Monthly Archives: December 2015

Finale 7 – Lucia Di Lammermoor Act 2

The finale to Act 2 of Donizetti’s masterpiece starts immediately after the conclusion of the famous sextet. Edgardo has stormed into Lammermoor Castle outraged that Lucia is about to marry someone else. She has been tricked into agreeing to a marriage favorable to her brother’s straightened situation. When Edgardo is shown the marriage contract that…


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Commentary on Genesis 50:19-21

“Have no fear, for am I in place of God? Though you intended me harm, God intended it for good, in order to accomplish what is now the case, to keep alive a numerous people. Now, therefore, have no fear – I will provide for you and your little ones.” This is what Joseph, near…


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Death Panels and Futile Care

As the federal government becomes progressively more intertwined in the delivery and reimbursement of medical care, there are more discussions about ‘Death Panels’ and the denial of ‘futile’ care. Often, the two get conflated, but they are quite different. Commentators who clearly are well intentioned often get very confused when they talk about what medicine…


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A Short Medical Update for the NFL

The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback, Andrew Luck, has been sidelined with a traumatic lacerated kidney. When he will return is uncertain. The quotation below comes from an article about his injury. The Colts are handling Luck as carefully and cautiously as possible, and with good reason. Doctors know that Luck cannot risk elevating his heart rate…


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Verdi Chords

One of the most distinctive characteristics of Giuseppe Verdi’s operas is his use of chords to resolve or punctuate the moments of greatest emotional and dramatic tension as his story reaches a crisis point. This simple device would seem within the grasp of almost any composer, but Verdi’s use of it is unique. Below are five…


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More Good Medicine From the Government

A couple of items. For about 25 years I’ve been saying and writing that routine PSA screening was a bad idea. For much of this time I was the sacrificial nay sayer at meetings devoted to the subject. You can read the several posts on this issue that I have written over the past 8 years. Finally,…


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Finale 6 – Nabucco Act 1

A few days ago I mentioned the resemblance of the act 1 finale of William Tell to Nabucco.  Here’s the part of Nabucco that seems very much like the Tell finale. It too occurs in the finale to Act 1. This number is constructed the same way as the Tell piece. An adagio concertato followed…


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