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Symphony No. 8 (Bruckner)

Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor, WAB 108, is the last symphony the composer completed. It exists in two major versions of 1887 and 1890. It was premiered under conductor Hans Richter in 1892 at the Musikverein, Vienna. It is dedicated to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

This symphony is sometimes nicknamed The Apocalyptic, but this was not a name Bruckner gave to the work himself.

Composition and publication
Bruckner began work on the Eighth Symphony in July 1884. Working mainly during the summer vacations from his duties at the University of Vienna and the Vienna Conservatory, the composer had all four movements completed in draft form by August 1885. The orchestration of the work took Bruckner until April 1887 to complete; during this stage of composition, the order of the inner movements was reversed, leaving the Scherzo second and the Adagio as the third movement.

In September 1887, Bruckner had the score copied and sent to conductor Hermann Levi. Levi was one of Bruckner's closest collaborators, having given a performance of the Symphony No. 7 in Munich that was "the greatest triumph Bruckner had yet experienced". He had also arranged for Bruckner's career to be supported in other ways, including financial assistance from the nobility, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Vienna. However the conductor wrote back to Bruckner that:

"I find it impossible to perform the Eighth in its current form. I just can't make it my own! As much as the themes are magnificent and direct, their working-out seems to me dubious; indeed, I consider the orchestration quite impossible... Don't lose your courage, take another look at your work, talk it over with your friends, with Schalk, maybe a reworking can achieve something."

By January 1888, Bruckner had come to agree with Levi that the symphony would benefit from further work. Early work of revision was carried out in the first movement and the Scherzo, expressed as pencil notations in their score. A distinct version of the Adagio – now called the "intermediate Adagio" or "Adagio of 1888" – was also retrieved and edited in 2004 by Dermot Gault and Takanobu Kawasaki. Thereafter, Bruckner concentrated on the new versions of the Fourth and Third. He began work on the final version of the Adagio in March 1889 and completed the new version of the symphony in March 1890.

Once the new version was completed, the composer wrote to Emperor Franz Josef I for permission to dedicate the symphony to him. The emperor accepted Bruckner's request and also offered to help pay for the work's publication. Bruckner had some trouble finding a publisher for the work, but in late 1890 the Haslinger-Schlesinger-Lienau company agreed to undertake publication. Bruckner's associates Josef Schalk and Max von Oberleithner assisted with the publication process: Schalk prepared the musical text to be sent to the printer while Oberleithner corrected the proofs and also provided financial support. The symphony was eventually published in March 1892. It was the only one of Bruckner's symphonies to be published before its first performance.

Premiere and reception
By the time the 1890 revision was complete, Levi was no longer conducting concerts in Munich. As a result, he recommended that his protege Felix Weingartner, Kapellmeister of Mannheim, lead the first performance of the symphony. The premiere was twice scheduled to occur under the young conductor's direction during 1891, but each time Weingartner substituted another work at the last minute. Eventually the conductor told Bruckner that he was unable to undertake the performance because he was about to take up a new position at the Berlin Opera. However, Weingartner admitted, in a letter to Levi, that the real reason he was unable to perform the symphony was because the work was too difficult and he did not have enough rehearsal time: in particular, the Wagner tuba players in his orchestra did not have enough experience to cope with their parts.

After a Munich performance by Levi was cancelled because of a feared outbreak of cholera, Bruckner focused his efforts on securing a Vienna premiere for the symphony. At last Hans Richter, subscription conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic, agreed to conduct the work. The first performance took place on 18 December 1892. Although some of the more conservative members of the audience left at the end of each movement, many of Bruckner's supporters were also present, including Hugo Wolf and Johann Strauss.

The well known critic Eduard Hanslick left after the slow movement. His review described the symphony as "interesting in detail, but strange as a whole, indeed repellent. The peculiarity of this work consists, to put it briefly, in importing Wagner's dramatic style into the symphony." (Korstvedt points out that this was less negative than Hanslick's reviews of Bruckner's earlier symphonies.) There were also many positive reviews from Bruckner's admirers. One anonymous writer described the symphony as "the crown of music in our time". Hugo Wolf wrote to a friend that the symphony was "the work of a giant" that "surpasses the other symphonies of the master in intellectual scope, awesomeness, and greatness".

The symphony was slow to enter the orchestral repertoire. Only two further performances occurred during Bruckner's lifetime. The American premiere did not take place until 1909, while the symphony had to wait until 1929 for its first London performance.

Description
The symphony has four movements. The total duration varies by performance and the edition of the score used, but is typically around 80 minutes. 1.

2. Allegro moderato (C minor)

3. Scherzo: Allegro moderato — Trio: Langsam (C minor → C major, Trio in A♭ major)

4. Adagio: Feierlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend (D♭ major)

5. Finale: Feierlich, nicht schnell (C minor → C major)

First movement
The symphony begins in a tonally ambiguous manner with a theme rhythmically reminiscent of the main theme of the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor and of the March in D minor of 1862. According to theorist Heinrich Schenker this passage is "like the beginning of the world."

A more song-like second subject group uses the Bruckner rhythm:

The third subject group, which is strikingly dissonant, forms a smooth transition to the development:

In structure, the opening movement is therefore a typically Brucknerian three-subject sonata form, though handled with more panache than in his previous works. The development was substantially refined in 1890. In both versions, this section of the movement contains a massive, augmented three-part statement of the main theme, impressively given on full orchestra in combination with the Bruckner rhythm of the second subject group. This combination of the main two themes of the exposition rises pitch-wise by a third until the orchestra drops away, leaving a single flute accompanied by a timpano.

In the recapitulation, the third theme leads to a great climax for the entire orchestra, in which the bare rhythm of the main theme is dominant:

This suddenly breaks off, leaving just the trumpets and three of the horns hammering out the rhythm, timpani thundering beneath. When the strings and woodwinds rejoin, it is in a very dejected mood. At this juncture the two versions differ significantly. In the 1887 version, this solemn passage leads to what many consider an unconvincingly premature victory coda, which sounds the main theme in C major. For the 1890 version, the triumphant ending was cut, and the despondent passage extended by a few bars to form a pianissimo coda in itself (thus becoming the only instance of a first movement ending softly in Bruckner's symphonic œuvre). This quiet, sombre ending is for low winds and low strings in a thoroughly bleak C minor, that remembers the music at the corresponding spot in the Symphony in F Minor. There is no doubt from contemporary letters of Bruckner that it represented death in some way.

It has been suggested by some scholars that the coda was inspired by the climax of the Dutchman's monologue in Wagner's Der fliegende Hollander, with the words, "Ihr Welten endet euren Lauf, ewige Vernichtung, nimm mich auf!".

Second movement
The five-note Deutscher Michel theme, accompanied by tremolo figures in the upper strings, is a reminiscence of the Credo of the Mass in E minor:

The main part of the Scherzo is fundamentally the same in both versions, though somewhat more repetitive in the first version. The orchestration and dynamics are more refined in the second version, helping to give the movement a rich and original sound. The Trios, however, are quite different: the 1890 version was rewritten as an adumbration of the ensuing Adagio movement, featuring the harps, and the tempo was slowed down:

This Scherzo is Bruckner's largest, lasting around 14 or 15 minutes in most performances.

Third movement
The main difference between versions is at the climax, for which in the 1887 version Bruckner managed to insert six cymbal clashes. He must have thought that excessive, as he pared it down to two in the 1890 version. The key of this climax was also altered from C major in 1887 to E-flat major in 1890. The coda of this movement is recalled in the coda of the Adagio of the Ninth Symphony.

This Adagio differs from those in other symphonies by the composer in that the second thematic group is not presented in a more flowing tempo. The two themes are, first, a recollection of the slow movement of Schubert's Wanderer Fantasie for Pianoforte and an answering descending passage, both over throbbing, richly scored strings; and, secondly, a tonally unstable passage radiant with ecstasy. The structure and scale of the Adagio as it develops these themes is grander than any of Bruckner's previous slow movements.

The movement opens in an unusual way; while it is in time, the string accompaniment is made up of a mix of uneven triplets and eighth notes. Simon Rattle describes this as a "fascinating rhythmic hall of mirrors."

This eventually leads to a great chorale in the strings that starts in G♭ major but leads to F major:

The second part of the movement begins with a cello melody:

The Adagio is the most controversial of all the movements in terms of different versions. For example, Robert Haas inserted one quiet, solemn passage in his edition of the 1890 score which restored a cut between two loud passages (before the main climax of the movement), whereas in the Leopold Nowak edition these two loud passages are joined. This difference greatly affects the impression given to the listener for this section of the movement as it heads towards the great E♭ major climax. The 1890 Adagio, in both the edition of Robert Haas and that of Leopold Nowak, remains shorter than the 1887 original.

Fourth movement
Beginning belligerently (by Bruckner's standards), this movement reaches a triumphant conclusion using themes (or at least rhythmic impressions of these) from all four movements. The form of this movement is complex, derived from a three-subject sonata structure but, like the opening movement of Symphony No. 7, highly individualised. The scale and complexity of this movement are both on a different level from that in the opening of the Seventh Symphony, however, not least in that this movement must synthesise the entire symphony (as it reworks old ideas and new ones into a coherent whole), and forms what must be a satisfactory conclusion for the whole work.

The opening theme is a powerful chorale, originally given over a march, in which the rhythmic thundering of the timpani recalls certain passages in the opening movement:

The second subject, a song theme, is remarkable in that it recollects not only its counterpart in the first movement but also the Adagio:

The third subject is a march theme, which is a direct reworking of the introduction to the third subject group of the opening movement:

In the recapitulation, this third theme is presented as a fugue which leads to the solemn coda and the splendid, bright finish to the symphony.

The development presents these three themes and other elements in ways which recollect earlier parts of the symphony, both episodically and in simultaneously parallel combinations. The thematic treatment is subtle and counterpoint is frequently used in the presentation of themes. It therefore seems natural that such a synthesis concludes by contrapuntally combining all the main themes of the symphony: the coda begins in a solemn C minor in which the opening theme of the Finale reaches a powerful climax. This is answered quietly by the woodwind giving out the same theme, then more optimistically by the full orchestra, from which, in a flurry of trumpets and timpani, the Scherzo theme heralds a remarkably succinct combination of all the themes in C major:

For all its grandeur, the ending is remarkably concise, and the perorations are more terse than those of, say, Bruckner's own Symphony No. 5 in B flat major.

Versions
Two complete autograph manuscripts of the symphony exist, dating from 1887 and 1890 respectively. More sketches exist from all phases of work on this symphony than for most of Bruckner's works. For example, thanks to the sketches, we can see the evolution of the opening theme. Part scores show that the tonal ambiguity of the symphony's opening was not how Bruckner originally envisaged the main theme: the rhythm was to fit an arpeggiated contour in C minor. The final opening is much less defined and hovers in more of a B-flat major region, though it suggests several keys.

1887 version
This was Bruckner's first version of the symphony, but was not published until 1972 in an edition edited by Leopold Nowak. "There are enormous variants in orchestration, harmony, voice leading and motivic treatment between the two versions. In some sections one can almost speak of two different pieces, rather than two versions of the same work." Some significant differences from the more familiar later versions include a loud ending to the first movement and a different tonality for the climax of the slow movement. It is also notably longer than the 1890 version, and has a different instrumentation (the most significant consistent difference being that the 1890 version has triple rather than double woodwind throughout the first three movements). The double woodwind of the 1887 version gives a somewhat more austere character to the overall sound of the work. Some scholars support this version of the symphony. Bryan Gilliam, for example, argues that the later version (from 1890) is shorter and smoother, and is hence a dubious concession to the Brahms-loving bourgeoisie of the time.

The 1887 version was premiered by Hans-Hubert Schönzeler for the BBC in 1973, and has thereafter been recorded by Dennis Russell Davies, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Eliahu Inbal, Georg Tintner, Michael Gielen, Kent Nagano, Simone Young, Franz Welser-Möst and Fabio Luisi.

A digitalisation of the North-American premiere of the 1887 version by Tintner with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Kingston, Ontario (Canada), 31 August 1982 (LP: Jubal 5003/4, 1982), and of a 2009 live performance by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky with the Bolshoi Orchestra can be heard on John Berky's website.

The new edition by Paul Hawkshaw has been premiered by Peter Oundjian with the Yale Symphony Orchestra on 27 October 2017.

Intermediate versions
A copy of an intermediate version of the Adagio with an estimated date of 1888 exists in the Austrian National Library. This Adagio, which already requires triple woodwind, has been edited by Dermot Gault and Takanobu Kawasaki and recorded by Akira Naito with the Tokyo New City Orchestra. A MIDI version is also available. Intermediate versions of the other movements have been edited by William Carragan and performed by Gerd Schaller. "This account of the Eighth was founded on individual, possibly non-contemporaneous manuscripts rather than one complete copy. … Thus it will always have to be regarded as experimental, not on the same editorial level as the firmly-established manuscript versions of 1887 and 1890 and the printed version of 1892. But in it we have a fascinating view of the work-in-progress of Bruckner the eternal reviser, looking for the most expressive realization of his lofty thoughts and melodic inspiration."

1890 version
Some scholars such as Deryck Cooke and Robert Haas have suggested that the 1890 revision was the product of Bruckner's insecurity and pressure from his colleagues such as Josef Schalk. Cooke even referred to it as the "Bruckner-Schalk revision". Against this, Leopold Nowak pointed out that there is no evidence of handwriting in the 1890 manuscript other than Bruckner's own; according to testimony of his friends and associates, the composer was resistant to interference. The scoring is fuller and more grandiloquent than in 1887, with subtler textures and harmonies in the woodwind in particular, allowed for by the increased size of this section of the orchestra. The 1890 version was published in 1955 as edited by Nowak.

First edition (1892)
This was the first publication of the symphony, and was also the version used at the first performance. It contains some relatively minor changes from the 1890 manuscript, the most notable being a six-bar cut and a two-bar repeated passage in the Finale. The alterations were made by Joseph Schalk and Max von Oberleithner, almost certainly without Bruckner's direct involvement, but were probably approved by the composer before publication. Korstvedt writes that "while the 1892 edition may not be "pure Bruckner" – whatever that might be – to all appearances Bruckner authorized it, and for that reason it needs to be taken seriously." This edition is available in complete recordings by Wilhelm Furtwängler, Hans Knappertsbusch, Josef Krips, William Steinberg, George Szell, Bruno Walter and Takeo Noguchi. Serge Koussevitzky also used this edition in his severely cut broadcast performance of 1947; this performance, which has been preserved on disc, amounts to a wholly new "edition".

Haas’s "mixed" edition
Robert Haas published his edition of the Eighth Symphony in 1939. He based it on the 1890 autograph but included passages from 1887 that had been changed or omitted. The Gesamtausgabe describes it as a "Mischform", or mixed form. Nevertheless, it remains a beloved and, perhaps, the most frequently played and recorded edition of the work.

Haas argued that Levi's comments were a crippling blow to Bruckner's artistic confidence, even leading him to "entertain suicidal notions", although Haas had no evidence for this. This led, Haas maintained, to Bruckner's three-year effort to revise the Eighth Symphony and many of his earlier works. This line of thought supports Haas' editorial methods. Haas took what he admired from Bruckner's different versions and rolled them into his own version. He justified the rejection of various features of Bruckner's 1890 revision on biographical grounds: they are the ideas of a Bruckner who mistrusted his own judgment, and therefore non-Brucknerian.

The most significant omissions that Bruckner made (and therefore of Haas's restorations) are in the Adagio and Finale of the work. In addition, Haas inserted into the finale a transitional passage of eight bars from a sketch found in the library of the Kremsmünster Abbey (A-KR C56-14e1), discarding five bars of Bruckner's own revision. Korstvedt has described these interventions as "exceed[ing] reasonable limits of scholarly responsibility".

Despite its dubious scholarship, Haas's edition has proved enduringly popular: conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Bernard Haitink and Günter Wand continued to use it even after the Nowak/1890 edition was published, while noted Bruckner conductor Georg Tintner has written that the Haas edition is "the best" version of the symphony and referred to Haas himself as "brilliant". On the other hand, Eugen Jochum used Haas's edition for his first recording, made in 1949, before Nowak published his edition, and Nowak's for his subsequent recordings, while Wilhelm Furtwängler, despite having given the premiere of the Haas score, reverted to the 1892 edition in his final years.

The controversy over the Haas edition centers on the fact that its musical text was a fabrication of the editor never approved by Bruckner himself. In particular, Nowak, who succeeded Haas as principal editor of the Bruckner complete works, argued that there is little evidence for the psychological breakdown that Haas claimed Bruckner suffered upon Levi's rejection of the work. Bruckner's letters at the time suggest that he was frustrated by Levi's judgment (dismissing Levi as having a "hard time grasping things") and psychologically healthy. Bruckner's revisions, according to this view, are the result of his artistic perfectionism. Nowak therefore rejected Haas's approach by sticking closely to Bruckner's autograph scores.

Nowak’s two editions
As noted above, under the discussion of versions, Nowak left in 1955 an edition of the 1890 version and in 1972 an edition of the 1887 version.

Hawkshaw's new edition
Both versions will be published in the new Collected Edition. The new edition of the 1887 version corrects enough mistakes in the older print. Nevertheless, it is still very much the same score.

Instrumentation
The 1887 version is scored for three flutes, a piccolo in the climax of the Adagio, three oboes, three clarinets and three bassoons. The third part of each woodwind only appear in the Finale, while the third bassoon also doubles as contrabassoon in the Finale. The brass include eight horns – with horns 5 to 8 only appearing in the Finale. In addition, there are three trumpets, three trombones, four Wagner tubas and a single contrabass tuba, along with timpani, cymbals, triangle, three harps, and strings. The 1890 version deletes the piccolo part, and extends the triple woodwinds and calls for eight horns on all four movements. Horns 5 to 8 replace the Wagner tubas in most of the first and third movements, doubling as Wagner tubas at some points of the symphony. This is the only symphony where Bruckner employs the harp. This was, in total, the largest orchestra Bruckner ever used (since the Ninth Symphony, which uses an otherwise identical orchestra, does not require harps and percussion other than timpani).

Programme
In an 1891 letter to conductor Felix Weingartner, Bruckner gave extramusical associations to several parts of the symphony:

In the first movement, the trumpet and horn passage based on the rhythm of the [main] theme in the Todesverkündigung [the annunciation of death], which gradually grows stronger, and finally emerges very strongly. At the end: surrender.

Scherzo: Main theme – named deutscher Michel. In the second part, the fellow wants to sleep, and in his dreamy state cannot find his tune: finally, he plaintively turns back.

Finale: At the time our Emperor received the visit of the Czars at Olmütz; thus, strings: the Cossacks; brass: military music; trumpets: fanfares, as the Majesties meet. In closing, all themes … thus as deutscher Michel arrives home from his journey, everything is already gloriously brilliant. In the Finale there is also the death march and then (brass) transfiguration.

Bruckner's associates report other comments that the composer is said to have made about the symphony. The coda to the first movement is "how it is when one is on his deathbed, and opposite hangs a clock, which, while his life comes to an end, beats on ever steadily: tick, tock, tick, tock" while in the slow movement "I have gazed too deeply into a maiden's eyes".

In an unsigned programme note at the 1892 first performance Joseph Schalk elaborated Bruckner's program, adding references to Greek mythology (Aeschylus's Prometheus, Zeus or Cronus, etc.) mixed with a few Christian references such as the Archangel Michael.

Discography
Over the recorded lifetime of this symphony, significantly different approaches have been taken, including tempo choices and the choice of score.

Wilhelm Furtwängler, in a live performance with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1944 used a modified Haas edition.

On 29 September 1944, the Preussische Staatskapelle Berlin, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, recorded the last three movements of the 8th Symphony with the finale in experimental stereophonic sound. In his interpretation Karajan kept strict metre whereas "recordings from the 1940s … typically present this passage [the reprise of the third subject group in the finale] as a grand accelerando-rallentando, with a tempo increase of as much as 20 percent," while Karajan's recording "is a notable exception."

The first commercial recording of the complete symphony was made by Eugen Jochum with the Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra in 1949 for Deutsche Grammophon. Jochum later recorded it in studio with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1964 for Deutsche Grammophon, and in 1976 with the Dresden Staatskapelle for EMI using the Nowak 1890 edition both times. Karl Böhm, in a studio recording with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1976 for Deutsche Grammophon used the Nowak 1890 edition, but with one Haas passage in the finale.

In the last two decades of the 20th century, recordings tended to "set a broader basic tempo, … abstain from dramatic tempo fluctuations – especially increases – and place great store by fullness of tone, precise ensemble, and textural clarity."

Typically, this work lasts about 80 minutes, although there are performances running as long as 103 minutes (Sergiu Celibidache's interpretation). Herbert von Karajan and the aforementioned Günter Wand each recorded the Haas hybrid version more than once. After Eliahu Inbal recorded the 1887 version for the first time, other conductors have followed. Takashi Asahina has recorded a disc comparing excerpts from the Haas and Nowak editions.

Nowak edition (1972)
Some conductors preferred to record the first version of the symphony: A digitisation of the North American premiere of the 1887 version by Georg Tintner with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and a performance by Gennady Rozhdestvensky with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra (March 10, 2009) can be heard on John Berky's website.
 * Hans-Hubert Schönzeler with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Lanta Fe LF-432, 1973 (world premiere)
 * Eliahu Inbal recorded it several times, the first time with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra - Teldec CD 243791, 1982
 * Georg Tintner with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada - LP Jubal LP 5003/4, 1982, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland - Naxos 8.554215/6, 1996
 * Michael Gielen with the SWZ Symphony Orchestra - Harvest Classics HC-06097, 2007
 * Simone Young with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra - SACD Oehms Classics OC 638, 2008
 * Franz Welser-Möst with Cleveland Orchestra - DVD Arthaus Musik 101581, 2010

Hawkshaw Edition (2014)

 * Markus Poschner with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz - Capriccio LC 80087, 2023

1888 intermediate version, Gault & Kawasaki and Carragan

 * Akira Naito with the Tokyo New City Orchestra (Adagio 1888; 1890 version, Nowak edition, for the other three movements) - Delta Classics DCCA-0003, 2004
 * Gerd Schaller avec le Philharmonie Festiva Orchestra - Profil PH13027, Live 2012

Haas "mixed version" (1939)
The majority of recordings are based on this edition. Some conductors, as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan and Günter Wand have recorded it several times

Nowak critical edition (1955)
Other conductors, who have also recorded this symphony several times, have preferred Nowak, including:
 * Eugen Jochum recorded the work multiple times. His first recording, 1949, with the Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra was based on the Haas edition, but his following recordings were all based on the Nowak edition.
 * From Sergiu Celibidache, there are also several recordings. The last one, with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, exceeded in duration all other available recordings (105 minutes, 20 more than average).
 * Karl Böhm has also recorded it many times, notably with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

1892 Version, Schalk
Some conductors have based their recordings on the first printed edition:
 * Bruno Walter with the Philharmonic Society of New York - Andromeda ANDRCD 9092, 1941
 * Hans Knappertsbusch with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - Adagio Classics 4004, 1951
 * George Szell with the Concertgebouw Orchestra - Audiophile Classics 101.556, 1951
 * Volkmar Andreae with the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra - Box set Music and Arts 1227, 1953
 * William Steinberg with the Boston Symphonic Orchestra - Vibrato 2VLL-150, 1962
 * Josef Krips with the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra - Vibrato 2VLL-150, 1971

title: Symphony No. 8 (Bruckner)


text:
The Boy Who Lost His Face

The Boy Who Lost His Face (ISBN 0-679-88622-2) is a novel by Louis Sachar, published in 1989 by Alfred A. Knopf. The story focuses on a group of young boys. One of them (David), joining in with the 'cool crew', helps to steal an old woman's cane. When she finds them, she cries out, "Your Doppelgänger will regurgitate on your soul!" meaning that his ghostly double would puke on his soul, according to a translation by David. Following this, the protagonist finds himself repeatedly experiencing the same misfortunes he passed on to the old woman.

Themes of the occult, youthful sexuality, and schoolyard bullying and profanity are explored in the novel, and its resulting suppression has garnered its position 49 on the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 and the 92nd position for 2000 to 2009.

Plot
In a 1989 suburban town, a boy named David tries to get in the cool group by helping his friend Scott, and two troublemakers named Roger and Randy (the former being the leader) carry out a prank. Their target is an elderly woman who was called a witch by all the kids in the school. When they attack her and steal her cane David flips her off to try to impress Roger. But when they leave the old lady's house, she cries out to David "Your Doppelgänger will regurgitate on your soul!" The following days David finds himself experiencing strange happenings that lead him to believe that he is cursed. After being rejected by Roger and his gang, David finds himself becoming a loser. He breaks his parents' window, he walks into class with his zipper unzipped, he falls off his chair in class, and his only friends are fellow outcasts Larry and Maureen "Mo". His actions lead Roger's gang to target him and his friends, calling them "The Three Stooges". He becomes friendly with a cute girl named Tori Williams, but his pants fall down when he gets the courage to ask her for her phone number. Finally, his younger brother Ricky, after being ridiculed by Roger's younger brother, loses all respect for David.

Eventually, David begs the elderly woman to remove the curse, but she asks for her cane to be returned first. As it turns out, Tori doesn't scorn David for his humiliation in having his pants fall down in front of her, and tries to pretend that she had her eyes closed in thought when it happened, to prevent David from becoming uncomfortable around her. David finally decides to fight for his dignity, and, with his friends and little brother by his side, he goes to face Roger's gang and get the cane back, not suspecting that many things, including the curse, are not as they seem. Mo, Tori, Larry, David and his little brother all go to Roger's house for the fight. They get the cane and bring it back to the 'witch' who turns out to be Tori's great-aunt. The aunt is not a witch and there was no curse but David was feeling so bad that sub-consciously he does the things to himself that had happened to the old lady. At the end of the book, 150 years later, a boy named Willy, who is similarly bullied, idolizes David, who is now a famous historical figure.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: The Boy Who Lost His Face


text:
Talk:Standard form

Untitled
it didn't make sense —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.88.20.107 (talk) 11:58, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

Maths
usual form and example 2409:408C:1CC3:9B93:0:0:AF09:9 (talk) 03:47, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Standard form


text:
Varan

Varan (バラン) is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1958 film Varan the Unbelievable directed by Ishirō Honda and produced and distributed by Toho. Varan is depicted as a giant, dinosaurian, prehistoric reptile capable of gliding flight, and the creature later appeared in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters, the ninth film in the Godzilla franchise.

The original concept that would later become Varan was developed by Ken Kuronuma, with the design conceived by special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya, and Keizō Murase, who envisioned the kaiju as being a hybrid of Godzilla and a kappa of Japanese folklore. Suit actor Haruo Nakajima, having already portrayed Godzilla four years prior, was the first suit actor to portray the kaiju in the original 1958 film. Additionally, fellow suit actor Katsumi Tezuka performed some of Varan's water scenes.

While relatively obscure compared to most of Toho's kaiju library due to only having a major role in a single film, Varan has nonetheless retained some degree of popularity over the years, being considered for many unrealized film projects and making appearances in non-film media such as comic books and video games.

Appearances
Since his first appearance in 1958, Varan has been featured in various entertainment mediums, in addition to comic books, novels, television series, and video games. In each appearance, artists have put their own spin on the character.

Films
Varan made his first appearance on the silver screen in 1958, in the film Varan the Unbelievable. In the film, Varan, a prehistoric reptile worshipped as the mountain deity "Baradagi" by the remote Iwaya village, is awakened by a group of scientists exploring the remote region of the mountain lake where he resides. Emerging from the lake, Varan destroys the entire village in a rage, killing many people. When the Japanese Defence Force arrives, they lure Varan out of the lake with flares before bombarding him with artillery, which seems to have no effect. Climbing to the highest peak, Varan unveils the large membranes under his arms, diving off the cliff, and gliding across the sky towards the ocean. Swimming towards the mainland, Varan is bombarded with countless bombs and artillery which do little to stop him, however, he seems to retreat when a truck carrying experimental explosives detonates underneath him. Devising a new strategy, the JSDF attaches some of the same explosives onto a series of flares in the hopes that Varan would swallow them. The plan appears to work, as Varan devours two of the explosives before they detonate, causing severe pain he retreats into the ocean before the last explosive detonates, seemingly killing him. In the American version of the film, released in 1962 as Varan the Unbelievable, Varan is not shown as capable of flight, with his fate being completely different than the original version. In this version, Varan is severely injured in an explosion, with the film ending with the kaiju crawling back into the ocean, never to be seen again.
 * Varan the Unbelievable (1958)
 * Destroy All Monsters (1968)
 * Godzilla: Final Wars (2004; stock footage cameo)

Varan's next appearance was in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters. Set at the end of the 20th Century, a possible juvenile member of Varan's species is shown residing in a containment area with many other kaiju known as Monster Island, located in the Ogasawara island chain. Varan's relative peace is soon shattered by the arrival of the alien race of world conquers known as the Kilaaks. Taking control of all the island's monsters, including Varan, and sending them on a rampage across the world in a global assault. Once the Kilaakian's control of the monsters is severed, Varan watched as many of the other kaiju defeat the Kilaak's own monster King Ghidorah at their base near Mount Fuji. Once Ghidorah and the Kilaaks are defeated, Varan and all the other monsters return to Monster Island to live out their days in peace.

He made a brief cameo in the 2004 film Godzilla: Final Wars, via stock footage, depicting Earth besieged by various kaiju in the 20th century before the formation of the Earth Defense Force (EDF). He is briefly seen when a child is shown playing with several kaiju action figures, including one depicting Varan.

Literature
Varan made his first foray away from the silver screen in the comic book anthology series The Godzilla Comic, first published on February 10, 1990. In the comic's seventh segment Monster Warrior Godzilla, Varan exists in an alternate reality where all kaiju, including himself, are humanoid warriors living on different planets. Varan later appeared in the IDW Publishing miniseries Godzilla: Rulers of Earth (2013 to 2015). In issues #4-5, Varan is shown emerging from a lake in China, traveling to a military bunker where he clashes with Rodan and Gaira before vanishing into the ocean. He is later shown in flashback, appearing in the ocean with Ebirah to attack the escaping islanders. In the final issue, Varan is revealed to have been captured by a race of power-absorbing aliens called Trilopods and is later freed by King Caesar, taking part in the final assault against the aliens before following Godzilla back into the ocean. In the miniseries Godzilla in Hell (2015), A demonic representation of Varan emerges from the Eternal Ocean of Hell after Godzilla falls from the ice, following his fight with the demon Anguirus. Varan immediately attacks Godzilla, with a short fight ensuing ending in Godzilla defeating him with his atomic breath. Varan appeared in the fifth and final issue of Godzilla: Rage Across Time (2016). Set in the Late Cretaceous Period, Varan is shown alongside Anguirus, and Baragon as they battle Godzilla until the arrival of Keizer Ghidorah, who subsequently defeats all of the monsters.

Varan made his literary debut in 1996, with the children's picture book Godzilla on Monster Island. In the story, Varan and Anguirus discover Mothra's cocoon washed up on the beach of Monster Island while going for a walk together, prompting Anguirus to seek Godzilla's help in protecting it. He appeared in Godzilla 2000, the second novel in Marc Cerasini's Godzilla series. In the novel, an asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula, releasing Varan who swims to the shore of Mexico, going on a destructive rampage until it is wounded by armed forces once it reaches Galveston, Texas. He is last mentioned retreating back into the Gulf of Mexico. In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island (1998), Varan is one of the monsters who confront Godzilla, with the former later attacking the other monsters until he is subdued by Godzilla. Varan made a brief appearance in Godzilla Likes to Roar! (1998). In Godzilla vs. the Space Monster (1998), a sequel to Journey to Monster Island, 'Varan joins forces with Godzilla and the other inhabitants of Monster Island to defeat King Ghidorah, returning to the island once the battle is finished. Who's Afraid of Godzilla? (1998). In the story, Varan is one of the inhabitants of Monster Island when it is taken over by Megalon and Gigan after Godzilla leaves. In the 2017 novel Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, a prequel to the film Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017), multiple Varans come ashore in Los Angeles in 2030 along with Baragon and Anguirus after they were attacked by Godzilla in the Pacific Ocean. All three kaiju are killed by a single blast of Godzilla's atomic breath.

Other media
Varan has made an appearance in five video games, with a vast majority of these being solely released in Japan. He first appeared as a boss in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (1988), a Nintendo Entertainment System game. His next appearance was in Kaijū-ō Godzilla (1993), a Nintendo Game Boy game, as a boss on the fifth level of the game. He next appeared in the 1995 Sega Pico game Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!, released exclusively in Japan. He was featured in the Sega Dreamcast game Godzilla Generations (1998). In 2007, he was featured as an unlockable character in the Wii console version of Godzilla Unleashed, serving as a member of monsters dedicated to defending Earth from threats.

Development and design
The initial concept of Varan was developed by Ken Kuronuma, who had previously been responsible for the creation of the kaiju film Rodan (1956). After the financial success of Godzilla (1954) and Rodan, Toho began developing a new potential monster that could both fly and breathe underwater. Kuronuma developed the initial story outline, which was then scripted by Shinichi Sekizawa. Sekizawa wrote many scenes that did not make it into the final film; one scene had children imitating the monster, indicating that Sekizawa recognized children's attraction to the kaiju genre. The American version completely removed scenes of Varan flying, while also changing the kaiju's fate at the end of the film.

The physical design for Varan has undergone little change throughout his film appearances, with both filmmakers keeping with the original concept for the character. Varan's design was initially conceived by special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya, who envisioned the kaiju as being a hybrid of Godzilla and a kappa of Japanese folklore. Concept art was completed by art director Akira Watanabe who incorporated the membranes of a gliding lizard into the design.

Each portion of the kaiju costume was modeled by different artists. Varan's head was modeled by Teizo Toshimitsu, his body by Kanju and Yasuei Yagi, and his skin, back, and claws by Keizō Murase. To make the claws and spikes appear transparent, Murase used vinyl hoses that he purchased from a general store. He then cut each piece to various lengths before individually wrapping them in a semitransparent vinyl sheet, making them appear less see-through, at the request of Tsuburaya. The suit's eyes were similarly translucent, allowing built-in lights to shine through, while the pupils were drawn onto the eyes with a magic marker. For Varan's back scales, Murase used peanut shells which he pressed into the mold, giving the design a wrinkled and bumpy texture. The peanuts themselves were supplied by one of the Yagi brothers, who had been regularly receiving peanuts from his relatives. Murase has stated that the idea for the design of the back scales came from a conversation with Tsuburaya after the two of them were eating peanuts. At one point during their conversation, Murase pointed out the shells' texture to Tsuburaya, which he felt was ideal for Varan's design. To convince the special effects artist of this, Murase created a sample mold from the peanuts. The few color stills which exist depict the suit as brown, with Murase himself described the Varan suit as being a "chocolate sepia color."

Tsuburaya later expressed disappointment with the final design, commenting that it was excessively muscular. Murase attempted to combat the issue through numerous adjustments, such as applying sawdust to the surface and blending the muscles with paint to obscure it but was unable to alter the suit's internal structure. A full-body flying prop and hand-operated puppet of Varan's upper half, both half-size, were created to portray the monster for certain scenes.

Varan's next appearance ten years later in Destroy All Monsters was originally written in a more substantial role, with the original script having him joining the other monsters in their final battle with Ghidorah. This scene was removed in subsequent rewrites, with Varan only making brief appearances in the film in long shots. It was believed that the original half-scale gliding Varan puppet was reused for the film, however, some sources have written that the prop was entirely new and created from scratch.

Portrayal
Wanting Varan's movements to appear more realistic, an actor, or suit actor, was used to portray the character, wearing a specially-design suit in a commonly used technique of the kaiju genre known as "suitmation". Suit actor Haruo Nakajima, having already portrayed Godzilla four years prior, was the first suit actor to portray the kaiju in the original 1958 film. Fellow suit actor Katsumi Tezuka was also hired to perform some of Varan's water scenes. Nakajima spent most of his scenes roving on his knees while portraying the kaiju, although this technique later proved extremely hazardous. In a later interview, Nakajima recalled an incident while filming the climatic battle on Haneda Airport, during the shoot a miniature truck filled with explosives detonated underneath him. The resulting explosion inflicted extensive burns to Nakajima's belly and groin, although he commented that he did not tell producers of the incident, as he recalled "I didn't want them to worry about me". This was the only time where the suit actor suffered an on-set injury.

Abandoned projects
Varan is known for appearing in early drafts of several films, but subsequent rewrites replaced him with other kaiju, or, in some cases, the film's concept was dropped entirely. In Shinichi Sekizawa's story treatment for the twelfth Godzilla film, titled The Return of King Ghidorah, Varan was set to appear alongside Rodan as one of Godzilla's allies King Ghidorah, Gigan, and an all-new monster named Mogu. Ultimately Sekizawa reworked his original concept into what became Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), removing Varan and Rodan in favor of Angurius battling alongside Godzilla against Gigan and Ghidorah.

Varan was considered as the main antagonist in the final film of the Heisei series, a reboot of Toho's Godzilla franchise, spanning from 1984 to 1995. In the original story proposal, Varan was intended to be an evil creature and the harbinger of the Apocalypse that arose in the year 1999 to destroy the world. Godzilla and his adopted son would have teamed up to defeat Varan, with the film ending at the start of the new millennium. This story concept was short-lived, with other proposals abandoning the kaiju, the final version would introduce a new kaiju as Godzilla's final antagonist in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).

An early draft of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), featured Varan as one of Japan's guardian monsters. In the draft, Varan was the "White Wind Monster", known originally as Baradaki, who joined forces with the ice creature Anguirus to battle Godzilla in Yokohama. When the fire monster Baragon is revived by a lightning bolt, he joins his comrades in the battle. While all three are slain by Godzilla, they do enough damage to allow the JSDF's advanced warship Gotengo to arrive and ultimately defeat him. The draft was penned by Shusuke Kaneko and approved by producer Shogo Tomiyama, and design for Varan commenced but was halted after the studio rejected the idea of Varan and Anguirus' inclusion, wanting more marketable monsters for the film in response to the disappointing box-office returns of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). Varan was replaced by the more popular Mothra and Anguirus was replaced with King Ghidorah. Designer and modeler Fuyuki Shinada was disappointed with the character's exclusion, compromising by sculpting Varan's facial fins onto the heads of the King Ghidorah suit.

Characteristics
From his silver screen debut in 1958, Varan has undergone little change in subsequent appearances in both film and other media, with each artist and writer adding their own spin to the character while adhering to the character's original portrayal.

Physical appearance
In the original film, Varan is depicted as a massive dinosaur, belonging to the fictional "Varanopode" species. Standing at 50 m, in height, and weighing 15,000 metric tons, Varan is mostly quadrupedal, with the occasional bipedal stance when preparing to glide. The head, which is relatively small in proportion to his body, has a pair of fin-like spines on the sides of his face. A single row of large spines also runs down from the top of his head to the end of his long, prehensile tail. His skin is separated into two distinct portions, the upper portion of Varan's body is covered in a multitude of bumpy, wart-like scales that give the appearance of an external shell, while the lower half is relatively smooth. The most unique feature, however, is the pair of thin membranes between his arms and legs which can unfold from the sides of his torso, similar to a gliding lizard. In Destroy All Monsters, Varan's physical appearance remained relatively the same, however, this version was significantly smaller than the previous incarnation, standing at only 30 m as opposed to the original's 50 m. This gave rise to the notion that the incarnation was a juvenile member of the species and not the original Varan, with some sources listing this incarnation as "Varan (Second Generation)".

Powers and abilities
Varan is portrayed as being easily adaptable to different environments, and equally capable of moving on land, water, and air. Similar to fellow kaiju Godzilla, Varan is perfectly adapted to living underwater and on land. His most unique feature is his ability to fly, which he does through the use of membranes underneath his arms and legs. Unfolding these membranes, Varan is capable of achieving a gliding flight in a manner akin to that of a gliding lizard or flying squirrel, the latter comparison would give rise to the character's nickname in some media as the "Giant Flying Squirrel Monster". In Godzilla Giant Monsters Super Encyclopedia, Varan is listed as being able to glide at up to speeds of Mach 1.5. In the novelization Godzilla 2000, author Marc Cerasini provided an alternate explanation for Varan's gliding ability, adding that the kaiju "somehow separat[ing] the oxygen and hydrogen in water. The creature then expels the oxygen and pumps the hydrogen molecules into sacs along its torso". In both the games and reference materials, Varan is able to use his back spines offensively against his opponents. Tomoyuki Tanaka, producer of Varan and Destroy All Monsters, has written that Varan's back spines can inject an extremely toxic poison into his opponents. However, this ability is never depicted in either of Varan's on-screen appearances, in addition, Tanaka did not clarify if this ability was exclusive to the first or second generation of the kaiju.

In Godzilla: Unleashed, the game developers implemented a new set of abilities for the kaiju, depicting Varan as being capable of communicating through vast distances through the use of sonic waves, an ability that the kaiju could utilize as a form of attack, firing a large beam of sonic energy from his mouth in addition to firing several concentrated balls of sonic energy that detonate on impact.

Legacy
While relatively obscure in comparison to other kaiju in the Godzilla franchise, Varan has retained a longevity within the series. According to web publication Screen Rant, Varan has become a popular character among kaiju fans, with the site including him in their list of "10 of the Most Underrated Kaiju", and later in their "8 New Toho Monsters Who Could Help Godzilla In Godzilla vs. Kong 2", the latter article noted the kaiju's versatility. Varan's design later became highly influential in the Netflix anime series Godzilla Singular Point (2021), where the kaiju's physical appearance was an inspiration for the design of Godzilla Amphibia evolutionary stage.

Varan has also been produced and marketed as merchandise over the years, with various companies releasing their own merchandising line. In 1970, Japanese toy company Bullmark produced a nine-inch Varan vinyl toy. In 1984, Bandai introduced their line of Varan figures for the next thirty years.

title: Varan


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Description: Varmaraf logo. Varmaraf is an Icelandic thermoelectricity company. Drawing by Luis María Benítez. Note: The original image is copyrighted and its use by other institutions is prohibited. Image used in Wikipedia under authorization of Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson, one of the owners. Related links: Drawings by Luis María Benítez.

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E minor

E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F♯, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major.

The E natural minor scale is:

Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The E harmonic minor and melodic minor scales are:

Much of the classical guitar repertoire is in E minor, as this is a very natural key for the instrument. In standard tuning (E A D G B E), four of the instrument's six open (unfretted) strings are part of the tonic chord. The key of E minor is also popular in heavy metal music, as its tonic is the lowest note on a standard-tuned guitar.

Scale degree chords

 * Tonic – E minor
 * Supertonic – F-sharp diminished
 * Mediant – G major
 * Subdominant – A minor
 * Dominant – B minor
 * Submediant – C major
 * Subtonic – D major

Notable compositions

 * Charles-Valentin Alkan
 * Le festin d'Ésope, Op. 39, No. 12, from 12 etudes in all the minor keys
 * Johann Sebastian Bach
 * Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548
 * English Suite No. 5, BWV 810
 * Partita for keyboard in E minor, BWV 830
 * Suite in E minor for solo lute, BWV 996
 * Bourrée in E minor, BWV 996
 * Ludwig van Beethoven
 * String Quartet No. 8
 * Piano Sonata No. 27
 * Johannes Brahms
 * Symphony No. 4
 * Cello Sonata No. 1
 * Fantasies, Op. 116 (5th movement)
 * Four Pieces for Piano, Op. 119 (2nd movement)
 * Frédéric Chopin
 * Nocturne in E minor
 * Piano Concerto No. 1
 * Waltz in E minor
 * Étude Op. 25, No. 5 "Wrong Note"
 * Prelude Op. 28, No. 4 "Suffocation"
 * Franz Danzi
 * Horn Sonata Op. 44
 * Gaetano Donizetti
 * String Quartet No. 18
 * Antonín Dvořák
 * Symphony No. 9 (From the New World)
 * Piano Trio Op. 90
 * String Quartet No. 4
 * Slavonic Dance No. 2, Op. 46
 * Slavonic Dance No. 2, Op. 72
 * Edward Elgar
 * Cello Concerto
 * Sea Pictures
 * Serenade for Strings
 * String Quartet
 * Violin Sonata
 * Louise Farrenc
 * Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 45
 * Edvard Grieg
 * Piano Sonata
 * George Frideric Handel
 * Messiah (overture)
 * Joseph Haydn
 * Symphony No. 44 (Trauer)
 * Ignaz Holzbauer
 * Flute Concerto in E minor
 * Margaret Ruthven Lang
 * Rhapsody in E minor, Op. 24
 * Karol Lipiński
 * Violin Concerto No. 3, Op. 24
 * Franz Liszt
 * Malédiction, S. 121
 * Felix Mendelssohn
 * Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35 (first pair)
 * Violin Concerto
 * String Symphony No. 3 in E minor, MWV N 3
 * Fugue in E minor, MWV W24
 * Albumblatt, Op. 117
 * Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart
 * Rondo for Flute and Piano
 * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
 * Violin Sonata No. 21
 * Die Alte, K. 517
 * Pietro Nardini
 * Sonata No. 6 for two violins and bass
 * Niccolò Paganini
 * Caprice No. 3
 * Caprice No. 15
 * Sergei Prokofiev
 * Montagues and Capulets
 * Franz Schubert
 * Piano Sonata in E minor, D. 566
 * Piano Sonata in E minor, D. 769A
 * Fugue in E minor for four hands, D. 952
 * Dmitri Shostakovich
 * Piano Trio No. 2
 * Symphony No. 10
 * Jean Sibelius
 * Symphony No. 1, Op. 39
 * Bedřich Smetana
 * Die Moldau
 * String Quartet No. 1
 * Sergei Rachmaninoff
 * Moments musicaux, Op. 16, No. 4
 * Symphony No. 2
 * Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
 * Maurice Ravel
 * Le tombeau de Couperin
 * Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
 * Scheherazade
 * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
 * Symphony No. 5
 * Ralph Vaughan Williams
 * Symphony No. 6
 * Symphony No. 9

 * Giuseppe Verdi
 * String Quartet
 * Carl Maria von Weber
 * Horn Concertino

title: E minor