Friday 29 October 2010

Ludwig van Beethoven

NAME Ludwig Van Beethoven

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Composer

BIRTH b1770. The bonnie baby Beethoven was born at Bonngasse 20a, Bonn.
There is no actual record of Beethoven's birth. He is traditionally assumed to have been born on December 16, 1770 because his baptism was recorded as taking place on the following day, but the real natal date and hour are unknown. As an adult, Beethoven considered himself to be two years younger than his given age and obstinately evaded the question of his birth date.

FAMILY BACKGROUND If you met a woman who was pregnant, and she had eight children already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis; would you recommend that she have an abortion? If you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.
Ludwig's father was Johann Van Beethoven (1740-1792), a tenor singer in the service of the elector of Cologne. His grandfather was also a musician. His father declined into drinking and as a result young Ludwig's family became steadily poorer.
Ludwig's mother Magdalena Kevrich van Beethoven (1740-1792) was the daughter of a cook with massive self-confidence. Beethoven considered his mother to be his best friend.
Ludwig had three brothers, one, an older brother with the same name died in infancy. Ludwig lived in his shadow. Beethoven's mother died when he was 17, and for several years he was responsible for raising his two younger brothers.

CHILDHOOD At the age of five, Ludwig's ambitious father, who was pushier than a snowplough, made him practice the violin for hours and by the age of eight he was playing concerts and three years later he was the Deputy Organist at court of Elector of Cologne at Bonn. Ludwig published his first composition and composed three sonatas aged thirteen. At the age of fourteen he met Mozart in Vienna who said "Watch this young man. He is going to cause a stir in the world.(1) Mozart proceeded (in 1787) to give him a few lessons in composition.

EDUCATION Ludwig had only meagre academic schooling and early on made a poor impression on his music teachers. At home, his father gave him a thorough musical training when young in the hope of exhibiting him as an infant prodigy. He studied the piano, violin and French horn. Beethoven's father removed him at the age of eleven from school to concentrate on a musical career. He was sent to Vienna in 1791 originally to study with his old mentor, Mozart but his death forced a change of plan. Instead he had music lessons from Haydn from whom he learnt composition and harmony, but who failed to recognise young Ludwig’s genius.

CAREER RECORD Beethoven was the first ever full time composer. The broadening market for published music enabled him to succeed as a freelance composer, a path that Mozart a decade earlier had found full of frustration.
Typically, he would get up at dawn and promptly start composing until dinner at 2pm. Beethoven liked to work for long stretches without a break to let his thoughts develop and flow.
1778 Introduced as a prodigy. Became a court organist before he was 12.
1789 Due to his father's alcoholism, he began to support his family as a court musician.
1791 Went to Vienna to study under Haydn and became a freelance composer. He later claimed "he had never learned anything from Haydn."
1795 First public performance in Vienna.

APPEARANCE Beethoven was a short man, 5' 3¾" (1.62 m) with sallow complexion due to jaundice. His brown hair was thick and bushy (afro style). Many people looking at his portrait have assumed he is of African origin. Wore glasses.

FASHION An untidy dresser, Beethoven had strange personal habits such as wearing filthy clothing while washing compulsively. He was unconcerned about his tramp like appearance and had such a disregard for personal cleanliness that his friends had to take away his dirty clothes and wash them whilst he slept. But it would be stretching things to say Beethoven was an influence on grunge musicians.

CHARACTER A typical flawed genius, Van the man had an overbearing and quarrelsome, fiery and gruff nature. Often rude and impatient, he could be impetuous, self willed and boorish. Haydn, when teaching him, was irritated by his overbearing personality and nicknamed him "The Great Mogu." The German poet Goethe was more of a fan, he saw him as "an utterly untamed personality". He went on to say "A more self contained, energetic, sincere artist I never saw."
Beethoven quarrelled, often bitterly, with his relatives and others, and frequently behaved badly to other people

SENSE OF HUMOUR Not a lot. For instance once performing a new Piano concerto at the Theatre Anderwien. Beethoven forgot he was the soloist and began to conduct. He threw his arms with such force he knocked down the lights on the piano. Two choirboys were summoned to hold the lights. A little later he produced another dramatic gesture that hit one of the boys who was so frightened he dropped the light. Mad at the audiences laughter, Beethoven struck the piano with such force that he broke six strings. What a strop.
Beethoven could be sarcastic. When he heard a friend's opera for the first time, he joked "I liked your opera, I think I will put it to music."
Also when walking with Goethe, who was constantly being pestered by greetings from other people, Beethoven remarked, "Do not let that trouble your excellency. Perhaps the greetings are intended for me."

RELATIONSHIPS As a young man Beethoven was a bit of a rake, quite a flirt, but girls tended to turn down his overtures. Most of his romantic evenings had the sensuous promise of a date at the sewage works. Though often in love, he never got married. Although reports circulated among Beethoven's friends that he was constantly in love, he tended to choose unattainable women, who were aristocratic or married or both. The one person to reciprocate his declarations, the "Immortal Beloved" was one Antonie Brentano who was married to a Frankfurt merchant and a mother of four. In his letter to the "Immortal Beloved" (presumably never sent and now dated at 1812), he expressed his conflicting feelings for Antonie Beethoven's conscience prevented him pursuing the relationship. In his letter to Antonie (presumably never sent and now dated at 1812), he expressed his conflicting feelings for her.
A period of low productivity from about 1812 to 1816 is thought by some scholars to have been the result of depression, resulting from Beethoven's realisation that he would never marry.
In 1815, on the death of his older brother, Casper Carl, Beethoven devoted his emotional energies to a costly legal struggle with his sister-in-law for custody of her 9-year-old son Karl. The mother received a temporarily favourable ruling, and only the intervention in 1820 of Beethoven's most powerful patron, the Archduke Rudolph, won the composer custody of his nephew. Beethoven was not an ideal parent and Karl, grew up to be unstable and graceless rejecting the love (but not the money) that his uncle gave him. The enormous friction that developed between the two, contributed to Karl's attempted suicide in 1826.
Though he had many friends, especially after his deafness came on, Beethoven seemed to be a lonely man. See video clip of the sad story of Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman and his Immortal Beloved.

MONEY AND FAME Originally Beethoven was most famous for tinkling the ivories as a pianist, especially for his improvising skills. Only later in his life was he hailed as a great composer as well. The German composer was a big spender and gave away lots of money. Despite being a big note in Vienna his last years were blighted by financial problems and he died in poverty. The London Philharmonic Society sent £100 to Beethoven when he was on his deathbed.

INTERESTS FOOD AND DRINK Fond of coffee, the fastidious composer once disclosed he requires precisely 60 beans to make a cup of his favorite hot drink.
Beethoven liked good wine, consuming a bottle with every meal, often in the Greek Tavern in Vienna. A near alcoholic in his later years, on his deathbed he spluttered "Wine is
both necessary and good for me."

MUSIC AND ARTS Da da da daa. Beethoven played the harpsichord and violin from a young age. However his own principle instrument was the pianoforte, which he was known to play the piano with such force that the strings would snap. After 1805 he performed in public rarely because of his increasing deafness and he made his last performance in 1814.
The German composer was an admirer of Handel, he said "Handel was the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb."
The first ever full time composer, Beethoven usually worked on several compositions at once. a perfectionist, he always struggled to achieve the rightness present in his music; sometimes altered a passage as many as 20 times.
Beethoven was perhaps the first composer to use brass instruments as part of the orchestral texture of a composition; they had previously been used only at special moments where they would stand out, or as solo instruments.
Here's a bit of trivia: Beethoven often poured ice water over his head when he sat down to compose , believing it stimulated his brain.
Here's some of his major works with links to Songfacts when applicable

1795  Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major This was an important display piece for the young German composer. Beethoven was the soloist at its premiere on March 29, 1795, at Vienna's Burgtheater in a concert marking his public debut. Prior to that, he had performed only in the private salons of the Viennese nobility.

1802 Moonlight Sonata Written whilst suffering from unrequited love, it was called "Moonlight" as a publisher described it like "a boat passing the wild scenery of Lake Lucerne in the moonlight", otherwise it would be called the slightly less romantic "Piano Sonata in C Minor op 27 no 2."
Beethoven always considered his "Moonlight" sonata to be inferior to many of his other works for piano, even though it became enormously popular.

1804 3rd Symphony (Eroica) Originally called Bonaparte as tribute to Napoleon, the First Consul. However, when Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor in 1804 the disillusioned Beethoven tore up the pages of his score in a rage, stamped on it and changed it to Eroica (meaning heroic). Innovative in length and size of orchestra, the symphony was a radical departure from anything written up until that time. However, it was difficult for the audience to understand and many critics criticised the first movement for its dissonant chords

1808 5th Symphony The one with the Da da da daa bit -those famous opening bars are Morse for "V" for victory. Beethoven described the start of this symphony as "death knocking upon the door". Its premiere in Vienna featured the first ever known use of trombone in an orchestra. The work was dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz and Count Raswnovsky and it’s theme was of an individual overcoming all the trials that fate can bring.

1808 Pastoral (6th) Symphony Beethoven was a lover of nature who spent a great deal of his time on walks in the country. Unusually cast in five movements, the last three of which flow freely into one another, this symphony represents Beethoven's ultimate response to nature. He was, however, not the first composer of his time to depict nature symphonically uses evocative sounds to tell a particular journey.
The Shepherd Song from this was voted # 5 in the 100 Best Tunes on Radio 2 - back in 1993.

1810 Für Elise This piano piece was dedicated by Beethoven to Therese Malfatti (1792–1851), with whom he was in love. But the publisher misread Beethoven’s untidy scrawl of "Fur Teresa" and to this day it's known as "Für Elise."

1814 Fidelio Beethoven's only opera, it was actually first produced in a three-act version at Vienna's Theater an Der Wien, on November 20, 1805. The composer kept fiddling with Fidelio until the performance at the Kärntnertortheater on May 23, 1814. Incidentally a 17-year-old Franz Schubert was in the audience, having sold his school books to obtain a ticket. The opera tells the story of a wife who dressed as a female jailer so she could join her husband in prison.

1824 Ode to Joy This is the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth and last Symphony, when written it was a novel idea to use a chorus and solo voices in the finale. Increasingly aware of his declining health, the by now deaf composer spent seven years working on this Symphony. Its tragic that Beethoven never heard a single note of this masterpiece except in his head. When first performed, there was rapturous applause at the end. The deaf composer had to be physically turned round to face the audience to face the acclaim as he couldn't hear it.
The words, which are sung by four vocal soloists and a chorus, emanate a strong belief in mankind. They were taken from a poem written by German writer Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additions made by Beethoven.


LITERATURE Beethoven was keen on Homer and Indian theology for reading matter. Not a particularly avid reader he wrote in an 1820 letter, "I would rather write 10,000 notes than one letter of the alphabet"
In 1802, Beethoven wrote Heiligenstadt and Testament, which was intended for two brothers. In it he rages in despair about his growing deafness. See Health for more

NATURE When Beethoven's dog, Grigons vanished Beethoven complained "I miss him in my loneliness."

HOBBIES AND SPORTS The Pastoral Symphony composer walking in countryside round Vienna. He carried a notebook with him to jot down ideas for his compositions.
David Broome won the 1970 show jumping world title on a horse named Beethoven.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Despite writing some spiritually uplifting music such as
his Mass in D Minor (Missa Solemnis)Beethoven was not a conventional Christian himself. However, he considered his compositions inspired by God.

SCANDAL In the Winter of 1822-23, the Philharmonic Society of London advanced Beethoven £50 for a new symphony. However it was not until its first performance in Vienna on May 7, 1824 that the score reached London when to the society's surprise they found that Beethoven's 9th Symphony was dedicated not to them back to the King of Prussia. However the forgiving Philharmonic Society did later send £100 for Beethoven's relief during the last months of his life.

MILITARY RECORD The opening of Beethoven's Fifth symphony was later used as a signature piece for the Allies during World War 2 since the notes unintentionally were Morse Code for the letter "V" (for "Victory").

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Beethoven suffered from jaundice, but his main affliction is deafness. Originally in his late twenties it was an occasional loss of hearing, which developed into a constant ringing in his ears. Signs of his growing lack of sense of hearing threw him into a dire depression and made him contemplate suicide. In 1802, in Beethoven's celebrated Heiligenstadt Testament, a quasi-legal letter to his two brothers, he expressed his agony over his growing loss of hearing. His deafness was rendered more severe by cold baths, blister treatments and sharp ear trumpets strapped to his head. By 1814 however, Beethoven was almost totally deaf with a constant ringing in his ears. For the last ten years of his life he could only communicate with guests by means of conversation books in which visitors write their remarks to him. Despite being aurally disadvantaged many of his greatest works were written in his last 10 years when he was completely deaf. (You'd have thought a deaf composer would have been as much use as a steeplejack with vertigo). He was aided by placing a stick on the top of his piano and biting on it, which helped him to "hear" a little.

HOMES Beethoven was born at the 16th century building, Bonngasse 20a in Bonn. It is now a Beethoven museum. (see below) In March 1787 Beethoven traveled to Vienna, apparently in the hope of studying with Wolfgang Mozart. It is not known whether or not they actually met. After just two weeks there Beethoven learned that his mother was severely ill, and he was forced to return home. His mother died shortly thereafter, and the father lapsed deeper into alcoholism. As a result, Beethoven became responsible for the care of his two younger brothers, and he spent the next five years in Bonn. He finally left Bonn for Vienna in November 1792, amid rumors of the war spilling out of France.
By 1800 Beethoven settled into a pattern of shifting residences. He habitually spent the summer in the Viennese suburbs to get away from the adoring masses and his creditors —Heiligenstadt was a favourite choice—and moved back to the central city in the autumn. He moved 79 times occupying 44 dwellings in 35 years in Vienna. The state in which he generally kept his rooms gave this landlords good cause for grievance. They were littered with partly eaten meals and unemptied chamber pots.

TRAVEL If Beethoven was ever in Venice in his last 15 years, then he would have been deaf in Venice (joke).,.

DEATH Beethoven died in 1827 aged 57, a slow agonising death. during a thunderstorm, having been bedridden for several months. His last words were "I shall hear in Heaven." It is said on his deathbed said "Applaud my friends the comedy is over." quoting the dying Augustus as he shook his fist at a thunderstorm. An autopsy revealed significant liver damage, which may have been due to heavy alcohol consumption. There is dispute about the cause of Beethoven's death;
alcoholic cirrhosis, syphilis, infectious hepatitis, lead poisoning have all been proposed.
Over 10,000 turned out for his funeral. Schubert was one of the pallbearers. Buried in Vienna's Zentral Friedhof General Cemetery.
An estimated 20,000 people stood in reverence as his funeral bier passed through the streets of Vienna - Schubert was one of the pallbearers. Soldiers were needed to control grief stricken crowds. After nine priests blessed his body, he was buried in a grave marked by a simple pyramid that read simply, "Beethoven".
In 1994 two collectors paid £4,000 for a four inch long lock of Beethoven's hair.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA 1. Amongst the movies about Beethoven are
1985 Beethoven's Nephew In which Beethoven played by Wolfgang Pechmann struggles to tame his (yes) nephew.
1989 Beethoven played by Clifford David was a passenger of Bill and Ted in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
1994 Immortal Beloved The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer, Anton Schindler, as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Immortal Beloved addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers. Beethoven is played by Gary Oldman. 2006 Copying Beethoven, starring Ed Harris as the composer. This film is a fictionalized account of Beethoven's last days, and his struggle to produce his Ninth Symphony before he died.
The 1992 film Beethoven is about a St Bernard dog who apart from being named after the composer, has nothing to do with him.

2. Beethoven is much quoted in popular music - Roll Over Beethoven was a hit for both Chuck Berry and Electric Light Orchestra . A more funky interpreter was Walter Murphy who had a # 1 US hit with A Fifth of Beethoven, a disco version of Beethoven's yep Fifth Symphony. Also check out I Love to Listen to Beethoven by the Eurythmics.

3. Beethoven's Sixth Symphony was famously used in a Blue Band Magazine advert and his nith Symphony in a Pirelli Tyres commercial

4. Beethoven's biggest critic is Lucy in the Peanuts cartoon strip, as she tries to win the heart of her beloved piano player, Schroeder, who is the composer's number one fan. Lucy tries to batter the reputation of Beethoven to make Schroeder interested in others eg her.

ACHIEVEMENTS 1. Beethoven was influential in development of symphony and expanded the horizons of orchestra music. He pushed boundaries in all music's parameters melodic, harmonic, rhythmic.
2. Introduced the trombone to the orchestra.
3. The first important composer to earn his living solely from public concerts and copies of his compositions without getting a patron. Though he could have done with one.
4 Possibly the greatest composer in the western tradition.
5.. In a poll of over a million music lovers, Beethoven was voted Britain's second favorite classical composer of the past Millennium and his Ninth Symphony the third favorite classical piece of the last millennium.

1. The Faber Book of Anecdotes by Clifton Fadiman.
2. James Galway's Music in Time.
3. Wikipedia.

Sunday 24 October 2010

The Venerable Bede

NAME Bede, also known as The Venerable Bede or Saint Bede. His name most likely derives from the Old English bēd, or prayer, and if it was the name given Bede at birth, probably meant that his family had planned on his entering the clergy from birth.

WHAT FAMOUS FOR English theologian and historian

BIRTH b673 Monk Wearmouth, Durham

FAMILY BACKGROUND From well-to do Geordie stock. His parents confided him to the care of the Abbot Benedict Biscop at the age of 7.

CHILDHOOD Young Bede was sent by his parents to the nearby newly founded monastery at Wearmouth at the age of 7. He was placed under the care of the abbot Benedict Biscop, Abbot of the monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow, to be raised as a monk.

EDUCATION Bede was taught by St John of Beverley who was renowned for his healing powers. Besides studying Latin, Greek and classical writings and doctrines he also learnt Hebrew, Medicine and Astronomy. The library in Jarrow was the largest library in England at the time. He became one of the most learned men in Western Europe. He later wrote: "My whole happiness was in studying, teaching and writing."

CAREER RECORD Bede devoted his life to the study of scripture and recording of history. His entire working life was spent as a Benedictine monk at the monastery of Saint Peter at Wearmouth, and its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in Jarrow.
680 Entered Wearmouth monastery at the age of 7 where he started training to be a monk. Spent long hours working by candlelight in his monk's cell.
682 Transferred to Jarrow monastery
692 Bede was ordained a deacon by his diocesan bishop, John, who was bishop of Hexham702 Bede became a priest, with the ordination again performed by Bishop John.

CHARACTER Bede had an attractive character being gentle, pious, solitary, humble, cheerful, with a straight forward loveable nature. St Boniface thought him to be a good egg describing the saint as, "A light of the church lit by the Holy Spirit".
He was known as Venerable Bede from the 9th century due to the holiness of his life. From Latin "venerablius" meaning "worthy of honour".

SENSE OF HUMOUR Bede displayed his sceptical wit in his book Ecclesiastical History of the English People by poking fun at the legend that St Patrick had rid Ireland of snakes.

RELATIONSHIPS Bede's work on historical chronology influenced a lot of people with his dating techniques.
But seriously, an oddity in Bede's writings is that in one of his works, the Commentary on the Seven Catholic Epistles, he writes in a manner that gives the impression he was married. The section in question is the only one in that work that is written in first-person view, where Bede says: "Prayers are hindered by the conjugal duty because as often as I perform what is due to my wife I am not able to pray."

MONEY AND FAME When Bede died his estate was made up of some peppercorns, incense and handkerchiefs.

INTERESTS FOOD AND DRINK Bede loved cooking and he was especially proud of his store of peppercorns and spices that he added to improve the bland monastery food.

MUSIC AND ARTS Bede habitually sung psalms in praise to God. He wrote hymns including "Sing we Triumphant Hymns of Praise."

LITERATURE Bede had a masterful grip of narrative and was a consummate storyteller when recounting history. All his works were written out by hand with ink made from ground up oak gall on vellum (animal skins).
He wrote 68 books in total, mainly religious biographies, scientific and theological works with a quill dipped in "encaustum", the monk’s word for ink. It is thought that the library at Wearmouth-Jarrow contained between 300-500 books, making it one of the largest in England. Bede utilised the extensive library available to him with laborious research.
His works include:
725 On the Reckoning of Time, Bede's treatise on dating.
731 Ecclesiastical History of the English People Bede's classic historical tome written in Latin of the purest style, which tells of early Anglo Saxon kingdoms and their conversion to Christianity. Scrupulously researched, he even had a monk colleague gathering material for him in the Pope's archives in Rome. A monumental account of the times years before Rupert Murdoch came on the scene.
Bede cited his references and was very concerned about sources of all his sources, which created an important historical chain. He is credited with inventing footnoting.
At the end of his life, Bede translated John's Gospel into English.

NATURE Bede would have had cats to catch mice and rats who tended to be attracted to monasteries.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Bede tells us of in writings of his interest in carpentry and music and how he enjoyed long walks along the Northumbrian coast that allowed him to study the movement of the tides. However, he found his chief pleasure in learning, teaching and writing.

SCIENCE AND MATHS In know I keep on about Bede's dating techniques but he popularised the division of history into BC and AD and did other work on historical chronology. In his
book On the Reckoning of Time, Bede discussed various astronomical matters such as how the seasonal motion of the Sun and Moon influenced the changing appearance of the New Moon at evening twilight.

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY Almost wholly holy, Bede was regarded as a saint.
At the age of seven he was confided to the care of the Abbot Benedict by his family at the newly founded monastery in Wearmouth. The monastery was founded by Benedict Biscop, formerly the Abbot of St Peter’s in Canterbury. He bought builders and glass-workers from continental Europe to help erect the building, thus introducing stone edifices and glass windows to England.
Bede later transferred to Jarrow monastery, where he became a priest in about 703. He devoted his life there to study, writing and prayer. He cheerfully often spent a whole night in prayer and thanksgiving to God. He once wrote “I have devoted my energies to the study of the scriptures, observing monastic discipline and singing the daily services in church; study, teaching and writing have always been my delight.”
Rather than copying from any one source, Bede researched from several sources to create single volume bibles, a practice which was highly unusual for the time: previously, the Bible had circulated as separate books. He also worked on translations of parts of the Bible into old English, unfortunately these have not survived.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Two years after his transfer to Jarrow, all the monks responsible for leading the worship were killed by the plague leaving only the abbot and the 11 year old Bede to maintain the services.
Late in life Bede became almost blind because of the strain on his eyes of working long hours by candlelight. He would dictate his works to other monks, who would write them out for him.
In Bede's final days he suffered from a shortness of breath and weakness though little pain.

HOMES Jarrow monastery was bulging at the seams with around 600 monks including the 9-year-old Bede, when its founder Abbot Ceolfrith died in 682.
St Paul's Church, Jarrow, where Bede worshipped is still situated on the grounds of the monastery. A nearby metro station, Bede station is named after him.

TRAVEL Bede left North England in his life. His only trips away from Jarrow were occasional trips to York and Lindisfarne.
Interestingly in those days when people did not believe the Earth was round, Bede wrote that the Earth was round "like a playground ball", contrasting that with being "round like a shield".

DEATH Bede died in AD735 aged 62. He spent the last day of his life at Jarrow Monastery teaching, then he distributed the few goods he owned to fellow priests, knelt on the floor, prayed and died surrounded by his brethren. His last words, having dictated the last sentence of his translation of John's Gospel and being told by the scribe that the sentence was now finished said "It is well: you have said the truth. It is indeed." He then said "Take my head between your hands and raise me that I may call on my Father. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost." and he breathed his last. Bede's remains were moved to Durham Cathedral’s Galilee Chapel in 1370 and lie within a tomb chest sealed by a black marble slab.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Bede is the only Englishman to be named by Dante as being in paradise in his Divine Comedy.

ACHIEVEMENTS 1. Bede was not only the Father of English History, but a historian of European reputation, the only reliable writer of his time, the Dark Ages. The others tended to mix facts with legends.
2. A powerful influence on revival of learning under Charlemagne.
3. Mainly wrote in Latin but also first known English prose writer.
4. In 1899 Pope Leo 13th gave him formal recognition as a doctor of the Church. Bede was canonised in 1899; his feast day is May 27, the day of his death.
5. His dating techniques

The video is part of the "Northern Tales" DVD. This is a story told by Tony Wilson about St.Bede.

Sunday 17 October 2010

Thomas Becket

NAME Thomas Becket

BIRTH b 1118 London.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Thomas Becket came from relatively humble origins, his father, Gilbert Beckett, meaning "Little Beak", was part of a Norman family of knights, who originally came from Rouen in France. Mr Little Beak was a merchant of wealth and position who later suffered financial reverses.
His mother, Mathilda, was a burgher woman of Caan. No, she didn't work for a medieval fast food chain - A 'burgher' is a citizen of a borough or town, especially one belonging to middle class .

EDUCATION Becket was educated by Monks at Merton Priory, Surrey, where he learnt to read and City Grammar, London. He then studied canon law in Bologna, Italy and Auxerre, France.

CAREER RECORD A gifted Administrator, Becket was not a natural for the position of Archbishop as he knew little Latin, theology, and was lacking in knowledge of liturgy
Late 1130s Secretary to Lord of Pevensey
1140-43 Worked as Clerk & Auditor in the city.
1143-54 Entered the household of a distant relative, Theobold of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury. 1154 Archdeacon of Canterbury
1155 Chancellor of England
1159-60 Governed Cahors in France
1162 Archbishop of Canterbury (I know, I know.. I said he wasn't cut out for it but he got the job as he was the king's mate).
1164 Fled to France
1170 Returned to England

APPEARANCE Becket was six foot tall which was very tall in those days. He was strong jawed, slim, pale skinned, dark hair, and a straightly featured face, his forehead creased with frown lines. Strangely this Little Beak actually had quite a long nose.

FASHION Becket dressed in fine clothes such as scarlet furs until his appointment as Archbishop when he adopted a more austere style. In his final years he wore a lice ridden hair shirt next to his skin. Suits you, sir.

CHARACTER The bad news was that he was imperious, stubborn and at times violent. The good news was that the Archbishop was conscientious, disciplined, principled, energetic, and intelligent. He suffered from a slight stutter but was winning and lovable.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Becket had a ready wit, which helped to endure him to the King.

RELATIONSHIPS As I previously mentioned, Becket was a good friend of King Henry II, it was commented they acted like two schoolboys at play.

MONEY and FAME Originally a clerk of humble origins, as a friend of Henry II, Becket was rewarded with great wealth which he flaunted at ceremonies. As chancellor he amassed such wealth that 52 clerks were needed to run his affairs. Subsequently he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury to enable Henry to have more power over the Church. Once Becket was appointed to the see of Canterbury he became profuse in alms giving and lived a simple existence. By 1164 their relationship was faltering, and Henry accused him of making £30,000.

FOOD As Chancellor Thomas ate little despite all the lavish hospitality on offer. An exception was a meal in Paris where he paid 100 shillings (around $7) for a plate of eels.

Becket introduced a two-pronged fork to England after his continental exile but when he tried to explain that one of the advantages of the fork was it could be washed Henry II replied “But, so can your hands”.

MUSIC and ARTS Until his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury Becket was a patron of plays and anything that involved singing and dancing. After his appointment there was more likelihood of getting J Arthur Rank to play the gong as getting Becket to join in a jolly sing song.

SPORTING Until they started arguing Becket and Henry II often went hunting with hounds and hawking together.

NATURE At Tarring on the outskirts of Worthing in Sussex, there is a fig orchard said to be descended from a tree planted by Becket.

PHILOSOPHY and RELIGION After being appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Becket in an attempt to atone for his pre-Chancellor life and make a new beginning followed a life of austerity and asceticism. He preserved his chastity when all around him weren't, drank sparingly, prayed often at night, attended masses at dawn and employed clerks to flog him as penance for his wrongdoings. Basically he was committed to his new job.
A believer in church privileges, unlike the King, who was interfering in church affairs. Becket argued that a cleric accused of an ordinary crime should be tried in the King's court like any layman. The final rift occurred in 1170 when the Archbishop of York and six Bishops crowned Henry’s son as heir. Becket, not being behind this move excommunicated the Bishops as he felt his loyalty was to God and his representative on Earth, the Pope.

SCANDAL Right are you sitting comfortably? I will tell you the story of Becket's martyrdom. Soon after Becket was appointed Archbishop he realized that King Henry II was looking for a puppet, answerable to him whilst his loyalty was primarily to God and his church. The Archbishop and Henry had several disputes over ecclesiastical and royal matters and Becket constantly protested about the king interfering in church affairs. Henry got fed up with an Archbishop unwilling to be manipulated and feeling betrayed by a friend, cited him to appear before the king's court. Becket failed to respond so was found guilty of contempt of royal court. He was summoned to the Council of Northampton and seeing the king coaxing the bishops and barons for a guilty verdict, stormed out. In 1164 Becket fled to France disguised and the dispute remained unsettled.
In 1170 the final rift between Henry II and Becket occurs when the king's eldest son, who was also called Henry, was crowned as his heir by the Archbishop of York and six bishops, a violation of the Archbishop of Canterbury's traditional right. The angry exiled Becket proceeded to excommunicate the bishops and triumphantly returned to Canterbury, where the common people flocked to show their adulation. Meanwhile the king was spending Christmas near Bayeux in Normandy when a deputation of bishops came to tell him of Archbishop Becket's continuing refusal to release control of the church to the king. He was also informed that Becket still refused to absolve the Archbishop of York and his associates from excommunication for participating in the coronation and indeed had excommunicated some more. Exasperated by his archbishop's refusal to tow the line, Henry shouted in fury " Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" Four knights, members of his household, took their king at his word, crossed the Channel, rode post-haste to Canterbury and attacked him at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral whilst he was taking Evensong in front of a shocked congregation, in the north transept of the Cathedral. Becket struggled on in front of the Evensong congregation, before burying his head in prayer and dying. There was a great storm within an hour of the death of the Archbishop and when his clothes were removed from his dead body, it was discovered that, unbeknown to anyone, he was wearing a hairshirt riddled with lice and maggots, the skin on his chest ripped to shreds. Becket was immediately recognized as a saint and a martyr, and people flocked to the Cathedral to mourn him. The king was suitably shocked by the scandalous action his temper had provoked, as was Western Christendom who looked upon Henry as a blasphemous murderer.

MILITARY RECORD At one stage during the Hundred Years War, the King of France obtained a cease-fire to enable him to make a pilgrimage to see Becket's tomb at Canterbury.

HEALTH andPHYSICAL FITNESS On one occasion Archbishop Becket made himself dangerously ill, through excessive fasting, whilst staying at Pontigny.
In the the years following his death many miraculous cures were recorded at Becket's shrine. indeed 700 miracles were recorded in the decade after his assassination at his crypt.

HOMES In 1164, after fleeing to France, Becket stayed at the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny and then at the Abbey of Saint Jeans des Vignes, Soissons, Sens.

TRAVEL Becket accompanied Archbishop Theobold to the Papal Council in Rheims in 1148. After that he made several trips to Rome and studied in Paris, Auxerre and Rome. As Chancellor he took 250 servants with him on a visit to Paris in 1158.
Pilgrim's way, a country route from London to Canterbury over the Downs, which was used for centuries by pilgrims visiting Becket's grave, still exists.

DEATH Becket's four murderers stayed at Saltwood Castle the night before the crime. He was stuck down on 29/12/1170 in the north transept of the Cathedral. Becket struggled on in front of the Evensong congregation, before burying his head in prayer and dying. It is said there was a great storm within an hour of the death of the Archbishop and people flocked to the Cathedral to mourn him. His shrine became a major attraction for English and European pilgrims until the reformation. Pilgrims would bring offerings and returned with flasks of holy water. By 1200, small glasses containing the martyr's diluted blood were being distributed throughout western Europe.
Becket's shrine was destroyed by Henry VIII, however a chapel stands there today. His bones are still in the Cathedral.
The You Tube clip (below) is an excerpt from the 1968 movie Becket.



APPEARANCES IN MEDIA 1. Becket (1964) Peter O'Toole (Henry II) tries to rid himself of that turbulent Richard Burton (Becket)
2. Pizzeti wrote an opera "Murder in the Cathedral" about Becket kicking the bucket.
3. TS Eliot's verse drama Murder In The Cathedral (1935)
4. Becket (1959) a play by Jean Anouilh on which the 1964 Becket film was based on.



5. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is concerned with a group of pilgrims on their way to see Becket's shrine at Canterbury.

ACHIEVEMENTS 1. Becket was canonised in 1172. His fast day is 29/12.
2. Becket's shrine was the most hallowed spot for English pilgrims until the Reformation, his death having made him a model of ecclesiastical resistance to government tyranny.
3. Becket was the first Englishman since the Norman conquest, a hundred years before, to hold high office and the first commoner of any kind to make his mark on English history.

Roger Bacon

NAME Roger Bacon

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Philosopher and Scientist

BIRTH B1214, Ilchester, Somerset, England.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Young Roger came from a wealthy background. His parents sided with Henry III against those darn rebellious Barons to no avail as their property was despoiled and several members of the family were driven into exile.

EDUCATION Roger was educated at Oxford University where he studied Liberal Arts and Philosophy under Robert Grosseleste then Paris where he studied Theology. In addition the medieval mastermind mastered Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

CAREER RECORD For about ten years Bacon lectured at Paris mainly on Aristotle until 1247.
1247-57 Bacon returned to Oxford where he was a Professor. He devoted much of his time to an intense study of Mathematics, Optics and Theology.
1257 Joined the Franciscan Order.

APPEARANCE All we know is that Bacon wore an early form of glasses.

FASHION Short sighted, Bacon was one of the first westerners to uses lenses to help him see more clearly.

CHARACTER Bacon was known as Doctor Mirabilis, "The Admirable Doctor" because of his many diverse interests.
Quarrelsome and iron-willed by nature, which caused conflict with his colleagues.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Considering Bacon's interest in gunpowder (see military record) he was a real blast, boom boom.

RELATIONSHIPS Bacon had Pope Clement IV gunning for him, and the Head of the Catholic Church encouraged him to write a book, which was titled rather bigheadedly, Opus Majus (Major Work). Unfortunately the Pope died in 1268, after which Bacon was never flavour of the month.
Being a Franciscan Friar rather restricted Roger's love life.

MONEY AND FAME The short sighted scientist's greatness was not recognised until the 20th century. In Bacon's lifetime despite being a world class Scientist and philosopher his fame was that of a lower football league full back.
The short sighted scientist believed that gold dissolved in aqua regia was the

FOOD AND DRINK Little is known about Friar Bacon's culinary habits.

MUSIC AND ARTS Bacon regarded theology as superior to the arts. He suggested that artists could use geometry to create the illusion of three dimensional reality and thereby convince onlookers they were truly witnessing the events depicted. As a result three-dimensional images depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi were painted on a new basilica in Assisi. Such was the realistic effect that it became the most visited church in Europe.
An advocate of bells (not the whiskey brand but the the things that ring), Bacon believed that the concussion of the air caused by the toiling of church bells purified the atmosphere, thus driving away demons.

LITERATURE An outspoken controversial writer, Bacon went the whole hog and wrote rashly what he thought. For instance he described Thomas Aquinas as "a teacher yet unschooled." which was a trifle unfair.

1268 Opus Majus (Major work) His great work, this compendium of all branches of knowledge lived up to its title (albeit a little streaky in places).
He sent his mate Pope Clement IV his book, unfortunately it reached him during the period of the Pope's fatal illness.

Amongst Bacon's other works were the possibly reflective On Mirrors and the Darwinesque sounding On the Multiplication of Species.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Amongst Bacon's many hobbies were philosophy, magic and alchemy.

SCIENCE AND MATHS An early advocate of experimental science, Bacon believed science and mathematics could serve the Christian faith. Some of his inventions, such as gunpowder were undoubtedly derived from the study of Arab scientists. Below is just a snippet of his many scientific achievements:
(1) Designed a man carrying an aviation machine with flapping wings.
(2) Could be said to be the inventor of spectacles, at any rate Bacon developed magnifying lenses.
(3) Said that experiment was "the Lord of all the sciences."
(4) Bacon's highest ambition was to have a planetarium in which the heavenly bodies would move automatically and accurately across the man made sky.
(5) Pointed out that the Julian calendar was slightly too long. However it took another 300 years for the leap year to be introduced.
(6) Bacon believed in the possibility of transmuting inferior metals into gold, he regarded alchemy as the most valuable of the sciences "because it produced greater utilities." What a silly Friar.
(7.) Made a Camera Obscura for observing Solar Eclipses.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY (1)The maxim that made the short-sighted Philosopher tick was "cease to be ruled by dogmas and authorities; Look at the world."
(2) The volatile Friar was theologically conservative but outspoken and he frequently got into trouble for saying what he thought. He saw theology as the supreme area of knowledge.
(3)Bacon owned a head of brass. He believed that if it spoke, he would succeed in his project, if not he would fail.
One day the Friar went off to sleep, the head spoke three times firstly saying "time is, half a hour later " time was" and another half an hour later " time past", on which it fell down and smashed into smithereens. Spooky.
(4)The explosive Friar suggested taking crusades of learning to the Islamic lands to win the Muslims over to Christianity by impressing them with European knowledge.

SCANDAL Despite often making a spectacle of himself, Bacon stuck to his guns.
(1) The outspoken Friar sent some of his more controversial writings to Pope Clement's successor but got fried by the church and was excommunicated and imprisoned by for "certain novelties". He was confined to a monastery.
The "certain novelties" the authorities were particularly unhappy about were his chemical research.
In 1278 the general of the Franciscan order, Girolamo Masci, later Pope Nicholas IV, forbade the reading of Bacon's books and had Bacon arrested. After ten years in prison, Bacon returned to Oxford.
(2) In many aspects he was pig ignorant. For instance Bacon claimed that saffron delayed ageing and he went as far as to send the Pope these instructions. (Bacon was 76 at the time.)
(3) In his lifetime Bacon was accused of dealing in Black Magic. For many centuries after his death, he had a bad press due to his alchemist and sorcery activities.

MILITARY RECORD Bacon introduced the gunpowder formula to Europe in 1242. The invention of gunpowder has been attributed to him but don't believe it - it originated in China and was also known previously in Arabia, so bang goes that theory.
Bacon's recipe for gunpowder was Saltpetre 41%. Charcoal 29.5% Sulphur 29.5%. Mixed together it would imitate lightning and cause explosions. (Kids get your parent's permission before trying this at home.)

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Bacon was the first scholar to suggest that medicine should rely on remedies provided by chemistry.

HOMES Bacon settled in Oxford after studying in Paris. From 1257 he pursued his studies in isolation at "Friar Bacon's Study" a house which stood across the north end of a bridge crossing the Thames. Bacon moved back to Paris where from 1277-91 he was virtually kept imprisoned by in a monastery his Order.

TRAVEL The prophetic Friar foresaw the extensive use of cars, aeroplanes and ocean liners. He conducted studies that led him to the conclusion that air could support craft in the same way that water supports boats.
Bacon controversially suggested that the Earth was round and Asia could be reached by sailing westwards. What he did not realise was that there is a big continent called America in the way.

DEATH Died Oxford 1292, Roger and out.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Considering Bacon was one of the medieval greats and an interesting character it is surprising he has barely been portrayed in any media.

ACHIEVEMENTS (1) His experimental studies of behaviour of light, prisms, rainbows and mirrors helped lay the groundwork for modern science and created the way for a boom in experimental science. Often regarded as the first modern scientist.
(2) Developed spectacles, gunpowder amongst others.
(3) Foresaw the possibility of mechanical cars, boats and flying machines and telescopes. He did not foresee the destruction properties of gunpowder in the following centuries.
(4) Patron Saint of Encyclopedia Salesmen.
(5) Pioneered three dimensional art as the forerunner of virtual reality.

Sunday 11 July 2010

Francis Bacon

NAME Francis Bacon or 1st Baron Verulam and Viscount St Albans

WHAT FAMOUS FOR English statesman and philosopher.

BIRTH b1561 York House, Strand, London.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Francis' was the youngest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, who was Elizabeth I's Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. He was a staunch enemy of Roman Catholics.
Francis' mum , Anne Cooke, was a Protestant daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, an eminent humanist, scholar and tutor to Edward VI. She was famous for her learning and published translations from Italian and Latin .

CHILDHOOD Francis grew up familiar with the royal court. Not only did his dad rub shoulders with his uncle, but his uncle, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, was the chief advisor of Queen Liz for most of her reign.

EDUCATION An all round clever cogs, Bacon made himself master of the whole body of knowledge in existence. Biographers believe that Francis received an education at home in his early years, and that his health during that time, as later, was delicate. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge in 1573 (yes, your maths is correct he was just 13). Bacon lived there for three years there with his older brother Anthony Bacon.
At Cambridge, his studies of science brought him to the conclusion that the methods (and thus the results) were erroneous. His reverence for Aristotle conflicted with his dislike of Aristotelian philosophy, which seemed barren, disputatious, and wrong in its objectives. After Cambridge he went on to Grays Inn for training in law.
In his writings, Bacon stressed the principle of learning by the inductive process by which student are encouraged to observe and examine with their senses.

CAREER RECORD Bacon's goals were threefold: discovery of truth, service to his country, and service to the church. Knowing that a prestigious post would aid him toward these ends, in 1580 he applied, through Uncle William, (1st Baron Burghley), for a post at court. His application failed, and for the next two years Bacon worked quietly at Gray's Inn until admitted as an outer barrister in 1582. His CV is as follows:
1582 Became a barrister
1584 Elected to Parliament for Melcombe in Dorset.
1586 Re-elected this time as MP for Taunton, Somerset.
1593 Bacon took his third parliamentary seat , this time for Middlesex. During this period, Bacon was enduring long disappointments in his attempts to gain public office. He wrote letters of sound advice to the Queen but she never took them on board. Things changed when James
I came to throne.
1603 The accession of James I brought Bacon into greater favour. He was knighted in 1603.
1604 Member of the King's Council
1607 Solicitor General
1613 Attorney General
1614 Retired from House of Commons
1617 Made Keeper of the Great Seal of England following in daddy's footsteps.
1618 Appointed Lord Chancellor with title Lord Verulam
1621 After a few months in prison (see Scandal below) he concentrated on his writing career.

APPEARANCE So was Bacon fat or lean? Actually he was middling stature and looked older than what he was. Goatee beard, dark hair.
The Elizabethans favoured idiosyncrasies in appearance in contrast to the perfect proportions loved by the Greeks. Said Bacon: "There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion."

FASHION Bacon dressed in typically tight Elizabethan attire. which rendered the wearer unable to move, so he could only stand and pose. The reasons behind this was to show they had enough servants to do everything for them.

CHARACTER Mean but as just as a judge. A fine speaker, impetuous, ambitious. According to Alexander Pope, Bacon was, "the wisest, brightest and meanest of mankind." However as Pope lived over a hundred years later, how did he know?

SENSE OF HUMOUR Bacon was a wit. Here's his opinion on a lanky tall envoy from France "People of such dimensions are like four or five storey houses-the upper rooms are the most poorly furnished." (1)

RELATIONSHIPS In his book On Marriage and Single Life, Bacon quipped "Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age and old men's nurses." He waited until he was in his mid 40s before tieing the knot. On 10th May 1606, Bacon married one Alice Barnham (1592-1650) at St Marylebone's Chapel, a suburb to the North of London, with the reception at the Strand estate. Alice was not yet 14 when they wed and her guardian was Sir John Pakington, who was a great favourite of Queen Elizabeth. A number of modern scholars have speculated that Bacon was gay and married for political reasons.
"Children sweeten labours but they make misfortunes more bitter," said Bacon in Essay of Parents and Children. Well, Mr and Mrs Bacon produced no litter, which I guess adds further fuel to the scholars speculations.

MONEY "Money is like muck not good except it be spread." Of Seditions and Troubles
He was so mean that the Queen attended the annual opening of his wallet.
"Fame is like a river that beareth up all things light and swollen and drowns things weighty and solid." FB "Of Praise"
The sudden death of his father in February 1579 seriously influenced Bacon's fortunes. Sir Nicholas had laid up a considerable sum of money to purchase an estate for Francis, but he died before doing so, and his youngest son was left with only a fifth of that money. Having started with insufficient means, he borrowed money and became habitually in debt. To support himself, he took up his residence in law at Gray's Inn in 1579 in order to to bring home some, er bacon .
For the next 25 years his financial situation remained bad. His friends could find no public office for him, a scheme for retrieving his position by a marriage with the wealthy widow Lady Elizabeth Hatton failed, and in 1598 he was arrested for debt. It was only Bacon's change in fortunes when James I came to the throne that he became financially secure. He was helped by Alice bringing an income of £220 a year from her father's estate.
Bacon quipped in Of Seditions and Troubles "Money is like muck not good except it be spread." However, he had a reputation for being rather mean with his wallet.

MUSIC AND ARTS The theory that Bacon, rather than a certain playwright from Stratford-Upon-Avon was the author of such plays as Macbeth and Hamlet can be discounted.
"Generally music feedeth that disposition of the Spirits which it findeth." Bacon in Sylva Sylvarum

LITERATURE Bacon wrote over 30 philosophical books and many other legal, scientific and many other popular works. He often didn't finish ambitious works which he'd started such as Novum Organium Here's some of his works:
1597 Essays The first essays to be actually called essay. They were famous for Bacon's pregnant aphorisms such as "Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him... when the hill stood still he was never a whit abashed but said 'If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mohomet will go to the hill."; (Well wouldn't you be a whit abashed if you saw a hill heading towards you?)
1603 The Advancement of Learning In which Bacon classified the different types of knowledge into poetry, philosophy and history.
1620 Novum Organium (New Logic) In which Bacon threw out the old logic and proposed in Latin, the inductive method of logical reasoning but never got round to finishing it.
1626 New Atlantis Publ This fable about a city on an imaginary Pacific island ran by scholars called Ben Salem was published posthumously. Its advanced population had aircraft, hearing aids, refrigerators and submarines. One of the first ever Science Fiction novels, it was a best seller for more than a decade.
Some people think Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays (whilst Shakespeare was Lord Chancellor?) The essayist might have been a bit of a ham but as far as I'm concerned its unlikely as until 1603 he wrote all his books in Latin. The Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle agrees with me. He wrote: "Lord Bacon could as easily have created the Planets as he could have written Hamlet "


NATURE A keen gardener, Bacon wrote in Of Gardens. "God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed it is the purest of human pleasures." Also, according to Bacon: "Nothing is more pleasant to the eye than green grass kept finely shorn."

SCIENCE AND MATHS Bacon saw natural science as a means of empirical discovery and a way of increasing human power over nature. He felt that science held the key to technical progress. He was greatly revered by scientists well into the 20th century for the so-called Baconian method, which involved analysing experience by mechanical means so as to arrive at true conclusions.
Bacon also:
1. Developed binary using only "a" & "b" in 5 letter combinations for letters of alphabet. He also developed bribery.
2. Believed warm water freezes quicker than cold water. However, he made a pigs ear of that one as you will read later in in this trivial biography.
3. Declared that works not words would carry the new science’s message.
4. Credited with contributing to logic a method of reasoning a method of analogy.
5. He didn't actually invent much

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY An early advocate of Enlightenment, Bacon saw men progressing through conquering nature.
Middle of the road C of E. His religion was generally more formal than fervent but it occasionally stirred . Said Bacon: "There never was found in any age of the world either philosophy or sect or law or discipline which did so highly exalt the public good as the Christian faith."
Politically a conservative, Bacon saw an ideal government as one, which was benevolent without the worst excesses of despotism by rulers.

SCANDAL As Lord Chancellor in 1621, like a boiled egg Bacon got himself in hot water and was convicted of bribery when granting monopoly patents. He was fined the considerable sum in those days of £40,000, dismissed from office, banished from court and spent four days in Tower of London. The swine confessed saying he was "neatly and penitently sorry". but said he did not always give verdict to his paymaster. King James later pardoned him and remitted his fine but forbade him to return to Parliament or court.
"When the Lordships asked Bacon
How many Bribes he had taken
He had at least the grace
To get very red in the face."

HOMES His family home was Gorhambury House, St Albans, Hertfordshire. When Queen Elizabeth visited Bacon's father there she commented "What a little house you've gotten." Sir Nicholas replied tactfully "The house is well built, but it is you, your majesty who have made me too great for my house." Bacon's dad took the Queen's hint and began to build extensions on the property so he could properly entertain her in the future.
Bacon's garden there had a garden full of mechanical curiosities.
Bacon a practical outlook on one's home. He wrote in Of Buildings "Houses are built to live in and not to look on; therefore let use be preferred before uniformity, except where both be had."

TRAVEL Wrote Bacon in Of Travel : "Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience." When a teenager Francis and his older brother Anthony
popped across the English channel with Sir Amias Paulet, the English ambassador at Paris. The disturbed state of government and society in France under Henry III afforded him valuable political instruction. The sudden death of his father two and a half years later in February 1579 necessitated Bacon's return to England

DEATH Died 1626 aged 65 The father of experimental science was driving in his carriage one wintry day in Highgate, North London, when he decided on impulse to observe the effect of cold on the preservation of meat - as one does. Bacon stopped his carriage, purchased a chicken and stuffed it with snow. Soon afterwards he was seized by a chill, which developed into bronchitis. Feeling ill and beginning to shiver violently, Bacon made his way to the nearby house of his friend Earl of Arundel. He was given a damp bed-so damp that his condition worsened and he died of pneumonia."His last words were: "My name and memory I leave to men's charitable speeches, to foreign nations and to the next age." I wished it had been "What a fowl day.!"
His tomb and monument are in St Mildred’s Church, St Albans.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Most of his portrayals on the silver screen have cropped up in films about Queen Elizabeth such as in Elizabeth and Essex (1939), where Donald Crisp plays him as a wily old fox.

ACHIEVEMENTS 1. Laid foundations of experimental approach to science putting a stop to Aristotle's non-experimental methods. The first great methodological scientist.
2. Bacon believed that only matters of good and evil have religious significance, not scientific discoveries. He taught that the ever increasing scientific knowledge could be developed without any reference to God or his creation. Thus, he began the split between religion and Science.
3. Bacon’s writings were largely responsible for the formation of Royal Society and he was the most influential & versatile writer of his generation.
4. The first outstanding English Essayist



1. The Faber Book of Anecdotes by Clifton Fadiman.

Sunday 4 July 2010

Johann Sebastian Bach

NAME Johann Sebastian Bach

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Composer

BIRTH March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, which is a city in Thuringia, Germany.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Johann was the youngest of eight children. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach (d 1694), was a string player, court trumpeter and town piper in Eisenach. The post of town piper entailed organizing all the secular music in town as well as participating in church music at the direction of the church organist.
Johann's mother Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt (d 1695) also grew up in a musical family and his uncles were also all professional musicians ranging from church organists and court chamber musicians to composers.
Johann was orphaned aged 10 and was raised by his eldest brother Johann Christoph Bach, the organist at the Michaeliskirche in nearby Ohrdruf. (Evidently the Bach family were not very imaginative at names).

CHILDHOOD Johann Sebastian's childhood home would have been busy and crowded. In addition to seven siblings, there were two orphaned cousins, some of his father's apprentices, and other relatives from time to time. The environment was saturated with music.
After the loss of his parents , the orphaned boy lived first in Ohrdruf in the home of an older brother, Johann Christoph, and then in Lüneburg at St. Michael's School, where he was a choirboy.
Johann Sebastian received his first musical instruction from his Father, then after his death from his organist brother Johann Christoph and his uncle confusingly also called Johann Christoph, who was the town and court organist.
While in his brother's house, Sebastian devoted much of his to copying, studying, and playing music. Christoph owned a manuscript of keyboard music by some of the most notable organists of the day, including his mentor Joann Pachelbel. Late one night, when the house was asleep, Johann Sebastian slipped his hand through the grate of the locked cabinet, pulled out the prized manuscript from his brother's music cabinet and began to copy it by the moonlight. This went on nightly for months until Johann Christoph heard the young Sebastian playing some of the distinctive tunes from his private library, grabbed his copy and confiscated it.

EDUCATION Young Johann Sebastian attended the Gymnasium in Eisenach the same school that Martin Luther attended 200 years earlier.
According to regulation, children of poor parents could attend the Latin school at Lüneburg (which he did from 1700) and pay for their costs by singing in the choir.
Johann Sebastian completed Latin school when he was 18, (an impressive accomplishment in his day, especially considering that he was the first in his family to finish school)

CAREER RECORD It was at Ohrdruf whilst living with his brother that Joann Sebastian began to learn about organ building. The Ohrdruf church's instrument, it seems, was in constant need of minor repairs, and he was often sent into the belly of the old organ to tighten, adjust, or replace various parts. The church organ, with its moving bellows, manifold stops, and complicated mechanism, was the most complex machine in any European town. This practical experience with the innards of the instrument would provide a unique counterpoint to his unequalled skill in playing it; Bach was equally at home talking with organ builders and with performers.
Here's his CV:
1700 A choirboy at the Convent of St Michael in Lüneburg, where he received free tuition, room, and board plus a small stipend
1702 Johann Sebastian's voice broke and he worked as a musician for a minor Noblemen, Duke Johann Ernst.
1703 Organist and Choirmaster at New Church in Arnstradt.
1704 Wrote his first Cantata "Denn Wurst Meine Seele."
1707 Organist at the Church of St Blasius in Mülhausen. The Congregation objected to the innovative harmonised music he was introducing.
1708 Appointed the Court Organist, with a doubled salary to Duke Wilhelm Ernst.
1714 Seemingly having got over his wanderlust and still in the same job his reward was promotion to Concert Master to Duke Wilhelm Ernst at double the salary again.
He began to travel throughout Germany as an organ virtuoso and as a consultant to organ builders.
1717 Resigned from Duke Wilhelm Ernst who was so upset that Bach had not given him sufficient notice that he imprisoned him for 16 days. Appointed Concert Master and Director of Music to the 23-year-old Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen effectively meaning he was musical director for the city of Leipzig.
1723 Appointed the Music Director and choirmaster of St Thomas Choir School in Leipzig, who must have wondered about young Herr Bach's capacity for holding down a job. He in fact was the third choice and presumably regretted taking it as he constantly squabbled with the town council who did not appreciate his musical genius. He also had to teach Latin to the schoolboys there. JSB didn’t want to do this and he paid for a replacement out of his own pocket. The school was unruly, lacking discipline and Bach only received a quarter of his Prince Leopold salary. Things did improve. Surprisingly, considering his track record he stuck at it for the rest of his life.
Bach's dedication to teaching is especially remarkable. There was hardly any period in his life when he did not have a full-time apprentice studying with him, and there were always numerous private students studying in Bach's house, including such 18th century notables as Johann Friedrich Agricola. Well, he was famous in his day, Agricola was a German composer.

APPEARANCE Looked a bit like Michael Winner in a judges wig.

FASHION Those judges wigs that were all the rage in early eighteenth century society.

CHARACTER Red blooded, often independent and stubborn, stuffy, a strong sense of right & fairness. Often got into trouble with his employers hence his large CV. Apart from that he was a decent bloke.

SENSE OF HUMOUR According to the Encarta Encyclopedia, Bach's Goldberg Variations are a prime example of his "lyrical wit."

Heere's a Bach joke - Dracula was a terrible organist. His Bach was worse than his bite.

RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILY Following a small inheritance from an uncle Johann Sebastian married his first wife Maria Barbara Bach, a 2nd cousin, in October 1707 at Dornheim church. She bore him seven children (four survived, a pair of twins died within the first year, and one died at age 24.) Little is known of Maria Barbara. She died suddenly on July 7, 1720 while Bach was travelling with Prince Leopold. On his return he discovered that his wife had unexpectedly became ill, died, and was buried while he was gone.
A year and a half after this tragedy, Bach got hitched to his second wife, the 20-year-old Anna Magdalena Wilcken on December 3, 1721. She was a soprano singer at the prince's court and daughter of the court trumpeter at Weissenfells. Anna bore Johann Sebastian thirteen children. five died in the first year and three died between three and five years, another Gottfried Heinrich was seriously mentally handicapped. The busy Anna had her last child at the age of 41. When not busy giving birth she helped him with his work copying the scores of his music for the performers (see picture below), while he encouraged her singing. Eventually her handwriting became so much like her husband's that it is sometimes difficult to tell them apart. Despite their age difference (she was 17 years his junior), the couple seem to have had a very happy marriage. However, his first marriage didn’t do much for Anna after he died and when she passed away in 1760 she was given a pauper’s funeral.
If your Maths is up to it you will have worked out that Bach had 20 children altogether, 9 girls and 11 boys. Unsurprisingly, 5 of the boys were called Johann. They lovingly referred to him as "The Old Hat."
If every dog can have it's day, Bach's sons certainly did. For instance Carl Phillip, who at one time worked for Frederick the Great, wrote many pieces for the clavier in a passionate expressive style. He was one of the founders of the classical style and his use of harmony was an influence on a promising young composer called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Bach's youngest son, Johann Christian was from 1762 the Music Master to the English royals. One of the most popular musicians in England in the late 18th century, he was known as the English Bach.
One could say that for his sons, success was relative, but not all his siblings sustained the good name of Bach. For instance his second son, W E Bach tried to pass off in his old age some of his Father's work as his own.
The only one of the Bach daughters to marry, Elisabeth Juliana Friederica, chose as her husband Bach's student Johann Christoph Altnikol.
In total 64 members of the Bach family between 1600 and 1800 took up music as a profession. More than 100 descendants of Bach have been cathedral organists.
George Friedrich Handel, who was born in the same year as Bach, made several trips to Germany, but Bach was unable to meet him, a fact he regretted.

MONEY AND FAME Bach was acknowledged in Germany as the greatest organist of his time and esteemed as a specialist in the mechanics of organ building. However his contrapuntal (music that consists of 2 or more melodies played at the same time) style of writing sounded old fashioned to his unhip contemporaries. Indeed Carl Philip and Johann Christian Bach were more famous in their lifetime than their father. The old man's compositions weren't fully appreciated until the 19th century when Mendelssohn helped revive his music. In 1829 Mendelssohn conducted the first performance since the "Old Hat's" death of his passion of St Matthew. In 1850 the Bach Gesellschaft was formed to publish his music. By now everyone was wanting to perform or listen to his works en masse.
Bach was always complaining about money with a lot of children to support and choirs and orchestras to run. However, recently discovered papers reveal he was a dab hand at financial speculation, trading shares in a Saxony silver mine.
Outside the St Thomas Church (Thomaskirche) at Leipzig there is a statue of the composer, with his left-hand coat pocket turned inside out.

FOOD AND DRINK 1732 Wrote the Coffee Cantata, a humorous one act operetta about a stern Father's attempt to check his daughter's indulgence in the coffee habit. Check out the Coffee Cantanta Songfacts for more.

MUSIC AND ARTS The quality of Bach’s soprano voice as a child earned him a place in the choir of St Michael in Lüneburg. When his voice broke he retained his place due to his talents as an instrumentalist.
An outstanding organist and harpsichordist and not an insignificant composer, Bach relied heavily on old German hymn tunes for inspiration. Most of his writing was for the Lutheran church, in total he wrote over 200 chorales and 46 organ chorales. In his last years he was fascinated by fugues. A master of improvisation, he could sit down and create great music on the spot. In addition he could play by ear (but then others fiddle with their moustaches.)
A great innovator, Bach developed the chorale prelude, (a counterpuntal composition consists of 2 or more melodies played at the same time). He also instigated the novel practice of the far greater use of the thumb on the keys of the organ. Despite his innovative contrapuntal and organ keying styles, Bach could be an old fogey- he thought the recently invented piano made "a frightful noise."
Bach defined music as “An agreeable harmony for the honour of God and the permissible delights of the soul”.
Here's a summary of some of Bach's Greatest Hits- with links to Songfacts all written by yours personally.

1706 Toccata & Fugue in D Minor: This rousing work was christened when Bach went on holiday to Lübeck to hear the Danish Organist Dietrich Buxtehude play on the five Sundays before Christmas. He was meant to return to work before Christmas but didn't return to Arnstradt until the following February. Consequently he didn't provide any music for his employer over Christmas and the New year and lost his job. However he did write this piece. Today it is associated with spooky images from horror films.
Toccata & Fugue in D Minor Songfacts



1713 Sheep May Safely Graze: This humdinger was written for the 31st birthday celebrations of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels.

1721 Brandenburg Concertos: These six pieces were written for the Count Brandenburg, a Prince who loved music, to gain extra support for his work. He dedicated them to the Count on March 24, 1721. The Count's orchestra was too small to perform them and the manuscripts were discovered for sale on the Count's death in a job lot. The second concerto is meant to include one of the most difficult pieces there is for a trumpeter.

Brandenburg Concerto No 2 Songfacts


Title page of Brandenburg Concertos written in French,

1723 St John Passion: Whenever it was performed, The St John Passion was accompanied by sermons often up to three hours in length to which Bach’s musical settings were a diversion and a compliment. All of which added up to a liturgical event of a considerable magnitude.

1729 St Matthew Passion: The manuscript for for this masterpiece only came to light when it was bought as wrapping paper from the estate of a deceased cheese-monger. It was eventually premiered 100 years later when Mendelssohn conducted the Passion in Berlin.

1731 Cantata no 140 (Sleeper’s Awake): Originally a late 16th century Lutheran hymn. The middle chorale was used in the 1980s for a series of Lloyds Bank adverts.

1742 Goldberg Variations: Quite a long, boring piece but a certain Count Keyster appreciated it. In gratitude he gave Bach a golden goblet filled with 100 gold pieces, hence it's name. The Count was an insomniac.
Aria Da Capo Songfacts

1747-49 Mass in B Minor: Began in 1724, a work of great power and subtleness and a monument of the baroque era, it was too long to be performed in an ordinary service. Incidentally if you're wondering why this ardently Protestant composer wrote such a Catholic work it was because at that time he was after the job of court composer for the Catholic King of Saxony. He didn't get it.

The last piece Bach composed was Before Thy Throne, which he wrote sick and blind days before he died.

Bach has had many admirers down the ages. Beethoven called him, “The immortal god of harmony” and even the anti-Christian Nietzsche heard in Bach’s music “a higher order of things”.

LITERATURE Bach wrote music books with his impeccable, elegant writing. They included:
The Well Tempered Clavier" (1722), which was intended to teach his first wife and children keyboard technique.
Little Organ Book (1717), which he dedicated "For the glory of the most high God alone. And for my neighbour to learn from."
In addition his second wife, Anna, wrote "The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach" which chronicled the last 27 years of her husband's life.
An inventory of Bach's personal library strongly suggests that he came to those discussions well prepared. It included 80 volumes (52 titles), all of them theological. At the top of the list is the three-volume Calov Bible — Luther's translation of the Bible with parallel commentary selected from Luther's works by Abraham Calov—followed by two sets of the complete works of Luther.

NATURE Well, the Baseni dog found in central Africa has no bark. Which has nothing to do with Johann Sebastien except for being a very weak pun.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Bach liked walking. As a youngster, he walked 50 kilometres from his Lüneburg school to Hamburg to see J A Reincken , the organist perform. On another occasion he walked a mere 25 miles to Halle in the hope of meeting Handelbut arrived just after he had left the town by coach. Doh!
Bach also had a hobby of glassblowing.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Bach believed that baroque music helped protect people from the advance of doubt bred by the 18th century craze for scientific rational enquiry.
Bach believed in the spiritial significance of numbers. The nimber 14 was especially important to him. If A+1, B=2 etc, when you add up the cardinal numbers that correspond to the letters of his surname, you get 14.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Bach produced a great deal of religious music, which include his Mass in B Minor, four smaller masses, a Magnificat, three Passions and 202 Church Cantatas. His Cantatas were mostly written for Sunday services that began at 7.00am & lasted 4 hours. A devout member of the Lutheran Church, his sympathies lay in particular with the Pietist movement.
The German composer believed he could best serve his church and the people around him through his music. Bach defined music as "An agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul." He inscribed the scores of his religious music with the letters “JJ”, (“Jesus, Juva” meaning “Jesus help”) at the beginning and “SDG” (“Soli Deo Gloria” meaning “to God alone the glory”) at the end.
"Bach almost persuades me to be a Christian." Roger Fry (1866-1934)


SCANDAL In 1705 when Bach was organist in Arnstradt, he got into a street fight with the bassoon player of the church’s school choir after JSB called him names. Their brawl took place in the market square in Arnstradt.
Bach was criticised in his younger days by the church authorities for his lavish flourishes and unusual augmentations in his organ accompaniments to congregation singing.
"Though full of great musical lore
Old Bach is a terrible bore
A fugue without a tune
He thought was a boom
So he wrote sixteen thousand or more." Musical Herald 1884 (3)

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS His sight failed in his later years due to his hard work and the wear & tear on his eyes when in his childhood he copied his brother’s music volume in the dark. The famous London based eye surgeon, John Taylor, operated on Bach's failing sight along with Handel's and Edward Gibbon's. All three were unsuccessful.

HOMES Bach was a rover, moving around and settling wherever there was work. He finally settled in Leipzig in 1723 and spent the rest of his life there. Opposite the St Thomas Church, Leipzig where he worked can be found today the Bach museum.
1685 Born & brought up in a house in Lutherstrasse Eisenach, Thuringia.
1695 After his father died in 1695 he moved to brother Johann Christoph’s house in Ohrdruf on the corner of Johann Sebastian Bach-Strasse. The building no longer exists.
1700-02 His brother could no longer support them so moves with his school friend Georg Erdmann to St Michael’s church and school at Lüneburg. He lived in the buildings of the monastery there.
1702 Worked for Prince Johann Ernst at Weimar.
1703 Lived for a while in family member & mayor Martin Fieldhaus’ house, close to Maria Market Square in Arnstradt.
1707 Due to new job moved to Mülhausen.
1708-17 Lived a few hundred yards away from the Schloss next to the Hotel Elephant on the market place in Weimar.
1717 Lived in Wallstrasse 25, Kothen
1723 Moved to Leipzig.
TRAVEL Bach never travelled outside a 200 mile radius from his home in his lifetime.

DEATH The last major work he wrote before his death was a fugue with a counter-theme B-A-C-H. He died of a paralytic stroke after his unsuccessful eye operation aged 65 in 1750. This arguably greatest of all baroque composers was buried in the chancel of Saint Thomas Church, Leipzig and after years of composing, his body started decomposing.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA 1.Bach's music has been used in various adverts, such as his Air on a G String, which was used for years in those laid back Hamlet cigar commercials. Also his Sleepers Awake cantata was the theme used in those 1980s Lloyds Bank advert with that bloke from Rumpole (Leo McKern).
Here's two more. Ad for Audi A8 cars, the music used: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major.
Strongbow cider commercial, the music used: Toccata and Fugue
2. Many pop songs have been based on Bach's compositions, including:
Lady Lynda by The Beach Boys-based on Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring.
A Lovers Concerto by The Toys- Based on Minuet in G.
Brandenburger by Nice was based on, yes that's right, his Brandenburg Concertos.
Whiter Shade of Pale by Procul Harum based on Air on a G String. If Herr Bach had been of a litigious nature and more pertinently not rather dead, his lawyer would have been kept exceedingly busy by these tunes.

3. The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena was filmed in 1968. Bach was played by Gustav Leonhardt.

4. Albert Schweitzer's 1905 biography, Johann Sebastian, emphasised the religious nature of Bach's music.

ACHIEVEMENTS 1. Bach was revolutionary in his mixture of free forms with dance forms such as the Minuet and developed the Chorale prelude, (Do I have to explain what that is again? see the section on Music and Arts if you have forgotten). based upon a chorale or hymn tune. He also instigated the novel practice of using the thumb more as the little finger on the keys of the organ, but I've already told you that.


2. The numero uno composer of all time for the organ. His best work has lasted for centuries, well his more boring pieces seem that way. In a 1999 poll of music lovers he was voted Britain’s 3rd fave composer of the Millennium.
3. Wrote the The Well Tempered Clavier, a collection of 48 fugues and preludes composed in every minor and major key. He established for the first time in the history of the keyboard music a tuning procedure that made all the keys equally usable.
4. After years of drifting he finally worked out how to hold down a job.
5. Beethoven was a devotee of Bach, learning the Well-Tempered Clavier as a child and later calling Bach "Urvater der Harmonie" ("original father of harmony") and "nicht Bach, sondern Meer" ("not a stream but a sea", punning on the literal meaning of the composer's name).

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Gladys Aylward

NAME: Gladys Aylward

WHAT FAMOUS FOR:

Gladys Aylward is famous for her courageous missionary work in China, particularly her efforts to rescue orphaned children during the tumultuous years of the Chinese Civil War and World War II.

BIRTH: Gladys Aylward was born on February 24, 1902, in Edmonton, London, England.

FAMILY BACKGROUND: She was born into a working-class family, the daughter of Thomas John Aylward, a postman and Rosina Florence.

CHILDHOOD: Aylward's childhood was marked by poverty and hardship, but she demonstrated a strong sense of determination and compassion from a young age.

EDUCATION: She received a basic education but left school at the age of 14 to work as a domestic servant.

CAREER RECORD: Aylward's career was defined by her missionary work in China, where she served as a Christian evangelist and humanitarian.

Worked various jobs in England before feeling called to missionary work in China.

Arrived in China in 1932 and established a small inn in Yangcheng.

Fought against the practice of foot binding and rescued young girls.

Became a warden for a children's home and later opened her own orphanage.

Led hundreds of orphans on a perilous escape from Japanese forces during World War II.

Continued her humanitarian work in China and Taiwan after the war.

APPEARANCE: She was of average height with a plain, unassuming appearance that belied her inner strength and resilience.

Gladys Aylward in China

FASHION: Aylward dressed modestly and practically, often wearing simple clothing suitable for her missionary work in rural China.

CHARACTER: She was known for her unwavering faith, compassion, and determination in the face of adversity.

SENSE OF HUMOUR: Aylward had a dry sense of humor and a quick wit, which she often used to diffuse tense situations or bring joy to others.

RELATIONSHIPS: Although unmarried, Aylward formed close bonds with the Chinese people she served, particularly the orphaned children under her care.

MONEY AND FAME: She lived a modest and frugal life, prioritizing her missionary work and the welfare of others over personal wealth or fame.

Aylward gained international recognition after the publication of her biography, The Small Woman.

FOOD AND DRINK: Aylward embraced the local cuisine of China, often eating simple meals of rice, vegetables, and tea with the people she served.

MUSIC AND ARTS: While not particularly interested in music and arts herself, Aylward used creative methods such as storytelling and drama to share her message of faith with the Chinese people.

LITERATURE: She read extensively, particularly Christian books. Aylward valued the Bible as her primary source of inspiration and guidance, often quoting scripture in her teachings and writings.

NATURE: Aylward appreciated the beauty of the natural world, finding solace and inspiration in the rugged landscapes of rural China, particularly its mountains..

HOBBIES AND SPORTS: Her main hobbies included reading, gardening, and spending time with the children under her care.

SCIENCE AND MATHS: Although not formally educated in science and math, Aylward had a practical understanding of these subjects gained through her experiences as a missionary.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY: Her life was guided by her Christian faith. She believed in the power of faith, love, compassion, and service to others.

Stuck in domestic service at a young age, Gladys Aylward dreamt of faraway lands and spreading the good word. She studied with great determination in order to be fitted for the role, only to be turned down by the China Inland Mission because her academic background was inadequate.

Gladys scraped together every penny, booked a one-way ticket to China (no refunds!), and ended up partnering with a formidable Scottish missionary named Mrs. Jeannie Lawson. Together, they opened The Inn of the Eight Happinesses in a remote outpost at Yangcheng – not exactly a catchy name, but hey, it had a roof and four walls, which was more than most folks in Yangcheng could boast.  There, she and Mrs. Lawson not only provided hospitality for travelers but would also share stories about Jesus.

Gladys became a crusader against the barbaric practice of foot binding, stomping around like a one-woman podiatry police force. She took in orphans faster than a bakery sells doughnuts on Saturday morning, even adopting a few herself.  There were prison riots she intervened in. She risked her life many times to help those in need.

By the time 1949 rolled around, China wasn't exactly the picture of tranquility. Communists were about as keen on missionaries as a fly in your soup, so Gladys, headed back to Blighty. After her mum passed away, she settled in Taiwan and guess what? Yep, you guessed it – another orphanage! The Gladys Aylward Orphanage, to be precise. There she stayed, spreading kindness and Christianity until the good Lord himself called her home.

SCANDAL: There were no scandals associated with Aylward's life; she was widely admired for her selflessness and dedication to humanitarian causes.

MILITARY RECORD: Aylward was not involved in military service but played a crucial role in evacuating orphaned children from war-torn regions during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

In 1938, the region Aylward was serving in was invaded by Japanese forces. Most folks would've hightailed it outta there faster than you can say "banzai," but Gladys? She wasn't about to abandon her orphans. So, she led more than 100 of them over treacherous mountain passes, all while nursing a war wound that would make lesser folks cry like a toddler separated from their blankie.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS: Despite facing numerous challenges and hardships, Aylward maintained good health and physical fitness well into her later years.

HOMES: She lived in various locations throughout China during her missionary work, often in simple accommodations provided by local communities. They included Yangcheng, Taiyuan, and Yanan, where she established orphanages. 

TRAVEL: Aylward traveled extensively throughout China, often on foot or by mule, as she carried out her missionary work in remote villages and regions.

DEATH: Gladys Aylward passed away on January 3, 1970, in Taipei, Taiwan, leaving behind a legacy of selfless service and compassion.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA: Gladys Aylward's story captured the hearts and imaginations of many. Here are some key appearances in media:

The book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess, published in 1957, detailed her extraordinary life. This biography became a bestseller and brought international recognition to Aylward's work.

The 1958 film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness starring Ingrid Bergman was based on Burgess's biography. The film further popularized Aylward's story and legacy.

In addition several documentaries have been produced about her life and humanitarian efforts.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Gladys Aylward's achievements transcended geographical boundaries:

Rescuing Orphans: During wartime, she led hundreds of orphans on a daring escape, saving them from potential harm. Her orphanages throughout China provided a safe haven for countless children.

Championing Social Change: Her unwavering opposition to the cruel practice of foot binding empowered women and girls. She fought for their rights and well-being.

Cross-Cultural Understanding: Aylward embraced Chinese culture, learned the language, and dressed modestly. This dedication fostered trust and respect, allowing her to connect deeply with the people she helped.

Symbol of Courage and Faith: Her unwavering belief in God and her remarkable courage in the face of adversity continue to inspire people worldwide.