There is something reassuring in how time keeps moving, no matter what.
Indeed, time does not stop when we are facing adversities or when we are in good periods of our lives.
Time also keeps moving when we fall in or out of love.
Time does not stop when we lose our dearest ones… and when they lose us.
Time is just time… and life is beautiful, even when it is tough at times.
Some of our loved ones may be in different time zones.
Some of our dear ones are in a different and timeless world… we miss them, we remember them, and we honour their memory (whether in our own personal times or at specific spiritual rituals, etc.).
Bearing the above in mind, Bambi does not want this year to end without remembering her friends Pat, Nadia, Raymond, Khalil, Kavana, and the adorable Abeer gone too soon (as per the older posts at the end of this one). She also remembers your mom, Rita. May God know how to comfort the broken hearts of their family members… and to support them in keep moving forward, just like time.
To conclude this post on a joyful note, once again life is beautiful (with our loved ones close, far, or very far in that timeless, unknown world). Luckily for us, as Bambi has always thought since her migration to Canada at age 17, it is the distance between the hearts that matters the most in life (more than the geographical or timely distance). As for our own time, well it is up to us to to make the best out of it: To appreciate it, to use it, to pause it, to remember it, be homesick or hopeful about it, and to keep dreaming it.
First of all, who is Dr.
Timothy Jackson? And who is Schenker?
Dr. Timothy L. Jackson is an American music theory professor of Canadian
origins. Indeed, he was born in Ottawa, Ontario (1958). He received his B.A.
(1979) from McGill University in Montreal, Québec, and his PhD (1998)
from the City University of New York.
For those who do not know it, Dr. Jackson is the son of a most talented and famous painter, Ms. Sarah Jackson. Bambi is honoured to have had the opportunity to appreciate her world-renowned work (that even includes poetry). Bambi is referring to her overall work, but also particularly her very heart-touching Holocaust paintings featuring some of its anguish on children (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jackson_(artist)).
To come back to Dr. Timothy Jackson, this highly productive and inspiring
scholar of music devoted most of his brilliant career at the University of
North Texas, where he specializes in the music of the eighteenth-twentieth
centuries, including Schenkerian theory.
Among his most significant contributions, we owe Dr. Jackson the foundation of the Journal of Schenkerian Studies (first published in 2005), a peer reviewed academic journal that specializes in music theory/analysis with a focus on Schenkerian analysis. From 2005 to 2020, this journal ran smoothly and enriched the field of music theory. It is only in 2020, in our collectively insane times, that the Schenkerian controversy saga began.
Recently, Dr. Jackson, published a thoughtful article in Quillette
about his saga (https://quillette.com/2021/12/20/the-schenker-controversy/).
Bambi will try to describe it to you in this post, using this article as well
as court documents. If, like Bambi, you are disturbed by injustice in life, you
will be shocked by his case… you have been warned!
Bambi was already moved by the first sentence of this article, which reads
as follows:
“Located in the Neue Israelitische Friedhof [the New Jewish Cemetery]
just outside Vienna, the epitaph of one of the greats of music theory reads,
“Here lies he who perceived the soul of music and proclaimed its laws in the
spirit of the greats like no one before him, Heinrich Schenker.”
These are the words Dr. Jackson used to introduce Mr. Heinrich Schenker:
“While Schenker might still be unknown to the general public and even to many music theorists, his glowing self-assessment has been taken seriously by scholars since the 1960s. With a gigantic musical mind and vision, Schenker has assumed the status of an Albert Einstein or a Sigmund Freud in the arena of classical music theory, upon which he bestowed the gift of his analytical approach, and his superb ear and musicality.”
Dr. Timothy Jackson at Schenker’s tomb There is a beautiful Jewish custom to lay a small stone as a token of respect, which he did. Dr. Jackson also said a few words of the Kaddish prayer over Schenker’s grave.
Imagine that a giant like Heinrich Schenker is now considered by almost the
“entire profession of music theory in America” as a “virulent racist…
a Jewish Nazi sympathizer, no less”, to use the words of Dr. Jackson
himself. What kind of America (and Canada) are we now living in to come to such
an absurd conclusion?
The most absurd and shocking accusation made against Schenker’s legacy is
the following: His disciples, of whom MOST were German-born Jewish refugees who
escaped the Nazis, have “deceptively colluded to hide the racist character
and origins of Schenkerian music theory”.
It is in this wokeism spirit that in, July of 2020, the Journal of
Schenkerian Studies and its Founder/Editor, Dr. Jackson himself, were
subjected to a massive censorship (or cancellation) attempt over their
reasonable efforts to counter an attack on Schenker as well Schenkerian music
theorists, and even methodology (by Dr. Philip Ewell of Hunter College).
Imagine, that Dr. Jackson was branded as “racist” when we know what
this highly negatively emotionally charged defamatory word means (this is the
equivalent of “Israeli spy” in countries like Lebanon!). Why? Because of his
critique of Ewell’s views. Can you imagine how dark our current collectively
insane times are right now? We are unable to use reason, scholarly writing or
critical thinking anymore. We seem to prefer the ideologies, stemming from the
so-called Critical Race Theory, that are blinding our hearts, making us
push agendas over science and facts, and preventing us from connecting,
communicating, and debating (as we are supposed to be doing at universities!).
The most shocking part for Bambi was to read that the University of North Texas initiated an “ad hoc” investigation of its own Dr. Jackson and his journal… all in the name of “combatting racism”!!
Dr. Jackson lost almost his whole European family in the Holocaust, so that he and his parents understood real racism very well The picture of all these family members was taken in Pabjanice, Poland, just before the Holocaust. The elderly man is Dr. Jackson’s great grandfather Littman Blumstein (German spelling). The men in the photo are his sons (his maternal grandmother’s older brothers) with their wives and children. Most of the children were younger than Dr. Jackson’s parents… All of these people were murdered by the Nazis (the REAL ones, not the empty words of our collectively insane times)!
Bravo to you, Dr. Jackson, for fighting back by filing a lawsuit against your university and some of your colleagues, for violation of academic freedom and defamation. Good luck for the litigation in process while awaiting the Federal Judge Amos Mazzant III to issue a ruling as to whether the case can go to court. Bambi will be praying for you and your clever legal team, Dr. Jackson (she had the chance to listen to you and your lawyer online in the past).
This link: https://www.nas.org/storage/app/media/New%20Documents/Full%20COmplaint%20and%20exhibits.pdf, which is also provided in the Quillette article, makes available ALL of the documents of the original complaint, including the exhibits. Anyone who wishes to know the full truth about how the Symposium was proposed, assembled and edited, and who is looking for a full accounting of the roles played by all of the editors in conceiving and producing the Symposium, along with the detailed information made available to the “ad hoc” committee prior to the issuing of its report, will find the full documentation at this link.
Dr. Jackson’s parents with Regine, one of his mother’s only two cousins who managed to survive This picture was taken in England in the early 1950s. Regine was saved by a neighbour who lived across the street in Paris. The courageous neighbour had a farm. Regine spent three years hiding in the neighbour’s barn, near starvation – miraculously she lived. “Can you imagine spending ages 9-12 cooped up in a barn, never allowed to go out, and hungry most of the time, just in order to live?” . Well said, Dear Dr. Timothy Jackson… YES LET’S JUST IMAGINE.
As Bambi was fascinated by the beautiful picture above, she inquired about Regine. She learned from Dr. Jackson the following that he generously accepted to share with you too, as her blog’s readers: While Regine was his mother’s first cousin, “she met and was friendly with his father much earlier in her life than his own mother (the two families were already related by another marriage between them). Then came the Nazi occupation of France“. While Dr. Timothy Jackson’s “father and his family were relatively safe in London (although his father almost died in the bombing), Regine and her parents were caught in Nazi-occupied Paris. A friendly Gentile woman from across the street hid and fed Regine and her parents in the barn of her cottage in the country for almost three years. They all almost went crazy in that dark barn with nothing to do and intense hunger. One day, her father could not stand it any more, so that he went out, and he was caught and murdered” (may his memory be eternal, Bambi is saying in her heart now…). ” After that, Regine and her mother never left the barn, and they miraculously survived. After the war, Regine’s mother remarried to a man who was also a survivor whose pre-war wife and children had perished in the Holocaust. This man became Regine’s step-father”.
A Jewish New Year’s card from Regine’s parents shortly before the war and the occupation
This is the first page of the immigration documents of Dr. Jackson’s grandmother Rose Blumstein This amazing woman said goodbye to her mother, father, and six older brothers in Pabjanice, Poland, and left for America by herself. Unbelievable for a single Jewish girl at age 21 to go to America by herself. She had to wait until she turned 21 to go because her parents were opposed. Naturally, because she was their only daughter. Luckily for her, she emigrated in 1924, because after that the Eugenicists in America slammed the doors to Jewish immigrants from Central Europe, regarding them as human trash.
In reflecting about his grandmother, Dr. Jackson asked himself the following question: “Why did my grandma take that extraordinary step? She said that she wanted to be free – and she could not stand the anti-Semitism in Poland and Europe generally. She did not want to be forced to walk in the street as *a dirty Jew*. She never saw her parents again. Her mother died of natural causes in 1930, and her father, along with five of her six older brothers and all but two children (Regine being one), died in the Holocaust”.
Regarding the above, Bambi will pause her writing now for a few seconds to pray and honour the memory of Dr. Jackson’s family in her heart… may their memory be eternal. As a deer, a human being, a colleague, a fellow citizen (+ USA neighbour too), and, most importantly to her, as a friend/sibling in humanity: she is honoured to post the picture, the immigration document, and share with you the story of the inspiring Ms. Rose Blumstein, thanks to her beloved grandson for his generosity and trust. Once again, how could anyone, with an ounce of common sense, reason, and fairness left in his mind, accuse this man full of humanity of being a racist?!
A picture of the lady (on the right) who saved Regine (the little girl with her mother just before mother, father, and daughter went into hiding)
In relation to the beautiful picture above, Bambi will allow herself to borrow Dr. Timothy Jackson’s own moving words about the compassionate woman shown above: “This otherwise ordinary lady was unbelievably courageous. This lady is the kind of person who gives one hope, even in the darkest times.”
Finally, and to conclude this post, Bambi would like to use Dr. Timothy Jackson’s own story and end with his own wise words filled with humanity and compassion.
First, perhaps contrary to others who pretend to hold the monopoly of truth, Dr. Jackson knows what he is talking about. Not just his scholarly analysis and writing, but also his own family story and roots. His Central European Jewish grandmother spoke German. Dr. Jackson chose to learn German in school to be able to communicate with his beloved grandma. He then learned German in both Austria (like Schenker) and Germany (if Bambi gets it right, Schenker identified as both German and Jew too), as a PhD student in München (or Munich). Furthermore, he later refined his German training, as a post-doctoral fellow in Vienna for two years. Following this, he taught Schenkerian analysis in Germany at the University of Erlangen as a Fulbright professor for another full year. This mastery of German is surely lacking in his woke colleagues. Bambi can only agree with Dr. Jackson that a thorough command of German is the sine qua non for any serious discussion of Schenker and his work.
Last but not least, if she may, Bambi will stop here and end this post with the following beautiful words by Dr. Jackson: “When I listen to Marian Anderson sing “Go Down, Moses,” I think, as the descendent of a generation that miraculously survived the Holocaust, that Blacks and Jews with their common history of oppression, should never forget that shared experience; nor should they ever falsify history per se.” (Dr. Timothy Jackson, 2021).
What a beautiful and moving performance by two GREAT singers that Bambi adores, Mr. Enrico Macias (she had the chance to listen to more than once in Montreal) and Mr. Kendji Girac.
At the bottom of this post, if you wish, you can read the English lyrics of Mr. Macias’ eternal song that Bambi “stole” for you from a blog, thanks to its anonymous author:
The talented singer Bambi discovered yesterday (see earlier post with his more joyful song, if you wish) is still on her mind this morning :). This is how she just discovered a video of his VERY powerful song about Beirut (produced in July, 2021, almost a year after its surrealistic port blast).
As a reminder, the Beirut blast remains unaccountable (welcome to Lebanon’s notorious impunity…). Another opportunity here to say, once again, bravo and best wishes to the Honourable Judge Tarek Bitar, leading the investigation of the Beirut explosion. Same for all those who believe in the the rule of law (some of them lost their lives because of their principles).
The song has English lyrics!
Of note, the video shows some brief moving images of destruction and injured people from the Beirut blast. It also features more beautiful images of Beirut and of the Cedars of Lebanon.
To conclude, Bambi will just say: Thank you Mr. Hicham El Hajj. Your song is highly recommended to listen to… especially by Lebanese politicians!
Bambi just heard this happy song on her internet radio. It is simply a call to dance!
In this brief post, she will share it with you, hoping you will like it. It is in Arabic and it is all about family and/or friends coming together to be happy/celebrate (maybe a wedding? Maybe a graduation? Maybe just a social gathering?). Not surprising that it is entitled “Yalla Nefrah!” and it has the word Mabrouk in it toward the end 🙂 [Come on, let’s rejoice!].
Thank you Mr. Hicham El Hajj for cheering the people of your country up. Bambi is happy she discovered you/your song today :)!
“Yalla (= Come on!) let’s be happy, dance, and have fun (twice).
The world will become more beautiful because we are happy.
The atmosphere will become merrier because we are rejoicing together.
Let’s laugh and let our laughters embellish this place.
Thank you Ms. Andy the Frenchy for your parody version about the “line up” of “Câlisse Covidad” :)!
For those who do not know the beautiful French-Canadian language, here is a quick explanation for you: The word “câlisse” is a curse. It has its origins in the Roman Catholic church tradition. It refers to the communion chalice. It may seem odd (and maybe even somehow sad) when we first hear it for the first time. However, when we learn the history of the very domineering Catholic church in Québec and this province’s silent revolution, we understand where the curse comes from. We even smile when we hear it. Plus, the colourful vocabulary of the adorable people of Québec teaches us that Québeckers use many religious objects as swear-words (not just this one)! If we are well integrated to Québec, we may even hear ourselves using some of these swear-words :).
Mind you, related to the above, Lebanon also has one curse that refers to ALL religions or rather ANY one of the 18 official ones. It means: “Cursed be your religion” (almost all the others are related to sex and honour).
Now, to come back to Ms. Andy the Frenchy’s parody of a Christmas song, the latter is about Covid-19 and how people are being fed-up of the public health management of the pandemic, especially when it comes to the long line-ups in the cold, outside of pharmacies, to get a rapid test.
Thank you and Merry coronavirus-free Christmas to you Ms. Andy the Frency! Merci pour votre parodie qui a fait rire Bambi 🙂
Wherever you are and whomever you are, Bambi would like to wish each one of you reading this post the following: Merry Christmas eve, day, and season!
This being said, Bambi would like to thank her cousin Tony for sharing the following joyful message of Christmas wishes from out of the Saint George Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. This historic and university-hospital was heavily damaged (and closed for the first time of its history!) in the Beirut blast. It sadly lost MANY staff and several patients on that doomed August 4, 2020. Today, this hospital is sending a message of hope, love, peace, and wishes of prosperity. It is telling Lebanon and the whole world: Merry Christmas everyone!
The second video, well Bambi received it from her dad in Beirut and her friend Mona in Montreal. It is the voice of a talented singer from Lebanon called Ms. Chantal Bitar. Merci à vous deux!
As for the third one, it is Laylat Al Milad and Bambi would like to dedicate it to all those who appreciate its deep meaning, including a faithful commentator of Bambi’s posts (he will recognize himself :). Thank you for all your contributions.
Bambi paid tribute to Judge Tarak Bitar more than once on this blog.
From Wikipedia, we learn that he was born in a village in Akkar and earned his law degree from the Lebanese University in 1999. He worked as a lawyer and then became the “sole criminal judge of North Lebanon until 2010“. Following this, and since 2017, he has been the head of the Criminal Court in Beirut. He is now leading the Beirut blast (of April 4, 2020) investigation, taking this huge responsibility after the removal of Judge Fadi Sawan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarek_Bitar).
Bambi learned from watching several media channels, national and French, that Senior Lebanese Professors of Law agree that Judge Tarek Bitar is both highly competent (incredible academic performance and professional journey) and HONEST. What a beautiful combination in life. Add to it what Lebanon’s people, diaspora, and friends around the world have discovered in him: A man of courage!
As a reminder, the surrealistic Beirut port explosion was “caused by a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that was stored haphazardly at Beirut port for years“.
Shockingly, Lebanon’s “top political and security officials knew of the dangers posed by the shipment but failed to take action“.
Not surprisingly, and as per l’Orient Today, “the powerful Shiite party Hezbollah is leading demands to remove Bitar“.
Believe it or not, EVEN if Lebanon has been diving into hell at a scary speed, “its ministers have said they will boycott cabinet sessions until an official decision is taken to replace him“.
As a consequence, the Lebanese government that was finally formed in September, 2021, “to address an unprecedented economic crisis, has failed to meet since October, despite mounting woes”!
Isn’t it both shocking and sad when a troubled country is totally paralyzed by its criminals like that?
Regardless, in Bambi’s mind, Judge Tarek Bitar is a REAL hero keeping hope alive in his country. Hope for truth and justice. Hope for accountability (for once!). Hope for democracy. This is why, and more than once, she has (symbolically) nominated him for a Peace Nobel Prize on this blog!
Lebanon, Canada, and the entire world need independent and courageous judges like the honourable Tarek Bitar. Thanks to him and, once again (perhaps more than ever), may God protect him (and his family)!
To conclude this post on a musical note tribute to Beirut following its blast, here is a moving song by Mr. Ghassan Saliba… If you are interested, here is a quick translation from an earlier post by Bambi:
“Is it possible to go back in time and forget what happened
In the city
inhabited by sadness and destruction?
Is it possible,
one of these days, to extinguish the fire
In the hearts
they have burned and made them collapse?
Is it
possible, one of these days, to resume writing poems
about the beautiful
city we fell in love with and keep waiting and waiting for?
Is it
possible, one of these days, to be able to erase what happened to this sad city
So the journey
can begin?
The bewildered population of this country when it has no decision-making
It begs for justice from any place and any forum of decision-making
Is it
possible, one of these days, to do something for the many who have survived
Reach the end of the story and put an end to the defeat?
Is it possible, one of these days, that the generations that do not chose their destiny
will get rid of this injustice and change the course of history?
One day will come when all the secrets will be uncovered
And this stubborn land will be crowned with glory…“
Bambi discovered a Lebanese singer yesterday, thanks to one of her two favourite internet radio stations (the one with a Lebanese-American flavour and the other is from Québec). His name is Mr. Christian El Khazen. His voice is pure to Bambi’s non-musical ears and moving to her heart. OK, Bambi is far from being a music expert (she sings like a frog). However, as her dad taught her when she was very young, her ears are tools to appreciate the talent of others… In turn, she hopes you will enjoy listening to this singer!
His first song is Petit Papa Noël that Bambi grew up thinking that it was her favourite song ever :). OK–Perhaps it is still one of her favourite ones at her older age.
The second song is Ave Maria. As your maid of honour, Bambi will dedicate it to you Rania and Rabih. You know why :)!
The rest of the songs below are just fun for Bambi to listen to ahead of Christmas. Thank you, Mr. Christian El Khazen!
