To imprecate or not: Psalm 137 and its appropriation in music

Psalm 137 opens with lament and closes with one of the most strident imprecations in the Psalter. Read against the backdrop of the Babylonian exile, the imprecation incorporates both Edom and Babylon, concluding with the words “Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock.” The closing verses have proven to be problematic for commentators. The tension is well expressed by R. Clifford, who states “Psalm 137 has the distinction of having one of the most beloved opening lines and the most horrifying closing line of any psalm. If the psalm ended at verse 6, it would be in the top ten.” This psalm has been set to music on numerous occasions, both within the realms of liturgical music, and also within popular music. Boney M’s catchy ‘By the Rivers of Babylon’ and the wistful round popularised on Don McLean’s American Pie album demonstrate well Clifford’s assertion about the top ten potential of Ps 137. In both versions the lyrics are drawn only from the first four verses of the psalm, and one wonders if they would have gained popularity had the full text been used. The current paper explores two musical settings of Ps 137, taking into consideration the role of the composer as interpreter of the text, and the impact of the decisions made by the composer with regard to our own reading of the psalm. The central argument is that the inclusion of the closing imprecation, and the wording of that imprecation, has a significant impact on the musical aesthetics of the resultant composition, and on the subsequent reading of the psalm by its new readers/ hearers. Conversations: An e-journal from the Uniting Church is published by the Centre for Theology and Ministry This article originated as a paper presented at the Society of Biblical Literature Conference held in Auckland, July, 2008

Peer reviews: What can we learn from our students?

This paper describes lessons learnt whilst using an online peer review system in an undergraduate unit for pre-service teachers. In this unit students learn to use information technologies as part of their future teaching practice. The unit aims to foster graduates who become life-long reflective educators by providing opportunities to explore and reflect on how they might use technology in authentic learning situations. Whilst peer review is an appropriate activity for supporting critical thinking and reflective practice in this kind of unit, it requires a number of decisions to be made in relation to student preparation and support, implementation strategy, and technological infrastructure to make it work in specific contexts. Much research has been conducted in recent years to inform educators in making these decisions. However, there are still gaps in the research, particularly in how to improve the quality and consistency of feedback that students give to each other in their feedback. This paper describes the experiences of implementing an online peer review system aiming to improve quality and consistency of feedback. This exploration has revealed that we can learn much about ways to improve our teaching practices by giving students an opportunity to review each other’s work and give each other feedback

María de Fonseca (c. 1486-1521) and the Marquis of Zenete (1473-1523): Aristocratic rebels and patrons of Renaissance culture

La historia de Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, marqués de Zenete, el hijo primogénito del Cardenal Mendoza, y su segunda mujer María de Fonseca podría proporcionar a un escritor material más que suficiente para escribir una novela apasionante, y ciertamente merece ser mejor conocida, sobre todo en el mundo anglófono. Entre otras cosas, este artículo arroja algo de luz sobre la condición social vulnerable de la mujer en España durante la baja Edad Media y el Renacimiento, cuando había más oportunidades educativas para las damas de la nobleza, y pone en duda el supuesto papel jugado por la reina Isabel en defensa de la libertad y los derechos de la mujer; y discute cómo el marqués de Zenete expresó su personalidad en letras e invenciones, y en inscripciones en latín sobre los paredes de su palacio deLa Calahorra, e introdujo en España muchas características del arte y arquitectura italianos, casi como desafío al status quo. El autor da una explicación a las palabras NULA SECUNDA escritas sobre un arpa que el marqués dio como regalo al príncipe don Juan. Se discute la posible significación de una citación de Ovidio antiguamente en el Salón de los Marqueses en el Palacio de La Calahorra, y se llama la atención sobre la presencia de las hermanas Fonseca en la anónima Carajicomedia.The story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza, Marquis of Zenete, Cardinal Mendoza’s eldest son, and his second wife María de Fonseca would furnish a writer with ample material for an exciting novel and certainly deserves to be better known, especially in the Anglophone world. Among other things, this article sheds some light on the vulnerable status of women in late medieval and Renaissance Spain at a time when noble ladies had greater educational opportunities, and casts doubt on the alleged role played by Queen Isabel in championing the freedom and the rights of women; and it discusses how the Marquis of Zenete expressed his personality through jousting invenciones and inscriptions in Latin on the walls of his palace of La Calahorra, and introduced many features of Italian art and architecture into Spain almost in defiance of the status quo. The author explains why the Marquis wrote the words NULA SECUNDA on a harp that he gave as a present to Prince Juan. The possible significance of a quotation by Ovid formerly in the Salón de los Marqueses in the Palace of La Calahorra is discussed, and attention drawn to the appearance of the Fonseca sisters in the anonymous Carajicomedia

CTE Instructor Retention: Considering the Factors Impacting Turnover and How Use of Funding Affects Instructor Satisfaction

Career Technical Education (CTE) has become a focal point in modern education. In addition to offering benefits to the individuals enrolled in programs, the associated careers often fill the greatest needs in the United States’ workforce. This qualitative study sought to answer how the nearly $1.3 billion of federal funds combined with additional local and state investments could be used to assist with CTE instructor retention moving forward. Health Science education was focused upon in this study because of the employee shortage within associated careers and the consistent employment opportunities nationwide, but findings can be applied to other CTE areas as well. The three participants and critical informant shared stories regarding their experiences in education and their use of funding. These stories shed light on how new instructors in CTE could use funds to improve their own career satisfaction and remain in education

The characterisation of God in Lamentations

One of the dominant characters within the book of Lamentations is God. God is spoken about and spoken to, although the voice of God is never heard. Various voices within the text speak of God, describing both God’s actions and God’s attributes. These descriptions give rise to various, and at times conflicting images: God is the violent destroyer of the city and her inhabitants; God is an absent God, whose presence is longed for; God is a God of steadfast love and mercy; God is the one in whom future hope lies. This paper analyses the multifaceted portrayal of the character of God as constructed in the book of Lamentations, exploring the implications of that characterisation for our understanding of the theology of Lamentations

Constructing meaning in the face of suffering: Theodicy in lamentations

This article explores the existence of theodic elements within the book of Lamentations. Drawing on the typology outlined by A. Laato and J. C. de Moor (Th eodicy in the World of the Bible [Leiden, 2003]) it is identified that Lamentations explores both retributive and educative theodicy within its poems. Other theodic solutions are not, however, present. Although these theodic solutions are present, it cannot be argued that Lamentations constitutes a theodicy as such. Rather, the poems raise and in turn subvert a range of possible theodic assertions in response to the existential crisis which emerged in the wake of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE

Otra mirada al poema de Guevara A una partida qu’el rey don Alfonso fizo de Arévalo

There are good reasons for taking another look at Guevara’s A una partida qu’el rey don Alfonso fizo de Arévalo. Brian Dutton, Ana María Rodado Ruiz, Óscar Perea Rodríguez and Vicenç Beltran concur that the poem concerns the departure of Isabel of Castile’s brother, Prince Afonso el Inocente, from Arévalo between 1465 and 1468, and this is now generally accepted. However, Patrick Gallagher (1968: 190), in his edition of the poetry of Garci Sánchez de Badajoz, expresses the view that the king in question is Afonso V of Portugal, who, after marrying his neice Juana la Beltraneja in Plasencia, had spent two months in Arévalo in the summer of 1475, plotting with noble dissidents to overthrow Enrique IV of Castile. Gallagher’s opinion, if incorrect, deserves at least to be refuted.Hay buenas razones para efectuar otra aproximación al poema A una partida qu’el rey don Alfonso fizo de Arévalo de Guevara. Brian Dutton, Ana María Rodado Ruiz, Óscar Perea Rodríguez y Vicenç Beltran coinciden en que el poema se refiere a la partida del hermano Isabel de Castilla, el Príncipe Afonso el Inocente, de Arévalo entre 1465 y 1468, y esto ahora es generalmente aceptado. Sin embargo, Patrick Gallagher, en su edición de la poesía de Garci Sánchez de Badajoz, expresa la opinión de que el rey en cuestión es Afonso V de Portugal, quien, después de casarse con su sobrina Juana la Beltraneja en Plasencia, había pasado dos meses en Arévalo en el verano de 1475, conspirando con nobles disidentes para derrocar a Enrique IV de Castilla. La opinión de Gallagher, si es incorrecta, merece al menos ser refutada

The Strength of Internet Ties

Presents findings from a survey that examines how Americans use the Internet and email to support and expand their social networks and access resources for assistance in making major life decisions

The piano music of George Frederick Pinto

This dissertation explores the piano music of George Frederick Pinto, in the light of the output of the London Pianoforte School. After a discussion of Pinto in the context of his peers, the thesis examines Pinto’s professional career and the history of the reception of his works, using new information that has been made available by Chadwick’s online database of the British periodical press. This is followed by a discussion of his most significant works – the three Grand Sonatas for pianoforte, focusing on some of the influences on Pinto; and uses Hepokoski and Darcy’s Sonata Theory to make an analysis of the first movements of these works. Through this analysis I demonstrate the value and sophistication of these works, in the hope of bringing Pinto and his works to the greater attention of the musical community

UK-Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding Written Evidence

This written evidence is primarily concerned with the question of whether the UK can externalise its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention (as amended by the 1967 Protocol) by outsourcing refugee status determination to Rwanda. In doing so, it addresses paragraphs 1, 6, 7 and 8 of Call for Evidence