Space Asks

ASTRO FACT: Jupiter is well known for being the fastest spinning planet in our solar system. Many wonder why this speedy spinning occurs. Inside the gas planet lives its guardian, the Speedo-Torpedo whaleshark. This majestic being is about 1/8th the size of the actual planet and is able to swim inside of it. To keep adventurers away from its treasure, the whaleshark swims in a circular pattern around the outer border at incredible speeds to keep it spinning on its axis so quickly. This also causes the storms which make it increasingly difficult for anyone to get to the center.

The Pantheon, Paris, France

Debussy - Prelude no. 10 “La Cathédrale Engloutie”

For Debussy’s birthday I want to pay more attention to one of my favorite preludes by him. I fell in love with the Sunken Cathedral back in high school mostly for the evocative imagery, a great Gothic church under a blue hue, choral gently waving around it, fish swimming up in the buttresses and rafters like birds, a familiar building in an alien world. It is based off of a Breton legend of a city named Ys which sunk into the ocean, and every morning the cathedral of Ys would rise up and one could hear its bells, its organs, its singers. This prelude is full of chords and passages trying to evoke the sound of muted church bells and organ music. The melodies are gorgeous over mostly pentatonic harmonies, and the passages act like a chorale and are bursting with energy.

It’s time to close our special Harp Music Week, here on Musica in Extenso! For the final post I choose a work from a famous and prodigious composer, Claude Debussy.

Today on Musica in Extenso:

Claude Debussy

Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp

One of the most unknown and underrated chamber works by Debussy. It has an unusual instrument combination, chosen by Debussy as a best for the mood of the piece. Changing between pleasant and dissonant, with unique chord progressions, it’s truly a gem of early 20th century chamber music. The link will take you to a split 3 part recording, I chose this one because it’s simply the best one.

Movements:

Pastorale

Interlude

Finale

Thank you for your attention and special thanks to the Editorial Board! Have a beautiful weekend!

Lada, Guest-Editor

Timelapse of Europa & Io orbiting Jupiter, shot from Cassini during its flyby of Jupiter

I love really tiny text and intricate diagrams 🤚🏼👁

It’s Murder time at college so everything’s chaos

What a beautiful song.

can you give us more lafayette facts???? id like to know more about him and you seem to know what youre talking about

Ahh thank you!! I’ve loved him for years so I have a strangely large amount of knowledge about him and I’m happy to share it! <333

(Read Lafayette Facts Part One) (Read Lafayette Facts Part Two)

(Read Eliza Schuyler Facts Part One) (Read Eliza Schuyler Facts Part Two)

Lafayette Fun Facts: American Revolution Part Two 1778-1781

Lafayette returned home to France on February 12, 1779

He was greeted as a hero!!!

But King Louis XVI still put him under house arrest to show other nobles they couldn’t just disobey his orders

Lafayette did not abide by the house arrest lmao

He frequently met with Benjamin Franklin and became a diplomat for both France and America

He also sought the command of the French forces that were to set sail for America

But command was given to Rochambeau, who’d been fighting in wars since before Lafayette was born! 

Lafayette was heartbroken and embarrassed that he, who knew the American army so well, was not given command of the French Army in America

While he was home he was with his wife, Adrienne, and they mourned the loss of their first child, Henriette, who had died in Spring 1777

He also got a portrait of Washington done based off of an American one he already had

He was seriously obsessed with getting portraits of Washington

He absolutely idolized the man

In Spring 1780 Lafayette set sail for American again

He had gone to the King’s Court in his American uniform to prove a point: that he’d been denied a place in the French Army, so he was taking up his one in the American Army again

America was super excited to have Lafayette back!

(While he was gone he missed one of his close friend’s, Alexander Hamilton, engagement!!) 

Lafayette at first acted as a go-between for Washington and Rochambeau, but he proved to be too forthright (this is a theme for him)  for the job and ended up accidentally insulting Rochambeau 

They all thought they would be attacking New York City once the French Fleet arrived

That plan started to look less and less likely, and they turned their attention to the southern theatre of the war

Washington gave Lafayette command of some 1, 200 men, mostly light infantry, with the order to take them to Yorktown and harass Cornwallis 

Lafayette did an excellent job of it!!

Eventually he was told to really keep Cornwallis busy as the American and French forces secretly descended upon Yorktown, where Cornwallis was camped out

Cornwallis was soon trapped, and the Siege of Yorktown began 

Lafayette was the commander of the charges on Redoubts 9 and 10

Hamilton was under his command, and led the charge of Redoubt 9

They won the redoubts in under 20 minutes!!!

This was a crucial part of the battle

And Lafayette emerged from it a true hero

Two days after this, Cornwallis surrendered 

Lafayette, at the age of 24, had helped lead the American Army to victory

This forever endeared him to the American people, who at times over the course of Lafayette’s life, appreciated him more than the French

After this battle, Lafayette went back north with Washington before heading home, his service to America as a major general done

He embarked on his next mission: helping America and France become and remain great allies!

Thank you for reading!!! If you want more on Lafayette post-American Revolution let me know and I’d be happy to do a post on it! I’m always happy to talk about anything in early American history! <333

The Pantheon in Paris, source