in select vulnerable users. The experience remains distinct from the more passive experience of exposure to imaginative depictions of violence, particularly when a sense of the external reality is implicit in the distancing elements of the medium and the art work.
-- Payman Akhlaghi. (Draft 3)

© 2018, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

Best Left Unsaid...

...

"Song of Songs vs. Marriage of Figaro"; Short Essay by Payman Akhlaghi (2014)

The Song of Songs vs. The Marriage of Figaro
Continuing Series on Shir ha-Shirim
A Short Essay By Payman Akhlaghi (Draft 6)

(*) First published at Facebook.com/PAComposer  on November 16th, 2014, under "Song of Songs vs. Marriage of Figaro" .

I have been convinced for long that the outline of "The Song of Songs", "Shir ha-Shirim", as poetically ambiguous as it might be in its current form, consists of the story of a maiden taken to the chambers of a king, perhaps as a slave, while she yearns for her beloved, a free-spirited young man, say, a shepherd, who roams the meadows and skips over the mountains, somewhat metaphorically -- while it also allows perhaps poetically for him to be identifiable at the same time with (aspects of) the King.

A line of thought might be pursued on the interplays of power and desire, wealth and love, possession and deprivation, in sharply stratified societies. Thus, a case could be made for this literary work as a cry of love coming to us from ancient times, and that of a woman, the cry of fragile loving souls of those who suffered the conditions of servitude, in monarchies, feudal societies, or other despotic systems. I further propose the idea in a preliminary form, that especially to Beaumarchais, and possibly to later Da Ponte, the 18th century playwright and the librettist of "Marriage of Figaro", respectively, the relevance of this plot in essence to modern times was not lost.

At this point, and pending in-depth research, I offer the following introduction to this theme, which so far I may regard as original. To begin, let's consider the names of the title characters in the play and the opera:

1) Figaro, formerly "the barber of Seville", currently the Count's valet and butler. (*)
 - I find the following explanation interesting and appealing: Figaro, from "fils Caron", a nickname of the playwright, meaning "son of Caron", where "caron" I choose to consider from the Welsh "caru", "to love". That is, "Son of Love", "Beloved Son". [1,2]
- I further consider the Latin root "figare", that is, "to fix"; and acknowledging my want of linguistic knowledge, I propose that the character's job as to "fix or do things", whether as a "barber" or the later "valet", i.e. "the handyman", or more generally, "the man of labor", is reflected in the name. I consider both of the above senses jointly. [3]

2) Suzanne (play), Susanna (opera, Italian). (*)
* Derived unequivocally from the Hebrew "Shoshan" (lily) and "ShoshanAh" (rose), both appearing repeatedly in the Song of Songs. Chapter 2 opens with:
"I am the lily (chavatzelet) of Sharon, the rose of the valleys."
"Like the rose (shoshanah) among the thorny flowers (thistles), so is my beloved among the maidens."

3) Countess Rosine / Rosina: (*)
Diminutive of "rose"; equivalent to "Shoshanah" in Hebrew. Note that in the first play before "Marriage...", that is, "The Barber of Seville", Rosine is the fair lady locked up by a doctor, who by Figaro's intervention, finally marries the Count. (**)

4) Count Almaviva. (*)
From "alma" ("soul", Italian, Spanish) and "viva", (alive, lively); that is, "lively soul".

5) Chérubine / Cherubino. (*)
Diminutive of Cherub, "little angel".

Considering the above names, and plots, I speculate that Beaumarchais developed the first of the plays, "Barber...", more linearly along the love triangle of the "Song of Songs", and offered a more literal transposition of the plot, based on then standard contemporary translation and accepted narrative of the book -- that is, with the Doctor acting as the King and his guards, and the Count being the Lover (our Free-Spirited Shepherd, yet also the King Solomon) who finally reaches his love, Rosina" (Shoshanah). Whilst in "Marriage...", with a seemingly more subtle treatment of the theme, it's Figaro (now our Shepherd) whose love of Susanna (Shoshanah) is threatened by the Count (King's) power to possess. Still, a more literal representation of the "hapless lover" is further nested in the storyline as Cherubino, who's ordered away by the Count to serve in his army as punishment for his romantic adventures which are interfering with the Count's. Notwithstanding the immense differences in period, tone, style, spirit, etc., the parallels between the plots of the plays and the "Song..." do not seem coincidental. (I postpone to detail my own contrasting reading of the plot of "Song..." to another occasion.)

The line of research may further continue to find parallels in the details of the lyrics; which would require a separate essay.

(*) See Wikipedia.org under Marriage of Figaro, opera and play, characters.
(**) See Wikipedia.org under "Barber of Seville".
[1] Behind the Name "Figaro": http://www.behindthename.com/name/figaro
[2] Behind the Name, "Caron": http://www.behindthename.com/name/caron
[3] See "figare" on Google Translator.

© 2014, Series by Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

(*) Payman Akhlaghi is a composer, pianist and piano teacher based in Los Angeles. His repertoire covers Classical music, as well as Persian (Iranian) Music, Pop Music, and Film Music. For information on the lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Encino, Brentwood, etc. please call: 310-208-2927. Thank you.

"The Familiar Stranger: A Page From My Life"; by Payman Akhlaghi (2014)

A Page From My Life: The Familiar Stranger
By Payman Akhlaghi (Draft 4)

(*) First published on Monday, April 28th, 2014, at Facebook.com/PAComposer, under The Familiar Stranger...

I took the bus today, the third time in years, the first time mostly for the sake of it. I felt strangely related, reconnected, if not necessarily reunited, with my environment, an experience that I had missed through the past many years of driving in Los Angeles. Yet, somehow, the ride also made me feel like a tourist. I saw things, on that very familiar crowded road, on those very familiar streets, that I had not noticed before. In a way, I was taking a vacation for an afternoon to a place where everyone in the world goes to spend their holidays: my very city.

Of course, I could not have been just a tourist. If anything, the sheer contrast of the ride underscored how much I had grown into an extension of the city, even as an outsider, if not a stranger. I could see this in the way I was driven to ask the drivers some basic questions, which I could have indeed answered by myself from the posted signs and brochures; and the shame of it afterwards. The dependence of a wandering tourist had momentarily silenced the confidence of the resident.

I notice that such existential juxtapositions have been a common element of my life so far, as a Jew growing up in Iran, as an Iranian Jew developing in America, as an Iranian American Jew living in LA. Whether I'll ever lose that multiplicity of identities, it seems to afford me readily a more unique perspective on society and the world. Perhaps, it was always the same for many a Jew before me, those eternal outsiders within, with a burning desire to belong, whose dual status was revealed in their comprehensive thoughts and cosmopolitan stands.

Sunday, April 27th, 2014, Los Angeles

© 2014, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

(*) Payman Akhlaghi is a composer, pianist and piano teacher based in Los Angeles. His repertoire covers Classical music, as well as Persian (Iranian) Music, Pop Music, and Film Music. For information on the lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Encino, Brentwood, etc. please call: 310-208-2927. Thank you.

And Moses Was a Most Modest Man; An Essay on Life and Judaism by Payman Akhlaghi (2014)

And Moses Was a Most Modest Man
An Essay on Life and Judaism by Payman Akhlaghi (Draft 2)

(*) First published at Facebook.com/PAComposer on February 12th, 2014, under And Moses Was a Most Modest Man.

* This is Not a religious commentary.
* The following is not meant at all to approve of violence.

I'm contemplating the story of Moses in Exodus in regards to the nuances of his reactions toward oppression. From 2:12 to 2:17, within 5 concise verses,[1] we're told that the child grew up, came to meet his people, and saved one of them from harsh treatment by striking the oppressor and burying the body. Yet when two Hebrews were fighting one another, he spoke to them with no physical intervention, and he advised them to stop quarreling their kind. His appeal was rejected, and instead, he was threatened with revealing his secret. He runs away from the wrath of Pharaoh, ends up saving the daughters of the Priest of Midian from a gang of thugs, and helps them water their sheep.

His responses seem to be unique to each situation. In the first incident, no one else is around, so he stands up for the weak all by himself. In the second incident, two oppressed people are involved, so he can't easily take sides; instead, he resorts to mediation through conciliatory dialogue. But when women are forced aside, he steps forward to protect them even as an individual against a crowd. All three situations involve acts of altruism, devoid of self-interest; yet we should be happy that, as I've heard, Jewish commentators have rightfully objected to the extreme violence of the first incident.[2] However, the face-to-face and spontaneous nature of that act of defense, leads us to understand it in terms of what Hannah Arendt might have sympathized with in her contemplation On Violence.[3] [Cf. below for a quotation.]

We read elsewhere in the Pentateuch that "the man Moses was very modest (humble), more so than all other people on the face of the earth." (Numbers, 12:3) [4] Notwithstanding the evident discrepancies between the various sections of the Pentateuch, this description has no contradiction with Exodus 2:12ff. Here's a decent if flawed character, a man of few words, curious, honest, wary of hypocrisy, as shy as he is straightforward when it's time to claim the rights of the oppressed. He's motivated to act when lives are at risk and principles are at stake, and he resorts to violence only when all other options fail the circumstances at hand.

Moses is also an eternal outsider. In Egypt, though growing up in the court of Pharaoh, he remains conscious of his Hebrew identity. But later on, among the Midianites, he is seen as an Egyptian. The author of the story is very clear on this issue: Moses names his first son Gershom, in reference to the word "ger", i.e. an alien, a stranger, in the land of Midian. More generally, his solitude among the crowd remains one of the running themes of the entire book, to the very end of his leadership, when he disappears to die alone in the mountains.

[1] Exodus 2:12-15, Hebrew with a basic English translation:
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0202.htm

[2] Lectures by Chacham Ouriel Davidi, Tehran, Iran, 1980's.

[3] Hannah Arendt, On Violence, 1969. Here I refer to her offering an understanding of a violent act by an individual esp. when self-defense is evoked, despite her overall objection to violence, especially by the authority and state.

[3] Hannah Arendt, "On Violence", 1969.

NB: Here I refer to her offering an understanding of a violent act by an individual esp. when (as I understand) self-defense warrants it, despite her overall objection to violence, especially by those in power, authority, and state.

The following is a passage relevant to this argument. Note that I think she seems biased by the long-standing association of "masculinity and violence". An assertive state, for instance, could be quite masculine yet non-violent, and self-control can be viewed by, say, a culture as even more masculine than acting out of rage. Nevertheless, note how she understands a complex situation in her eloquent words:

"To act with deliberate speed goes against the grain of rage and violence, but this does not make them irrational. On the contrary, in private as well as public life there are situations in which the very swiftness of a violent act may be the only appropriate remedy. The point is not that this permits us to let off steam—which indeed can be equally well done by pounding the table or slamming the door. The point is that under certain circumstances. violence—acting without argument or speech and without counting the consequences—is the only way to set the scales of justice right again. (Billy Budd, striking dead the man who bore false witness against him, is the classical example.) In this sense, rage and the violence that sometimes—not always—goes with it belong among the "natural" human emotions, and to cure man of them would mean nothing less than to dehumanize or emasculate him. That such acts, in which men take the law into their own hands for justice's sake, are in conflict with the constitutions of civilized communities is undeniable; but their antipolitical character, so manifest in Melville's great story, does not mean that they are inhuman or "merely" emotional."

[Arendt, Hannah (1970-03-11). On Violence (Harvest Book) (p. 64). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.]

[4] Numbers, 12:3, Hebrew with an English translation:
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0412.htm

© 2014, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

(*) Payman Akhlaghi is a composer, pianist and piano teacher based in Los Angeles. His repertoire covers Classical music, as well as Persian (Iranian) Music, Pop Music, and Film Music. For information on the lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Encino, Brentwood, etc. please call: 310-208-2927. Thank you.

How Large Is Six Million...; A Memo by Payman Akhlaghi (2014)

How Large Is Six Million...
A Memo By Payman Akhlaghi (Draft 1)

(*) First published at Facebook.com/PAComposer on February 5th, 2014, under How Large Is Six Million....

Imagine yourself sitting behind a desk in an office where people come to you every day to be interviewed. You are paid a handsome amount to find out about each person, whether it's a man or a woman, young or adult, their name, age, city of birth, parents and grandparents, children when it applies, occupation, joys and sorrows, regrets and future dreams. You are required to spend one minute with each interviewee, and you'll do this five hours a day, five days a week, back to back, without a break. If you can keep pace for 52 weeks per year, five days a week, 5 hours per day, without taking a week or a minute off, then you will need 76 years, 11 months, and one day to meet six million individuals and spend only one minute with each of them.

A few years ago, the students in an American school were guided to get a sense of "six million" by collecting one single item, and their dramatic and moving effort was captured in the documentary, Paper Clips (2004).

Or you may imagine yourself walking by a file of people who are standing up, facing eastward, shoulder to shoulder, on a straight line, no gaps in the file. Allowing 3 feet width per person, it will take 1 mile to fit 1760 people. A file of six million people would become 3409.09 miles long. That is almost 1000 miles Longer than the direct distance between Los Angeles and New York, which is only about 2448 miles.

Imagine the people, in your office. Imagine the people in the line. Imagine them saying goodbye, lying down, closing their eyes...

- Sites Consulted:
(*) For distance between cities: http://www.distancefromto.net/
(*) For unit conversions: google.com
(*) Imdb.com.

© 2014, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

(*) Payman Akhlaghi is a composer, pianist and piano teacher based in Los Angeles. His repertoire covers Classical music, as well as Persian (Iranian) Music, Pop Music, and Film Music. For information on the lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Encino, Brentwood, etc. please call: 310-208-2927. Thank you.

Shake the Book: Burn the Fat & Fatten the Muscles by Reading the Books; Humor by Payman Akhlaghi (2014)

Shake the Book: Burn the Fat & Fatten the Muscles by Reading the Books
By Payman Akhlaghi (Humor, Draft 3)

(*) First published at Facebook.com/PAComposer on February 4th, 2014, under Shake the Book: Burn the Fat.... 

It came to my attention that reading has largely remained a stationary activity. Aside from the occasional use of the thumb and the index to turn a page or jot down a note, few other limbs get any exercise while we read. Also, as most of us have discovered, reading and eating need not be mutually exclusive; why, we even lie down next to a bag of chips to read an article on sports. The net result is that for every page traveled we may as well gain a fraction of a pound. As for reading while running on the mill, you'll never know whether the words, the legs, or the panting is getting the upper hand. And if you thought walking to the library to lift heavy books was exercise enough, that's no more as well since the instant delivery of the feather-weight eBooks.

But could we somehow concentrate to read and yet get trimmed? How could we integrate large bodily movements into the very act of reading? The solution might be found in a new category of reading experience called Shake Books. After all, gamers found ways to chop the air and dance their day before their TV screens, so why not the book worms?

Consider this: Your reading device, a Shake Book, which comes complete with adjustable weight and other applicable tools, will stop working unless you shake it literally every 5 minutes for 10 times or more. To turn the pages, you would need to squeeze a firm rubber ball and pull on a tough rubber band, of course, switching hands for facing pages. For each new chapter, you'd need to place your Shake Book on the floor and squat on it 5 times or more. Kinesthetic sensors enable intelligent orientation, allowing for complex Book Shakes that would require you to do sit ups, neck rotations, stretches, runs, and push ups, all the while as you enjoy reading your book. Needless to say, for variety and function, authors might program their unique Shake routines into the content of their books.

Imagine to read your Hesse, daily news, Shakespeare, or Facebook threads on your Shake Book. Too much distraction, you may complain. But didn't we adapt so far to almost everything?

Afterthought: Reflecting on my earlier days in the synagogue, moving to and fro waist-up while whispering the words, weren't we indeed treating the Siddur, the Jewish book of prayers, like a Shake Book?!

© 2014, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

(*) Payman Akhlaghi is a composer, pianist and piano teacher based in Los Angeles. His repertoire covers Classical music, as well as Persian (Iranian) Music, Pop Music, and Film Music. For information on the lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Encino, Brentwood, etc. please call: 310-208-2927. Thank you.

Books on Piano, Part 1: Josef Lhevinne's "Basic Principles of Pianoforte Playing"; Introductory Series by Payman Akhlaghi (2014)

Books on Piano: Part 1
Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing
(1924; Dover 1972)
Author: Josef Lhevinne
An Original Introductory Series by Payman Akhlaghi

(*) First published at Facebook.com/PAComposer on January 31st, 2014, under Books on Piano: Part 1....

I'll start this series by introducing one of the most succinct and insightful books on the art of piano that I know of, Joseph Lhevinne's 1924 "The Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing". Republished in 1972 with a foreword by his wife and colleague, Rosina Lhevinne, it has remained as relevant as ever to understand some of the fundamentals of a healthy, musical, and beautiful technique. Written by a legendary virtuoso (see H C Schonberg's "Great Pianists"), it's a no nonsense summary of hands-on advice for making progress in this art, sound in theory, practical in approach. Don't let the little size of the book or its simple language fool you. This is a rare record of a first-rate pianist's mind and practices expressed in most clear terms.

My Favorite Highlights
- The fundamental elements of a beautiful tone:
* Flesh of the fingertip as a soft mallet;
* The relaxed wrist as a shock-absorber;
* Playing the key "on the fly".
- Approach to practicing scales.
- Advice on the choice of tempo.
- Emphasis on developing a sophisticated sense of rhythm.
- Emphasis on accuracy and Ear training.
- Biographic memories of Anton Rubinstein among others.

Quote:
"Music is painted upon a canvas of silence. Mozart used to say, "Silence is the greatest effect in music." The student, however, does not realize the great artistic value of silence. The virtuoso whose existence depends upon moving great audiences by musical values knows that rests are of vital importance. Very often the effect of the rest is even greater than that of the note. It serves to attract and to prepare the mind. Rests have powerful dramatic effect."

-- © 2014, Payman Akhalghi. All rights reserved.

(*) Payman Akhlaghi is a composer, pianist and piano teacher based in Los Angeles. His repertoire covers Classical music, as well as Persian (Iranian) Music, Pop Music, and Film Music. For information on the lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Encino, Brentwood, etc. please call: 310-208-2927. Thank you.

Use Words! Don't Strike! Even When Talking to a Rock...; A Short Note by Payman Akhlaghi (2013)

Use Words! Don't Strike! Even When Talking to a Rock...
A Short Note (Draft 1)
By Payman Akhlaghi

(*) First published at www.Facebook.com/PAComposer on September 2nd, 2013, under:
Use Words! Don't Strike! Even When Talking to a Rock...

In a most symbolic passage from the Jewish Bible (Numbers, 20), Moses is scolded by God for striking a rock for water, instead of only asking for it in words. This stands in contrast, however, to an earlier similar account -- also in the Pentateuch (Exodus, 17), clearly penned by a different author -- in which Moses strikes the rock as he has been instructed. Given the context and notwithstanding the differences, we might as well allow for the possibility that the two accounts might have been two variants of a single inherited story, remembered and recorded by their respective authors at two contrasting times and locations.

The account in Numbers reflects a refinement of culture, and language, at the time when it was written down. It signifies a culture that has come to prefer negotiation with words over negotiation by force. It suggests a more mature and subtle culture of communication -- by extension, a culture of diplomacy -- which could have shown its ramifications in matters of education and daily interactions, as much as in the affairs of the state. This seems to be consistent with the episode that follows immediately, during which the Israelites offer a persuasive case before another nation to allow them passage through their land; but the offer is rejected; so they travel around the land, without a war.

In contrast, the account in Exodus is followed by a highly descriptive narrative of a bloody war, albeit imposed on the Israelite, and which ends in their victory. From striking a rock to communicating with swords, the respective author must have breathed in a very different Zeitgeist than his seemingly later colleague, signifying an ongoing evolution in the Judaical thought even as the early periods, amid what the various stages of codification might imply.

But the inclusion of both narratives within the final edited version of the Pentateuch partly suggests an outstanding dichotomy that would continue to run through history, not only that of Jews, but also that of civilization: the question of Words vs. Force in times of conflict and the need for a resolution; even though the right choice has often been more than clear to the civil mind.

© 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights resereved.

Sources Consulted:
(*) Exodus, 17:
- http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0217.htm
- http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+17&version=NIV
(*) Numbers, 20:
- http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0420.htm
- http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+20&version=NIV
(*) A guiding compilation of the two relevant sections:
http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/6998/why-was-god-so-upset-with-moses-for-striking-the-rock-the-second-time-in-the-des
(*) Recollections of lectures by Chacham Davidi, chief rabbi of Iran, 1980's.

Beauty Is Holy & Holy Is Beauty: A Meditation on Language by Payman Akhlaghi (2013)

Beauty Is Holy & Holy Is Beauty:
A Meditation on Language

By Payman Akhlaghi (Draft 1)

First published on January 31, 2013, at www.Facebook.com/PACompsoer, under:
Beauty Is Holy & Holy Is Beauty... .

"Beauty is holy, and holy is beauty."  I ponder, why I did not say "sacred", but "holy"?

I could explain my choice in terms of the explicit conventions of language, that while both terms are very close, if not identical, in their defined meanings, "sacred" has a nuance of detachment, as it implies a social consensus, an objective convention; while "holy" has a more immediate connotation, and it implies a preferably subjective experience.

Still, I could better explain this on grounds of the "feel" of the two words, or their "aura", an aggregate of not only their agreed senses, but their musical and associative evocations. Whereas "sacred" contains the "hot" letter S, the relatively strident K, and the finite closing on D, "holy" starts with an exhaling HO, a soft L, and an open vowel Y. "Sacred" feels "heavy", hot, active, determinate, demanding, despotic; "holy" feels "light", cool, relaxed, kind, compassionate, free. "Sacred" feels confined, caged, closed; "holy" feels airy, generative, expansive, filling an infinite space. "Sacred" feels complicated; "holy" feels simple, pure. "Sacred" feels suffocated; "holy" keeps breathing.

I noticed and tried to explain the contrasting "feel" of alphabetic letters first in Hebrew, as early as 30 years ago, in my teens. To me such sounds as S or SH were "hot", while the likes of H, M, N, felt "calm (cool)", each to a different degree. I might have as well gone further to organize the letters on a spectrum according to their temperatures. I imagined objective studies using oscilloscopes to observe their frequencies, or rather in my today's terms, their timbre, their wave forms, frequencies, amplitudes, and other quantifiable properties. At the end, however, I ended up sticking to the subjective side of the story, the poesia, the art of it.

On average, classic Hebrew words showed observable onomatopoeic associations in complex words, i.e. a perceptibly direct relation between the sound of the words and their ostensible senses: "esh" was "fire", but "mayim" was reserved for "water"; "sA-me-ah" was happy; "sa-ha-q" was "laughter"; but "rahum" was "compassionate". (Note that I am using the classic Hebrew pronunciations.) The same could be said of the Persian "Atash" for "fire"; or the Persian "ordak" and English "duck", referring to the same bird known for its "quacks".

Naturally, I was delighted to read and translate a beautiful article ca. 1994 by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, in which he had gone as far as explaining the very name of the Jewish God, "Y-H-W-H", as the sound of exhalation, a breath, and observation and experience that I suspect he shared with (other) Jewish mystics. To me, the English "holy" closely reflects the same understanding.

Exhale, breathe, pure and simple. It's holy. It's love. It's beautiful.

© 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

Reflection: On the Notion of God; A Short Note by Payman Akhlaghi (2013)

Reflection: On the Notion of God
(Draft 2)
By Payman Akhlaghi (2013)

First published, November 5th, 2013, at www.Facebook.com/PAComposer, under Reflection: On the Notion of God .

God is a product, a figment, of our imagination; but there's no need to discount our imagination. At its best, the notion of God, as varied as our interpretations and appreciations of it may be, it could mirror ourselves, reflecting our desires, fears, and ideals, even as it becomes -- by the necessity of its nature and function -- detached from us, as if it lives a life of its own, an independent life which we ourselves have afforded it, and yet attribute to itself. Remembering Martin Buber in his masterpiece, "I and Thou", this entity could be a partner in our silent, intimate, internal dialogue, a privy to our innermost secrets.

This de facto reflective dialogue with ourselves is not necessarily a solipsistic monologue in disguise; rather, it could develop and flourish quite genuinely, as we continue to nourish it, to contribute to it, via our creative imagination, with occasional input from the senses. Hence, also the possibility of confusing it with the reality, with the objective world. Authors often speak of their characters "having a life of their own", and even composers have a similar experience in the more abstract world of sounds. Indeed, even Buber discusses the relationship between the artist and the artwork as a case of the dialogue with the Thou. Quite often, admitted works of fiction may help us -- the creator and the audience -- approach the truth quite efficiently. Likewise, we may allow for the case of of God.

Ancient Jews expressed their insight into the evolving identity of such an entity in the way the God of Exodus introduces himself to Moses, "I will be who I will be." I've long found this essentially existential, enigmatic, and tautological response to be the pregnant seed that would eventually grow into the existential philosophy of the 20th century, in its sophistication, and in particular, in its understanding of the Projection of Self into the unknown. It's a liberating concept, that would find its ultimate fulfillment in liberating human from the notion of God.

Altogether, there could be still a place in our time to discuss the many senses of God, under which many names and labels that it might appear, and their possible applications, whether psychological or spiritual, for modern human beings; and that debate can continue its dialectics with the broader question that concerns a portion of humanity, i.e. the question of its existence.

But such sophisticated evolving discourse cannot be conducted honestly, intelligently, and progressively, if it's stifled by dictations from the top, by official if tacit blankets of superstitions spread over the intellectual society, by a widespread confusion of myths with the objective reality and rational collective consensus. For that matter, and more, this topic, and the people involved, would be better served as long as it remains in essence a private affair for interested but non-political individuals or groups.

© 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

(*) Payman Akhlaghi is a composer, pianist and piano teacher based in Los Angeles. His repertoire covers Classical music, as well as Persian (Iranian) Music, Pop Music, and Film Music. For information on the lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Encino, Brentwood, etc. please call: 310-208-2927. Thank you.

Short Independent Film Review: Hannah Arendt (2013 American Release); Review by Payman Akhlaghi of the 2012 Film by by Margarethe von Trotta

Hannah Arendt (2012; 2013, American Release)
(113 mins; in English, German and Hebrew; Subtitled)

Directed by: Margarethe von Trotta

Music by: André Mergenthaler

Cast: Barbara Sukowa et al.

Original Review by Payman Akhlaghi (draft 2)

This review was first published on June 10th, 2013, at Facebook.com/PAComposer .

To begin with, if you have any interest in the protagonist, or more generally, in cinema with philosophic content, or just a wonderful performance, do not miss this film while it's on the screen.

What this film lacks in the visual skills -- the cinematography and lighting are too flat and rudimentary -- it makes up in content and performance. Some of the most touching moments take place exactly when the genius of the character comes across, not only in words, but in the masterful articulation by the lead actress, Babrara Sukowa. Whether subdued, as in her first observations during Eichmann's trial, or fierce, as in when she publicly defends her conclusions, here's an actress who embodies a role many must have wished to play. Indeed, this could very well be the first well-earned Oscar nomination of the year.

The writing is intelligent and convincing. The plot is organized around the central point of her career, the trial of Eichmann in Israel, the writing of the famous book, and the consequences of its publications. Arendt's past, and future, are hinted at or presented briefly in flashbacks, verbal cues, and the final few lines. This Arendt is one of the most convincing philosophers portrayed on screen. You feel her thinking in her stares, in her smiles, in every puff at her cigarette.

It's clear why Ms. Von Trotter decided to quote directly from the archival footage of the trial. Nothing but the voice and images of the Nazi criminal himself could have ultimately convinced us, the audience, of the truth of then controversial conclusions made by Arendt. To the world, that was a monster caged in glasses; to her sharp mind and eyes, he was a mediocre bureaucrat, manifesting the "banality of evil"; and there lied a much more dangerous truth.

The family discussions whether in German or English are as sharp and convincing as one could wish. She, her husband and friends, aren't talking over each other for the sake of the camera or the ambience; they are actually driving forward the point of the argument. This is a film made with conviction, with belief in the thoughts and substantial themes presented; and the director and the actor have allowed as much of these as possible to come forward in a clearly shaped linear narrative.

The music by André Mergenthaler, mostly employing the strings, is surprisingly as effective as it's simple. The casting of supposedly American characters and subsequent dubbing is often problematic, as English seems not to be their primary language, judging from their forced accent and enunciation. That's a regrettable fact for an otherwise fine film as this, which thrives on the power of its performers, even though we may understand this could have happened due to budget limits.

Altogether, however, this is a film not to be missed.

© 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.
(*) Source for cast and crew: IMDB.com
(*) My earlier review of "Vision" (2009) also by Margarethe von Trotta and Barbara Sukowa.

Short Independent Film Review: The Last Days (1998, DVD 2003), Reviewd by Payman Akhlaghi (2013)

The Last Days (1998, Documentary, 87 mins)
Directed by James Moll
Produced by Ken Lipper
Music by Hans Zimmer
Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg
Winner of the 1999 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature
This review was  first published on April 8th, 2013, at www.Facebook.com/PAComposer, under The Last Days (1998...) .

The Last Days follows primarily five Hungarian-born Americans and survivors of the Holocaust, as they remember the pain of the past and pay a visit back to their hometowns, and to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Survivors include an artist, a prominent congressman, a businessman, etc. The movie also includes interviews with a historian, and a doctor who was in charge of "human experiments" at the camp, but who was later forgiven at the Nuremberg.

This is one of the finest films made about that tragic catastrophe in human history. The narrative is formalized, yet it's full of moments of emotional immediacy, reinforced by the beautiful score of Hans Zimmer. The survivors recall honestly, remember vividly, and speakl eloquently. Below, I'll produce a transcription of Steven Spielberg's introduction to the film and his Shoah Foundation, the video of which is included on the DVD release of the film.

© 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.
- Sources for dates etc.: IMDB

(*) Steven Spielberg's Introduction to The Shoah Visual History and Education Foundation

"Shoah is the Hebrew word for Holocaust; and Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which I established in 1994, has now videotaped the testimonies of over 50,000 survivors in 57 countries and 33 languages. I consider this the most important work of my life, and the most significant legacy of Schindler's List. Each testimony is a window into the world of the Holocaust before, during, and after the war. We must take this extraordinary wealth of eyewitness evidence, and use the archive for the cause of knowledge, toelrance and mutual respect. And we are developing ways to extend its value beyond the primary preservation of the testimonies.

"The Last Days" takes five survivors back to Hungary to tell us and show us, in their own words, their lives before, during, and after the Holocaust. And most recently, we produced our first educational CD-Rom, and using the tools of modern media and technology, we will bring young people close to the words and faces of men and women who were young themselves over 50 years ago. We have to recognize that people are not born with hatred; they acquire it. We have the responsibility to listen to the voices of history, so that future generations never forget what so few lived to tell."

-- Steven Spielberg
From the 2003 DVD Release of the Film
(Transcription by P.A.)

Purim: The Intersection of Judaism, Persian History, Life, and Our Everlasting Love of Fables and Drama (2013), By Payman Akhlaghi

Clouds for Purim
Digitally Modified Version of
Original Photo by Payaman Akhlaghi

© 2010, 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved. 

Purim: The Intersection of Judaism, Persian History,

Life, and Our Everlasting Love of Fables and Drama (2013)

A Short Note by: Payman Akhlaghi

Firs published at www.Facebook.com/PAComposer

Purim is an archetypal narrative of hope versus despair, authenticity vs. hypocrisy, free will vs. destiny, certainty vs. uncertainty, chance vs. determinism, progress vs. regression, the future vs. the past, life vs. dogma, sanity vs. insanity, fair play vs. manipulation.

Through an arduous interplay of love, hatred, prejudice, intelligence, lust, frustration, contempt, conspiracy, ignorance, desire, justice, jealousy, loyalty, revenge, despotic whims, greed, compassion, self-preservation, and rare social mobility, the high and the low echelons of power interact and confluence the course of events, against the backdrop of frozen social strata.

As it is, Purim stands at the intersection of Judaism, ancient Persian history, minority rights, feminist discourse, life and passion, and often age-defying costumes, but above all, our everlasting love of fables and a nice feel-good piece of drama.

Happy Purim, everyone...

© 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.
Photo: © 2010, 2013, Payman Akhlaghi. Digitally modified.

Komitas Vardapet "Komitas" and Shogher Jan, A Note by Payman Akhlaghi (2012)

Komits Vardapet, "Komitas"
(1869-1935)
Armenian Composer
Founder of Modern
Armenian Classical Music

On Komitas Vardapet, "Komitas", and His
Shogher Jan for String Quartet
A Note By Payman Akhlaghi (2012)

Komitas (1869-1935): Armenian Composer, Founder of Modern Armenian Classical Music, Permanently Traumatized by the Events of the Genocide of the Armenian Population

First published on 12/08/2012 on www.facebook.com/pacomposer
© 2012, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

Yesterday evening, I was walking toward my car, when I caught myself almost humming an Armenian dance tune in a fast 3/8 (or combined 6/8), composed (or arranged) for string quartet by Komitas. [1] I had heard the work for the first time more than 2 decades ago, in 1991, when it was performed by the string orchestra of Tehran Music Conservatory; although in the years since, I might have once more heard a recording of it, as well. The tune is in the major mode, with a buoyant rhythm, and enough repetition, all of which would make it hard to forget. Still, why this theme, then, and there, virtually out of blue? Music is strange.

In fall 1993, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, a major concert at Hollywood Bowl wisely paired Komitas' choral arrangements of Armenian melodies with Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, a.k.a. Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, in commemoration of the Holocaust. As I recall, the large choir was an ad hoc group consisting of Armenian Americans who'd gathered to prepare for this particular occasion. The impression that I got from Komitas' choral pieces was that of a pioneering figure, one who had tried to converge the Western classical tradition with the music of his native land. The music was straightforward and clear, an evident attempt to build up his musical culture from the foundation. (On that note, the packed auditorium did not virtually breathe for the entire duration of Gorecki's symphony. It was an event to remember.)

As I was preparing for this note, I learned [2] that Komitas lost both parents before he was 10, and was later permanently traumatized by the events of the Armenian genocide, including himself being sent to exile by Turkish rulers, only to be saved by foreign intervention. The torments that such a sweet innocent soul must have endured demand a moment of contemplation...

[1] A performance of "Shogher Jan" for string quartet. The theme I spoke of above can be heard immediately after a short introduction:
[2] Komitas on Wikipedia
[3] Score of Dances for piano (arranged?) by Komitas. A cursory look suggests their accessibly melodic and "fun" nature for intermediate pianists:

(*) Sources: Wikipedia.org
© 2012, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

Genetics and Judaism: A Brief Symposium by Jewpers of IAJF; Tuesday, Novemeber 27th, 2012, 8:00 PM

Genetics and Judaism: A Brief Symposium by Jewpers of IAJF

Tuesday, Novemeber 27th, 2012, Reception at 8:00 PM

Genetics & Judaism:
A Brief Symposium by
Jewpers of IAJF
(Click Image to Enlarge)

Dr. Siavash Kurdistani, Epigenetics Research, UCLA
(Keynote Speaker)
Dr. Claudia Mikail, Clinical Genetics, Preventive Medicine
Dr. Jack Silvers, Dermatologist, Author
Dr. Babak Darvish & Dr. Daniel Darvish, Co-Founders, ARM Organization
Master of Ceremony: Deborah Zakariaei

* Brief Intro to Latest in DNA Research
* Hereditary Diseases in Jewish Populations
* Genetic Tracing and Its Racial & Ideological Ramifications
* Modern Jewish Ethics & Genetics
* Arm Organization and Advancement of HIBM Research

[*] Light Dinner, Drinks & Entertainment.
[*] Reception at 8:00 PM; Program begins at 8:30
[*] Admission: $7.00; Parking Optional
(*) This program will be conducted in English.
(*) No age restrictions above 18 for this program.
(*) Married couples are welcome.

Steve Reich's Tehillim: A Brief Discussion; Graduate Paper by Payman Akhlaghi, 2000, UCLA

Steve Reich (b. 1936)
American Minimalist Composer of
"Tehillim" (1981)

A Brief Discussion of Steve Reich's Tehillim (2000)
Author: Payman Akhlaghi

Graduate Paper Toward Degrees of MA & PhD in Composition (English, 18 pages)
Guidance: Prof. David S. Lefkowitz
Winter 2000, UCLA
Free to Read on Scribd
Shortened Link:
http://bit.ly/PA_Reich_Tehillim_2000

Excerpt 1:

"Introduction
Tehillim (1981) is an intriguing piece amongst Steve Reich’s entire oeuvre. While ‎its origins might be traced back to Reich’s earlier compositions, which had primarily ‎employed the so- called “phasing” technique as their main structural device, Tehillim ‎manifests more a departure from, than a continuation of, the phase period. Besides, ‎Tehillim seems as important within the general context of the post-modern minimalist ‎trends of the 80’s and beyond. Yet, because of its multifaceted musical conception, it ‎does not lend itself easily to a dichotomic stylistic categorization, i.e. it’s hard to place ‎Tehillim with much exactitude within either Reich’s own brand of modernist-minimalism ‎‎(or minimalist-modernism), or the post-modern musical world of the time. With Tehillim, ‎Reich clearly leaves behind the primacy of process and the supremacy of rhythm alone, ‎two of the conspicuous features of his earlier music, and instead, he embraces a more ‎comprehensive view of the composition’s sound-world, by devising longer melodic lines ‎and rhythmic patterns (as opposed to the previously short fragments), timbral diversity..."

Maimonides' "The Guide for the Perplexed" Translated to Persian by Ms. Shirin-Dokht Daghighian

Maimonides: A Guide for the Perplexed

Translated to Persian byShirin-Dokht Daghighian

Commentaries in English and Persian by the Translator

Published by
Persian Maimonides Foundation, Los Angeles (2011)

راهنمای سرگشتگان، اثر بزرگ فلسفی هارامبام
برای نخستین بار به زبان فارسی

برگردان، معرفی، نقد و حواشی از شیرین دخت دقیقیان

به همت بنیاد ایرانی هارامبام، 2011، لس آنجلس

The Persian translation of Maimonides' (Rambam's) most famous philosophical book, "The Guide for the Perplexed", or as known in its original Arabic, دلالت الحائرین, has just been completed by the Iranian American Jewish scholar, Ms. Shirin-Dokht Daghighian.

برگردان فارسی مهم ترین کتاب فلسفی هارامبام، "راهنمای سرگشتگان" سرانجام توسط دانشمند برجسته، خانم شیرین دخت دقیقیان، به پایان رسیده است. این اثر در 4 مجلد و همراه با حواشی و مقدمۀ مترجم فرهیخته توسط بنیاد ایرانی هارامبام  در لس آنجلس به چاپ رسیده است و به زودی در معرض ابتیاع عموم قرار خواهد گرفت. دکتر میر حمید سالک نقدی خواندنی بر این اثر نوشته اند که در سایت ایران امروز به چاپ رسیده است.