Tuesday, January 24, 2017

What is the Highest Credit Score?


What is the highest credit score on a range? It is 850 as per FICO. If you are going to look for a loan, a credit score is very essential whether it is going to be for a house mortgage or towards purchase of a new car. A credit score is an assessment of how much credit worthy you can get to be. It is a mathematical assessment which is arrived at, after a full analysis of your credit records. The highest score that you can muster is 850. If your score is on the higher side, you are deemed as credit worthy. Consequently, the lenders will be comfortable to give you the required loans. You may be denied the loan if your credit score is low. Even if you manage to get the loan, you will be charged a high rate of interest as the lenders would feel that it is highly risky to give you the money. What is the highest credit score you can manage? It is not a matter of any special knowledge but most people are unaware of what is the highest credit score they can manage. The highest credit score of FICO is 850 that any person can achieve before borrowing money. 850 is the credit score which is perfect and people with such a score will never have problems as far as credit offers are concerned. All the lenders will approve their loan applications for all kinds of financing. While a credit score above 740 is considered excellent, a score of 850 means that you will be getting the best interest rates and benefits that you can expect from lending institutions. An understanding of what is the highest credit score can be important enough if you want to borrow big money and also when you are planning to increase and improve your credit score. Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) is the Company that has taken out the formula for calculating the credit score. The credit score indicates spending patterns and payment practices of people. You have to remember that when you get a credit score from a certain credit bureau, it does not mean that you may get what is the highest credit score from the other two bureaus. The credit bureaus are TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. What is the highest credit score impact on an individual? The highest credit score of 850 will result in a person maintaining a lower balance to limit ratio and a balance of revolving accounts in relation with installment loan accounts. The reporting credit bureaus will benefit from sharing these credit score numbers with lenders, creditors and banks. A FICO highest credit score is broken down with 35% going towards a record of timely bill payments, 30% towards total credit cards balance, 15% towards length of credit history, 10% towards mix of loans and credit cards and 10% towards recent applications for loans. What is the highest credit score on VantageScore? On the VantageScore formula, you can go all the way up to 990 with what is the highest credit score. VantageScore was launched in 2006 to compete with FICO. This was launched by the three credit bureaus. The lowest score you can manage on VantageScore is 501. The algorithms that are used by VantageScore and FICO are never clear. We can only take some educated guesses on how the formulae are calculated. The breakdown of a VantageScore justification is 35% on payment history, 25% on utilization, 15% on outstanding debt balances, 15% on depth of credit and 10% on recent and available credit.

You can repair a leaky faucet yourself


Why can’t you repair a leaky faucet yourself? You can! Faucets come in many different models and types. But you will find only two basic kinds. One is washer type and the other is washer less. The washer type faucets work with a rubber washer that closes on to a metal washer seat. The washer can become hard, worn out and the seat can wear out causing the faucet to leak. You would like to close the faucet tighter to stop the leaking temporarily but there will be internal damage to the faucet. First, turn off the water supply when you want to repair the leak. You can turn off the water at the shut off valve beneath the fixture. If it is not there, then you will have to shut the main valve in the utility room. Also, turn off the hot water supply at the geyser. Remove the handle of the faucet. Loosen the head screw which is beneath the decorative cap in the center of the handle. Lift the handle off its broached stem. You can remove the stem by rotating it in the `on’ direction. It will thread out. Clean the chips from the faucet cavity. If the threads are badly worn out, you can get a new stem to match from a retailer. If the washer is flat and a groove that is worn out, you can even replace the washer with an exact matching size and style. To replace it, you will need a faucet seat wrench and a set of pliers. Turn the washer seat counter clockwise to loosen and clockwise to tighten. You can add a little silicone rubber sealant around the threads of the seat. With this seat and washer service, your faucet should be back in action. With washer-less faucets, the working parts need to be replaced. Prepackaged repair kits are available. You can follow the instructions for installing the replacement parts. Washer-less faucets on tubs and showers are replaced in the same way as those on sinks.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Wagner Richard Burton 1983


http://youtu.be/_7oWZq_s_Sk https://youtu.be/U3ul4LA3l5I https://youtu.be/Ecivp8t3MdY https://youtu.be/lT1zdTL-3SM This is a grand presentation depicting the life and works of Richard Wagner. The period covered is just before the 1848 Bavarian Revolution. It covers his exile in Switzerland up to the point when he settles down under the beneficial patronage of King Ludwig II; the period culminates with his final triumph at Bayreuth. Wagner's revolutionary political and musical ideas and his unique style of German nationalism and anti-Semitic beliefs are all presented in context of his times. This film was made in 1983 and the title role was played brilliantly by Richard Burton. The ten-part mini-series was directed by Tony Palmer. It was written by Charles Wood. Other main roles have been played by Vanessa Redgrave as Cosima von Bulow/Wagner and Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson as ministers of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The background music recorded for the film has been played by the Vienna Philharmonic under Sir Georg Solti and Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. This series was filmed in several locations that included Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee of King Ludwig II of Bavaria; the Residenz in Munich and other sites in Switzerland, Tuscany, Hungary, Dublin, Vienna and Venice. Richard Burton in his full element in this drama as Richard Wagner. It is difficult to think of anyone else who would have brought out this role better than Burton did. After one hundred and thirty four years after the death of Richard Wagner, he still remains an enigma to many. Bayreuth was not exactly a fairy tale ending for him as he was not flourishing economically even in his last days. His life could be summed up as him being loved and also hated at the same time; he was respected and yet despised. He could be termed as a heroic villain whose exploits and fame brought him worship and he became the hot gossip all over Europe. He remained an incurable romantic and his relationship with Liszt's daughter and Hans von Bulow's wife Cosima was an example of that. He could also be looked as a dangerous revolutionary in politics whose influence had an impact on the German society during the nineteenth century. Whatever may have happened, Wagner became a living legend and no one could deny his influence as a composer of substance of the Romantic era.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

The Great Bruckner Interpreters


In the history of recorded music of Anton Bruckner, various interpreters have shown their mutual affinity for him. Their conducting styles may have varied but the depth of their commitment was consistently sublime. Some conductors such as Wilhelm Furtwangler, Otto Klemperer and Karl Bohm were born before Bruckner's death. Klemperer, in his early days, was associated with another giant, Gustav Mahler who had met Bruckner and was influenced by the Master while developing his own distinct style. He gave that reverence to the medium of symphony as his highest form of expression. Karl Bohm was encouraged ten years after Mahler's death by Bruno Walter, a disciple and a Bruckner advocate. Wilhelm Furtwangler studied with Felix Mottl who was one of the composition pupils of Anton Bruckner. Another great Bruckner conductor, Jascha Horenstein collaborated with Furtwangler earlier in his career and prepared festival concerts. It is a well known fact that both Furtwangler and Klemperer had to face staggering challenges while continuing with their careers. The troubles were of a political nature in the case of Furtwangler while for Klemperer, there were a chain of physical mishaps and with little political influence also taking its toll. It had a negative impact in terms of health and his public image. Klemperer had an iron will and he was determined to survive through numerous afflictions. Everything was going against him and yet, he triumphed. These are my Bruckner conductors in order of preference - Sergiu Celibidache, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Otto Klemperer, Eugen Jochum, Lovro von Matacic, Volkmar Andreae, Hermann Abendroth, Gunter Wand, Franz Konwitschny, Yevgeny Mravinsky, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Georg Solti, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Sir Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, Takashi Asahina, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Daniel Barenboim, Jascha Horenstein, Karl Bohm, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Carlo Maria Giulini and Christoph Eschenbach.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Des Knaben Wunderhorn


Des Knaben Wunderhorn is a set of twelve songs written for a baritone, a soprano and orchestra by Mahler. They were completed in 1905. These old German folk songs narrate about a boy's magic horn. These were folk poems from Germany that were edited by Von Arnim and Clemens Brentano. The anthology included poems on songs made by wandering soldiers and they were mostly about love and innocence. They became a strong part of Romantic nationalism in literature. Goethe recommended that this set of poems be part of every household in Germany. Mahler gave these lieder a dual setting. He composed nine of them for piano and voice and twelve songs for voice and orchestra. The songs are - "Der Schildwache Nachtlied" – The Sentinel's Night Song "Verlor'ne Müh" – Labour Lost "Trost im Unglück" – Solace in Misfortune "Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?" – Who Thought up this Song? "Das irdische Leben" – The Earthly Life "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt" – St. Anthony of Padua's Sermon to the Fish "Rheinlegendchen" – Little Rhine Legend "Lied des Verfolgten im Turm" – Song of the Persecuted in the Tower "Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen" – Where the Fair Trumpets Sound "Lob des hohen Verstandes" – Praise of Lofty Intellect "Urlicht" – Primeval Light "Es sungen drei Engel" – Three Angels sang a Sweet Air The ideals of German national romanticism held that whatever was not corrupted by the ill effects of modern civilisation was instrumental in the nation's recovery and not many people are aware of the fact that the Brothers Grimm started their collection of German fairy tales under the inspiration and guidance of Clemens Brentano. From this collection of songs, Urlicht was incorporated into the Resurrection Symphony in 1894 as its fourth movement. Es Sungen Drei Engel found its place in the Third Symphony and was written for boys' chorus besides an alto singer. Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt also is found as the germ of the Scherzo in the Resurrection. while Absolung im Sommer is also adopted in the scherzo of the Third Symphony. Das Himmlische Leben was re-orchestrated and became part of the Fourth Symphony's finale. It was removed from the Wundehorn collection of songs at a later time. Here is a performance of these songs by Cleveland Orchestra under Pierre Boulez. https://youtu.be/zjd_czhHra0

The Story behind Mozart's Requiem


The mysteries that surround Mozart's final opus are strange to read about. It was a weird commission from an intermediary from the court of Count Von Walsegg. This composition was to be passed off as written by the Count himself and Mozart was supposed to fill in as a ghost writer. It was to commemorate the death of the Count's wife. It is well known that Mozart died after completing almost two-thirds of the music for the Requiem.He was only thirty five years of age. He died after writing just eight bars of the famous `Lacrymosa'. These were the last words that he put to music. Whatever the case may be, Mozart died writing what eventually turned out to be a requiem for himself. In the film `Amadeus', Peter Shaffer, the playwright for the film for Milos Forman, added a little fictional colour by shaping the commission to come from Antonio Salieri who is wearing a black mask. Salieri wants the credit for the requiem and in the bargain plots to kill Mozart. These are stories and conspiracy theories and Mozart's requiem cannot be taken for granted; it is better to hear the piece at its face value and grasp what Mozart is trying to accomplish in this work. Many people feel that he did not complete the requiem but he fact remains that the work was completed in the early hours of 5th December, 1791. Undoubtedly, there is influence of Haendel and Johann Sebastian Bach in this work. Not many people are aware that Mozart had re-orchestrated the entire Messiah oratorio of Haendel. The dotted rhythms in the requiem's first movement played by the strings, the initial fugue theme of Kyrie and Introitus have a deep influence of Messiah. There is a generous use of counterpoint that brings out about a feeling of archaism in the Requiem from its initial bars. Mozart added colour by adding basset horns, trombones and an organ continuo section. No one canm deny that there is plenty of heartbreaking music to be found in this master work. The Dies Irae does bring out its brimstone and fire and the Rex Tremendae brings out the awe and terror of the Book of Revelations in the choral writing. There is plenty of beautiful writing in the Recordare. This is pehaps the only part of the requiem that gives a glimpse of a world that is not besotted with lament or distress. The Requiem apart, Mozart was buried in the Sankt Marx Cemetery on 6th December 1791. It has been romanticised that Mozart was buried in a linen bag and not in a coffin. It is not possible as such burials were not permitted in the city of Vienna. As per popular belief, Mozart was also not buried in a mass grave but in Allgemeines Grab or a common grave. Yes, it could be admitted that the exact spot where Mozart was buried is questionable. The Mozart Memorial does ot actually mark the place of his mortal remains but the fact remains that he is buried somewhere in St. Marx's cemetery. Does it matter? His soul and his spirit will always breathe through the awesome music he left behind. https://youtu.be/ia8ceqIDSJw

Saturday, January 7, 2017

L'Enfance du Christ - Hector Berlioz


This oratorio was not planned by Berlioz initially as one opus. It was conceived by accident and developed one piece at a time over a longer time period. The Flight from Egypt was written initially in 1850. Berlioz related the circumstances in which he wrote it in his 'Les Grotesques de la Musique. The Arrival at Sais was composed in 1853. The Song of Herod was composed in the early part of 1854. The Holy Family at Rest was written in 1853 and this piece's success motivated Berlioz to complete and enlarge the composition. He finally felt that he caught the right essence of this Biblical work. L'Enfance du Christ was given its premiere in Paris in December 1854 and was received successfully. This was a big change for him because his La Damnation de Faust was not so well received here eight years earlier in 1846. Berlioz was mostly drawing on his past memories while composing this oratorio. The memory that influenced him was his initial communion at La Cote Saint Andre. His teacher, Lesueur, introduced numerous oratorios to Berlioz on biblical subjects. The Nocturnal March makes up the first scene of this work and is orchestrated in a unique way. It is scored delicately for smaller ensemble. The setting depicts a Jerusalem street at night time. The march represents the patrolling of Roman soldiers. This piece forms an ideal setting for the scenes that have to follow, particularly the aria of Herod, his approach with the soothsayers and his edict of carrying out the massacre of all new born children. The Dance of the Soothsayers is also a short piece. This is Berlioz's most original pieces with a macabre and satanic impact. There are fluctuations in the tonal effect and the metre also alternates between quadruple and triple time. It has its influence from Gluck and Carl Maria von Weber. The Flight to Egypt is scored for a modest ensemble like the remainder of the work and it is quite subdued when it comes to tonality. The main theme of this Flight is taken from the Nocturnal March earlier from the work. The trio for a couple of flutes and harp depicts an Ishmaelite father who welcomes Mary and Joseph into his home and he gets his children to perform this trio to calm his guests down. It is one of the scanty instrumental pieces written by Berlioz to make up this work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpiNciwKGcY Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire 1965/1966 André Cluytens, conductor