10th, Robert Hooke and Tchaikovsky, Their Crystal

 

 

 

Hi, This is DJ in KIST Mi-Hyun Kim.
These days, it's very easy to see the snow because all around us is real white snow.
Seeing the snow, I feel like to have a ball of hot soup.
Also I want to take some photos with my friends and make a snowman.
How about you? What do you do when it's snow?

This episode, I want to introduce you people related to the snow.
That is the scientist, Robert Hooke, and Tchaikovsky.

 

First of all, I want to talk about Robert Hooke.
Robert Hooke (1635~1703) is a biologist, chemist, physics and astronomer, at the same time.
He must have a great talents in many fields of science.

 

 

He had many achievements in science by experimenting.
He insisted the phlogiston theory and found the gas law.

 In the physics world, he did the father job by experimenting the color of 'thin film.'
He observed the rotation of Jupiter and the Orion,
annul parallax which helped Newton to make the Universal Gravitation.
He also invented the light system in microscope, and found the cell structure of plants'.

And let's begin his story about crystal.

 

He is the first scientist who observed the crystal of snow by microscope.
In 1665, he published the 'Micrographia' which is about the various kinds of crystal.
Due to this book, the world could understand the delicate symmetry and elaboration.

 

 

What did he think of when he sketched the various kinds of crystal?

From now on, I'm going to use my imagination to make a story.
Robert Hooke was born in White Island in England, the son of minister.

And he graduated from the Christ Church College in Oxford University.
We can easily find that his background knowledge and blief of God could be very storng.
Also we can tell that he could spend much time to think of the relationship between science and religious to make some balance between them.

He found out some theories by experimenting.
He might consider that
experimenting and observing is the best way to follow the God's lessons.
He might think of people are very similar to the crystal, itself while observing snowflakes,
since snowflakes have very different kinds of shape each other.

Now it's time to look at the musician, and I'm going to talk about Tchaikovsky.
Peter Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840~1893) was Russian Composure,
 comparison to the great composures such as Mozart, Beethoven.

 

 

He had his own special color and made so many notes,
such as symphony, fantasia, prelude, and orchestra and he was beloved by the audience.

His music is the completion of the Russian Classism started from the 18th to 19th century.
He has specifically emotional and delicateness in melody.
He refrained the Russian Folk song and irregular time and aimed for the global audience.
He used the pure, clear and universal factors.

He was a very sensitive and introvert person and wanted to express the "Russian Emotions."
The Russian Emotion that he wanted to express was
about delicateness rather than excessive nationalism.
"The Swan Lake", "Nutcracker Suite", "The Sleeping Beauty"
are the Three ballet music beloved in recent days.
He made great fantasy music.

Among his arts, we're going to listen to "Nutcracker Suite."
Its original is the book by German writer, Hoffmann.
Using his original story, "Nußknacker und Mausekönig"
Tchaikovsky made ballet, "Nutcracker Suite."
And it contains many famous songs and dances, like
"Waltz of the Flowers", "Dances of China" "Fallen Leaves Pipe"
Since it's the story about Christmas, and there is a song of snow, too.

 

 

"Scene and waltz of the snowflakes" is his major work.
In this part, the Queen of Snow welcomes Nutcracker Suite and Clara in her kingdom with beautiful dances by Fairies of Snowflakes.

What image and meaning of snow that he had in his music?

Tchaikovsky's home town was mining town in Russia.
Naturally he might have many memories of snow in his childhood.
In his ballet, Nutcracker Suite, he could possibly use the image and memory of snow that he remember. He might want to share his memories with audience by using his own ones.

In psychology, the snowflake symbolizes the small, fragile, pure.
Like I mentioned earlier, he was very sensitive
and according to the fact, I can say that the snowflakes could symbolize himself.

Two people of this episode were Robert Hooke and Tchaikovsky.
Tchaikovsky might want to express himself as a snowflake.
Robert Hooke thoght of himself through the snowflake.
Both of them have in common with snowflakes and I think they are snowflakes in some ways.
If they had a chance to meet each other,
I can tell they could possibly find their similarities between each others
and became very close friends, too.

Now, shall we listen to the music?

 

**Tchaikovsky - Waltz Of The Snowflakes

 

 

 

** Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Waltz of The Flowers Op.71

 

 

 

** Nutcracker Suite by Universal Ballet.