A Reunion After a Long Time — Singing Opera at Karaoke 🎵 (En)

　　　　　　　

Last Saturday, I went to a concert by graduates of a music college—something I rarely do. It was also my first time back at Oji Hall in a while. The program was quite varied, including vocal music, piano, flute, and even koto, performed by people of different ages.

Since I was alone, I prayed that I would have a meaningful time and, if it was God’s will, meet someone I knew. To my surprise, I ran into my former classmates at the venue, and we enjoyed spending time together after the concert.

We first went to a retro-style café, where I chose a yogurt parfait—slightly less guilty, perhaps. Then, as if it were their tradition, we walked from Ginza toward Yurakucho looking for a karaoke place. That walk itself was a joyful time. 😊

         

At karaoke, I realized I could mostly sing only old Japanese songs, the Carpenters, the Beatles, and maybe Queen—with difficulty. Even when I raised the key, things didn’t go well. 😅

Then I found two arias: “Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore” from Tosca and “O mio babbino caro.” Since I had practiced vocalization just two days earlier, I somehow managed to sing them. Opera requires so much breath that I was already sweating after just one song!

About 20 years ago, I had the chance to see Tosca in Prague at the Prague State Opera.

This is the Prague State Opera.

       I watched from a box seat, and the ticket cost less than 5,000 yen, which surprised me.

The ceiling was also beautiful.

The opera was sung in Italian, but the subtitles were in Czech, so I barely understood anything. 😅 I almost fell asleep, but I clearly remember staying wide awake during “Vissi d’arte.”

Prague is one of my favorite cities. I’ve been there twice—once with a childhood friend and once alone. If I go again, I would like to fly there with someone. 😊

If you’re interested, I wrote more about this trip (in Japanese) with additional old photos here:

http://www2.gol.com/users/heidi/diary/europe2006-1.html



にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

“You’d Be Speaking French” — Why King Charles’ Joke Made People Laugh (En)

During his visit to the United States, King Charles III made a witty remark in response to Donald Trump.

Here is the moment:

    

He said:

“If it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French.”

The audience burst into laughter. But why was this so funny? This was a response to a comment that, without the United States, Europe would be speaking German. 

King Charles gently turned it around and said that without Britain, Americans might be speaking French. Even without deep knowledge, this sounds like a clever and polite comeback.

The joke becomes more interesting when we think about history. In 1066, England was conquered by the Normans from France. After that, French became the language of the ruling class in England for many years.

Because of this, the English language still contains many words of French origin. So, when King Charles mentioned "speaking French," he was referring to this historical influence.

The joke also hints that American English itself comes from British history. Without Britain, the language sopken in America might have been very different.

This joke works on two levels:

• It is a quick and polite reply
• It also contains a historical reference

People who know the history understand the deeper meaning, while others can still enjoy the humor.

I smiled when I heard this. Even without knowing all the history, it felt like a gentle and intelligent kind of humor. This is what I find fascinating about British jokes.

Full transcript of the speech:

0:00  Indeed, you recently commented, Mr.

0:02  President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries        would be speaking German. Dare I say that if it wasn't for us,

0:10  you'd be speaking French.

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にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

After the Clover (En/Ger)

I went to the morning prayer meeting yesterday. This is red clover blooming by the river that flows near our church.

I heard that a sister who recently retired has been attending, so I decided to join again last week after quite a long break. Yesterday, we sang many hymns and spent a lot of time in prayer.

The four-leaf and five-leaf clovers I picked last week are still alive and well even after two weeks. They fold their leaves at night and open them during the day, keeping a steady rhythm. It almost feels like keeping a small living creature.

After changing the water at night, I find myself saying “Good night,” and in the morning, “Good morning” without even thinking. 😅

The photo above shows the same place where I found the clovers last week. When I casually looked again the day before yesterday, I quickly found three four-leaf clovers. (There are only two in the photo, though.)

I don’t pick them carelessly anymore, but just as people say online, it seems that white clover makes it easier to find four-leaf ones. 😆

                                                        *****************************

Klee – danach

(Foto)

Gestern bin ich zum Morgengebet gegangen. Das ist Rotklee, der am Fluss neben unserer Kirche blüht.

Ich habe gehört, dass eine Schwester, die vor Kurzem in Rente gegangen ist, teilnimmt.
Darum bin ich seit letzter Woche auch wieder dabei, nach langer Zeit.

Gestern haben wir viele Lieder gesungen und viel gebetet.

(Foto)

Die vierblättrigen und fünfblättrigen Kleeblätter, die ich letzte Woche gepflückt habe, leben auch nach zwei Wochen noch gut. In der Nacht schließen sie ihre Blätter, und am Tag öffnen sie sie wieder.

Sie haben einen regelmäßigen Rhythmus. Es fühlt sich fast so an, als ob ich ein kleines Lebewesen hätte.

Nachts, wenn ich das Wasser wechsle, sage ich „Gute Nacht“, und am Morgen sage ich „Guten Morgen“, ohne nachzudenken. 😅

Das Foto oben ist der gleiche Ort wie letzte Woche. Vorgestern habe ich dort wieder geschaut und sofort drei vierblättrige Kleeblätter gefunden. (Auf dem Foto sind aber nur zwei.)

Ich pflücke sie jetzt nicht mehr einfach so, aber wie man im Internet sagt:
Weißklee hat oft vierblättrige Blätter. 😆

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

How ChatGPT Imagines Me 😅 (En)

Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for ChatGPT on Facebook. One of them said, “Create your own character illustration with ChatGPT Images.”

That made me wonder: since ChatGPT already knows quite a lot about me, how does it actually imagine me? So I asked it to draw my image. And this is what I got. 😅

A European landscape, dictionaries in different languages, an upright piano…
The only things that felt a bit off were the candle and the globe.

I couldn’t help asking, “Who is this? Isn’t she a bit too beautiful?” And the answer was: “I may have made her a little too perfect.” (笑）😅

So I sent my real photo and a picture of me singing a solo at church, and asked for a more realistic version. 

But then I thought, “I don’t have that many wrinkles!” 😅 So I asked for another revision. This version is closer to reality, though it’s still not exactly the same as my real appearance.

What surprised me the most was the room. I never sent a photo of it, but the arrangement looked very similar. In reality, my piano is not an upright but a Clavinova, and the bookshelf is different, but the way the picture and the cross are placed is almost the same.

Even after the revision, it seems ChatGPT still sees me as someone who is always studying. 😅

This one is in a manga style, with the setting of me traveling in Europe.

Looking closely, the names on the signpost are interesting. Except for Venezia, they are all cities I’ve actually visited and loved.

The café sign is in French, which is a bit mysterious. The only French-speaking place I’ve traveled to alone is Belgium. Maybe I mentioned it before… I don’t remember. Anyway, AI is quite amazing. 😅

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

⑯My Faith Journey: Piano (En)

                                            

(A friend advised me that if I wanted to learn how to read sheet music, I should take piano lessons. God quickly provided a teacher. Later, I would also study vocal music with the same teacher.)

One Sunday evening, I called K-chan, who had led me to church, for the first time in a while and asked her how I could learn to read sheet music. She told me that the quickest way would be to take piano lessons. I thought, “I see, that makes sense,” but then wondered how I could find a teacher.

That very same day—or rather, just a few hours later—God provided me with an excellent teacher.

Behind the apartment where I was living at the time, there was a large supermarket. I usually went to the one near the station, but for some reason, only on that day, I went to the one behind my apartment. As I picked up a shopping basket, I happened to notice a bulletin board. Among the various notices, one caught my eye: “Piano lessons available,” posted by a woman who had graduated from a music college.

I sometimes become strangely shy, so I immediately called Sister S and said rather selfishly, “Hey, I saw an ad for piano lessons. Do you want to take lessons? Could you make the inquiry for me?” As it turned out, she had just been thinking about learning the piano herself, so she contacted the teacher right away.

To my surprise, she began lessons immediately—even though she didn’t even have an organ at home—while I, being busy with work, started three months later. At that time, I only had a foot-pumped organ that I had received from church.

Our teacher was a vocalist belonging to the Nikikai, and she was about the same age as we were, which made her very easy to talk to. During piano lessons, she also taught us singing from time to time.

Perhaps I was already too old to start learning the piano. In fact, my mother said to me, “At your age, why would you start now?” But I always say this: “It’s never too late to start something.” That conviction has never changed, no matter how many years pass.

Since a foot-pumped organ cannot produce staccato or dynamic contrast, I later bought an electronic organ at a low price from another church member, Sister N. A few years later, I passed that organ on to Sister S’s niece and purchased a Yamaha Clavinova. Meanwhile, Sister S bought an upright piano.

Through the piano alone, I was already greatly blessed. Our teacher continued to give us lessons even while busy raising her children, and after a few years, I participated in a vocal recital. I sang three Japanese songs. It was the first time I had sung solo since I performed “Yurikago no uta” at a school concert when I was in the second grade.

At present, both my teacher and I are busy, so I have paused both piano and singing. However, I hope to resume them someday—because I long to be able to express myself through music.

Continuation

The above is a testimony I wrote in 1997 about events from much earlier. As of November 10, 2002, I have stopped piano lessons and continue to study vocal music with the same teacher.

------ to be continued -----

p.s.

These testimonies are written in chronological order. Testimonies ①–④ tell how I came to faith in Christ, and the testimonies that follow describe my walk with Him. Please see the link below.

https://heidisstudyroom.blogspot.com/search/label/My%20Faith%20Journey%28%E8%A8%BC%29

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

Singing Solo at Sunday Service: "ほふられたまいし" (Eng/It)

I had the opportunity to sing a solo in church for the first time in a while. I sang Hymn No. 271, “ほふられたまいし,” one key higher than the original. I sang verses 1, 2, and 4, while the congregation sang verse 3. I also sent the recording to my singing teacher for feedback.

Because of my illness, I was unable to use my abdominal muscles for singing for nearly two years, and it has been difficult to sing as I used to. However, my teacher kindly told me that my resonance is gradually returning.

I still have much to learn, but I want to keep going.

I am truly grateful that the Lord continues to use even someone like me, with such small talents. 😊

                                    ********************************************
Assolo al culto domenicale: "ほふられたまいし"

Ho cantato da sola in chiesa dopo tanto tempo. L’inno numero 271, un tono più alto dell’originale. Le strofe 1, 2 e 4, mentre la congregazione ha cantato la strofa 3.

Ho mandato il video alla mia insegnante di canto per studiare.

A causa della mia malattia, per quasi due anni non ho potuto usare bene i muscoli per cantare. Per questo, ora è difficile cantare come prima.

Ma la mia insegnante mi ha detto: “Il suono sta tornando poco a poco.”

Devo ancora studiare molto, ma voglio continuare.

Ringrazio il Signore perché usa anche una persona come me, anche con pochi talenti. 😊

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

🍀 Clover That Sleeps at Night (En)

The four-leaf and five-leaf clovers I picked six days ago have been sitting in a vase, and I’ve been watching them closely. One evening, I noticed that their leaves had closed like little flowers. I thought they might be fading, but after changing the water and leaving them overnight, they opened up again the next morning—fresh and full of life.

After seeing this happen for two days in a row, I realized something. Clover leaves actually close at night as if they are “sleeping.” They are not wilting, but simply resting in their own rhythm. This movement is called nyctinasty and is common among plants in the legume(beans) family.

Even when they seem to droop, they open again in the morning as if nothing had happened. Watching them, I am reminded of the quiet strength and mystery of small living things.

I felt sorry to press them into dried leaves, so I kept them in water. And somehow, this brought back an old memory.

More than thirty years ago, I once bought clams to cook. But when I saw how lively they were moving in the water, I simply couldn’t bring myself to prepare them. Instead, I filled an old decanter with sand and salt water and kept them for a while. 😅

On another occasion, I went to a sushi restaurant with a friend. A shrimp was served still moving on top of the sushi. I couldn’t eat it and said, “I can’t eat it while it’s still alive. Please wait until it’s not.” 😅

Through these small clovers, I found myself remembering things I had completely forgotten. 😊

※“nyctinasty”は夜行性という意味ではなく、植物が昼と夜に応じて葉を開いたり閉じたりする動き（就眠運動）のことです。



にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

🍀A Double Blessing: Rare Clovers and Joyful News (En/Ger)

When I fell ill, I lost a great deal of weight and strength. To rebuild my stamina, I began going out every day to shop. Instead of buying a week’s worth of groceries at once, I made several small trips so that I could spend more time outdoors.

Two days ago, I went shopping while enjoying a short walk. On my way home, I stopped on a whim and discovered a five-leaf clover. To my surprise, I also found a four-leaf clover—both within less than two minutes.

I am more drawn to modest wildflowers such as violets and dandelions than to large, showy blooms. I brought the clovers home, but when they began to wilt, I felt sorry to press them. So I placed them in a vase, and by the next morning, they had revived beautifully.

As a Christian, I do not believe in superstition. However, clovers are widely known as symbols of good fortune. Traditionally, a four-leaf clover represents hope, faith, love, and luck, while a rare five-leaf clover symbolizes prosperity, wealth, success, and blessing.

Clover also has a connection with Christianity. According to tradition, St. Patrick of Ireland used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the doctrine of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Although this story is a later tradition, it remains meaningful to many.

Rather than viewing them as lucky charms, I see them as expressions of God’s beautiful creation.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30 NIV)

Recently, I also received joyful news. A Christian brother who had undergone treatment for stage IV cancer was once told that the closure of his stoma would be impossible. Refusing to give up, he prayed and sought further opinions. At last, a hospital confirmed that the surgery was feasible, and he is now preparing for it in May.

Because of this wonderful news, finding the rare clovers felt like a small gift from God—filling my heart with double joy. 😊

                                                      ********************************

🍀Ein doppelter Segen: Seltene Kleeblätter und frohe Nachrichten

Als ich krank war, verlor ich viel Gewicht und Kraft. Um wieder stärker zu werden, ging ich jeden Tag einkaufen und nach draußen.

Vor zwei Tagen entdeckte ich auf dem Heimweg zufällig ein fünfblättriges Kleeblatt. Kurz darauf fand ich auch ein vierblättriges Kleeblatt.

Ich bin Christin und glaube nicht an Glücksbringer. Doch ich sehe diese Kleeblätter als Zeichen der Schönheit von Gottes Schöpfung.

Am selben Tag erhielt ich auch eine frohe Nachricht über einen Glaubensbruder. Deshalb empfand ich diese Entdeckung als einen kleinen doppelten Segen von Gott.

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

今年度の各NHKラジオ語学講座について

新年度になり、NHKラジオ語学講座はいくつかの変更がありました。3月30日から、AMから、「NHK FM」にお引越しとなりました。又、「ラジオ英会話」と「ラジオビジネス英語」のテキストは、50円値上がりして710円になり、「まいにちドイツ語」と「まいにちイタリア語」は680円のままでした。Kindle版は少しお安くなっています。

それから、「ラジオ英会話」の放送時間が6:45というのは変わりません。高2からの習慣なので、これは良かったです。「ラジオビジネス英語」は23:20と遅い時間になり、ドイツ語とイタリア語に至っては、それぞれ真夜中の1:30と2:15になりました。😅

英語以外の講座は、リアルタイムでの継続がかなり難しくなりました。私は、どっちみち、1週間分を聴くことが出来る「らじるらじる」の「聴き逃し」の語学ジャンルを利用していますので、自分のペースで聴いていこうと思っています。各講座を短めに紹介します。

前年度は各品詞の使い方等文法寄りだったのですが、今年度は日常会話に役立つ実践的な英語表現を学べる講座になっています。ネイティブの感覚に基づいた自然なフレーズを通して、英語を理解するだけでなく、使いこなす力を養っています。中級レベルの人にはちょっと易しく感じるかも知れません。

実際のビジネスシーンを想定した実践的な英語を学べる講座です。メール表現や交渉、プレゼンテーションに役立つ語彙と表現を体系的に習得出来ます。今年度は再放送ではなく新講座となっており、外資系企業への転職活動から始まっています。過去に外資系で何度か転職しているので、個人的には何だか懐かしい気持です。

前年度後半は中級レベルに近いくらい難しかったのですが、今年度前半は挨拶から始まっているように、基礎から学べる初心者向けの講座になっています。発音や基本文法を声に出しながら身につけ、実践的な表現も学ぶことが出来ます。

前年度後半に引き続き、朝比奈先生が担当です。番組内のトレーニングを通して、初心者でも無理なく学べるイタリア語の入門講座です。基本文法や表現を実践的な会話を通して習得し、自然なコミュニケーション力を養います。

放送時間が5分と短いです。6:00からの放送です。テキストは買っていませんが、たまたま１週間聴いてみただけです。😅約500語の英文を多読・多聴するスタイルです。曜日別テーマが決まっていて、平易な英語で書かれた物語や解説を楽しみながら学べそうです。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

23:35からの放送になります。市販のテキストがなく、番組当日の直前に「放送予定」の一番上に出て来ます。翌日のテキストは見ることが出来ません。過去の放送は「過去のエピソード」で聴けて、テキストも見ることが出来ます。最新の国際ニュースを英語で学び、語彙力とリスニング力を高める講座です。時事問題に触れながら実践的な英語表現を身につけることができます。

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング

Easter Music, Choir, and a Few Easter Eggs 🐣 (En)

This Easter, I had the joy of singing with our church choir and orchestra.

From Haydn to Handel, it was a beautiful time of music, worship, and quiet blessings.

 

At our Easter thanksgiving service the other day, we had the opportunity to perform "Die Himmel erählen die Ehre Gottes" from Haydn's The Creation together with our church orchestra for the first time. Although the entire work lasts about 1 hour and 45 minutes, this piece itself is about four minutes long. It is also the original melody of hymn No.116, "みそらはみかみの."

The solo parts of Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael are sung by soprano, tenor, and bass. In the actual performance, Y-chan sang the soprano solo, but I had been practicing as her substitute. The melody stays mostly around E-flat and D, which is rather low for sopranos and therefore difficult to sing.

The text is based on Psalm 19:1–4:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. (Psalms 19:1-4 NIV)

In contrast to Haydn’s work, we also sang from Handel’s Messiah, focusing on the theme of the Passion: “Behold the Lamb of God” and “Surely, He hath borne our griefs.”

We then sang the well-known “Hallelujah Chorus,” joined by the children’s choir and accompanied by the orchestra. This piece is sung not only at Easter, but also at Christmas and Pentecost.

Finally, we sang “はかのなかに,” and from the middle of the piece, the entire congregation joined us, ending the service in a powerful chorus of praise.

One of our choir members, who had moved away after Christmas, was able to come back to church for the first time in a while. I prayed that she will once again be able to attend regularly and sing with us as before.　

As for my growing collection of Easter eggs, I now have six. Our church uses hollow eggs, not boiled ones, so they can be kept. This year, I added a simple pink egg—and even used two of them for my Easter wreath. I’m sure I’ll use them again next year as well. 😊

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング