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The Dandelion Hub aspires to be a central platform for civil political action, which includes an action mapper and a federated social network.

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This is something I wrote on Dreamwidth in September. I think some of you may find it interesting. I myself am beginning to study all of this, as I am fascinated by the singing methods and knowledge of the time. It is a bit difficult doing it being blind and unable to read music, but fortunately, there are ways around that. My perfect pitch and good memory for lyrics also helps.

Below, you will find various links related to theory, harmony and counterpoint, and a comparison of older and modern methods of teaching and singing. While this relates to choirs and opera, it also relates to the theatre, particularly operettas and such.

Studying Music: Part I
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/205…

My one criterion was that the methods and books used had to be from the time of Ivor Novello, preferably from his youth (born 1893). If I were to start in the early nineteenth century, which is where most of my preferred non-musical educational material is from, I would miss extremely important developments in classical music. Starting at the birth of his mother, Clara Novello Davies, in 1861, would be fine. However, since her own book, which I am using as my main text and guide, was written in 1928, I went with that of her son. In the following sections, you will find the books I am using. One thing I have not included, though it was a huge influence in Ivor's own writing style, was theatrical music, such as that found in operettas and Edwardian musical comedies. That is such a large topic for discussion that I feel it deserves its own separate post, as does Ivor's music, since it's an interesting blend of all of the above. But this is well outside the scope of traditional musical study.

In the next entry, we will delve into vocal training and why the singers of Novello's time sound so wonderful.

Studying Music: Part II
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/205…

Finally, since I mentioned the exercises, here they are, for anyone who wants to try them. Note that these are the Preliminaries and Breathlock Physicals, not the vocal exercises. But I have provided the link to her book as well, for those who may wish to go further.

Clara's Exercises
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/205…
#books #choir #ClaraNovelloDavies #counterpoint #exercises #harmony #history #IvorNovello #music #musictheory #opera #operetta #singing #studying #vocaltraining #voicetraining #theater #theatre

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@Ruud @FediHosting Foundation 🌷

Hello!

I just wanted to let you guys know that the server instability has improved so much. Whatever you guys are doing, if anything, has helped.

I know this is controversial in the Fediverse, but would you guys have any interest in installing the Bluesky addon on this server?

in reply to end0fline

Thanks! And please do let me know when you notice issues so we can look into them.

I will have a look at this Bluesky plugin.

in reply to end0fline

I installed the Bluesky addon. No idea how it works though.
in reply to Ruud

Cross posting works fine. I really appreciate it.

I have tried the "use Friendica handle as bsky domain" option, but it keeps failing when trying to upload a file to a .well-known endpoint on our server. If it helps, I tried at around 21:17 CST.




Now, it's time to enjoy a cup of Earl Grey Cream from my favourite tea company, a piece of lemon cake, and Die Fledermaus! This is from 1973 and is in English, so it should be a good production. It's one of the most famous operettas that I've often seen mentioned in my research, so naturally, i'm extremely curious!

Act 1
youtube.com/watch?v=Gv_e2QeODJ…

Act 2
youtube.com/watch?v=NAVgdPbUWT…

Act 3
youtube.com/watch?v=kgsaF-o6eB…
#DieFledermaus #English #operetta #operettas #PluckTeas #Strauss #theater #theatre

in reply to Georgiana Brummell

I stopped at the end of Act I to take a quick shower and wait for dinner to finish cooking, so I'm a bit late in finishing. But that was fun. I laughed aloud several times. The comedic elements were really strong in this one. There were definitely some visual elements that made me wonder what was going on, but overall, I really enjoyed it. I was also right about the acting and sing, as they were marvellous!



Sorry for the random follows, folks - I'm selectively migrating my Mastodon and Diaspora accounts to Friendica. @powerbook5300@diasp.org @The September Agenda


""Noël Coward is at the center of everything theatrical in Britain," Quinn explained. "He knew everyone," she said, "but also was influenced by everyone and influenced everyone—he played such a key cultural role." Yet, despite this extraordinary impact Coward had on the theatre world, and while there are many Coward enthusiasts today, "much of our scholarly attention has been focused on the main figures in American musical theatre, or focused on people from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s generation onward. ..."

nypl.org/blog/2022/02/14/new-f…

I learned about Noel Coward through my interest in Clifton Webb, who was friends with him. Then, I learned about Ivor Novello through Noel Coward! Now, I'm learning about even more people through the three of them! With their humour and wit, Web ad Coward both remind me of Beau Brummell. Maybe, that's why I enjoy them so much, but Webb and Brummell were both proper gentlemen, whereas in private, Coward could use obscenities that would make a sailor blush. What really stands out to me about Coward is that, unlike Novello, he was neither classically trained nor well-educated. Everything he did was his own.

Anyway, this is a bit old, but I do wonder what new research has been done since then. I recently saw a wonderful documentary, called Mad About The Boy, which told the story of Noel Coward, and best of all, contained interviews of people who knew him. As for me, I'm not really much for modern theatre. I start in the Regency (I've seen a few earlier plays, too), enjoy the great operettas and Gilbert and Sullivan, and then, this lovely lot of characters. The singing today just can't compare, unless you go to the opera, and many of the storylines leave much to be desired. I would love to be proven wrong. I would also love to find performances of the old shows that aren't modernized in language and plot!

#CliftonWeb #IvorNovello #NoelCoward #theater #theatre



It's almost two in the morning, and Friendica is down. I ought to get some sleep. No! What a silly idea! I know! I'll discuss musical reviews, Edwardian music halls and comedies, and Vaudville with Perplexity because that's exactly what I need to be doing while yawning! Now, I'm trying to figure out what I should watch tomorrow. Probably an actual operetta, as I don't have any reviews.


Good grief! I put half of my e-mail instead of my Dreamwidth account in the website box on my profile! I fixed it now. Sometimes, I just laugh at my silliness and wonder what on Earth I was thinking!

#funny #profile #silly

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Have I lost my mind, or do I honestly have 547 followers? What on Earth? I heard the "five" and said "okay, that's not bad. I just created my account earlier this month". So I began following people. And after the first five, it continued! Then, I looked, and saw 547? Please forgive me if I've unfollowed you, but if these really are my contacts, I must go over them and see whom I wish to add? Somehow, I think I must have hit the wrong button and am looking at something else...

#followers #Friendica



I can't believe I didn't post this earlier! Anyway, here is a Dreamwidth entry of mine containing all sorts of links related to dandyism, including an entire section on Beau Brummell. As you can tell, this is another one of my great passions.

dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/181…

In case you missed it, this one is devoted to fashion itself.

dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/210…

#antiquemensware #BeauBrummell #books #British #clothing #dandies #dandyism #dandyism.net #Dreamwidth #Edwardian #fashion #history #mensware #Regency #suits #Victorian

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I have a wonderful tribute video, called The Romantic World of Ivor Novello that I found on Youtube.

youtube.com/watch?v=NGOuLWM083…

It is hosted by Vanessa Lee, and along with the performances of his songs, there are interviews with his original singers, though they do not sing or act in this one. Anyway, aside from that wonderful surprise, there are two very interesting parts. The first is heard during the introduction. It consists of the voice of Novello himself. The second is a story told by Vanessa part-way through the performance. She mentioned a recording of Glamorous Night for the BBC, during which she and the other actors performed, but Ivor was at home, having pre-recordied his own material. Aside from being extremely entertaining, this anecdote gives several very important clues. First, this was done during the run of King's Rhapsody, putting the date between 1949 and his death in 1951. Secondly, not only was their dialogue, but it was made in two recordings (presumably, they recorded the actors performing live as well). Thirdly, this was on the radio, which, given the time, is to be expected.

My questions are two-fold.
1. Where did that introduction by Novello come from? I know the BBC had a horrible habbit of destroying things, but this was made in 1979, so I highly doubt they would have done so after that point, given his fame and the fact that he died in 1951.
2. Does the radio production of Glamorous Night exist, either in full or in part, and if so, where is it? Did anyone, by chance, record it? Some shows have actually been saved via reel-to-reel recordings made by listeners. If this does exist, it would be one of the most important discoveries in Novellian research, since it would be the closest we could come today to actually hearing the singing, and more importantly, the speaking performances of him and his original cast, minus Mary Ellis who had already left to do other things by this point. Other than the tiny clips on records, the only thing that even comes close is the other tribute I posted a few days ago, which I later learned contained several scenes from plays, along with music, again, by the originals!

youtube.com/watch?v=etB7t_ETqS…

If anyone knows of other recordings of his plays with dialogue, even modern ones, please let me know. They are extremely rare.

#BBC #GlamorousNight #IvorNovello #radio #theatre #VanessaLee



(This is a companion piece to my dating post, but here, I am strictly seeking friends. Therefore, the beginning will look similar.)
Hello. I live in New Jersey and am forty years old. Some of my interests include studying dandyism, nineteenth-century grammar, Received Pronunciation, and the Regency. I like coffees, teas, and nasal snuffs, and enjoy cooking, reading British literature, watching nature and historical documentaries, gardening, crafts, and playing cards and dice. I like Baroque through Classical and a bit of early Romantic music. I love theatre (especially Regency plays, English and Viennese operettas, and Edwardian musical comedies). I prefer antique menswear and accessories (no feminine clothing). I love wit, wordplay, and dry humour without vulgarity. I am happily childfree and am not religious. I respect those who are, as long as they don't try to convert me or base their lives around it. I also have no time for mind games, drama, or political correctness/sugar coating. I have been totally blind since I was two months old, due to Retinopathy of Prematurity.

I am seeking friends, either online or off, though offline would be ideal, so we can meet and do things together. I don't care about your sex or sexual orientation, but I would prefer friends no younger than twenty-one. I tend to get along with those who are older than I, since we usually have more in common, but it's not a requirement. I am blind, but it's not the focal point of my life. Still, it does mean that I can't drive. I really don't have any understanding of chronic illness, anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc. so if you need someone who could help you through that on a personal level, I'm not the one you're seeking. I also have no children and tend to avoid them, though I am polite when meeting them. I love cats, so if you have any, I would love to meet them or hear about them. I also enjoy hearing about cooking or gardening adventures, antiques, etc. and I love learning about interesting lives. If we do meet, I need to get to know you a bit first.

For those who would like to know more about me, this is my journal. Anyone can read or comment, whether or not he is a member.

dandylover1.dreamwidth.org

#friendship #friends #fun #men #NewJersey #women


I wanted to add tags such as cards, classical music, fashion, gardening, Regency, theatre, etc. but I don't want to abuse them, because while I am seeking a man who likes these things, my post isn't really about them. Perhaps, a veteran Friendica or Fediverse user could instruct me in this.



Please note. There is nothing explicit in this post. I am putting a content warning here simply because it's a dating post, and it's not meant for minors, married people, etc.


Hello. I live in New Jersey and am forty-one years old. Some of my interests include studying dandyism, nineteenth-century grammar, Received Pronunciation, British history, and the Regency. I like coffee, tea, wine, nasal snuff, cooking, hot baths, reading British literature, watching nature and historical documentaries, gardening, hot weather, and playing cards and dice. I also love cats. As far as music, I enjoy Baroque through Classical and a bit of early Romantic, plus popular, mostly from the 1950's through the 1970's. I love theatre (especially English and Viennese operettas, and Edwardian musical comedies). While I am still working to obtain a proper suit, I prefer antique menswear and accessories (no feminine clothing). I love wit, wordplay, and dry humour without vulgarity. I enjoy sexual things, but in good taste. I am happily childfree and am not religious. I also have no time for mind games, drama, or political correctness. I have been totally blind since I was two months old, due to Retinopathy of Prematurity.

I am seeking a man, preferably over sixty, who appreciates good clothing, and who is well-spoken, confident, and witty. You can be either straight or bisexual. You should enjoy the finer things in life, but you need not be rich. I have no interest in bdsm, role-playing, etc. I simply adore seniors. I would prefer you to either live in or near New Jersey, or to be able to visit me relatively frequently. No one-night stands, parents or men who want children, caregivers, workaholics, or recreational drug users. I am open to both fun with no strings attached, and a committed relationship, but I must get to know you first.

in reply to Georgiana Brummell

Please note. There is nothing explicit in this post. I am putting a content warning here simply because it's a dating post, and it's not meant for minors, married people, etc.
I wanted to add tags such as cards, classical music, fashion, gardening, Regency, theatre, etc. but I don't want to abuse them, because while I am seeking a man who likes these things, my post isn't really about them. Perhaps, a veteran Friendica or Fediverse user could instruct me in this.


I miss the wonderful cat stories on Facebook, particularly the Larry The Downing Street Cat for Prime Minister ones. I know that is a very special group, and nothing can ever replace it, but I would love to hear about your cats and the funny things they do. I am blind, so I can't see pictures, but descriptions help. Also, if anyone here writes as a cat, or even a dog or other pet, feel free to add me or comment.

#animals #birds #cats #Caturday #dogs #funny #hamsters #mice #pets #stories

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in reply to Georgiana Brummell

This comment right here is why I started adding Alt Text to most images I upload. I know my descriptions aren't the most detailed, but I'm happy to help out a fellow man. :BlobhajPrideHeart:
in reply to Georgiana Brummell

If you follow @ankaretwells , she has a pair of Maine Coons, and one of them is a dedicated parcel-stealer.

My two cats are rather less interesting - #StinkyPippin is a cute little thing with the personality of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, and #ZiggyTheCowardlyLion …. Well, he’s just Ken.



How do I turn off the political posts in my Home timeline? Is there a way for me to hide them, or at least, certain conversations so that I don't have to see them?

#accessibility #filter #friendica #timeline #Tweesecake



I followed the Social Media feed from Newsmast. Now, I wish to unfollow them, but I can't figure out how to do it. I tried "Unfollow" on Tweesecake and also went to the page of the feed, but I keep seeing posts from them on my Home timeline (not the Federated one). I usually don't mind seeing such things in my timeline. I love the Food and Wine one, for example. It's just that this one is going a bit mad at the moment. I may follow it again at some point, or even check it.

#accessibility #Friendica #Newsmast #Tweesecake

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in reply to Georgiana Brummell

I know on the actual friendica.world interface, you can follow someone but take them out of any circle, or you can add them to their own that way you only see them when you want to. This is under the "Contacts" area.
in reply to Georgiana Brummell

Now, I no longer see them in my timeline. Either they manually removed me after seeing my post to make things easier, or my unfollowing them wasn't instantaneous and took a little while. I will need to test this is if I ever find something else that I don't want to follow.


I really love Tweesecake. The more I use it, the more wonderful things I learn about it. I am now able to view my Local Friendica.world timeline, Home (which is basically the people whom I follow), the Federated Timeline, my Favourites/Likes, my mentions (when people Mention me), etc. all in one place! Everything is customisable, too! I only wish they made a 32-bit version, so that I could use it on all of my machines, both physical and virtual. Still, as long as I can use it on one, it's good, since I can just use NVDA Remote to access it with another. Oh, and it doesn't try to insert nonsense when I write tags! I hate when I write in text fields and receive suggestions.

tweesecake.app/

#accessibility #blind #blindness #friendica #NVDA #Tweesecake #Windows



Yay!!! I got Tweesecake to work! I couldn't understand, for the life of me, what was going on! I thought the folder was corrupted, so I redownloaded it, and whenever I started it, it kept saying "Welcome to Tweesecake", and then "Config". Then, when I tried to navigate through the window, it completely disappeared. So I thought, maybe, they had discontinued their service, but that was not the case. It turned out that this is not a fully portable app. Unlike the ones at portableapps.com, and like both Serpent UXP and IceDove UXP, it stores information in a separate folder and not just the main one. I may change this behaviour in the future. For now, I deleted the separate Tweesecake folder (in App Data), and restarted the program. And now I have a perfectly functioning Windows client, including the ability to edit my posts!

#accessibility #blind #happy #portableapp #Tweesecake #Windows

in reply to Georgiana Brummell

Look! I can reply from the same interface! haha I'm way too happy right now. I need to calm down! This is such a relief.


Update. check comments. As usual, it's not fully accessible. Why, I don't know.
I just found something wonderful! It's an automatic way for me to find groups that interest me. Basically, when I add a hash tag to a post, sometimes, I get added to a community. For instance, the theatre tag added me to their community. There, I find all sorts of related posts. But I don't take their advice about not adding said groups to my timeline, because I want to see what others have to say! Regardless, along with the pages I found for topics, etc. this is a great way to add interests, and with luck, to make new friends!

newsmast.community/about

newsmast.community/about

in reply to Newsmast Foundation

@The Newsmast Foundation I sincerely thank you for your prompt response. This is quite interesting. While using Supermium (a modern fork of Chrome that works on Windows XP to 11) with 11 and NVDA (latest version), when I go to your site, at the top, there are five buttons that just say "button". Then, there is the "Explore" button, and then an article ("Why trust is a strong incentive for environmentally conscious businesses"). Next to that is another "button". Then, "BookmarkCopy link", then another "button". Next to that are tags which I can read. The other posts all follow a similar outline. I tried the "Explore" button, but there was no list of categories and no edit box for me to type a search into. I then used the latest version of Firefox with Windows 11 and NVDA, and the site looked quite different. There is a "button" at the top, but I also see "Home", "Search", Communities", "Log in with Mastodon", Two links that say "id6449272049 details" and "id=com.newsmast.app", then the "Explore" button. Next to that, there are stories, with the same two unlabelled buttons as before, and the ""BookmarkCopy Link." When I clicked on the "Search" button, it asked me to sign in to Mastodon. I'm not sure why. When I clicked "Communities", I saw different categories/communities listed. I went to "All Communities" and then "see more". I saw actual categories this time. I chose one, and saw the various communities connected to it. But I also saw more unlabelled buttons, and a "Right" button, which I don't understand. I clicked on one, but it looked a bit different from when I saw the other communities that I had been tagged in. I had to click "see more" to find a "Follow" button, but unlike previously, it just asked me to sign in to Mastodon, instead of letting me add the community to my Friendica instance.
in reply to Georgiana Brummell

Hi again Georgiana, thank you so much for explaining your experience in detail.

The Newsmast app is, unfortunately, behind where we would like it to be in terms of accessibility. We have plans to improve this (alongside fixing a few of the bugs which have been lingering) but we first need to find some funding!

For that reason, Channel.org - our new (paid) service for orgs - is our current focus. (1/2)

This entry was edited (2 months ago)
in reply to Newsmast Foundation

We hope to return to the Newsmast app soon. When we do, we will be sure to use this description you have provided.

For now, you should be able to use the Community Feeds by following the Feed accounts - we know you said you didn't mind the high activity but feel free to put them in a list! That way they should work with a client that suits your needs more closely.

If you're interested can follow our progress on our co-founders blog: blog-pat.ch/ (2/2)

This entry was edited (2 months ago)
in reply to Newsmast Foundation

@The Newsmast Foundation Thank you, yet again, for your encouraging response. At least you are aware of it and are taking steps to remedy it, which is more than I can say for many. I sincerely wish you the best with regard to funding. Your service is an excellent one.


I love this site. They have articles about all sorts of different topics! They also have some wonderful gifts that go well beyond the ordinary. This is also the home of Gastro Obscura, where they write about the most fascinating, delicious, and at times, bizarre foods from around the world. No, I don't work for them. I'm just a fan.

atlasobscura.com/

#AtlasObscura #books #facts #food #GastroObscura #gifts #holidays #learning #interesting #travel

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This is truly ridiculous. In order to post here, I have to use Semaphore, TWBlue or Pachli, because I can't figure out how to do it on the main site. I know I did it a few times, but it's very difficult to find and is not available as and immediate edit box. In order to read my own posts, I have to go to the main site or Pachli, because I can't do it on Semaphore or TWBlue. (Note. I figured out how to red them but can't reply on Semaphore, since there is no edit box.) So I basically have to use several sites plus an app (I almost never use apps for any websites) just to be able to use Friendica. I specifically left Facebook due to inaccessibility! Even with this mess, it's still not as horrible as there, but It would be nice to have one site where I could do it all, like on Dreamwidth, or at least one Windows client that would allow me to do everything, without having to resort to using my phone! Tweesecake was nice the few times it worked, but now, no matter what I do, I can't even get it to load. It says something about configuring and then disappears! Enafore is supposed to allow me to edit my posts, but I have no idea how to do that since there is no normal edit link or button, and half the time, when I go to my page, the edit box for me to type in isn't even there! Semaphore inserts rubbish when I'm trying to write tags, so that I have to write everything in Notepad and paste it in.

#accessibility #Android #apps #blind #clients #Dreamwidth #Facebook #friendica #twblue #Tweesecake #Windows

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in reply to Georgiana Brummell

Update. I can read my posts (and some others) on the Local page and option of both Semaphore and TWBlue. However, I cannot reply on Semaphore. It shows a reply button, but when I press it, there is no edit box for me to type into. I also can't edit my posts there, but I already knew that. It's one of the things that Enafore was supposed to have fixed.
Unknown parent

@Robert Kingett I'm a very happy Friendica user and I use Tweesecake which works well with it. Do you mean that a client should be on a Friendica instance? If so, I agree.


Perplexity just gave me a list of Viennese operettas that have been translated into English! Several are from Johann Strauss, whom I've been wanting to hear anyway, and I even found two more by Franz Lehar! I already knew about and had The Merry Widow and Die Fledermaus. The first I watched ((but still need to watch the Christopher Hassall translation) and the second I was actually planning to watch tomorrow. This is the full list as it was given to me.

"1. The Gypsy Baron (Der Zigeunerbaron) by Johann Strauss II
2. A Night in Venice (Eine Nacht in Venedig) by Johann Strauss II
3. The Queen's Lace Handkerchief (Das Spitzentuch der Königin) by Johann Strauss II
4. Wiener Blut (Vienna Blood) by Johann Strauss II
5. The Circus Princess (Die Zirkusprinzessin) by Emmerich Kálmán
6. Countess Maritza (Gräfin Mariza) by Emmerich Kálmán
7. The Csárdás Princess (Die Csárdásfürstin) by Emmerich Kálmán
8. The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns) by Franz Lehár
9. The Count of Luxembourg (Der Graf von Luxemburg) by Franz Lehár
10. Giuditta by Franz Lehár"

I also have Countess Maritza, and The Land of Smiles, but I didn't watch them yet, and silly me, I didn't realise they're Viennese! Of course, it may be difficult to find all of these, , and even more so to find translations that haven't been modernised (I avoid those as much as possible), but at least, I have somewhere to start!

#EmmerichKalman #FranzLehar #operettas #JohannStrauss #theatre

in reply to Georgiana Brummell

Never mind my having Countess Maritza or The Land of Smiles. I just have individual songs. And from the first, I have an album, but again, it's just songs. I can understand doing this with acoustic recordings, but it's annoying with later ones. Novello's work immediately comes to mind, but I've seen it done even with Gilbert and Sullivan, by no less than d'Oyly Carte themselves! The singing is beautiful, of course, but where is the dialogue! Fortunately, I do have perfect recordings of Die Fledermaus. They're probably videos, but being blind, I have no idea. It's all audio to me.


MONA.app


Mona is an exceptional multi-account #Fediverse client. Not to mention it's a OTP... compared to the subscription fee of its top rival: Ivory. 🦣

#Mastodon / #Friendica / #Pixelfed 👀

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