Prom 49: The Lost Words - 25.08.19

[doversoul1]

This might help - or not - with the spell bit

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/16/spell-songs-robert-macfarlane-the-lost-words-vanishing-nature-folk-musicians

For a performance such as this I wouldn't necessarily expect to see a complete list of the items, as it's not a 'conventional' concert.
There is a core of works I know, new works by a composer(Jocelyn Pook) some of whose work I have heard and enjoyed, and another I don't recognise. The rest will be an unknown, to be experienced in the comfort of my home, with an off switch to hand if necessary.
Attending the concert would I think come from a different viewpoint - perhaps knowing enough about the performers or this type of happening etc to want to be there, or being able to risk losing the ticket price on something that possibly doesn't suit.
The painting part will have to be taken on trust unless this is being televised at some point.

Oh, that book. Thank you.

It looks attractive to begin with but then when you think about it, whose childhood is the book referring to that is supposed to be lost? It probably have the same kind of attraction, to adults, as The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady (remember this?). Still, all the best to the concert.

[MrGongGong]

Yes - if I’m paying good money to attend.

Then I guess you can enjoy your feelings of irritation at things which aren't designed to fit into your idea of what a concert should be.

[oddoneout]

Oh, that book. Thank you.

It looks attractive to begin with but then when you think about it, whose childhood is the book referring to that is supposed to be lost? It probably have the same kind of attraction, to adults, as The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady (remember this?). Still, all the best to the concert.

I don't know that it's lost childhood as such. This is from an article by Jackie Morris who provided the illustrations for The Lost Words

It had come to the attention of some who work in the world of words that certain words were slipping out of common usage. As a result when it came to amend the junior dictionary for a new edition these words were gone. The letter was a request for words culled from the Oxford University Press Junior Dictionary to be returned. These words included bluebell, conker, heron, acorn and perhaps the one that cut the deepest for me, kingfisher.
It wasn’t the fault of the dictionary that these words were not included, but the culture in which we live which seems to give more importance to the urban than the wild.

http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/book-list/the-lost-words-a-spell-of-words-by-robert-macfarlane/

What I would take issue with is that I don't think it's so much urban versus wild as not being involved in nature at all. With the possible exception of bluebells nothing in that list is exclusive to 'the wild' - and even bluebell woods can be found not too far from some urban areas - but if children are not encouraged or enabled to find them they will not be part of those children's lives or vocabulary. Kingfishers were one of the species that were going to be driven away by the destruction of an allotment site to create a temporary footpath for the 2012 Olympics - hardly 'wild'.
The book itself is beautiful from what I can see, so yes some similarities to the infamous Diary, but possibly on a somewhat higher intellectual level (poetry don'tcha know)?
This https://www.thelostwords.org/ might shed more light on the Prom content?

[MrGongGong]

… to an/the exclusive club members? What are ‘spell’ and ‘live paintings’? And ‘the original artwork' of what? Are we expected to Google all these? Or am I supposed to know what they are? Or those of us who are ignorant of these things don’t count?

It says in the text

We celebrate the rich musical landscape of nature in a Prom inspired by the bestselling book The Lost Words, which revives disappearing words that describe the natural world.

With a brand-new ‘spell’ by the book’s author Robert Macfarlane, and live paintings from Jackie Morris, who created the original artwork, the programme includes the nightingale, quail and cuckoo calls from Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, the Arctic bird cries of Rautavaara’s Cantus arcticus, the carefree flight of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending, plus new commissions by Jocelyn Pook and Alissa Firsova.

5 seconds found this about the book

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/16/spell-songs-robert-macfarlane-the-lost-words-vanishing-nature-folk-musicians

Seems easy to find out if you are interested

[oddoneout]

It says in the text

We celebrate the rich musical landscape of nature in a Prom inspired by the bestselling book The Lost Words, which revives disappearing words that describe the natural world.

With a brand-new ‘spell’ by the book’s author Robert Macfarlane, and live paintings from Jackie Morris, who created the original artwork, the programme includes the nightingale, quail and cuckoo calls from Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, the Arctic bird cries of Rautavaara’s Cantus arcticus, the carefree flight of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending, plus new commissions by Jocelyn Pook and Alissa Firsova.

5 seconds found this about the book

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...folk-musicians
Seems easy to find out if you are interested

Or see #14...

[MrGongGong]

Or see #14...

[Richard Tarleton]

I don't know that it's lost childhood as such. This is from an article by Jackie Morris who provided the illustrations for The Lost Words

http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/book-list/the-lost-words-a-spell-of-words-by-robert-macfarlane/

What I would take issue with is that I don't think it's so much urban versus wild as not being involved in nature at all. With the possible exception of bluebells nothing in that list is exclusive to 'the wild' - and even bluebell woods can be found not too far from some urban areas - but if children are not encouraged or enabled to find them they will not be part of those children's lives or vocabulary. Kingfishers were one of the species that were going to be driven away by the destruction of an allotment site to create a temporary footpath for the 2012 Olympics - hardly 'wild'. The book itself is beautiful from what I can see, so yes some similarities to the infamous Diary, but possibly on a somewhat higher intellectual level (poetry don'tcha know)?
This https://www.thelostwords.org/ might shed more light on the Prom content?

Thanks for the link to the article.

I love Jackie Morris's work - I've been sending her MBF (as was, now Help Musicians) Christmas cards for many years now, recipients actually tell me how they love 'em. She lives hereabouts, and her work can be seen on the walls of an amazing bistro on the Pembrokeshire coast path.

The "lost words" baffling....I walked the Limehouse canal in 2012 (after the Olympics) and saw kingfisher and heron....

[doversoul1]

It says in the text

5 seconds found this about the book

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/16/spell-songs-robert-macfarlane-the-lost-words-vanishing-nature-folk-musicians

Seems easy to find out if you are interested

I admit that I had missed the first paragraph completely. Yes I should have know what it was about. So for this, my honest apologies.

However, now I know what it is, the event does look like a cosy club. There is far more information about wildlife for children to access today than ever before. On the other hand, there are many new words, ideas and things that many adults may find it difficult to explain when asked by children. That’s where dictionaries come into. Oxford Children’s Dictionary may have been a treasured book for many people in their childhood but their nostalgia is irrelevant.

The book is certainly very pretty and a concert based on this book may have been a good Sunday matinee prom for children.

[MrGongGong]

I admit that I had missed the first paragraph completely. Yes I should have know what it was about. So for this, my honest apologies.

However, now I know what it is, the event does look like a cosy club. There is far more information about wildlife for children to access today than ever before. On the other hand, there are many new words, ideas and things that many adults may find it difficult to explain when asked by children. That’s where dictionaries come into. Oxford Children’s Dictionary may have been a treasured book for many people in their childhood but their nostalgia is irrelevant.

The book is certainly very pretty and a concert based on this book may have been a good Sunday matinee prom for children.

I haven't the faintest idea what you are on about ?
Yes, there are dictionaries and so on

Why assume that this is for children in the first place ?

[doversoul1]

I haven't the faintest idea what you are on about ?
Yes, there are dictionaries and so on

Why assume that this is for children in the first place ?

If a book was created/published in response to the concern about a children’s dictionary and in order to compensate the Lost Words, I assume the book is intended for children. Besides, the book itself proves that it is for children unless you want (one wants) to wallow in the sentiment of Lost Childhood/wildlife.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Words-Robert-Macfarlane/dp/0241253586/ref=sr_1_2?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=20&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=8&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1566463012&refinements=p_28%3AThe+Lost+words&s=books&sr=1-2&unfiltered=1

If a concert is based on a book for children, I assume it is for children. I won’t go into what or what is not books for children, since that was done in another thread.

[MrGongGong]

If a book was created/published in response to the concern about a children’s dictionary and in order to compensate the Lost Words, I assume the book is intended for children. Besides, the book itself proves that it is for children unless you want (one wants) to wallow in the sentiment of Lost Childhood/wildlife.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Words-Robert-Macfarlane/dp/0241253586/ref=sr_1_2?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=20&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=8&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1566463012&refinements=p_28%3AThe+Lost+words&s=books&sr=1-2&unfiltered=1

If a concert is based on a book for children, I assume it is for children. I won’t go into what or what is not books for children, since that was done in another thread.

Ok
I'm not familiar with the book
but do know some of the folk involved in the music and in the linked video

But, being accessible to children doesn't mean that it is "FOR" children..... this is the subject of much discussion elsewhere


If it's lost sound words you are after Ian's book is highly recommended

https://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/index.php/shop/honk-conk-squacket

[doversoul1]

Ok
I'm not familiar with the book
but do know some of the folk involved in the music and in the linked video

But, being accessible to children doesn't mean that it is "FOR" children..... this is the subject of much discussion elsewhere


If it's lost sound words you are after Ian's book is highly recommended

https://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/index...-conk-squacket

A book that is accessible to children is not the same as a book written for children but as you say, this is done to death on another thread.

Thank you for the link. It looks interesting.